Blog Overview

Greetings! I created this site to share lessons from over 50 years as an athlete, coach, and professor. My mission? To help athletes train smarter, learn faster, and perform better—by adding a powerful (but often overlooked) ingredient to the training mix: motor learning principles.

Think of it like enhancing a good recipe. Most training programs focus on strength and fitness—but when you layer in how the brain actually learns and processes movements for sports, the results can be game-changing.

On this blog, you’ll find hands-on, science-backed strategies that will help you:

  • Boost performance with sport-specific techniques that target both fitness and skill.

  • Accelerate skill development using smarter teaching methods and drills that double as learning tools.

  • Cut through myths with evidence-based insights that save time, energy, and resources.

Over the years, I’ve seen that building better athletes isn’t about chasing fads, copying others, or lifting the heaviest weights. It’s about using the right exercises, feedback, and strategies that transfer to real competition.

Because let’s be honest—if all that strength doesn’t show up on the field, what’s the point?

Whether you're a coach, athlete, trainer, or educator, you’re in the right place. You’ll find practical tools to create customized drills, training plans, and programs that match your sport and your athletes.

And don’t worry—you don’t need a sport science degree to benefit. Everything here is presented in clear, coach-friendly language. Even if you’ve been coaching for decades, you’ll discover fresh ideas and insights that reinforce what you already know—and maybe open up new ways to help your athletes thrive.

So, are you ready to build better athletes—faster?

I’m just getting started. Over the next few months, I’ll be rolling out new posts, downloads, and courses filled with tools you can apply right away.

Start exploring training tips, workout plans, teaching strategies, and more. Try them out, see what works, and let me know how it goes.

Because in sport, doing what everyone else does only gets you so far.

Let’s take the road less traveled—toward smarter training and better performance.

Dr. Denise Wood, CSCS, USAW2

Dr. Denise K. Wood, CSCS, USAW2 has spent over five decades in teaching, coaching, and sport science. A former U.S. Track & Field Team member, she has trained youth athletes to NCAA Division I and Olympians, with a focus on transfer of strength and conditioning to sport performance. Dr. Wood has led coach education efforts nationwide, serving as course developer and instructor in motor learning, sport psychology, and instructor training for USATF. She currently serves on the USATF Coach Education Executive Committee as Director of Sport Science Curriculum and Instruction and the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education.

https://www.buildbetterathletesfaster.com
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How Olympic Weightlifting Skills Transfer to Sport Performance