Ronald Taylor Jr

Currently, I am the High Jump Coach at Mesa Community College. In 2014 I was the Head Jumps Coach at Cuyumaca Community College. So far, the age ranges that I train are between 12 and older. I have my BA in Recreation & Sports Management, with a Double Minor in Coaching and Personal Fitness. While in high school, college and even now as a professional myself, I’ve always been coaching. The most I’ve experienced this was during my college career at Hastings College. As a team captain, I was given the responsibility of leading practice on several different occasions. This is where the majority of my communication skills and coaching techniques were developed. Since 2012, I have worked with elite athletes at the Olympic Training Center (OTC), where I also train as well. While being apart of the OTC, I’ve had the pleasure of being surrounded by the best athletes and coaching minds the US has to offer. Absorbing as much information in the hope to make myself the best athlete as possible has been a steady goal of mine. I intend on furthering my knowledge as I train to become an Olympian.

I started running track in the 3rd grade. Ever since then, I’ve had a deep passion for sports. In high school I did the 100, 200, 400, 4x100, 4x400 and eventually the long jump at Mesa Mountain View in Mesa Arizona. I was All-State in the 400 and 5A D1 Arizona State Champion in the long jump. I competed for Hastings College; a NAIA school in Central Nebraska. I continued to do all of the previously mentioned events. While there, I was a 5x All-American and 2x National Champion. I hold 5 school records and one conference record of 7.93 meters or 26' 0.25". 2013 USA Outdoor National Championships Bronze Medalist and 2014 Glasgow 5 Nations International Meet Silver Medalist. My personal best are; 47.69 in the 400 in 2010, 21.47 in the 200 in 2012 and 8.19 meters or 26’10.5” in the long jump in 2013.

My coaching philosophy is quality over quantity. My favorite saying is; “I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.” Depending on where the athlete’s skill level will dictate the more priorities of the sessions. For the most part, all athletes will have basic fundamentals to ingrain correct mechanics. A typical session would start with the warm up. Static and dynamic stretching will follow. Then I will have the athlete go through drills that will make them as efficient as possible. I will determine where the athlete is as for as skill level and participation of the sport at the time as well. Example: If an athlete is currently in season, I would typically stay away from extra conditioning and speed development. Otherwise, drills and workouts will be implemented. Most sessions will usually last around an hour, not exceeding 90 minutes. This goes back to my desire to keep quality at the forefront and goal of each and every session.