
Advertise on podcast: The Sam Portland Podcast
This podcast has
137 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Sam PortlandExplicit
Yes
Date created
2019/01/24
Latest episode
2026/10/23
Average duration
29 min.
Release period
18 days
Description
The Sam Portland Podcast is all about educating, entertaining and bringing the coach to the centre of the conversation. Covering all aspects of the Coach Clarity Method and OF COURSE...SPEED TRAINING.
Unlock The Sam Portland Podcast podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details
Email contact information
Direct podcast contact details

Listeners
Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details
Podcast Insights

Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from The Sam Portland Podcast podcast
Why Track Speed Training Doesn’t Always Work for Team Sports
2026/10/23
Does track sprint training actually improve speed in team sports? In this podcast, we discuss speed training for team sports, rugby speed training, American football speed training and why sprint speed doesn’t always transfer to games.
There’s a big difference between being fast in a straight line and being able to express that speed when it matters.
In this episode, I’m joined by William James, former NCAA Division I and professional American football player, now coaching at the NFL Academy.
We discuss why traditional sprint training doesn’t always prepare athletes for the demands of rugby and American football, and how coaches can bridge the gap between physical preparation and sporting performance.
We also explore William’s journey from Sweden to American college football, professional football in Europe and Canada, and eventually coaching the next generation of athletes.
WHAT WE DISCUSS
🏉 Why track sprint mechanics don’t always transfer to rugby and football
⚡ General, Specific, Special and Tactical speed
🏈 How to integrate speed development into team practices
📊 Why GPS data can reveal problems with speed preparation
💥 The difference between maximum sprint speed and repeatable game speed
🧠 Why speed training should develop decision-making and movement skills
🏋️ Why the weight room is only one part of athletic development
🎯 How great coaches connect physical preparation with sporting performance
We also share stories from playing rugby and American football, working with professional athletes, and the realities of coaching in high-performance environments.
Chapters
0:00 Why track speed training doesn't always transfer
1:05 General, Specific, Special and Tactical speed
1:49 Why rugby players need better speed preparation
3:12 Speed Age: Why trained athletes struggle to sprint
4:11 Maximum speed vs competitive speed
5:31 Integrating speed training into football practice
6:33 Why strength coaches and sport coaches must collaborate
7:47 Using GPS to understand sporting speed demands
8:48 The hamstring injury that exposed a preparation problem
10:21 Why traditional conditioning misses the point
12:16 Building repeatable high-speed performance
14:06 Playing American football after rugby
17:09 The physical differences between rugby and football
23:33 William James' journey from Sweden to NCAA football
28:32 Breaking into Division I American football
31:07 Professional football in Europe and Australia
32:33 The journey to the CFL
37:30 The physical standards of professional athletes
43:29 Why great coaches need physical empathy
44:29 From professional player to NFL Academy coach
49:43 The culture of American football strength training
51:44 Why coaching culture matters as much as programming
55:34 Why great coaching beats complicated programmes
58:28 Frameworks, systems and better coaching decisions
1:01:04 Integrating physical preparation into sport practice
1:03:06 Final thoughts and where to find William James
THE SPORTS SPEED SYSTEM
My approach to speed development is built around four levels:
GENERAL → SPECIFIC → SPECIAL → TACTICAL
The objective isn’t simply to make athletes faster over 10, 20 or 40 metres.
It’s to develop speed qualities that athletes can repeatedly express within their sport.
If you’re a strength and conditioning coach, rugby coach, football coach or performance coach looking to improve how you develop speed, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.
GET THE SPORTS SPEED SYSTEM
📘 The Sports Speed System book:
https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=mcvVdnSpLY0
📘 Profile your speed with my free App: https://speedbysportland.com/speed-program-builder-page?video=mcvVdnSpLY0
⚡ Try the Sports Speed App:
https://sbs.programs.app/
🎓 Join Legacy Mastermind:
https://www.speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-new
CONNECT WITH WILLIAM JAMES
Instagram: @williamjames91
Why Strength Doesn’t Always Transfer to Speed | Rolf Öhman
2026/10/19
Why doesn’t getting stronger always make athletes faster? And what are elite sprint coaches doing differently?
