We see it all the time in the world of sports. Standout athletes with a seemingly super-hero strength perform amazingly as their bodies pull through on the court or on the field. Discipline, natural skill and training are some of the factors which shape one’s ability.
One secret weapon behind the speed and agility of local athletes is Johnie Drake, owner of Johnie Drake Speed Performance (JDSP) who is partly responsible for athletes, such as University of Michigan Cornerback Will Johnson, who excel at their sport. Drake is a record-setting, Hall of Fame sprinter making strides to set a solid foundation for the following generations of athletes.
Drake has been a trainer for 10 years, spending part of his career as an assistant track coach at Central Michigan University, and as a volunteer track assistant coach at Cass Technical High School. It’s where his coach bug all began until personal coaching took the wheels of his career in 2013.
“It is my responsibility to share my gifts, knowledge, resources and experience with today’s student-athletes. Speed can be developed through various techniques and exercises. I am here to identify, fix and advance an athlete’s speed while changing the narrative that speed can’t be taught,” Drake said.
Drake develops a full break-down analysis of anyone wishing to be trained under his guidance. He showcases their strengths and weaknesses, maps out the proper programs and creates a plan to enhance young athletes in their speed and capability.
Now, with 8 years under his belt as the go-to athletic performance trainer in Metro-Detroit, he continues to maintain a flourishing personal training business where athletes ensure their performance is top notch, highly competitive and skilled for advancement for their next season. JDSP offers athletes the opportunity to learn fundamentals and progressive techniques to become stronger, faster and more agile.
“I needed and wanted a trainer when I was their age,” Drake said. “It was a lot of knowledge and information that wasn’t passed down to me when I was 14, 15 years old or when I was a high school athlete that could have helped.”
So now he’s intentional about sharing his expertise and skillset to the next generation of young athletes and he’s made a business out of doing so.
“I just wanted to be able to bring my value and bring it back to kids just so they can have a better opportunity going forward in their athletic careers and know what it takes to be a collegiate athlete or a professional athlete.”
Drake’s career has been fulfilling as he continuously shows dynamic strides in the athletic training industry and offers services for beginners and professionals utilizing technical and tactical exercises that are sport specific— whether football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track or other sports. He has provided training to more than 1,200 athletes, and the roster continues to grow. He has trained more than 50 NFL draft prospects and several NFL players. Athletes have goals and dreams to be the best in their respective sport, and speed in particular is an important component to their athletic skill set.
Drake believes momentum should be maintained in the off-season for those who are disciplined and have collegiate and professional aspirations. Drake provides an outlet for athletes to do just that— especially through his position as speed coach for the nationally known Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy, whose athletes have pursued collegiate and professional sports careers.
Drake is a Cass Technical High School graduate who received a track and field scholarship to Central Michigan University. He is the CMU 60m (6.54) and 100m (10.14) record holder. He also ran the fastest time in the world in the 60m dash in 2006. He finished his career as an All American, 4x MAC Champion, and was inducted into the CMU Hall of Fame in 2016 with his professional career spanning 2007-2011.
About Post Author
