The Importance of Speed and Agility Training

Summary

Speed and movement specialist Gary Cablayan and 10U/ROG coach Susan Nardi discuss the science and practice of speed and agility development in junior tennis players. Cablayan brings a kinesiology-grounded perspective shaped by his work with elite athletes (including NFL wide receiver DeShawn Jackson, whom he began coaching at age 8) and his wife’s background as a 2000 Olympian. The conversation covers when to begin movement training (age 5-6), why proper running mechanics are critical and often underdeveloped, the neuroscience behind early skill acquisition (referencing Daniel Coyne’s The Talent Code), and why early specialization in any sport is neurologically and athletically counterproductive. Nardi grounds the discussion in the practical realities of young players she coaches.

Guest Background

Gary Cablayan is a speed and movement specialist with a background in kinesiology. He has worked with elite athletes across sports, most notably NFL wide receiver DeShawn Jackson, whom he began working with when Jackson was 8 years old. His wife competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He brings a neuroscience-informed approach to speed training and has applied his methods to junior tennis players as well as athletes in other sports.

Susan Nardi is a tennis coach who works with the 10U and Red-Orange-Green (ROG) age groups in junior tennis. She represents the grassroots development level and brings a practitioner’s perspective on implementing movement and agility concepts with young players.

Key Findings

1. Movement Training Should Begin at Age 5-6

Cablayan argues that the optimal window for establishing fundamental movement patterns — proper running mechanics, change of direction, balance, spatial awareness — begins at approximately age 5-6. This is not about sport-specific training but about building the neurological foundation for all athletic movement. Waiting until a child is 10 or 12 to address movement quality means working against established (often inefficient) patterns rather than building from a clean foundation.

2. Proper Running is Glute/Hamstring Dominant — and Most Kids Run Wrong

One of the most specific technical claims in the episode: efficient, powerful, and injury-resistant running is driven by the glutes and hamstrings (the posterior chain). Most untrained children and athletes run in a quad-dominant pattern — pulling themselves forward rather than driving from behind — which is less efficient and creates knee injury risk. Cablayan identifies this as a fundamental flaw that speed training must address early.

3. The Talent Code: Myelination and the Science of Skill Development

Cablayan references Daniel Coyne’s The Talent Code to explain why early, varied movement training has lasting neurological benefits. The book’s central argument is that deliberate practice builds myelin — the insulating sheath around nerve fibers — which makes neural pathways faster and more efficient. Early movement learning that produces myelination creates athletic advantages that are difficult to replicate later. This provides a neuroscientific basis for beginning movement education young.

4. Early Specialization is Neurologically and Athletically Harmful

A consistent theme is that early single-sport specialization — especially before puberty — deprives young athletes of the varied movement inputs needed for full neurological and physical development. Athletes who play multiple sports develop broader, more adaptable movement repertoires. The tennis-specific implication: a child who played soccer, basketball, and tennis before age 12 will likely be a more complete mover on the tennis court than one who played only tennis.

5. DeShawn Jackson Case Study: Long-Term Athlete Development in Practice

Cablayan’s experience training DeShawn Jackson from age 8 through his NFL career is presented as a real-world model of long-term athletic development. Jackson’s speed development was built over years, starting with foundational movement education and progressing systematically. The case illustrates that elite athletic performance is not discovered but built — and that early, patient, science-grounded work creates competitive advantages that compound over time.

6. Speed Training is an Undervalued Asset in Junior Tennis

Both guests identify speed and agility training as consistently undertreated in junior tennis development programs. Court time, technique, and tactical development dominate coaching attention; off-court speed and movement work is often deprioritized or entirely absent until a player is injured or visibly underperforming. This creates a gap that progressive programs and families can exploit.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Start basic movement games and activities (tag, obstacle courses, crawling, jumping, hopping) at age 5-6 — this is the foundation for everything athletic your child will do later
• If your junior player has never worked with a movement or speed specialist, prioritize this even above additional court time; movement deficits compound over time and become harder to correct
• Look for coaches and trainers who understand running mechanics — a child who runs well will be a better tennis player; most coaches do not systematically address this
• Read The Talent Code (Daniel Coyne) to understand why varied early practice matters neurologically and athletically

INTENNSE Relevance

• Player performance infrastructure: INTENNSE’s professional players need speed and movement training integrated into their preparation; the Cablayan framework (posterior chain dominance, myelination-based development) would inform the work of a team performance coach
• Mic’d coaching moments: INTENNSE’s format gives coaches visibility into player movement patterns in real time; having coaches attuned to movement quality (not just tactics) would differentiate the league’s developmental approach
• Broadcast value: Speed and athleticism are visually compelling; INTENNSE’s broadcast strategy should capture and celebrate explosive movement, change-of-direction sequences, and physical performance as part of its content identity
• Junior pipeline: INTENNSE’s community programming should incorporate movement and speed education from early ages — building the right athletic foundations in Atlanta’s junior community creates the future pipeline of INTENNSE-ready players
• Coach education: INTENNSE coaches who understand the posterior-chain movement model and Talent Code-style development philosophy will develop better players than those focused solely on stroke technique

Notable Quotes

“Most kids run with their quads. They’re pulling themselves forward. The best athletes drive from the glute and hamstring — they’re pushing the ground away.”

“Everything you build neurologically in movement before age 10 is the foundation every other athletic skill gets built on top of. You can’t skip it.”

“DeShawn Jackson didn’t become one of the fastest players in the NFL because of genetics alone. We started building that speed when he was 8 years old.”