Ep 52 - Les Spellman Stumbles - "I was too obsessed with targets."

What happens when a coach is willing to admit what they got wrong? In this episode, Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, opens up about the mistakes that shaped his coaching — and why vulnerability, not certainty, has been the real driver of his development. Having worked with athletes across the NFL, NCAA, MLB and Olympic sport, Les has earned the right to be confident in his methods, which makes his honesty about where he's got it wrong all the more valuable. At the heart of the conversation is the danger of rigidity — how being too wedded to targets, technology and technical drills can quietly hold athletes back. Les reflects on his early mistakes in speed training and the shift towards a more holistic approach, including the role of eccentric work in keeping athletes fast and healthy. We also get into why context is everything in performance training, how feedback from teams has sharpened his coaching, and the often-overlooked challenge of hiring and managing staff in the private sector — and what it takes to build an environment where both athletes and coaches thrive. Output Sports are the sponsors of today's episode. One portable sensor, one platform — helping coaches test, track and programme athletes with velocity-based training and real-time performance assessment. They'll be at Collaborate 360 this July, so if you're coming along, you'll have the chance to get hands-on with the technology in person. If this episode got you thinking about how you reflect on and evolve your own coaching, that's exactly the territory we'll be exploring at Collaborate 360 in July.  Early bird tickets have sold out, but if you're a listener of the pod, use the code event25 at checkout before the end of the month and you'll get that early bird price. Link below. Collaborate 360 tickets: www.collaboratesports.com/360 Enjoy the episode!