In this episode of the Sam Portland Podcast, I’m joined by Rolf Öhman, founder of 1080 technology and an internationally experienced performance coach, to explore sprint training, eccentric strength, tendon capacity and the principles behind developing truly fast athletes.
Drawing on decades of experience working with elite sprinters, jumpers and international athletes, Rolf shares lessons from Charlie Francis and Randy Huntington, explaining why improving strength doesn’t automatically translate into faster sprinting.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Rocky, resilience and lessons from coaching history5:19 Why great coaches need to become great storytellers8:01 Learning from the pioneers of strength and conditioning14:10 My introduction to elite sprint coaching and James Smith18:47 Rolf’s athletic career and the injuries that changed his approach25:42 Meeting Charlie Francis and rethinking periodisation27:34 The problem with unnecessary training volume29:11 Performance technology: useful information or unnecessary noise?34:49 Why university education doesn’t always prepare coaches36:15 Stop building a base. Start building capacity.38:21 Using performance indexes to guide speed development39:32 Long-term athlete development and the principle of hurrying slowly41:03 Understanding the force-velocity relationship42:14 Lessons from Randy Huntington and Charlie Francis44:58 The research that helped inspire 1080 technology46:08 Why increasing strength doesn’t guarantee better elasticity47:13 Eccentric strength and the demands of elite jumping48:10 Why faster approach speeds can produce shorter jumps49:16 The importance of eccentric loading and tissue behaviour50:49 How to progress exercises across an athlete’s development53:05 Why force application speed matters more than maximum strength54:04 Applying these principles to rugby and field sports58:15 Why tendons and muscles adapt at different rates59:12 Charlie Francis and vertical integration1:00:39 Tissue capacity and the development of elite sprint performance1:03:48 What elite shot putters teach us about long-term adaptation1:06:30 Developing extraordinary jumping ability1:08:28 Isometric training, tendon adaptation and managing tendinopathy1:09:49 Why elite coaches must continually experiment1:10:14 Final thoughts and where to follow Rolf
IN THIS EPISODE
We explore some of the biggest challenges in strength and conditioning:
Strength vs Speed: Why improving maximum strength doesn’t automatically improve sprint performance.Eccentric Strength: How the ability to absorb and rapidly express force influences sprinting, jumping and ground contact times.Tissue Capacity: Why muscles and tendons adapt differently, and what this means for long-term athlete development.Training Progression: Why introducing advanced methods too early can limit an athlete’s future development.Vertical Integration: How Charlie Francis organised training to develop multiple physical qualities simultaneously.Performance Technology: Why collecting more data doesn’t necessarily lead to better coaching decisions.Rolf also shares fascinating stories from his athletic career, the development of 1080 technology and the coaching experiences that shaped his philosophy.
If you’re a strength and conditioning coach, speed specialist or performance coach looking to better understand how strength transfers to sporting performance, this is a conversation worth your time.
LINKS
Rolf Öhman — Instagram: @tailwindsquad
Sports Speed System Book:https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook
What Actually Makes Someone Faster?
2026/08/14
The 3 Physical Qualities That Make Athletes Faster are force production, elasticity and sprint technique. In this Speed Training 101 lesson, I explain how each quality influences sprint speed and how coaches can identify what their athletes actually need.
Most coaches can tell you what their athletes did last week.
The drills.
The gym sessions.
The distances.
The sprint volume.
But ask exactly what physical quality made the athlete faster, and the answer often becomes much less clear.
Speed development isn’t random.
In Episode 4 of Speed Training 101, I break sprint performance down into three physical qualities:
1. Force
Not simply how strong the athlete is, but how quickly force can be produced during the very short ground contacts available in sprinting.
2. Elasticity
The ability to tolerate, manage and return force during ground contact without excessive deformation or energy loss.
3. Technique
The movement solution that emerges when the athlete has the physical qualities required to execute sprinting effectively.
