Feed the Cats Podcast

What happens when a high school football program stops training like everyone else and puts speed first?Learn more about the Feed the Cats Academy powered by Universal Speed Rating:https://feedthecatsacademy.com/In this episode of Feed the Cats, we sit down with Coach Cale Sanders of Carlsbad High School in New Mexico to talk about the transformation of his football program after adopting a sprint-based, speed-first approach to training.Carlsbad enrolled in the Feed the Cats Academy powered by Universal Speed Rating, giving their coaches a way to regularly test and track speed, jumping ability, power, and other performance metrics. Those results create an overall performance score that allows athletes to measure their progress against teammates and other athletes in programs participating in the Academy.But the biggest changes aren't just happening on the testing numbers.Coach Sanders shares how this approach has helped his athletes become faster, healthier, and more explosive, while reducing the emphasis on traditional conditioning and the constant grind that can leave athletes fatigued and more susceptible to injury.And the results on the field have followed.Carlsbad has seen major improvements in athlete performance, fewer injuries, and more success—including the program's first playoff win in 16 years last season. Now, the program enters the upcoming season highly ranked and looking to build on that momentum.In this conversation, we discuss:• Why Carlsbad made the shift to sprint-based football• The philosophy behind putting speed before conditioning• How regularly testing speed and power changes the way athletes train• Why training athletes to perform at a higher level may be more effective than simply doing more work• The impact on injuries and athlete health• How Carlsbad's athletes have improved their top-end speed• The connection between speed development and winning football games• What other high school coaches can learn from Carlsbad's transformation• Why the traditional approach to football conditioning may be changingCould a speed-first approach be the future of high school football?#FeedTheCats #FootballTraining #SpeedTraining #HighSchoolFootball #SprintTraining #FootballSpeed #FootballConditioning #AthleteDevelopment

Steve Jones was one of the most successful high school football coaches in America, leading Kimberly High School to 70 consecutive wins, five state championships, and a remarkable 129-9 record. But as you'll hear in this conversation, sustained success isn't about X's and O's—it's about building a championship culture through intentional leadership.- Link to The Twin Thieves - https://amzn.to/4f4kymAIn this episode of the Feed the Cats Podcast, Steve shares the leadership principles that helped transform athletes into leaders and teams into champions. Whether you're a coach, teacher, business leader, entrepreneur, or parent, these lessons will help you build stronger relationships, create buy-in, and develop a culture where people thrive.In this episode:- The leadership secrets behind 70 straight wins- How to build a championship culture- Creating trust and accountability within a team- Developing leaders at every level- Coaching beyond wins and losses- Leadership lessons that apply to sports, business, and life🎙️ About Steve JonesSteve Jones is a leadership coach, keynote speaker, consultant, and best-selling author. As head football coach at Kimberly High School (WI), he led his program to a 129-9 record, 70 consecutive victories, and five state championships. Today, he works with Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, and leaders around the world to help build connected, resilient, high-performing cultures.Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPj3-_eDe-42EpKhMt4B7Q/join

How do you develop athletic kids in today’s youth sports environment? In this episode, Jeremy Frisch joins the podcast to discuss youth speed training, movement skill development, multi-sport athletes, and long-term athletic development.Find more from Jeremy here: - https://www.instagram.com/jeremy_frisch17- https://x.com/JeremyFrischJeremy specializes in youth athletic development, strength & conditioning, and the Speed Demons program, helping young athletes build athleticism through movement, play, skill development, and smart training practices.We discuss why movement skills and physical literacy should come before early specialization, how multi-sport athletes often develop broader athletic abilities, and why gamification of practice and training can be one of the most effective ways to improve learning, speed, coordination, and athletic performance.In this episode, we cover:- How to develop athletic kids- Youth speed training principles- Movement skills and physical literacy- Multi-sport athletes and athletic development- The problem with early sports specialization- Gamification in practice and sports training- Strength and conditioning for young athletes- Building speed, coordination, and athleticism- Coaching youth athletes for long-term developmentWhether you’re a coach, parent, trainer, PE teacher, or sports performance professional, this conversation offers practical insights into developing faster, more skilled, and more athletic young athletes.Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPj3-_eDe-42EpKhMt4B7Q/join 

What if speed isn’t genetic… and can actually be taught?In this episode, we sit down with Dillon Martinez, author of Breaking The Speed Barrier, to discuss the science and coaching methods behind real speed development.- Link to Dillon's book: https://amzn.to/3P4OPc8We dive into why most coaches struggle to teach speed effectively, the biggest mistakes in traditional conditioning programs, and how elite coaches develop faster athletes through proper sprint mechanics, teaching progressions, and evidence-based training.Topics include:- The “7 UPs” of sprint mechanics- The Three T’s of speed training- Maximum velocity development- Teaching acceleration and change of direction- Multi-sport athlete programming- Recovery and injury prevention- Why speed is a skill — not just geneticsDr. Martinez also shares insights from the largest research study ever conducted on speed coaching pedagogy and explains what separates great speed coaches from average ones.If you’re a coach, athlete, parent, or sports performance enthusiast, this episode will completely change how you think about speed training.