Coach ,

For Tony Holler, creator of Feed the Cats and Sprint-Based Football, the key to success lies in a revolutionary approach that prioritizes the well-being and happiness of athletes. This transformative method, known as "Feed the Cats," has redefined the traditional notions of player development, shifting the focus from grueling conditioning to high-intensity, efficient workouts that yield exceptional results.

At the heart of the "Feed the Cats" philosophy is the understanding that training programs should be designed with the perspective of a child in mind. By creating an environment where practice becomes the highlight of the athletes' day, a fundamental shift occurs. This approach challenges the conventional belief that moderate exercise leads to high performance, emphasizing the importance of high-level, sprint-focused practices over monotonous, grind-inducing routines.

In contrast to the common practice of pushing athletes to their limits and beyond, the "Feed the Cats" method places a premium on ensuring that athletes are never fatigued. Rest, recovery, and sleep are regarded as the essential building blocks of sprint workouts, underpinning the philosophy that tiredness is the enemy, not the goal. By adopting this approach, coaches are able to cultivate happy and healthy athletes who are empowered to achieve greatness.

Furthermore, the "Feed the Cats" philosophy challenges the traditional belief in the necessity of extensive aerobic work for sprinters. Through a strategic blend of intense training and deliberate rest, athletes can achieve remarkable fitness levels without a heavy focus on traditional conditioning. This approach has demonstrated that it is possible to achieve exceptional results in sprinting without sacrificing speed for endurance.

Tony Holler, the creator of Feed the Cats lays out the programming in this video.

Video: Feed the Cats Programming

Brian Kula is a regular presenter at Track Football Consortium, and one of his athletes, Christian McCaffrey subcribes to this philosophy. No one can argue with the results he’s had.

Video: Christian McCaffery’s Tak on the Grind

In what has become a tight community, the Track Football Consortium brings together like minded individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives on how to better train athletes.  TFC Chicago is this weekend December 8th and 9th at Elmhurst University. It’s a place to hear presentations and collaborate with others with the purpose of putting together the best off season program to prepare your players to win on the field in 2024.

There are 21 speakers at this year’s TFC Chicago and 4 bonus presentations available on video (listed below). If you want to attend, you can get the ticket here.  It includes the video of the presentations. If you cannot attend you can get the presentations on demand here.

Either way, I highly recommend getting involved and learning sprint-based football.  I will be sharing more from this year’s state champions who are sprint-based teams in the near future.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski