Ted Butler is the Owner, Operator and Trainer Extraordinaire at Operation Athlete in Lexington, Kentucky. He first started this training facility as a way to make his own children better athletes, and today, he works with athletes from the NBA, professional athletes overseas, Division 1 athletes, and more. He loves people with a passion who are pursuing something and has a great imagination for training to keep things interesting while still being intentional.
In this episode hosted by Steve Leo, Ted shares some of his strategies for training athletes in different sports and his beliefs about the role of a strength and performance coach. He reveals how he has integrated VertiMax into his training routines, how he manages expectations not just of the athletes he trains but also their parents, and how he can consistently deliver results. Ted also dives into his virtual training programs created to keep athletes making progress during the pandemic, and has some insightful advice for coaches and trainers. Tune in to find out more.
Key Takeaways:
[:29] Steve introduces his guest for this episode - Ted Butler.
[2:29] Ted's imagination for training is pretty amazing.
[4:50] Ted explains why athletes training with other athletes from different sports is so important.
[7:28] Some athletes will not be a fit for your training style and it's good to figure that out early.
[8:56] How has Ted utilized the VertiMax in his training program?
[11:42] This podcast is being sponsored by VertiMax.
[12:38] How does Ted set expectations up with young athletes (and their parents) when they start training with him?
[18:31] What are client's first impressions when they first see the VertiMax equipment?
[22:09] How does Ted fix his rates now in new market areas?
[24:31] What is Ted doing with virtual training and how did he figure out the pricing for that model? Ted shares some of the things he has learned from doing virtual training with his athletes in this pandemic season.
[32:48] Ted and Steve discuss the optimal length of virtual sessions.
[34:31] What is something Ted wishes he had known when he first started training?
[38:40] It's important to explain to your athletes the 'why' behind the 'what' to build trust with them.
[39:33] What advice would Ted give to other coaches during this time?
[41:32] Get in touch with Ted via Instagram or email to find out more
Tweetables:
"Creating a better athlete was way more than just lifting heavy weights." - Ted
"Everything that we do, the whole premise is 'will this make them play their sport better.' that's it." - Ted
"I want to know what everybody's charging, and I want my rates to be at least 15-25% more because I think our training is at least that much better." - Ted
"You are better than you think." - Ted
