Christopher H.

I have over five years of experience coaching youth, high school, and collegiate athletes in strength, speed, and agility conditioning. I previously conducted training out of my own facility, Combat Athlete Performance Academy, where I worked with athletes in both team and individual settings until departing the facility in July 2025.

My coaching experience includes working with multiple travel baseball, softball, and volleyball teams, as well as individual athletes in football, soccer, swimming, track, and cross country. In addition, I have led sport-specific and general athletic development camps focused on building foundational strength, speed, and movement skills.

For these teams and individual athletes, I was brought in directly by head coaches or parents to oversee athletic development. At the individual level, I served as a personal trainer with an emphasis on speed, strength, and agility development. At the team level, Prospects Baseball and Youngstown Phoenix Softball employed me as their speed, strength, and agility coach. I was also brought in by the head coach of a Mahoning Valley Premier Volleyball Club team to consult during practices and tournaments, providing strength, speed, and agility training to support team performance.

I work with athletes starting at age 10 through high school, with a training focus on long-term athletic development, movement efficiency, and performance transfer to sport.

My professional background includes certifications through ISSA as a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, nutrition coach, tactical conditioning specialist, youth trainer, and exercise therapy specialist. I also hold CPR and First Aid instructor certifications. This educational background allows me to design structured, age-appropriate training programs that prioritize performance, durability, and proper movement mechanics. Copies of certifications can be provided upon request.

My background is built on coaching and applied performance training rather than personal athletic accolades. While I did not compete at the collegiate or professional level, my experience comes from years of hands-on work coaching athletes, studying strength and conditioning principles, and developing training systems that improve speed, power, and movement efficiency.

A typical session begins with a structured warm-up focused on mobility, movement prep, and activation specific to the athlete’s sport and training goals. This includes dynamic mobility, coordination drills, and basic movement patterns to ensure the athlete is prepared to train safely and effectively.

From there, sessions progress into speed and agility work such as acceleration mechanics, change-of-direction drills, deceleration control, and reactive movement. Emphasis is placed on proper technique, body positioning, and efficient movement patterns.

Strength training follows, using foundational lifts and age-appropriate progressions to develop power, strength, and durability. Exercises are selected to support the athlete’s sport, improve movement quality, and reduce injury risk.

Each session finishes with accessory work, conditioning as appropriate, and a brief cool-down or recovery focus. Throughout the session, coaching cues, feedback, and intent are prioritized so athletes understand why they are training a certain way — not just what they are doing.