Chip Smith is recognized as the founding father of the sports performance training industry and has trained more National Football League (NFL) talent (more than 300 current NFL players and 40 Olympic gold medalists) than anyone alive.
As a speed and strength expert, his proprietary training system produces unparalleled results. Having equipped more than 1,000 professional athletes in nearly a dozen sports, Smith is truly a leader in his field. Chip Smith Performance System (CSPS) is one of the top sports training facilities in the United States and is located in Norcross, Ga.
CSPS just announced a partnership with Stack Velocity performance systems nationwide that will allow young athletes (high school, college athletes and others) to take advantage of his athlete training system. I have known Chip for years. He is a strong Christian, husband and father. While he has helped many athletes become champions, he relishes in leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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Contributed photo Chip Smith, far right, is working with one of his NFL cients Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour, far left, while a crew films Seymour’s progress. |
Q: You have trained over 1,400 elite Olympic and professional athletes, such as NFL’s Brian Urhlacher, Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton. How does your faith in God translate as you train athletes?
A: God isn’t concerned with how many first-round draft picks or how many Olympic gold medalists I trained. But, rather, He is concerned with how I made Kingdom impact with the tools He gave me. Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I hold a higher standard when I coach. I tell every young man who comes in: “You have to be mentally, spiritually and physically fit, and if you’re lacking in any of those areas you’re not a total person.”
Q: How do you put this philosophy into action?
A: Every Wednesday morning, we have a Bible study with Christians and non-believers. We are able to share with them what God has done in our lives, how He protects and takes care of us. We tell everyone that they can only be concerned about the things in their control such as one’s work ethic and preparation. In terms of physicality, I tell the guys that God made them exactly the size they are, and He didn’t make a mistake.
Q: Cheating has become so pervasive in professional sports today. What’s the message you’re giving to young athletes about performance enhancing drugs?
A: Most guys are not training right, and they’re not training in the right system. We’ve never had an athlete in the Olympic or NFL system that has maxed out their genetic potential. We take care of diet, training, recovery and regeneration at the highest level. In the end, it’s all hard work. Now, do performance enhancing drugs work? They can work. But in the long run you’re doing more damage to your body and shortening your life-span drastically.
Q: Training methods have changed so much even over the last 10 years, talk about this generation’s athletes and what makes them so fit.
A: Unlike when you and I played, we did static exercises like bench-presses, power cleans, squats and routine exercises. That still needs to be done, but now, we immediately go to explosive movements from those exercises. Athletes today are training so that they’re prepared for their sport. In the weight room once we finish an exercise like the squat – a controlled movement – we’ll finish with an explosive movement. This routine translates a lot better and more effectively on the field.
Q: A lot of people are worried about concussions today. What would you tell parents who are looking at youngsters playing contact sports?
A: I think you have to look at the age of the child: What is the make-up of the child? Are they aggressive or passive? When we speak to youth organizations people always ask, ‘What age would you suggest kids to start at?’ We have changed the philosophy. We used to tell parents to hold their kids back until they reached puberty. Now we’re saying that we can train prepubescent athletes with weight training as long as it’s based on the child’s percentage of body weight and high repetitions – where they’re not lifting heavy weights. Also, parents need to look at the coach’s mentality.
It has to be fun for the kids, but it’s a contact sport, so don’t make a mistake about it. Sometimes kids are going to get hurt because that’s the nature of the game. For me as a dad of three sons, I think it’s part of the growing-up process for young boys that they develop by playing.
For more information on Chip and his program you can go to stack.com/chip-smith or on Facebook, search for “Chip Smith.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Roman’s Sold Out Sports Talk Radio program on American Family Radio can be heard in 200 cities nationally or streaming live at afr.net. He is an evangelist and motivational speaker. Visit his website: soldouttv.com; Facebook: Roman Gabriel III Fan Page; connect on Twitter: romangabriel3rd. Contact at (910) 431-6483 or email: [email protected].)