Leddy French, Director of Athletic Development at Elite Performance in Frisco, Texas, joins the show to break down how he builds athletes at every level. After starting his career at APEC and launching his own training company, Leddy reunited with Mason Hays (EP 54) to help build Elite Performance's large-scale operation inside The Star.

We dive into his variability model for training and how he balances high-output work with variable stimuli to build physical outputs and the ability to express them. Leddy also breaks down how to actually overload change of direction drills and create a real training adaptation.

Leddy gets into why the warm-up is so important for him, how he defines “sensory motor capacity” as a trainable skill, and his approach to youth training.

We also talk about how to drive people to want to train with you in the private sector, the lessons he took from Bobby Stroupe at APEC, and how to balance giving clients what they want with what they need.

🔗Check out more from Leddy 👇

Instagram: @lf2performance

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

01:21 Influence of APEC and early experiences in performance training

07:18 Adapting training when starting own facility

09:45 Creative resourcefulness with minimal equipment

11:25 Balancing perception and training effectiveness

16:27 Stable vs. variable training stimuli

18:14 Expression of physical capacities through dynamic tasks

20:46 Using variability to enhance change of direction

23:38 Training youth athletes and building sensory motor capacity

25:40 Warm-up strategies and engagement

33:46 Change of direction drills as expression of ability

37:43 Adding external load and velocity to training

42:51 Ensuring training stimulates true adaptation

52:32 The importance of training perception and challenge

01:00:03 Balancing training complexity and athlete engagement

01:07:35 Optimizing short-term athlete development

01:15:40 Commanding attention from the start

EP 65: Leddy French | How to Build True COD Adaptations and Sensory Motor Capacities

The Strength In Numbers Podcast

EP 65: Leddy French | How to Build True COD Adaptations and Sensory Motor Capacities