Bells and Whistles Versus Concepts and Principles

If you want to convince me to have my child train with you, come to me with more than shiny new equipment and a tee shirt. Those are what we call features, and these features are not going to sell me. 

If you are trying to convince parents, athletes, coaches, you are the place to train; you need to show the outcomes you can deliver to your athletes. Remember that old saying,  “Where’s the BEEF”?

Don’t think because you bought the latest version of medicine balls and a leg press machine that will be enough to seal the deal. 

However, you can talk to me about the results your athletes are getting and how your concepts and principles are consistently proving to be accurate- you’ve got my attention, now! 

Drills are just like features. You can tell me all about how your athletes do a drill that moves them to their right, then a jump, followed by a spin, and a quick sprint to the finish… and how it was reviewed 15,000 times on your YouTube Channel, but I’m still not impressed. 

I would be impressed if you can tell me how that drill lowers my son’s 100m sprint time or increases the number of blocks my daughter will get in volleyball- now I’m listening. 

We have become afraid to be truthful, maybe a little boring in today’s standards, in favor of sharing highlight reels and the “bells and whistles.” More than not, it’s because we believe parents and athletes want to hear the hype.

In reality, all you have to do is tell them the outcome you can deliver and back it up. Show them how your training methods increase force production, proper mechanics, and increases skill acquisition…AND how this all leads to more rushing yards in football, more attacks in Lacrosse, more points in basketball, and more groundballs gobbled up in softball. 

Athletes don’t sign up for your training. They sign up for the results your training can get them. 

I know some people will complain if your facility looks old and equipment is rusty… but those are not the customers you want anyway. You want the athletes that know your training methods work and produce results, regardless of how little equipment you have or that their new white shirt ends up brown after laying on your floor. Okay, well, maybe they will draw the line there, especially if they have to get a tetanus shot after each workout!

Your job is to sell outcomes, results, and improvements. If your new equipment can produce these big wins, then more power to you! But if that’s all you are selling, good luck!


In the www.SpeedToolbox.com I sell results. I show “no-fluff” exercises, programs, and methods that are from 32 years of success. Many of the drills I use now, I used 3-decades ago. Why? Because they produce results for my athletes and make them more successful. 

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