
Most people think speed is something you are born with. You either have it or you do not. I have heard coaches say it. I have heard parents say it. And after years of training young athletes, I am here to tell you that is wrong.
Speed is a skill. It can be taught, it can be trained, and it can be improved at any age and any starting point. That is not a sales pitch. That is what I have watched happen in real time with real kids.
Cooper came to me with one goal. He played baseball and he wanted to break 7 seconds in the 60-yard dash. He came in running a 7.2. That number matters in baseball — scouts watch it, coaches notice it. Three weeks into training, Cooper ran a 6.9. Then he went to his showcases and ran it even faster. Cooper did not have some rare genetic advantage. He had a clear goal, he showed up, and we worked on the right mechanics.
Then there is Elijah. Elijah had not played much organized sports. He was not walking in as a standout. He just came to the speed classes. At the end, every single one of his metrics had improved — speed, agility, power, and strength. Because the body responds to smart, intentional training at any level. You just need the right system.
This summer we are running our Youth Athletic Development Program at Well Street Fitness for two age groups — 7 to 11 and 12 to 18. Everything is built on the Parisi Speed School system, a proven curriculum developed by Bill Parisi over 30 years with more than a million athletes trained. We are an affiliated Parisi gym and we take that seriously. This is not something we invented — it is a system with a track record.
We start every athlete with a full athletic evaluation. Six tests — 10-yard dash, 40-yard dash, pro agility, vertical jump, broad jump, and max chinups. This gives us a real baseline. We know exactly where your athlete is on day one, which means we train with purpose instead of guessing. At the end of the summer, we run the same evaluation again so the growth is measurable and real.
For athletes 7 to 11, training is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 AM. Each day has a focus — linear speed, multidirectional speed, or foundational strength — and we always end with games because they are kids and fun keeps them coming back.
For athletes 12 to 18, the program runs four speed sessions per week and three strength sessions per week. Speed work covers acceleration — the first 10 to 20 yards of a sprint — top speed mechanics, and multidirectional speed including agility and change of direction. Strength sessions are built to support all of that movement. Not general fitness. Specific strength that makes athletes faster and harder to injure.
This is something I hear from parents regularly. My kid already lifts at school — is not that enough? The honest answer is that school strength programs are general. They are built for a lot of kids with a lot of different goals. What we do is specific. We are training movement mechanics, acceleration patterns, and sport-specific power. That is a different thing. If your kid is already doing school weights, adding our speed sessions will still move the needle. The two work together.
Most athletes treat summer as recovery time. And rest matters — but the off-season is also the only window where you can make real athletic gains without a game schedule getting in the way. The athletes who show up to fall camps already ahead of their teammates did not get there by accident. They used this window. They made a decision in June that showed up in September.
The program starts June 8 and June 15. Both are great entry points to get the full 10 weeks in. You can join after either date, but starting on one of those gives your athlete the full run of the program.
The first step is a free No Sweat Intro. No commitment, no cost, no pressure. You come in, meet the coaches, see the facility, and we talk about what your athlete actually needs. We let the experience do the talking before you make any financial decision.
Speed is a skill. Let us go teach it.
Book here: wellstreetfitness.com/programs/get-started
Reach out Here: 417-441-2766
Summer 2026 — Ages 7 to 18 — Spots Filling Now