Inside this video you’ll learn:
* Why maximum strength doesn’t automatically create sprint speed
* Why Rate of Force Development matters for acceleration
* How short sprint ground contacts change the strength requirements
* Why some powerful athletes leak force through the ankle and knee
* What ground contact compliance means
* How elasticity influences sprint mechanics
* Why coaches often try to fix technique too early
* How physical preparation improves technical execution
* Why athletes forget technical cues
* How Learn → Load → Execute develops sprint skill
* How to diagnose which speed quality your athlete actually needs
The goal isn’t to collect more drills.
The goal is to identify the limiter and train the quality that actually moves performance.
FREE FIELD SPEED TOOLKIT
Turn the concepts from Speed Training 101 into practical coaching decisions.
The Field Speed Toolkit includes a Speed Drill Audit Sheet, plug-and-play training week and the five Transfer Filters I use to help coaches connect training to speed.
https://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit?video=_qaX_Q45CFA
Chapters
0:00 The 3 qualities that actually develop speed
1:03 Why strength doesn’t automatically create speed
1:40 Force production vs Rate of Force Development
2:54 Why athletes lose force at ground contact
3:24 What elasticity actually means
4:56 How good athletes manage ground contact
6:37 Same force, completely different speed
7:19 Why coaches try to fix technique too early
8:26 Why technical coaching doesn’t always stick
9:18 Physical qualities before sprint technique
10:17 Learn Load Execute explained
10:50 Force, elasticity and technique
11:04 What actually makes athletes faster?
12:02 How often should athletes sprint?
The Sports Speed System Book
Learn the complete system for developing speed that transfers to team sport:
https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=_qaX_Q45CFA
The Best Coach Education Platform There Is
https://speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-7912?video=_qaX_Q45CFA
Sports Speed App — 7 Day Free Trial
https://sbs.programs.app/
Main Website
https://www.speedbysportland.com
Should Every Athlete Sprint the Same Way? | Speed Training 101
2026/08/05
Should every athlete sprint the same way? In this Speed Training 101 lesson, I explain why beginner, developing and advanced athletes need different speed training programmes, sprint intensities and progressions.Most coaches have a squad full of athletes with different bodies, training histories, physical qualities and levels of speed development.Yet every athlete completes:The same drills.The same sprint distances.The same intensities.The same weekly volume.Then coaches wonder why some athletes improve while others stay slow.The problem is not always the speed session.The problem is often the diagnosis.In Episode 3 of Speed Training 101, I explain how to classify athletes by their Speed Age and match the training stimulus to their actual stage of development.You will learn:* Why strong and powerful athletes can still be slow* How physical preparedness differs from motor potential* How to use strength, jumping and sprint metrics together* Why beginners do not need maximum intensity* How excessive intensity can blunt future development* Why developing athletes need sprint variation* How resisted sprints, flying runs and wicket drills fit into progression* Why advanced athletes need less volume and more precision* How fatigue eventually outpaces adaptation* Why one speed programme cannot serve an entire squad equally* How Speed Age creates clearer programming decisionsThe three stages covered are:Beginner athlete: structured exposure and movement learningDeveloping athlete: progressive loading through sprint variationAdvanced athlete: precise, high-quality intensity with carefully controlled volumeThe key lesson is simple:The training method may not be wrong. It may simply be wrong for that athlete at that stage.Chapters0:00 Why the same speed programme gets different results1:01 Physical preparedness vs motor potential1:30 Why strong athletes can still be slow3:06 How to assess strength transfer4:15 The beginner speed athlete7:55 The developing speed athlete9:50 Why sprint variation matters12:10 Speed development takes years12:51 The advanced speed athlete14:03 Fatigue vs adaptation14:40 Why advanced athletes need less volume16:04 Beginner vs developing vs advanced17:01 Speed Age explained17:26 What comes nextFree Field Speed ToolkitApply the Sports Speed System with your athletes and start making clearer speed-training decisions:https://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit?video=aLcYuY_ATK4The Sports Speed System BookLearn the complete framework for developing speed that transfers to team sports:https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=aLcYuY_ATK4Main Websitehttps://www.speedbysportland.com
Why Are Some Athletes Faster Than Others? | Speed Training 101
2026/07/31
Why are some athletes faster than others? In this Speed Training 101 lesson, I explain how genetics, training age, sprint exposure and movement competency influence sprint speed and your ability to develop faster athletes.
