Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

​

-"How much does it cost?"

First Month $270

Monthly $170

*$285/$185 if you wish do not wish to keep a card on file

** Wow Factor-Arkansas Team members

First Month $235

Monthly $135

​

​

 

-What is EAP? 

EAP is a training facility for athletic performance. 

I joke that it is 50% gym, 50% laboratory. 

Everything we do is, or will soon become trackable. 

​

Why is this important?

 

1. Customer Service

I want to be able to look each customer in the eyes and point to performance metrics proving how much they got better at their sport. Most performance trainers (myself previously included) rely on memories of past seasons. This method is actually good for business because it revolves around confirmation biases. Who wants to say “I paid all that money for training, and my kid isn’t better.” You’d feel like a fool. 

So you say your kid is better, even if they aren’t. 

 

We want more than that. We want proof.

 

  2. There are very few professional landscapes that are as “Fluid” as the sports performance industry. New information is being learned, literally every day. We will always be “pushing the envelope” so to speak. I always say “If I’m not embarrassed by what we were doing two years ago, we’ve gotten stagnet, we aren’t working hard enough to serve our athletes.” With new things, comes new doubters. We have to be able to support that what we are doing works. 999 out of 1,000 detractors will not have data to support their view. But if we don’t have data to support what we are doing, we are no closer to being correct than our naysayers. *I use the word “Support” because people that use the word “Prove” when referring to research, are already attached to an idea they would prefer be true. There is very seldom “Proof” when being objective.

​

 

-What makes EAP different?

1. Development for all. Select baseball for some.

Most "Baseball" places began as a batting cage, or a hub for travel teams. When this happens, those things must remain the main focus of the facility in order to pay the bills. When this happens, the development suffers. You can't call your teams elite if anyone with a check that doesn't bounce can play on them. That sounds harsh but in reality its the only way to keep the game pure. And cage rentals create a hectic environment that are impossible to train in. We don't rent our cages because our athletes need them to get their daily work in. Its all part of their program.

2. Tracking

It is very difficult to maintain a tracking system for gains your athletes make. We do. Its alot of work, but worth it. Its great for the athletes that work hard, and also to remind the ones that don't "Hey, your numbers are suffering because you aren't handeling business like we told you to."

​

-My kid doesn’t play baseball.

Do you offer things for *Insert name of other sport*?

​

The nucleus of our program, regardless of sport played, is making the athlete as powerful, explosive and athletic as possible. 

With baseball kids, we get started on that, then start layering in the more baseball specific stuff. 

With other sports, we just don't do the sports specific stuff. So basically, the non-baseball kids do the work for becoming faster,more explosive, and powerful and then they are done for the day.

​

-Do you have classes?

No.

We use what is called a “Semi-Private” model. 

I would describe it as taking the best parts of private training and the best parts of 10 Fit, or Planet Fit and meshing them. Simply explained, you are shown how to complete your training program for the first few days as if you have a personal trainer. Over time, we back away and supervise as you complete your training program. The upsides to this system far outweigh the downfalls of it. Upsides are that after the initial period, you are free to come at anytime during our set “window” of training times. There is no class time to be on-time, or late for. 

There are two main downfalls to this model.

1. If you need a baby sitter, or a drill instructor to make you do the work you are prescribed, this will not work. EAP is a “team environment”. We are accomplishing things TOGETHER. No business can meet everyone’s needs. If you need this type of instruction, its ok. Just know that you won’t receive it at EAP and its probably not a good fit. 

2. It makes it very difficult to take kids under 11'ish into our program. This is simply a product of us being understaffed most of the time. One day this won’t be an issue, but for the foreseeable future, it is.​

​

-What ages do you train?

12 years old is the youngest we can handle currently. 

They must able to follow directions and complete what is asked of them even when a coach isn't standing within arm's reach of them. 

We are watching, but as time passes we won't always be standing there "Counting reps".

 

You can schedule an info visit to let your kid see it first hand and go from there if you like.

Click here to schedule an "Info Visit"

​

​

-So what would I do at EAP?

Long story short.

That varies depending on time of year, individual needs, etc.

*Kids that are already mandated to strength train at school are NOT forced to lift again. We have methods for complimenting what they did at school workouts. If they are too tired from that, we have recovery workouts prepared for them.

>Baseball/Softball position players strength train AND Hit basically every day they come in.

>Baseball pitchers strength train, do arm care and whatever throwing program we deem needed for each athlete.

>Volleyball players strength train and do ACL/Rotator Cuff Prehab work everyday. Vertical jump programming is built into their strength work.

>Basketball, Football, Soccer, Cheer have very similar days as the volleyball players. Non-Baseball athletes, on average will finish their work faster than baseball players simply because there isn't as many "layers" to their programming. The baseball guys have to lift, throw, hit, arm care, etc. The other sports just have their strength/speed work. Strength/Speed work all takes place in the weight room(and adjacent turf room) but is very different from what you think of as "Lifting Weights" in the traditional sense. See the FAQ below about Speed and Agility for a better explanation. 

