Chad Cook, Director of Performance
A biomechanics specialist and performance coach, Chad Cook, has been preparing to launch Players Performance Institute ever since his own potential as an athlete was cut short. The hockey injury that prevented him from reaching the next level is responsible for his unrelenting mission of preventing the same fate for upcoming and current athletes.
This persistent drive to avoid and remove roadblocks, which oftentimes hinder long-term goals and sideline lifelong dreams, led Chad to become an expert in Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™). Addressing underlying causes of performance issues, as opposed to applying one-size-fits-all training regimens, enhances efficiency, effectiveness, and function in all areas of their lives.
For a peek at Chad's professional background, a partial list of credentials is listed here; however, like many dedicated to their craft, Cook's skill set reaches beyond accreditation on paper. Success is perhaps best noted from the many athletes who have or are continuing to achieve feats they once never believed possible. (
Back In The Swing: Decoding Athletic Dysfunction To Go The Distance)
Service:
- United States Air Force
- Air National Guard
Education:
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Certifications/Internships:
- Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MATRxNx® | MATRx® | MAT™)
- MATRxNx® Certified Specialist
- MATRx® Certified Specialist
- MATRx® Foundation and Posterior Chain
- MATRx® Shoulders and Hips
- MATRx® Accessory Muscles
- MATRx® Cervical
- MATRx® Foot Function
- MATRx® Wrist & Hand
- MAT™ Master Specialist
- Foot Function Masters
- Lower Extremity Masters
- Upper Extremity Masters
- Wrist & Hand Masters
- Trunk & Spine Masters
- Cervical Masters
- MAT™ Certified Specialist
- Lower Body
- Upper Body
- Trunk and Spine
- Cervical Spine
- Gray Institute
- Fellow of Applied Functional Science® (FAFS)
- Certification in Applied Functional Science® (CAFS)
- 3D Movement Analysis & Performance System (3DMAPS) Certified
- Functional Manual Reaction (FMR)
- Functional Soft Tissue Transformation (FSTT)
- Functional Range System® (FRS®)
- Functional Range Assessment® (FRA®)
- Functional Range Conditioning® (FRC®)
- Functional Range Release® (FR®)
- FR® Upper Limb Provider
- FR® Lower Limb Provider
- Titleist Performance Institute (TPI)
- Certified Golf Fitness Instructor - Fitness Professional Level 3 (TPI CGFI-FP3)
- Certified Golf Fitness Instructor - Junior Coach Level 3 (TPI CGFI-JC3)
- Certified Golf Fitness Instructor - Medical Professional Level 3 (TPI CGFI-MP3)
- Certified Golf Fitness Instructor - Golf Biomechanists Level 2 (TPI CGFI-GB2)
- OnBaseU
- OnBaseU Certified (Hitting & Pitching)
- RacquetFit
- United States Professional Tennis Association
- NIKE GOLF 360° (NG360°)
- CERTIFIED NIKE GOLF NG360° PERFORMANCE SPECIALIST
- CHEK Institute
- CHEK Exercise Coach (EC)
- CHEK Practitioner 2 (CP 2)
- Holistic Lifestyle Coach 1 (HLC 1)
- SomaTraining with Guy Voyer, DO
- ELDOA Method Level 1
- ELDOA Method Level 2
- MFS - Myofascial Stretching
- GPS - Global Postural Stretching
- Functional Movement Techniques (FMT)
- FMT Basic Kinesiology Taping Certification
- FMT Advanced Kinesiology Taping Certification
- FMT Pediatrics Kinesiology Taping Certification
- FMT Blades – IASTM Certification
- FMT Advanced Blades – IASTM Certification
- FMT Compression Band Flossing Certification
- FMT Myofascial Cupping Certification
- International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA)
- IYCA Long Term Athletic Development Performance Coach
- High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist (HSSCS)
- IYCA Youth Fitness Specialist Level 3 (YFS-3)
- IYCA Youth Speed & Agility Specialist (YSAS)
- IYCA Youth Nutrition Specialist (YNS)
- IYCA Olympic Lift Instructor
- Athletes Acceleration
- Certified Speed & Agility Coach (CSAC)
- Precision Nutrition
- Precision Nutrition Certified Level 1 Coach (Pn1)
- Precision Nutrition Certified Level 2 Coach (Pn2)
- K-Motion Interactive
- National Academy of Sports Medicine
- Certified Personal Trainer (NASM CPT)
- USA Weightlifting
- Sports Performance Coach Certification in Olympic style weight lifting
- Hardstyle Kettlebell Certified Instructor
- TRX Suspension Training
- Pulse PEMF Certified
- INDIBA® Radio-Frequency (RF) Certified
- K-Laser Certified
Current Study for Certifications/Internships:
- Functional Range System® (FRS®)
- Functional Range Release® (FR®)
- FR® Spine Provider
- Kinstretch®
- Resistance Training Specialist® (RTS®)
- Resistance Training Specialist Mastery (RTSM)
- RTSM Science 1: Musculoskeletal Mechanics
- RTSM Science 2: Resistance Mechanics
- RTSM Spine/Trunk
- RTSM Lower Extremity
- RTSM Upper Extremity
Eric Ross, Performance & Recovery Specialist
After foregoing acceptance to Aeronautical school following graduation, Eric chose a path forward that was less conventional but filled with passion – and he hasn’t wavered from that path since. His passion led him to a 30-year career as a Performance Coach. It started with a desire to give a small-town community and its athletes access to the same big school amenities as the ones he received during his own high school years. During this time, Eric studied and applied biomechanical movements tirelessly to improve his athletes’ performances, along with individual performance, nutrition, speed, agility, and vertical conditioning programs. His knowledge together with own experiences as a high-level athlete led to the creation of the SPEED-E-TRAINING developmental system. This sparked early morning conditioning programs for high school students and week-long developmental and assessment camps for youth in local communities.