Are fast athletes simply born fast?
Genetics absolutely influence speed. Fibre type, limb length, neurological characteristics and other inherited qualities can affect an athlete’s potential.
But genetics only help establish the ceiling.
The bigger coaching question is:
How close is the athlete to that ceiling?
In Episode 2 of Speed Training 101, I break down why athletes with years of strength and conditioning experience can still have enormous amounts of untapped speed potential.
You’ll learn:
Why genetics don’t fully explain sprint performance
The difference between Training Age and Speed Age
Why experienced athletes can still be speed-development beginners
How structured sprint exposure develops speed
Why strength needs to transfer into sprint performance
How movement competency affects speed development
Why maximum-effort sprinting isn’t always maximum development
How I use Learn → Load → Execute to develop sprint skill
I also share the example of a 35-year-old professional rugby player who achieved lifetime best sprint performances over 10m, 20m and maximum speed after we changed how his speed training was structured.
The lesson is simple:
Your athlete’s genetic ceiling might be fixed. Their proximity to it isn’t.
0:00 Are Some Athletes Just Born Faster?
0:59 Understanding Your Athlete's Speed Potential
2:00 Does Genetics Limit Sprint Speed?
2:18 Training Age vs Speed Age
3:29 What Is Speed Age?
4:46 Why Experienced Athletes Can Still Be Slow
5:13 How a 35-Year-Old Rugby Player Got Faster
5:51 How to Increase Sprint Training Exposure
6:25 What Does Proper Sprint Training Look Like?
6:52 The Sprint Development Hierarchy
8:27 Why Strength Doesn't Always Transfer to Speed
9:14 Movement Competency and Sprint Performance
10:15 Why Maximum Speed Can Limit Learning
10:53 How Athletes Actually Learn Sprint Technique
11:40 The Learn, Load, Execute Framework
12:22 Why Some Athletes Are Faster Than Others
13:15 Should Every Athlete Sprint the Same Way?
⸻
FREE FIELD SPEED TOOLKIT
Get the tools and frameworks to start applying the Sports Speed System with your athletes:
https://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit?video=kBsjt6KZkok
THE SPORTS SPEED SYSTEM
Learn my complete approach to developing speed that transfers to team sport:
https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=kBsjt6KZkok
WATCH SPEED TRAINING 101
Start from Episode 1 and work through the complete series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMoh2cFJ0Ztk
What Actually Makes Athletes Faster? | Speed Training 101
2026/07/22
What actually makes athletes faster? In this Speed Training 101 lesson, I break down the five key qualities that influence sprint speed and how coaches can develop faster team sport athletes.
Most coaches know their athletes need to get faster.
The problem is that “run faster” isn’t a coaching strategy.
In Episode 1 of Speed Training 101, I break down speed into five key areas that coaches can actually assess, train and develop:
* Strength
* Technique
* Elasticity
* Coordination
* Speed exposure
You’ll learn why getting stronger eventually produces diminishing returns, why sprint technique is often overcoached, how sprinting develops elastic qualities, why maximum-effort sprinting isn’t always the answer, and why most athletes may be getting far less genuine speed exposure than coaches realise.
The goal of this series is simple: to make speed training for team sport athletes easier to understand, coach and programme.
0:00 What Actually Makes Athletes Faster?
0:29 What Speed Really Is
1:38 How Strength Influences Sprint Speed
2:14 When Strength Stops Making You Faster
3:23 How Strong Does an Athlete Need to Be?
4:51 The Problem With Sprint Technique Coaching
5:52 Simple Sprint Technique for Team Sports
7:12 How Elasticity Makes Athletes Faster
8:31 Why Sprinting Develops More Than Speed
9:55 Why Maximum Effort Isn't Always Better
11:01 The Three Sprint Intensity Bands
13:23 How Much Speed Training Do Athletes Need?
14:53 Why Sprint Volume Can Be Misleading
15:23 The Step Load Method
16:25 The 5 Qualities That Develop Speed
17:12 Why Are Some Athletes Faster Than Others?