​

Baseball is the main sport that has a lot of "Sports Specific" work to do because its my background. I honestly never intended to work with other athletes. We kind of "fell into" the athletes of other sports simply because the main focus with our baseball guys is to make them as fast, explosive, and powerful as possible. Once we get that process started with them, we begin adding the more specific stuff such as hitting, arm care, velocity, etc. 

Well, as you probably know, "fast, explosive, and powerful as possible" plays in every sport, so little by little other sports trickle in. Its a pretty unique environment. I really like visiting with the kids and hearing about their respective sports. 

 

I tell every volleyball parent/player I talk to the same thing, because Im a very honest and up-front person "I don't even know the positions on a volleyball team. But I do know how to make you jump higher than you've ever jumped and hit the ball so hard that its dangerous for the opposing team. If you are interested in that, I can help you." And it's kind of the same story for all the other sports as well. No, we do not offer soccer skills and drills, and there is not a very good chance we ever will. We can just make you run faster, change directions quicker, and kick harder than you ever have. Let me know if you want in on that.

​

​

-When would I be able to train?

Like, When do the athletes come in?

330pm-7pm Monday - Thursday during school year.

A typical day can be completed in an hour. But it's not uncommon to stay longer. Especially for the baseball players that pitch and play a position because they will strength train, and do their arm care, and throwing as well.

If they are willing to dedicate the time and are ok with being here for over 2 hours a day, we will give the hitting work to do as well.

Bottom line is we have as much work as you want to do every single day. If you've got the time, we've got the work.

​

-How do I get started?

CLICK HERE to email us. We will send you paperwork and schedule your first session. We often have a waiting list. If this is the case we will send the paper work and add you to the waiting list. You will be notified when you're next "In line".

​

-Can I come by and see the place?

Yes. Click here to schedule an Informational Visit

​

​

-Is there a contract? How long is the contract?

No. A gym that requires you to sign a contract knows they are not providing enough quality service to keep you as a customer. My goal for EAP is to become such a great resource, people can’t afford NOT to pay us each month. Plus, we want people that WANT to be here. 

​

​

-Do you have a Volleyball program for __________ age?

Yes we do. Our master program is designed so it can easily be modified to age. 12 is the youngest we can admit into the program currently, simply due to staff size. 

Understand, we do not offer “Volleyball specific”, “Skills and Drill” type things for Volleyball. The “sports specific” things Volleyball players do, after their strength and speed/jump work, is ACL and Rotator Cuff “Prehab”.

Volleyball players spend way too much time on a court to begin with. Think of them as a NASCAR, the court is the race track. We are the garage. Where things get fixed, and engine upgrades are installed. 

​

- I already lift at 10 Fit/Planet Fit, etc. I just want to hit/do the Velo program?

No.  

Our program is all in, or all out. If you are mandated by school coaches to strength train, we will work around that. If you choose to do your own thing, you are on your own. 

We could make a lot more money if we allowed this, but that's not the main goal at EAP. Your success is more important. Some people need to be protected from their own willingness to pay for a service that won't benefit them.

​

Can I pay a monthly fee to use a cage? 

No. 

We appreciate those that would be willing to support our business by renting a cage, but our athletes having the equipment and space to complete their prescribed training program is the top priority. On occasion we will rent the facility to teams on which an EAP athlete plays, during dead times when no athletes are typically at the facility training.

*Wow Factor -Arkansas team members are exceptions to this rule.

​

 

Do you offer “Visitor” fees, or “Punch Card” systems for athletes that can’t make it on a regular basis. 

In extenuating circumstances, MAYBE.

We have a system that has to be taught, tracked, and built upon. That is very hard to do and time consuming, this is not really helpful for anyone when a person is not going to be present much.

Not to mention, training programs do not work in sporadic doses

 

-Do you Prorate?

For people starting in the middle of the month, of course! Our Prorate is $42.50 per week. So for instance if you start on the 15th, you will be charged $85 plus Annual Fee for that month then be billed normal rate of $170 on the first of following month.

​

For people to train 1 or 2 days per week, No, we don't.

- Our monthly rate is already cheaper than any competition with more service offered.

​

​

-"I just want to work on my arm strength."

Well I just want to bass fish and eat donuts for breakfast everyday but that's not in my best interest.

Look, you can't put a strong tree branch on a sapling. The body works as a system, not as individual units. We are going to build your arm strength, but it's not always going to look like you'd expect.

 

I often joke with our guys "Do you know what RFD means, and how to build it?

(Rate of Force Development, its much more important to throwing than "Arm Strength")

When they answer "No" I remind them, then you aren't qualified to make decisions regarding your training program. 

​

-My son/daughter needs to build ...............

Maybe. The tricky part about athletic performance is it comes from the entire body in very fast clips. For instance, most cannot wrap their minds around the upper body having anything to do with vertical jump ability or sprinting speed, but it absolutely does.

Its all part of a chain, and you know what happents to weak links of a chain.

