The tone was set the second I turned into 14290-A Sullyfield Circle a little before 9 p.m. on a Friday night and saw the lights still on at The Sport and Speed Institute. Through the window Coach Justin Kavanaugh was on the turf spending extra time with Navy standouts Keenan Reynolds and Chris Swain going over some drills.
They would be at it for another hour before closing up shop at 10 to conclude another 12-plus hour day for Kavanaugh.
I’m new to this business, having only been a trainer for two years. My goal is to one day be regarded as one of the best in the field and Coach Kavanaugh invited me down for the weekend to see his facility and get a hands-on learning experience. I’ve always heard that you needed to put in long hours to be a successful coach. Friday night gave me my first glimpse of the holistic approach Kavanaugh uses with his athletes to make sure they get the most of their training.
My biggest takeaway from the weekend is you don’t just choose to train at SSI because of the facilities. What separates this place from others I’ve seen is that every single aspect of athletics and training is covered there. Whether you’re 8 years old or a pro athlete, you’re given every tool necessary to succeed on and off the field.
The training future pros receive for the NFL Combine and their Pro Day is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what they get at SSI. What keeps these high level athletes at SSI is its ability to detect and fix injuries before they even occur. Each player’s health is monitored closely with state of the art software and an expert coaching eye. They log in every day how they are feeling so the workouts can be adjusted and go through detailed movement screenings with the Fusionenics program that helps detect muscle imbalances and possible injuries. That’s on top of the hands-on treatment they get from one of the top Physical Therapist in the country Megan Rogers and injury specialist Dylan Seeley.
SSI is about training the total athlete and Coach Kavanaugh has their nutrition taken care of with healthy meals delivered to the gym by his private chef Ed Mays and is on top of the athletes pre, intra and post workout supplementation thanks to his partnership with MusclePharm. The prospects also go through mock Pro Days and he covers how they should go about every minute of the day, including how they dress.
This sort of treatment isn’t only for the pro’s. Kavanaugh is connected with college football coaches all over the country and consults with high school athletes on every single thing they need to do to attract the appropriate colleges. I sat in on a consultation where Kavanaugh instructed a kid on what times he needs for certain drills, how to use social media to his recruiting advantage and how to properly organize a HUDL video, among other things. SSI also hosts training for the Nike Epic7 Team where some of the best high school players in the area receive high quality coaching from former NFL defensive back Shawn Springs, Josh Schroeder, Brandon Randolph, Lorenzo Hoff, Drew Amuwave and the head coach of the team Elite 11 coach Paul Troth. The NFL Combine crew even hops in to help players go through the warm-up and would work in to help the players individually with various drills. “How great of an opportunity to have a Heisman Trophy candidate to work out with”
There’s a trend of big names being tossed around at SSI and that’s because Kavanaugh makes sure his clients hear from the best. United States Olympian Arn Kritsky, former NFL player Howard Stevens and Super Bowl Champion Doc Walker are just the most recent names to visit SSI, but step into Kavanaugh’s office and you’ll see a whiteboard loaded with names he’s trying to bring in.
Oh, I forgot to talk about what’s in the gym itself. It’s got all of the necessities needed to improve athletic performance with a spacious yards of turf, speed sleds, battling ropes, medicine balls, state of the art Keiser racks, plyo boxes, dumbbells up to 100 pounds, kettlebells, bands, etc. It’s stuff you’ll find in most athletic performance facilities.
What separates it from the rest is the high quality coaching and the fact Kavanaugh will leave no stone left unturned in his pursuit to get each athlete to perform above and beyond their potential. SSI is a sports factory that has a long, proven track record of sending high school kids to play college ball and getting college kids into the NFL.
With all the different ways it caters to athletes and with all the big names that come through the doors to speak and help out, I was shocked to hear that there weren’t more high school kids training there. Sure, I saw plenty, but I figured the glass entrance door would have been broken down with kids waiting to get in there and work out.
I wish there was a place like this where I’m from when I was in high school. When you sign on to train at SSI, you’re basically saying I want to – and I will – continue playing sports in college. In an age of self-promotion and hype, SSI is still a hidden gem.
That is until the word gets out.