FREE FIELD SPEED TOOLKIT
Get the tools and frameworks to help you apply the Sports Speed System with your athletes:
https://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit...
THE SPORTS SPEED SYSTEM
Learn my complete system for developing speed that transfers to team sport:
https://www.speedbysportland.com/spor...
I’m Sam Portland, author of The Sports Speed System. This channel is dedicated to helping strength and conditioning coaches understand speed development, sprint training and performance for team sport athletes.
Conditioning vs Speed: Why You Can't Have Both the Way You Train
2026/07/10
Why Your Conditioning Is Ruining Your Speed | Conditioning for Rugby, Football and Team Sports. If your conditioning program is making athletes slower, reducing acceleration, and hurting sprint performance, this video explains why conditioning and speed training often conflict in rugby, football, and team sports.Most coaches think:More fatigue = more fitness.But that’s often the exact reason athletes lose speed.Inside this video you’ll learn:• Why conditioning can reduce sprint performance• What speed reserve really means• Why athletes get fitter but slower• How conditioning competes with speed development• Why fatigue is not adaptation• The difference between speed-supporting and speed-stealing conditioning• How to improve repeat sprint ability without sacrificing speedMany athletes don’t have a conditioning problem.They have a speed problem.And if your conditioning model is reducing acceleration, max speed, and explosiveness, you may be creating the very problem you’re trying to solve.0:00 Why conditioning makes athletes slower0:15 The field sport conditioning problem0:51 Free Tempo Decision Engine1:36 The biggest lie in conditioning1:54 Why fitter athletes became slower2:17 Speed supporting vs speed stealing3:03 What conditioning is really teaching3:17 Understanding speed reserve3:35 Why athletes redline during games3:50 The real conditioning problem4:07 What to do instead4:14 Next video previewDownload the Tempo Decision Engine Here : https://www.speedbysportland.com/tempo-decision-engine-page?video=GzLckCDjEHUGrab The Full Tempo System: https://www.speedbysportland.com/tempo-system-lander-page?video=GzLckCDjEHUBuy My Book: https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=GzLckCDjEHU
You're Training Speed Wrong (The Speed Age Rule)
2026/06/05
Speed Training for Team Sports starts by understanding Speed Age. In this video, I explain why athletes should NOT all sprint the same way and how to build better speed training programs using the Sports Speed System.Most coaches progress strength training correctly…But when sprint training starts:Everyone gets the same sledsEveryone runs fastEveryone gets the same drillsAnd eventually progress stalls.Inside this video you’ll learn:• What Speed Age is and why it matters• Learning to Sprint vs Training to Sprint• How to assess sprint readiness• Why team sport athletes need different speed programs• How to progress speed training safely• How to reduce injury risk in speed development• How the Sports Speed System structures sprint progressionsThe Sports Speed System uses four Speed Age levels:Learning to SprintTraining to SprintSprinting to CompeteSprinting to WinThis helps coaches build speed training programs that maximise sprint gains while improving long-term athlete development.0:00 Why athletes should NOT sprint the same way0:42 Free Field Speed Toolkit1:04 Why sprinting all athletes the same fails1:52 Introducing Speed Age2:43 Learning to Sprint4:26 Training to Sprint6:52 Sprinting to Compete9:18 Sprinting to Win11:41 Building better speed programs12:28 Drill Stacking teaser⸻LinksFREE Field Speed Toolkithttps://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit?video=9oPFVIwt-F0The Sports Speed System Bookhttps://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=9oPFVIwt-F0Train With ME - Sports Speed App – 7 Day Trialhttps://sbs.programs.app/
From Soccer Player to Pro American Football Kicker at 36 | Dean Faithful’s Story
2026/05/22
Dean Faithful went from playing football around the world to becoming a professional American football kicker in his mid-30s.
In this episode, we talk about his journey from soccer to American football, learning to kick during lockdown, getting a scholarship in the US, being drafted into the CFL, and hitting a game-winning kick in front of 35,000 fans.
