Just Fly Performance Podcast

On today’s episode, Gary Gray goes into a deep dive on movement literacy, biomechanics, and the power of variability in athletic development. Gary shares lessons from decades of coaching and rehabilitation, covering everything from locomotor patterns and rhythm to adductor function, sprint mechanics, and why authentic movement should “feel like a dance.” The conversation explores how coaches can better understand human movement through context, three-dimensionality, and the body’s natural problem-solving abilities.

Today’s podcast guest is Chris Chase. Chris is a strength coach and performance specialist with extensive NBA experience, known for integrating biomechanics, movement quality, and strength training into practical systems for basketball athletes, with an emphasis on durability, adaptable movement, and long-term athletic development.

Chris Chase returns to discuss the evolution of modern sports performance training, from force outputs and plyometrics to deceleration mechanics, movement constraints, and load management in the NBA. Chris and Joel dive into the balance between “functional” and traditional strength work, the risks and rewards of plyometric training, resisted acceleration/deceleration methods, and why many athletes may benefit more from simplified, output-driven systems than excessive movement complexity. The conversation also explores basketball athleticism, reactive strength, tendon health, and the art of minimal effective dose training.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and the Just Fly Sports Online Courses

Today’s podcast guest is Ryan Banta. Ryan is a leading sprint coach at Parkway Central High School, known for blending sport science with practical training. He has guided athletes to multiple state championships and national-level success, and is the author of The Sprinter’s Compendium.

In this episode, Ryan shares his unconventional path from politics to coaching, and how early success, and failure, shaped his evolution. He reflects on moving from ego-driven outcomes to athlete-centered development, emphasizing joy, community, and long-term retention. Banta dives into the growth of his “critical mass” system, blending speed, rest, and adaptability, while highlighting the importance of mentorship, self-reflection, and continual learning in building both performance and meaningful athlete experiences.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength and Lila Exogen.

Strength coach Dario Saisan joins to discuss how AI and research are evolving the field. We dive into biomechanics, skill acquisition, and why the next generation is moving toward adaptive systems that sharpen human intuition.

Today’s podcast guest is Håkan Andersson. Håkan is a veteran Swedish sprint coach with over 40 years of experience developing elite sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes. Based in Sundsvall, Sweden, he has coached national record holders and Olympic finalists, and has played a key role in the evolution of Scandinavian sprint training.

For today’s podcast I join Håkan to explore the evolution of speed training, from early interval-based systems to modern high-velocity methods. We discuss the role of resisted and assisted sprinting, mechanized training tools, and how different athlete “types” respond to various workloads. Håkan shares insights on acceleration mechanics, overspeed training, and balancing intensity with long-term development. The conversation blends history, science, and practical coaching wisdom for building faster, more resilient athletes.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Hammer Strength.

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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. (https://www.just-fly-sports.com/podcast-home/)



Topics
0:00 – Introduction and Background
5:34 – Evolution of Sprint Training Methods
7:16 – Environmental Influences on Performance
11:12 – Shifts in Sprinting Training Philosophy
14:14 – The Rise of Modern Sprinting Techniques
17:11 – The Mechanics of Resisted Sprint Training
24:08 – The Impact of Training Machines
27:47 – Exploring Overspeed Training Techniques
29:52 – Practical Applications of Assisted Sprinting
32:47 – The Impulse Problem
36:08 – Understanding Sprinting Mechanics
39:04 – The Future of Sprint Training
43:57 – Thoughts on Sprinting Strategies
1:08:20 – Håkan's Upcoming Plans



Håkan Andersson Quotes
"You try to do the best out of what you have, right? And if you focus too much on that [limitations of the environment], you're never going to succeed anyway."

"Remote coaching doesn't really work, you know. ...It's what you do every day that counts."

"I think your environment dictates how you train and your training program and so forth."

"Resisted sprinting, it slows things down; it makes it a bit easier to work with technical details."

"Resistive sprint, it can constrain the body into positions and timings that favors horizontal force acceleration. That is, of course, crucial for acceleration."

"I really, really never liked heavy sleds, you know, because I found that it disturbed the rhythm of the athletes."

"I find that below 10% decrement doesn't really give you enough stimuli."

"The goal is always to keep the mechanics intact, you know, not to overload this so much."

"Don't pull people to supersonic speed, but sometimes get exposed to almost competition speed. But never to go super maximum."



About Håkan Andersson
Håkan Andersson is a veteran Swedish sprint coach with over 40 years of experience developing elite sprinters, jumpers, and team-sport athletes. Based in Sundsvall, Sweden, he has coached national record holders and Olympic finalists, and has played a key role in the evolution of Scandinavian sprint training. Known for his practical, data-informed approach, Håkan blends traditional methods with modern innovations in resisted and assisted sprinting to optimize acceleration and speed development.