Australian Running Coach

Australian Running Coach G'Day! Click LIKE to receive updates from my page. Visit my website at www.JacobAndre.com As a little kid, I wanted to know how things worked.

I was most interested in life - how living things functioned. As I became older, I became more interested in the human mind and body. I wanted to know how it all worked and how it could function at it's optimal. My passion for the brain and body led me to study teaching, sport and exercise science, and psychology in three separate courses at university. When I realised I wanted to be my own boss,

I turned that passion into a blog, and that blog into a lifestyle. Now I consult, coach, teach, lecture and speak on how to achieve optimal performance of the mind and body. I'm a running coach and movement specialist, known for my ability to break down movement and prescribe specific exercises appropriate to one's level of competence. Physical literacy is the same as written, read, heard and spoken literacy. You wouldn't expect a student to read a novel without first learning the alphabet. I love movement patterns and that includes teaching people how to run optimally. I often get asked for advice on fitness, nutrition and mindset and appear regularly on radio and as a guest on other podcasts.

ChatGPT got it spot on 😆
31/05/2026

ChatGPT got it spot on 😆

Some happy snaps from Saturdays running mechanics session for .fitness members training for the
12/05/2026

Some happy snaps from Saturdays running mechanics session for .fitness members training for the

05/05/2026

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Pogos: High-Performance Set-Up for Speed & Power

If your pogos look “bouncy” but not fast… your set-up is costing you stiffness and force transfer.

This is where we build true reactive strength for acceleration, top speed, and repeat efforts for footy.

🔑 The Set-Up:

🪣 Pelvis First —
Imagine your pelvis is a bucket filled to the brim.

Tip water out the BACK of the bucket. This locks in a strong, neutral-to-slightly posterior position so you’re not leaking force through the hips.

👣 Foot & Ankle Position —
Pull your toes up into the top of your shoes + spread them.

Get onto the balls of your feet with heels hovering just off the ground.

On grass? Heels should be brushing the top of the grass.

🧱 Full-Body Stiffness —
Lock ankles, knees, hips, and ribcage together.

Brace your core like you’re about to take a hit to the stomach.

⚡ Ex*****on:

Whether you’re going for time or distance:
Think quick, elastic contacts — not deep, slow jumps.

Minimal knee bend.
Maximal stiffness.
Snap off the ground.

That’s how you turn pogos into a transfer tool for speed — not just a warm-up drill.

Master the set-up → then chase intensity.

💬 Comment RUN for free access to my Running Mechanics Guide for Footballers ✅

28/04/2026

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Most footballers want to run faster… but skip the foundation.

I always start with the pelvis.

Think of your pelvis like a bucket full of water 🪣

First, I get athletes to practice tipping water out the front… then out the back.

⚠️ But this isn’t hinging at the hips.

Stay tall through the upper body and simply rock the pelvis back and forth to develop awareness of where it sits in space.

Then I cue athletes to tip the water out the back of the bucket.

Why?

✅ Brings the pelvis toward neutral

✅ Switches on the deep core (transverse abdominis)

✅ Creates a stronger platform to put force into the ground

✅ Sets up better running mechanics at ALL speeds

And when it comes to running faster, only two things matter:

1️⃣ Minimal time on the ground

2️⃣ The power you exert into the ground

That’s it.

If your pelvis position leaks force, you won’t be as fast as you can be and you increase your risk for injury.

This is why I teach this with everyone — from developing footballers to elite athletes.

Position before power. Mechanics before speed. Foundations before performance. 💥

If you’re serious about maximising your performance, FootyFit Academy is where I coach these principles in a complete system — speed, strength, power and football performance all in one place. 🚀

💬 Comment RUN for free access to my Running Mechanics Guide for Footballers ✅

So damn proud and excited to be able to say I’m now a PROFESSIONAL Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Coach with 🤗
21/04/2026

So damn proud and excited to be able to say I’m now a PROFESSIONAL Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Coach with 🤗

19/04/2026

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Acceleration 101: The First 3 Steps

In footy, separation isn’t created at top speed — it’s won in your first 3 steps. That’s where games are decided.

Before we chase speed, we need to lock in the positions that produce it. Acceleration mechanics are fundamentally different to upright running, and if you get this wrong, you’re leaking force every step.

🔑 Why It Matters:

✅ Optimises force application — horizontal projection is what drives acceleration

✅ Reduces wasted motion — no energy leaks through poor positioning

✅ Builds efficient mechanics that transfer directly into game speed

🔥 How to Set Up (Wall Drill – Step 1):

1️⃣ Whole-Body Lean (45°)

Create a straight line from ankles → knees → hips → shoulders.

No hinging at the hips — this is a global lean, not a bend.

2️⃣ Upper Body Position

Hands on the wall/bench/whatever, arms at ~90°. Strong, stable through the trunk.