We also get into the mindset behind late-career reinvention, transferable skills, kicking mechanics, resilience, self-employment, and why getting really good at your craft still matters more than chasing shortcuts.
0:00 Life in Colorado, the UK, and starting over
18:00 How Dean accidentally became an American football kicker
22:30 Learning to kick from YouTube during lockdown
28:00 Losing his scholarship and rebuilding through Twitter
33:00 The difference between kicking a soccer ball and American football
39:00 Why live kicking changes everything
45:00 Athleticism, size, strength, and the kicker stereotype
52:00 Building Game Day Kicking
57:00 Getting drafted into the CFL
1:05:00 The game-winning kick against Calgary
1:13:00 Life after Canada and building the next chapter
1:20:00 Coaching kickers and doing things the right way
Dean Faithful:
Instagram: @dean.faithful
Website: gamedaykicking.com
Email: [email protected]
7 Off-Season Mistakes Rugby Players Make (That Keep Them Slow)
2026/04/30
This off-season, many rugby players make common errors in their preparation. This video addresses why typical off-season programs fail, often relying on general fitness instead of targeted rugby speed and speed and power development. We break down the critical mistakes and offer solutions to help you run faster where it counts, ensuring effective rugby strength training and conditioning for the upcoming season.Most players think they are working hard in the off-season…But they come back the same speed, same power, same player.0:00 Why most rugby off-seasons fail0:35 Mistake 1: Training to “get fit”1:50 Why fatigue kills speed and power2:20 Mistake 2: Not sprinting enough3:25 Why sprint training prevents injuries4:05 Mistake 3: Getting strong without getting faster5:15 Why strength does not transfer to speed6:00 Mistake 4: Skipping power and elastic work7:05 Why athletes break down after the gym7:40 Mistake 5: The wrong type of conditioning8:50 How to build rugby-specific fitness9:35 Mistake 6: No change of direction or contact10:40 Why players get injured returning to training11:15 Mistake 7: Random training with no system12:05 Why structure creates results12:40 The real goal of the off-seasonIn this video you will learn:• The biggest rugby off-season training mistakes• How to improve speed training for rugby• Why sprint training should be year-round• How to build power and avoid injuries• How to structure your off-season properlyIf you want to run faster, get more powerful and actually improve next season, you need to train for speed — not just fatigue.⸻🔗 Links👉 Full Rugby Off-Season Program (App Access)https://sbs.programs.app/Field Speed Toolkithttps://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit?video=HM95Gnh4J2wThe Sports Speed System Bookhttps://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook?video=HM95Gnh4J2wMain Websitehttps://www.speedbysportland.com
Stop Selling Sessions (Why Coaches Stay Broke & Stuck)
2026/04/24
Coaching business success starts when you stop selling sessions and start selling outcomes. In this video, I break down why selling sessions keeps coaches underpaid, how to build a coaching business, and how to create structured offers that scale beyond time for money.
Most coaches are stuck because they charge per session instead of building a system.
0:00 Why selling sessions keeps coaches stuck
0:42 The £100K coaching reality check
1:52 The time for money trap explained
3:15 Why session packs destroy cash flow
4:28 Sell outcomes vs sell sessions
5:32 The biggest coaching business mistake
6:40 The 5 problems with selling sessions
9:05 Why you cannot scale session-based coaching
10:42 The shift from job to business
11:45 How to restructure your current clients
13:18 Small group training for leverage
14:48 Why you need monthly retainers
16:05 Hybrid coaching model explained
17:30 Online coaching structure basics
18:20 How to build a £100K coaching business
19:25 Outcome-based rehab offers
20:45 Building your coaching ecosystem
22:10 From technician to business architect
In this video you will learn:
• Why selling sessions keeps coaches underpaid
• How to build a coaching business instead of a job
• How to structure monthly retainers and offers
• How to scale without adding more hours
• How to move towards £100K as a coach
If you want a real coaching career, you need structure, leverage, and positioning — not more sessions.
