Athlete Academy ATHLETE ACADEMY swim

Progress is a number, not a feeling

We measure every athlete at the start, train what the numbers say, and measure again. Here is what that looks like when we show our working.

The pattern worth noticing

Most training is sold on the vertical jump. It is the easiest number to quote and the least useful one on its own.

Look at the single-leg columns instead. In every athlete below, the weaker leg improved more than the two-footed jump did — and in three of the four, the gap between left and right narrowed.

The framework: the gap matters more than the number. Amplitude built on a lopsided athlete lands crooked. Closing the side-to-side gap is what makes bigger skills safe to bring down. Closing the side-to-side difference is what makes the quickness safe to repeat.
A jump height chart in the athlete app showing a personal best of 15.7 inches
Every number on this page came off a screen like this one.

The numbers

Cara Volleyball · Outside hitter · 5 months

TestBeforeAfterChange
Countermovement jump 11.63″ 15.88″ +36.6%
Single-leg jump, left 5.50″ 9.50″ +72.7%
Single-leg jump, right 6.75″ 9.00″ +33.3%
Cara's story Cara talks about what changed, in her own words.

Kendall Volleyball · Outside hitter · 7 months

TestBeforeAfterChange
Countermovement jump 17.00″ 20.63″ +21.3%
Single-leg jump, left 7.38″ 10.88″ +47.5%
Single-leg jump, right 9.25″ 12.50″ +35.1%
Kendall's parents Doug and Merideth Stewart on what seven months looked like from a parent's side.

Rafael Soccer · 12 months

TestBeforeAfterChange
Countermovement jump 15.50″ 19.75″ +27.4%
Single-leg jump, left 8.75″ 11.75″ +34.3%
Single-leg jump, right 6.75″ 10.38″ +53.7%

Lilly Softball · Catcher · 9 months

TestBeforeAfterChange
Countermovement jump 12.88″ 15.75″ +22.3%
Single-leg jump, left 7.00″ 10.00″ +42.9%
Single-leg jump, right 6.25″ 9.13″ +46.0%
Lilly's parents Ashley and Corey McGuire on what the work looked like from the family side.

Countermovement jump is a two-footed jump from standing. Single-leg jump is the same test on one leg at a time, which is where side-to-side differences show up. These are individual athletes, measured on the same protocol before and after. Results vary with age, stage, starting point and how much training actually happens.

A chart tracking left and right single-leg jump height separately over two months
Left and right are measured separately. The gap between them is where problems hide.

The work behind the single-leg numbers

The column that moved most is the one-legged jump. This is the kind of work that moves it.

Pistol squat demo Every punch, turn and landing loads one leg at a time. Single-leg strength is what closes a side-to-side gap, and a two-legged squat lets the stronger side hide the weaker one.

What earned progress looks like

11-Year-Old Basketball Player Training Gwen hitting a measured milestone in the gym — the same earned-milestone approach our swimmers train on. Milestones are earned against measured standards, not attendance.

What we did not do

We did not cherry-pick the best month or change the test between measurements. Same protocol, same equipment, before and after.

And we are not claiming these outcomes are typical. They are four athletes who trained consistently. What we will claim is that we measured them, and that we would rather show you numbers than adjectives.

What families and coaches say

I worked with Aaron all 4 years of high school. In that time, I increased my vertical jump by 12.5 inches (35") and increased my speed on the track.
Jessica GehrkeHigh School All-American, volleyball · state 100m record holder
When I needed someone to train me at the highest level possible, work around lingering injuries, and know I have the propensity to overwork myself, the choice was a no brainer. I walked into spring and summer 2021 in the best physical shape possible.
Lisa Birocci BanseItalian Softball National Team · trained for the 2021 Olympic roster

See where your athlete actually stands

Every athlete here started with an assessment. That is the same place your athlete would start.

Request an assessment

Questions parents ask

Are these results typical?

No — they are individual athletes, and we would be misleading you to present four people as an average. Starting point matters enormously: an athlete who has never trained has more room to move than one who has trained for years. What is consistent is the approach, not the percentage.

Why show single-leg numbers at all?

Because a swimmer’s power is only as symmetric as her legs — flip turns push through both, but starts, dolphin kick, and posture all expose an imbalance. A large side-to-side difference is a known risk factor, and a two-footed test hides it completely. The single-leg test is where it shows.

How often do you re-measure?

Enough to see whether the plan is working and to change it if it is not. Re-testing is part of the programme, not an upsell — a plan that never gets checked is a guess with a schedule.

What if my athlete does not improve like this?

Then we say so, and we look at why. The most common reasons are not mysterious: not enough training actually happening, load elsewhere in the schedule, or a starting point that was already strong. You get the honest read either way.