 

We will use our assessment process to tell us what abilities are lacking and how we need to approach training it. 

​

-Do you offer lessons?

We do.

But its not our "Go-To" for making an athlete better. Lessons are great for business, but they aren't the best option for development.

 

Lessons are best when used like a dietary supplement added to a diet that is already good. Adding a supplement to a bad diet is a waste of time and money. Only doing lessons once per week for 30 minutes or even twice, is also not the best use of your time and money, assuming development is a high priority.

Athletes need more than 30-60 minutes of training per week to see a noticeable difference in ability. And there is just no need in paying over a dollar per minute to get it. That has been one of the guiding principles for EAP as we have built this program over the years. Our goal is to give the things people want to get in a private lesson, for a monthly price that is a fraction of the price of private lessons.

​

-Can you help me with my pitching mechanics?

Yes. We use high speed cameras to break down pitching mechanics from several angles. Then identify the things that need corrected and implement drill work to make the changes "stick". I am a certified pitching coach through Driveline Baseball, what I learned from them meshed with my 20 years of watching and pondering throwing mechanics has led to our methods. 

This method is unlike any other help you've had with mechanics. There are parts of EAP's program that I still feel like are a work in progress, and there are parts that I'm very confident in it being the best available, the way we help pitchers is one I'm very confident in being the best. I will put this up against anyone's lessons any day. assuming I have an athlete that is completely bought into the process and understands the mindset they have to be in to make these drills work.

​

​

​

-I don't want to get bulky/slow.

Strength training, programmed for athletic development, by a qualified professional has never made an athlete slower. Contrary to popular belief, muscle growth(Hypertrophy) cannot make you slower. 

Some people will tell you otherwise but it's just not the case. A stronger engine has never made a vehicle slower.

Bulkiness happens via two main culprits. 

1) High rep strength training that results in muscle fatigue. Which is ironic because most people use high reps to AVOID getting bulky, when the fact of the matter is, its one of the things that will lead to "Bulkiness". That is not my opinion, that is proven fact.

2)Getting fat. You gain fat by consuming more calories than you burn in a given day, over the course of many days/weeks/months. 

I say all that to say this, Nothing you do at EAP will make you bulky or slow. 

​

-Do you do speed and agility?

​

This is an accidentally “loaded” question. That is NOT your fault. 

​

If you mean, do we have “Speed and Agility Classes” in the traditional sense, No, we do not. 

The reason we don’t is because they are a rip off. They are not bad for kids under the age of 10’ish, but they’d be much better off playing tag in the yard. Most speed and agility classes turn into glorified boot camp workouts with the instructor banging his chest about how hard they work. Please understand this, no athlete in the history of performance training has gotten faster when they are exhausted. In order to create NEW speed/agility, you MUST be able to complete your training movements with maximal force. Kids being pushed to the point of vomiting is sloppy, uncontrolled movement. Which makes them better at....sloppy uncontrolled movement.

​

One of the things that has helped EAP be successful is I HAVE to be able to look our customers in the eye. If I take money from them, and deep down inside, know I did not provide equal amounts of value, I will feel like a thief. Its ironic because I have people almost daily, practically beg me to start a speed and agility class and steal their money. 

​

NOW, having said all of that, if you are asking if we make our athletes faster, and more agile? The answer is an resounding YES. 

How do we do that?

Before I get into that, something needs to be explained. IF you have heard of EAP before, you may have heard about our reputation of being heavily focused on lifting weights. Its definitely a fair observation, on the outside looking in. The thing you don’t hear about, and the reason is because it is very complicated to explain, is that we aren’t just “lifting weights” like you think of in a normal weight room scenario. 

​

We are using what I would explain as a systematic formula of heavy and light loads, lifted at different speeds and intensities at different points of the program, combined with explosive jumps and medicine ball throws that work in harmony with each other to create incredibly strong, explosive athletes.

I don’t know that anyone reading this will fall into this category, but IF you are familiar with Westside Barbell, there is a very heavy influence of the "Conjugate Method" in our programming.

If you have watched the documentary “Westside vs the World”, then you may be aware this system was a “secret weapon” for the Chicago Bull teams of the 90’s. Why? Because this method builds freakishly fast, powerful human beings.

If that doesn’t “play” in your sport, carry on, but, its not a sport I’ve ever heard of.

​

Why am I telling you this?

Because, by asking do we offer "Speed and Agility" you are asking, can we make you/your kid faster(Speed) and more agile(Agility)? And I need you to know, an increase in speed and agility in an athlete is created by building the athlete's ability to:

A. Apply force into the ground. Propulsion of the body. "Covering more ground per step". Force placed into the ground by the feet which in turn moves the body. The more force created at a more rapid pace, the faster the athlete.

B. Cycle to the next "propulsion" faster.  AKA legs that move faster between contact with the ground.

​

C. Overall control of the body to handle the above mentioned power. 

​

The above mentioned concepts are not created by foot work drills and speed ladders.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​