🔗 Links
👉 Download the FREE S&C Business Build Blueprint
https://sportlandconsulting.acr.fit/the-sc-business-blueprint?video=yGherAlVTio
Most Coaches are Underpaid (Here's why)
2026/04/10
Coaching business architecture starts by fixing the mistake that keeps great coaches underpaid. In this video, I break down coaching business, coach education, and career structure so coaches can stop selling time, build better offers, and create a real career instead of just another job.
Most coaches are not underpaid because they are bad at coaching.
They are underpaid because they built a job instead of a business structure that gives them leverage.
0:00 Why most coaches stay underpaid
1:08 My coaching story and the broken model
2:41 The lie coaches get sold in pro sport
4:25 The time for money trap
6:44 Why universities do not teach this
8:31 The four real business problems coaches have
10:05 Why you do not need more clients
11:28 Sell solutions, not sessions
12:31 Move clients to monthly retainers
13:12 Use small groups to increase leverage
14:18 Why every coach needs an email list
15:22 How to build authority and stability
16:32 Why earning more is not selling out
17:39 The harsh lesson every fired coach learns
18:33 What this channel is really about
In this video you will learn:
• Why good coaches still stay underpaid
• Why selling sessions keeps coaches stuck
• How to build structure, positioning and leverage
• Why monthly retainers beat pay per session
• How to start turning coaching into a career
Download the S&C Business Blueprint now: https://sportlandconsulting.acr.fit/the-sc-business-blueprint-opt-in
Jeff Moyer on Yessis, Play and the Future of Strength Coaching
2026/04/03
Coach education for strength and conditioning coaches starts with better questions, better motor learning, and better transfer of training. In this podcast, Jeff Moyer and I break down play, neurology, athletic development, and why modern S&C often takes itself too seriously.
This is a coach-to-coach conversation on:
• Why play still matters in high-performance sport
• What most strength coaches misunderstand about transfer
• The legacy of Dr. Michael Yessis and Soviet sports science
• How motor learning, reflexes and development shape movement
• Why strength is an expression, not one thing
• How to think better about athlete development, not just programming
If you work in rugby, football, American football, or athlete development, this episode will challenge how you think about coaching.
0:00 The Sports Speed Universe, humour and taking S&C too seriously
4:07 Thanksgiving, football and cooking talk
11:12 Jeff’s biomechanics course and teaching live
16:04 Why coaches need history, not just social media
20:16 Michael Yessis, Soviet training and forgotten influences
27:49 General strength, transfer and team sport performance
33:12 Private coaching, football schedules and doing no harm
40:33 Strength as an expression, not one thing
44:35 Neurology, development and movement learning
52:11 Primitive reflexes, threat response and sprinting
59:36 Play, variability and solving movement problems
1:08:08 Why athletes can look great and still not transfer
1:14:48 How Jeff uses play and roughhousing in training
1:22:27 What coaches miss about long-term athletic development
1:29:30 What Jeff would change in team sport preparation
1:36:52 Education, complexity and better coaching questions
1:44:42 Where to find Jeff Moyer
Field Speed Toolkit
https://speedbysportland.com/tool-kit-page
The Sports Speed System Book
https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook
The Best Coach Education Platform There Is
https://www.speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-new
7 Day Free Trial – Sports Speed App
https://sbs.programs.app/
Main Website
https://www.speedbysportland.com
Why Most Private Coaches Plateau at £2K–£4K Months
2026/03/16
Most private coaches do not plateau because they are lazy.
They plateau because the business model they inherited was built with a ceiling.
In this Sports Speed Insider training, I break down exactly why so many competent coaches stay stuck between £2K and £4K months — even when they are smart, hardworking, and genuinely great at coaching.
This is not a knowledge problem.
It is not a motivation problem.
It is an architecture problem.
We cover:
• Why trading time for money kills growth
• The real problem with relying on referrals
• How “doing a bit of everything” keeps you stuck
• Why no leverage means no freedom
• The 3-layer business structure every coach needs
• How to move from technician to architect
• Why authority positioning is built, not gifted
• How to audit your current business model and find the ceiling
If you are a strength coach, sports coach, PT, rehab coach, or private practitioner trying to build a better business without burning yourself into the ground, this one will hit home.
This is about building cash flow, leverage, and authority — not just grinding harder.