In an effort to provide long term sustainability for these programs, Eric started the WeR4KIDS Sports Foundation so that no child’s family would bear a financial burden for participation in the athletic and developmental programs operated by Eric and his staff. In conjunction with the Foundation, he also established a signature fundraising event, The Manistee National Cross-Country Invitational, to support the foundation. The invitational drew 3000+ people to the small community each year. Additionally, Eric has been heavily involved with The Folds of Honor Foundation – fundamentally, personally, and financially.
Eric’s passion for athletics and keen interest in its transformative capabilities has been a driving force throughout his life. His willingness to experiment with his own training in some unfamiliar sports to test his theory of the impact of Time + Repetition + Passion proved to be highly successful over the past 30 years. While he may lack paper certifications, he has established himself as an expert in practical and applied knowledge. Putting theory to practice took Eric from an average golfer of 18 handicap, to a 6 handicap in 3 months, then to a PGA Golf Professional inside of 3 years. Additionally, his achievements at the highest levels in multiple sports including powerlifting, speedskating, and triathlons, demonstrates his passion and dedication to whatever he puts his efforts towards.
This same unwavering effort also brought Eric to some of the best facilities of the golfing world, from an Assistant Professional at Marco Island Country Club, to the Head Teaching Professional at Kapalua’s Plantation Course (PGA Tour host site), and the Head Golf Professional at the highly recognized and award-winning Arcadia Bluffs in northern Michigan. Recognizing determination and passion in any segment of life, whether it be relationships, career or even sports, has had an everlasting and overwhelmingly positive impact on his life. A list of some of Eric’s athletic highlights and accomplishments are listed below.
Education:
- PGA Golf Professional - Class A
- 17 years as Head Golf Professional and Lead Instructor
Athletic Achievements:
- Powerlifting
- D1 H.S. record holder 30+ years
- Short Track Speed Skating
- Michigan State Champion in 500m, 777m, 1000m and 1500m
- Triathlon
- World Championships
- Xterra Triathlon
- Qualifier; World’s largest off-road triathlon
- Golf
- National Champion
- ULD Long Drive Masters Division
- Ranked #1 in U.S. 2021 - 2022
- World Championship
- ULD Long Drive Senior Division
- Ranked #2 in the World 2021 - 2023
Community:
- Charles E. Schoedel Award: In recognition of outstanding service in recreational sports
- Manistee County Community Foundation: Excellence in Education Mentor Award
Chris Verdi, MATRx Specialist
Chris began to lose the ability to function normally at the age of 19, and by age of 21, his soccer aspirations ended after a surgical fusion of his sacrum to lumbar spine that led him on a downward physical, mental, and spiritual spiral. Chris had gotten to the point where sciatica pain radiated down his right leg into his big toe resulting in significant numbness to most of his toes. In his vigilant quest to find relief and become healthier, he attended yoga classes as a means of self-restoration. Unfortunately, he ended up re-injured himself in a class and ruptured the two discs above his fusion. For 3½ years his spine stayed crooked and bent to the left. Chris had constant pain for 17 years that was getting progressively worse. Sadly, Chris had to forgo his acting career after completing the prestigious William Macy “Atlantic Theatre Company” Acting School given that his pain had become so intense and debilitating. He then decided to go back to his athletic interests and become a personal trainer.
At the age of 36, Chris was introduced to Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT®) at a fitness conference for trainers in New York City. He met one of the practitioners from MAT® who offered to provide a demonstration. Upon Chris’ walk home that night, his left hip started to drop and he wasn’t as crooked. The MAT® demonstration provided Chris with “relief”, but more importantly, he had hope for the first time since his initial injury and subsequent chronic pain. Chris decided that this experience with MAT® was one that he wanted to pursue in order to help himself, and to offer a solution for others who had been living their lives in chronic pain with no consistent relief.
Chris went on to develop and patent The Core Restore neuromuscular movement Training System (CRTS™) that teaches users basic body mechanics to engage their muscles in order to initiate movement. Chris’ clientele varies in the age range spectrum from young adults to seniors, and has included individuals who have been unable to resolve neuromuscular conditions such as ALS, MD, MS, etc.; professional and semiprofessional athletes, as well as those in training for the Olympics. Chris has also had the honor of providing services to individuals from UGA Hockey, the NHL, NFL, and MLB.
Education:
Certifications/Internships:
- Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MATRxNx® | MATRx® | MAT™)
- MATRxNx® Certified Specialist
- MATRx® Certified Specialist
- MATRx® Foundation and Posterior Chain
- MATRx® Shoulders and Hips
- MATRx® Accessory Muscles
- MATRx® Cervical
- MATRx® Foot Function
- MATRx® Wrist & Hand
- MAT™ Master Specialist
- Foot Function Masters
- Lower Extremity Masters
- Upper Extremity Masters
- Wrist & Hand Masters
- Trunk & Spine Masters
- Cervical Masters
- MAT™ Certified Specialist
- Lower Body
- Upper Body
- Trunk and Spine
- Cervical Spine
- ACSM Certified Personal Trainers® (ACSM-CPT®)
- NSCA Certified Personal Trainer®(NSCA-CPT®)
Jacob LeHotay, Recovery Specialist
Education:
Certifications/Internships:
|