Tommy Hansen, owner of Perform 4 Life and Director of Sports Performance at Top Flight Volleyball Club, joins the show to break down the realities of volleyball training and athlete development. Best known on Instagram as @freestyle_jump_guy, Tommy has become a go-to resource for jump training and performance insights in the volleyball world.

We dive into what injury prevention actually is, the truth about landing mechanics, and how he approaches sprint and jump training specifically for volleyball athletes. Tommy also shares his perspective on navigating the youth and club sports landscape and what coaches and parents often misunderstand about long-term development.

Beyond the training side, Tommy walks through how he grew his Instagram from 5,000 to 45,000 followers, what has (and hasn’t) led to real business growth, and the vision he’s building toward for the future.

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 The Journey of Self-Experimentation in Training

10:04 Scaling Programming for Big Groups

13:10 Consistency in Training for Youth Athletes

15:49 Balancing Performance and Injury Prevention

24:18 Building Resilience Through Jump Variety

29:21 Balancing Extensive and Intensive Jumps

34:15 Sprint Training for Volleyball Players

38:25 Common Misconceptions in Athletic Development

44:15 Navigating Skill vs. Physical Development Priorities

51:54 Integrating Skills and Conditioning in Coaching

58:06 Growing a Social Media Following

01:07:13 Long-Term Vision and Sustainable Coaching

In this solo episode, I share 12 lessons from 10 elite coaches featured in Strength In Numbers. Each lesson comes from a real passage in the book—insights that have stuck with me and shaped how I think about coaching, leadership, and life.

I unpack ideas like why feedback is a gift, how clarity drives performance, what it really means to teach athletes to fail, and why balance isn’t always the goal early in your career. We also dive into overcoming burnout, recruiting the right families, building your personal Mount Rushmore, creating a pirate map for life, and the balance between character and talent when evaluating players.

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

Chapters

00:00 The Gift of Feedback

04:03 Clarity Equals High Performance

05:22 Teaching Your Athletes to Fail

08:00 Why You Don't Need Balance Starting Your Career

09:24 Passion vs. Burnout

11:00 Overcoming Burnout and Struggles

12:45 Evaluating + Recruiting the Parents

15:33 Building Your Personal Mount Rushmore

17:22 Never Assume Resilience in Others

19:39 Creating a Pirate Map for Life

21:58 Building the Right Staff

24:24 Character vs. Talent in Recruiting

In this solo episode, I break down a framework I use called the Develop vs Display Continuum. When deciding what to do, how much to do, and when to do it, I like to think of a spectrum with “Develop” on one side and “Display” on the other.

Are you trying to develop ability—or display it?

I dive into how this framework shapes decision-making across different phases of the year, how to individualize based on player roles and needs, how to develop low-minute players in-season, and how to adjust between training days within a week.

This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches.

Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success.

👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].