SPORTS SUPPORT
Tools 4 Sports offers tools for coaches and young athletes to reach their goals
WHITPAIN » When 16th Century metaphysical poet George Herbert wrote, “work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along” he probably wasn’t thinking about the multi-billion dollar youth sports industry.
But his words never seemed to resonate more fittingly than in the case of Blue Bell’s Joe Migliarese, who feels he’s created “better tools” for young athletes and the coaches who train them.
With his degree in kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island, Gold Standard certification for Strength and Conditioning, and work experience in both college and professional sports performance, Migliarese recently honed his passion and unique insight into a business, Tools4Sports.
The company focuses on equipping individuals, teams and organizations with the physical and mental tools — movement, recovery, mind-set and nutrition are the chief components — and support structure needed to reach their potential, Migliarese explained over coffee at Starbucks.
“My inspiration to start the business came from all my experience as a Division 1 strength training coach for the past four years,” noted Migliarese, who served as head football strength conditioning coach at Appalachian State University.
“In the coaching world it’s very challenging to move up the totem pole, but I was lucky
enough to get my first job in a Division 1 program,” he said.
Migliarese designed Tools4Sports to go beyond the local gym, he noted, as a mobile performance and educational platform that provides individuals, teams, and organizations the tools to reach new goals.
With a focus on educating
and mentoring teams of athletes from middle school to high school and even college, Tools4Sports covers the basics often forgotten or ignored by youth coaches, he allowed.
“There are companies in the private sector that train athletes, but from what I’ve seen is that in the education and development
of youth athletes they’re missing the core fundamental principles. Coaches teach the fundamentals at a young age, so if it’s jumping, running, catching, once these kids learn all that the coaches kind of move on, and kids forget the fundamentals they grew from.”
Those fundamentals nurture the healthy performance habits that are essential for any athlete’s success, Migliarese said.
“There’s patterns that our bodies develop that are habits we create from just living life, and so my goal is to create better habits so that athletes are using the right muscles and have better patterns in their bodies. Youth sports is a $15 billion industry,” he added, “and more and more parents are spending money on their kids. But do these parents know what they’re buying from their trainers? What kind of credentials and experiences do local trainers have? Are they sending their kids in there just to get a sweat in? Some of these trainers may be affecting your child’s game this weekend because, say they had a hard workout on Wednesday ... that can have an effect on the central nervous system for 72 hours after.”
Having launched Tools4Sports as an LLC in July, Migliarese spent the summer promoting the business to potential clients with trial sessions that showcase his qualifications, he said.
“I’ve talked to local basketball coaches, to help their pre-season training, to help with proper techniques, vertical jump, some cognitive training. There are sports performance platforms out there; the difference with me is my experience and my education process. I’ll be out there educating the coaches so they can learn a little more so that these kids are running and jumping properly. And when I’m not there they’re still getting the education that’s needed. The Tools4Sports team platform adds a family member within your team and adds a distinct benefit for a team’s success that will separate that team from competitors.”
One day he hopes to open his own training facility, but in the meantime Tools4Sports will operate as a mobile service, Migliarese said.
“As I build my clientele, I’ll bring my tools to the local facilities and schools, and train in their gyms or their fields, mostly in the summer,” explained Migliarese, who is particularly intrigued by the growing cognitive training genre of sports performance.
“They always say sports is 20 percent physical, 80 percent mental,” he said. “It’s all about training your brain to be in harmony with everything around you.”
Migliarese will offer strength and agility training for 6th through 12th grade, Mondays and Wednesdays through Oct. 11 at Wentz Run Park in Blue Bell. Participants will learn proper form for running, jumping and injury reduction in sports. For details and registration, visit whitpainrec.com.