Background & Influences
At Power Speed Coaching, experience isn’t just measured by time — it’s shaped by ongoing learning, global exposure, and collaboration with some of the world’s leading coaches, scientists, and athletes.
Throughout my career, I’ve attended international courses, conferences, clinics, and engaged in invaluable dialogue with physiologists, psychologists, researchers, and elite sports professionals.
Here are some of the key influences that have shaped my coaching philosophy:
Coaching Influences
Gerard Mach (Poland/Canada)
Head coach of Poland, then Canada, revolutionized Canadian sprinting from a time when our NZ team beat Canada in relays, to becoming twice Olympics and World Champs gold medalists. His “Little Red Book” was the guide for the administration of all Canadian national track teams, with the head coach as the top team administrator. He said that after all, the team’s performance stops with the person at the top, the head coach, so that individual calls all the shots, and team administrators follow the Red Book for their roles and KPIs.
Loren Seagrave (USA)
Founder of Speed Dynamics and Speed School franchises. Brought to New Zealand for an Oceania conference, sharing cutting-edge sprint and neurological training methods. Highly active as World Athletics lecturer and international consultant on neurobiomechanics of maximum velocity sprinting. He is the chief performance officer at Life University Sports, and founded Velocity Sports Performance.
Dr. Benya Tabachnik (USSR/USA)
Former USSR speed development director. Introduced speed chute resistance training in conjunction with the Russian Aeronautical Space Program. His book called Soviet Training and Recovery Methods can be found on Biblio, selling for $423. He presented in New Zealand to a high level Oceania Coaching Conference.
Dave Hemery (UK)
Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist and world record holder. Conducted New Zealand’s Level 3 hurdles course. He attended Boston University, so his insights in to training in heavy snow were invaluable.
Esa Peltola (Finland, Qatar, Australia)
World-class hurdles coach and Head of Sports Science at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Aspire Academy. Played a key role in my recruitment to Aspire Academy in Qatar.
Henk Kraaijenhoff (Netherlands)
Dutch speed and hurdles expert, known for deep analysis of athlete individuality. His sessions in London and Toronto offered profound insights on elite performance differences.
Toronto Conference, with Henk Kraaijenhoff, 2018
Highly interesting background, including military, and his detailed comparisons of dramatic individual differences amongst elite athletes – superb examples covering personality, performance testing, and training of top European and Caribbean sprinters.
London conference with Dan Pfaff, 2010.
He has his own special version of coaching terminology, which can be entertaining and challenging, e.g. a coaching program is “menu items”, a stadium is an “arena”, “foundational touchstones”, “paradigms and concepts are more spectral than absolute”, “tensegrity factors”, “fractal pattern identification”, “architectural factors”, etc.
With Ralph Mann, London Conference , 2010.
Olympic 400m hurdles medalist, went on to become a department head at the USA Olympic Training Centre, outstanding data analyst, met him in London. Produced a valuable publication for that conference- “The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling”.
Wang Wei-Ming, Head Coach, China, at Asian Games 1994.
Wang Wei-Ming, Head Coach, China T&F, 1990s : sat down with him often at World Champs in Finland 1993, and Asian Games, Hiroshima, 1994. Interesting insights into their approaches at that time, particularly with the actions of infamous distance coach, Ma Junren’s methods.
Jochen Spilker, lawyer and coach, Germany.
Presented to a level 3 New Zealand Sprint Course, with special emphasis on lactate levels in training. Coached Gaby Bussmann, sub 50secs 400m. The detail in the annual coaching plans that he provided have served NZ coaches for many years.
Stacey Taurima, Australian Team Coach.
Moved from NZ to Australia as a teen, worked in Police in USA and Australia, now a highly successful jump and speed coach in Brisbane. Consults internationally, regularly appointed to Australian teams. Brother, Jai, medaled at long jump in the Sydney Olympics. Stacey jumped internationally himself and we brought him to NZ twice in recent years for clinics. Several coach of the year awards.
Lance Smith (Southland)
Annually coaches an astounding array and volume of medal winning athletes, especially in distance, jumps, and hurdles. A highly experienced and awarded coach, always learning, and initial recipient of the Arthur Eustace Coaching Award from Athletics NZ. Outstanding coach educator who ignores the “fluff” and “science-speak” to give you a clear understanding using terminology and anecdotes for you basic understanding.
Russ Hoggard (AKL) – In Memoriam
Beloved coach and mentor. Trained with his group whenever not with my main coach, Dave Norris. He developed numerous athletes from club level to Olympians. He was appointed World Cup and Commonwealth Games coaching duties. Russ’s passion for coaching and humanity left a lasting impact on my values.
Dave Norris (AKL)
Self-coached Olympic jumper and multiple Commonwealth Games medallist. Multi-award winner in education and sport, and a personal role model. New Zealand NZ Basketball Rep, author of Economics Textbook for High Schools. I don’t rate anyone higher as a magnificent human. My idol, in fact.
Institutions and Experiences
Eight years of working alongside handpicked international staff at the world’s largest and best-resourced training academy. Access to state-of-the-art scientific equipment, athlete data tracking, and international camps.
Part of Aspire Academy, Qatar
With some of Aspire’s 49 talent centre coaches from eight different countries
At Aspire Academy, Qatar, Sam Diggleman and other kiwi speedsters tested on one of only two “force platform treadmills” in the world.
I visited them twice when they were based in Phoenix, AZ. They. have a high-profile facility and marketing, some excellent coaches, and high-performance athletes to watch in action.
What was said in one of the relay sessions was stunning, explaining clearly how relay work is done there fundamentally. Their prophylactic and Aldoa stretching sessions were valuable.
Dan Pfaff (above middle photo) was formerly at Altis and one of the world’s most respected jumps and sprint coaches. Observed him coaching practically for ten days in Arizona, and twice attended presentations by him in Europe and NZ.
Altis Training Centre USA Visit
Training camps, conferences, and learning from their world-leading resources and numerous top Australian coaches.
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Canberra.