Danny P.

I have nearly two decades of experience coaching track and field athletes at both the middle school and high school levels. I began my career as a Jumps Coach at Patrick Henry High School (2007–2014), where I helped develop league champions and state qualifiers. In 2015, I moved to Mission Bay High School, and since 2016 I’ve served as Head Coach, leading the program to four CIF San Diego Section Championships, three league titles, and producing 25 state meet qualifiers and multiple state medalists. In 2024, I expanded my role to become the Head Coach at Pacific Beach Middle School, where I work with younger athletes to build their foundation for high school competition. I’ve also directed major meets including the Elmer Runge Invitational and the Jim Cerveny Invitational. I typically coach athletes from middle school through high school, with a strong focus on sprints, hurdles, and jumps, and I’ve been fortunate to work with All-CIF, All-League, and All-American athletes. In addition to my coaching, I am a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach, a Master-Level Certified Official in Horizontal Jumps, and currently serve as the USATF San Diego Imperial Para-Athletics Chairman, which allows me to support both traditional and para-athletes at the highest levels.

As an athlete, I was a multi-sport competitor and team leader throughout high school and college. I was the top Long Jumper and Triple Jumper at my high school and served as Track and Field Team Captain for three years. In addition, I played three years of varsity football, where I was a two-year captain.

After high school, I competed collegiately for San Diego Mesa College as a decathlete. I was undefeated in college competition before an injury ended my collegiate track and field career. During that time, I achieved lifetime bests of 10.70 in the 100m, 23.01 in the 200m, 51.01 in the 400m, 4:34.5 in the mile, 21’10” in the long jump, 44’5” in the triple jump, 40’2” in the shot put, 130’2” in the discus, and 143’7” in the javelin.

My dedication and performance earned me leadership roles, recognition as a top jumper in the San Diego Section, and the honor of competing at the collegiate level. These experiences as both a captain and a collegiate athlete shaped my approach to coaching and instilled the values of discipline, resilience, and teamwork that I pass on to my athletes today.

In a typical training session with me, you can expect a structured and focused workout that builds both athletic skill and overall development. I always start with a dynamic warm-up to activate the muscles, improve mobility, and reduce the chance of injury. From there, I tailor the session to the athlete’s goals, with a strong emphasis on sprinting mechanics, acceleration, speed endurance, and jumping technique.

For sprinters, I focus on proper running form, block starts, acceleration drills, and developing efficient stride patterns. For jumpers, I emphasize approach consistency, takeoff drills, plyometrics, and safe, effective landing mechanics. I also include strength and conditioning work—such as core training, explosive power exercises, and stability drills—to support performance and prevent injury.

During every workout, I give real-time feedback and break movements down step-by-step so athletes understand exactly what we’re improving. I finish each session with recovery work, stretching, and cool-downs to ensure steady progress.

Every session is individualized—I adapt my approach whether I’m working with a beginner building fundamentals or an advanced athlete fine-tuning for competition. My goal is to push each athlete toward their full potential while building confidence, discipline, and consistency.