⸻
Timestamps
0:00 – Why most private coaches get stuck at £2K–£4K months
0:42 – You are not dumb, lazy, or lacking knowledge
1:16 – The real issue: your business has a built-in ceiling
2:07 – The typical private coaching model explained
2:45 – Why 20–35 coaching hours creates an income cap
3:47 – Why cancellations and inconsistency wreck your income
4:20 – This is not a work ethic problem — it is an architecture problem
5:20 – Structural Trap 1: trading time for money
5:48 – Structural Trap 2: relying on referrals
6:14 – Structural Trap 3: doing a bit of everything
6:40 – Structural Trap 4: no leverage
7:16 – Why working harder will not solve this
7:33 – The architectural shift coaches need to make
7:48 – Foundational income: your cash flow base
8:16 – Why cash flow matters more than vanity profit
8:46 – Leverage offers: building one-to-many models
9:00 – Authority positioning: how real coaching businesses scale
9:16 – The identity shift from technician to architect
9:47 – How to audit your business properly
10:02 – You do not need to be an author, course creator, or pro coach
10:19 – The real source of leverage in your business
10:42 – Why architecture, not coaching skill, is your real bottleneck
11:05 – Final challenge: identify the ceiling in your business
Links
Join Legacy Mastermind
https://www.speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-new-page
How to Progress Speed Exercises Without Breaking Athletes
2026/02/20
Most coaches use the same lifts, the same drills, and the same sprint work… yet their athletes still fail to develop real, transferable speed. The problem isn’t effort. It’s a lack of exercise classification for sprinting.
In this Sports Speed Insider session, Sam breaks down why most speed programs stall, how adaptive reserve dictates what athletes can tolerate, and why learning to sprint must come before training to sprint. You’ll see how to classify exercises by specificity, motor unit recruitment, and transfer — not just “hip dominant vs knee dominant.”
If you coach speed, acceleration, or team sport performance and want clarity on what to use, when to use it, and what to remove, this session will change how you structure training forever.
⸻
TIMESTAMPS
0:05 Introduction – Why Speed Training Needs Better Classification
1:05 The Biggest Gap in Modern Speed Training
1:42 Why Gym Exercises Don’t Transfer to Sprint Speed
2:29 Adaptive Reserve Explained (Why Athletes Get Sore)
3:26 Why Sprinting Breaks Athletes Early On
3:48 Learning to Sprint vs Training to Sprint
4:08 Charlie Francis, EMG Data & Speed Exercise Selection
4:49 Motor Unit Recruitment Explained Simply
5:41 How to Classify Speed Exercises Correctly
6:10 Wall Drills: Low Intensity, High Skill Transfer
6:47 Exercise Order That Actually Improves Acceleration
7:36 Extensive vs Intensive Speed Training (When to Use Each)
8:30 When Speed Training Becomes Truly High Intensity
9:13 Replacing Gym Work With High-Transfer Speed Exercises
9:48 Final Takeaways + What’s Coming Next
LINKS
Sports Speed System Book
https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook
Field Speed Toolkit
https://www.speedbysportland.com/field-speed-toolkit
Legacy Mastermind
https://www.speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-home
Podcast reviews
Read The Sam Portland Podcast podcast reviews
Podcast sponsorship advertising
Start advertising on The Sam Portland Podcast relevant audience podcasts
You may also like to advertise on these Podcasts

4.9248081461
Unashamed with the Robertson Family
Tread Lively

4.959962000
Legal AF by MeidasTouch
MeidasTouch Network

4.942061993
Chente Ydrach
Chente Ydrach

4.7292802000
The Michael Knowles Show
The Daily Wire

4.890661600
Fearless with Jason Whitlock
Blaze Podcast Network

4.6652732197
The Charlie Kirk Show
Charlie Kirk

4.8104532000
Steve Deace Show
Blaze Podcast Network

4.897071454
The Graham Allen Show
Graham Allen

4.838332000
Entrepreneurs on Fire
John Lee Dumas of EOFire

4.827601717
Earn Your Happy
Lori Harder | YAP Media