3️⃣ Ankle Position

Ankles at ~90° — avoid plantar flexion (calf raise) or excessive dorsiflexion (stretch). This sets stiffness for force transfer.

4️⃣ Step Mechanics

Step forward with slight dorsiflexion so the foot stays parallel to the ground.

Drive until the toes reach the line of the knee — then stop.

5️⃣ Key Checkpoints

* Toes in line with or just behind the knee
* Shins parallel
* Strong forward projection without collapsing posture

This is the exact position you hit in your first 3 steps of acceleration — and the position every wall drill should reinforce.

Master this, and you build acceleration that actually transfers to the field.

If you want to maximise your performance, my online 2-Week Performance Foundation is the best place to start — we build mechanics like this from the ground up, properly.

💬 Comment RUN for free access to my Running Mechanics for Footballers guide ✅

13/04/2026

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So many athletes just do drills for the sake of it.

Drills aren’t the goal—better running is.

If your drills don’t transfer into how you actually run, you’re wasting time.

Take the high knee drill 👇

On its own, it’s just a part-skill. Useful—but incomplete.

The key is bridging the gap between the drill and the real skill.

That’s where high knees into a run becomes powerful.

You’re now:

✅ Integrating the drill into the full movement pattern

✅ Training coordination under real running conditions

✅ Reinforcing mechanics at speed, not just in isolation

🔬 From a biomechanics standpoint, sprinting performance comes down to two things:

1️⃣ Minimising ground contact time

2️⃣ Maximising force application into the ground

Everything we do—every drill, every progression—should serve that outcome.

So next time you’re doing drills, ask yourself:

“Is this actually improving how I run?”

If not, it doesn’t belong in your program.

Train with intent. Transfer is everything. 🎯

What’s interesting is the athletes I’m working with right now—their parents understand how important it is to learn how to run properly.

Their dad played AFL and I actually taught him back in the day.

Their mum and dad understand that running mechanics matter.

If you want to move better, run faster, and actually see your training transfer onto the field:

📩 DM me to learn how to run better

💬 Comment RUN for Free access to my Running Mechanics for Footballers guide ✅

12/04/2026

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Agility isn’t just about looking quick — it’s about how fast you can decelerate, control, and re-accelerate.

At my ASCA Level 2, I had a conversation with a coach working with Flag Football Australia (which is an Olympic sport from 2028 👀), and what he said they’ve been noticing from their recruitment process is:

Most Australian team sport athletes aren’t agile enough.

AFL, soccer, rugby — they might look agile…

But when you benchmark against NFL standards, the gap is obvious.

In the U.S., athletes are trained to stop in 3 steps.
Not slow down… stop.

🔑 This is the basis of elite agility.

Here’s how we build it:

1️⃣ Step 1 – Decelerate

Lower your centre of mass, absorb force, prepare to brake.

2️⃣ Step 2 – Stop

Aggressively reduce momentum — strong positions through hips, knees, and trunk.

3️⃣ Step 3 – Stop & Square Up

Finish square, balanced, and in control — ready to re-accelerate in any direction.

🧠 I coach athletes to literally think on each of the 3 deceleration steps:

“Decelerate. Stop. Stop.”

This builds timing, intent, and motor control under speed.

⚡ Start slow (just with the 3 steps to begin with) → progress to high speed and greater distance → then layer in chaos.

Because elite agility isn’t reactive first —
It’s mechanically efficient braking under pressure.

🇦🇺 I’m on a mission to improve this.

I want Australian athletes to be known as the most agile in the world.

Master the brakes to master agility.

Don’t speed up what you can’t slow down!

💬 Comment RUN for free access to my Running Mechanics for Footballers guide ✅

07/04/2026

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Running Mechanics 101: I always start at the pelvis.

Every time I teach an athlete how to run more efficiently, we don’t start with the feet… we start with the hips.

Why? Because the pelvis dictates everything downstream.

🪣 The “Bucket of Water” Analogy:

Think of your pelvis as a bucket filled to the brim.

Any excessive movement = wasted energy.

So we build awareness first:

➡️ Tip the bucket forward (spill out the front) x3

➡️ Tip the bucket backward (spill out the back) x3

Then we refine it…

🎯 We finish with a slight “tip out the back” — this posterior pelvic position is where we want to live when running.

🔑 Why This Matters:

✅ Improves force application into the ground

✅ Reduces braking forces and overstriding

✅ Sets up optimal foot strike underneath the body

✅ Creates a more efficient, repeatable stride pattern

Get the hips right first — the feet will follow.

Skip this step, and you’re just patching over poor mechanics.

Master this, and you build a foundation for real speed and efficiency.

💬 Comment RUN for free access to my Running Mechanics for Footballers guide ✅

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Community Bank Nightcliff Oval
Nightcliff, NT
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