Trainer moves clients into the fast lane

Matt James teaches his charges to reach for that extra burst

By Cliff Pfenning

The Portland Tribune, Jan 23, 2004, Updated Oct 30, 2009

If it’s true that speed kills, then Matt James is training an army of assassins.

From Terrell Owens and LeBron James to the neighbor kid trying to make the freshman or junior varsity team, Matt James has become a household name in the quest for speed.

James runs the speed, agility and quickness training center at the Hoop, a Beaverton athletic club. His coaching has become so sought after that the second floor of the Hoop was gutted and turned into a training facility specifically for his legion of prep and college athletes.

He travels the country coaching high school, college and pro athletes, but his basic commitment is to young athletes in the Portland area.

“I’m truly lucky in that I’ve gotten to work with some big-name people, especially this last summer,” says James, a former standout receiver at Portland State. “But I’m always going to try to remain committed to the kids of the area, those guys who just want to be better and make whatever team they’re trying to make Ñ get a shot at varsity.”

James’ clients Ñ some of whom pay up to $300 per month for unlimited workouts Ñ are looking for a quicker jab step on the basketball court, a faster three-step drop and pass release in football, or the ability to reach a corner lob and fire off a return shot on the tennis court.

“Speed transcends sports,” James says. “The more speed you have, the better you’re going to be at your sport and the more opportunities you’re going to have come at you.

“Everyone has skills in their particular sport, but if you can develop speed, too, then you have one more asset that may make the difference when a coach is selecting a team.”

A step too slow

James, 32, was a three-sport standout at Hillsboro High (Class of 1990) and moved on to Portland State, where he initially played quarterback. After an injury and the arrival of QB John Charles in 1991, James moved to wide receiver. In four seasons, he caught passes for nearly 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns.

At 5-11, though, he impressed few professional scouts, and his dream of playing pro football was dashed.

“I was a good athlete and a good wide receiver,” James says. “I ran 4.49 in the 40-yard dash, but that just wasn’t good enough.

“I thought about going into coaching, but being a graduate assistant doesn’t pay much. And then I kind of fell into a career.”

While trying to make the pros, James trained and worked at a Tigard club called Speed City. There, he learned the basics of speed, agility and quickness training from Randy Smythe, the one-time speed trainer for the Dallas Cowboys. Speed City has since relocated to Biloxi, Miss.

Much of what Smythe taught, and still teaches through the Web site www.speedexplosion.com, was gleaned by studying workouts from former Soviet Bloc athletes.

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