15 Years of International High Performance Sport: Learnings that Apply to the Collegiate Strength &
What are the high-performance sports organizations around the world doing differently than we are? What can we learn from international high-performers that can be applied to our athletes and programs? This presentation will share some key practical and applied learnings from Coach Walker's 15 years of experience working with international high-performance sports organizations spanning over 20 different countries and 30 sport disciplines. Lance Walker, MS, PT, CNDS, SST Executive Vice President, Global Performance Director Spanning 25 years of seamlessly integrating multidisciplinary sports performance training, sports medicine, and applied sports science experience spanning all levels of competition across 31 different sport disciplines, Lance is currently the Global Director of Performance at Michael Johnson Performance. Based in McKinney Texas, he directs global operations in sports science, sports performance, and sports medicine for the company in the USA, including past and current training operations in Azerbaijan, England, Trinidad & Tobago, China, Greece, and Brazil. He is also responsible for ensuring product development, systems structure, and implementation for MJP licensed facilities, the first of which being SPIRE Academy in Ohio, which opened in 2010, and subsequent locations in Dubai and Philippines in 2018. Prior to coming to MJP in 2007, Walker served as lead developer and Director of Performance Training at Integrated Athletic Development, a 100,000 square foot training and rehabilitation facility in Dallas, where he led on construction of facilities, staff development and management, and training system integration for multi-sport performance training and sports rehabilitation clients and teams. His experience includes successful leadership for the training, applied sport science monitoring, and integrated physical rehabilitation needs of over 500 professional athletes from the NBA, NFL, CFL, MLB, PGA, CBA, NHL, English Premier League, Professional Tennis, and Professional Track & Field. Current and past athletes include First Round NFL/NBA/CHL/MLB draft choices, Olympic Gold medalists, Olympic and Paralympic World Champions, World Record Holders, Champions League Stars, and NFL Hall of Famers. Prior to MJP, Lance served two seasons as an assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Dallas Cowboys under the tutelage of strength coach Joe Juraszek and legendary football coach Bill Parcells. Walker has proven and unique background (both applied/practical experience and formal education) in combining strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and sports science at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Prior to joining the Dallas Cowboys, Lance held high-performance director positions at the University of Oklahoma (working with all NCAA sports teams on campus, including football) and the Casady School, where he developed a custom and unique approach to seamlessly implement sports performance and sports medicine with teams across all scholastic sports and ages from 9-18 years, including football, basketball, track, golf, gymnastics, wrestling, tennis, volleyball, and field hockey. A 1993 graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, Lance earned three varsity football letters and attained Academic All-Big 8 honors. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma and a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Oklahoma. A well-recognized authority in his field, Lance has contributed to over 50 professional publications in sport science and presented at over 100 national conferences and 25 international courses. He is also a major contributor of content and insight for Nike Innovation Kitchen, member of Nike Performance Council, and liason for Nike Science and Research projects ongoing at a first-of-a-kind integrated Nike/MJP applied sport science lab, providing insights to athletes, coaches, and key stakeholders in the areas of product optimization, performance training, injury risk reduction/recovery, and young athlete development. Lance is also a registered physical therapist in the State of Texas and has been practicing sports physical therapy for over 20 years. Lance received his physical therapy degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In addition to his clinical roles, he has also served the academic side of the allied health profession at the University of Oklahoma as an adjunct professor, guest lecturer, and published researcher. His career sports medicine and performance training experiences have spanned the entire age-continuum, from global assignments with professional clubs, collegiate athletic programs, elite high school athletic departments, and elementary education programs. Combining his sports medicine and the rehab sciences background with nearly 25 years of performance training experience, Lance specializes in the return-to-sport phases of rehabilitation, injury prevention solutions, and long-term speed and power training prescription. His past work integrating sports science, sports performance, and sports medicine includes collaborations with the Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Arsenal FC, England FA, Manchester United FC, Williams Formula One Racing, Fluminense FC, English Football Association, Brazil Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Federation, and Azerbaijan Olympic Federation and consults internationally on topics such as sport-relevant performance training integration in high-performance programming, biomechanics of speed enhancement, and training systems for long-term athletic development.
