Sports Performance

UW Health Sports Performance trains youth, prep and adult athletes to be their best. Small-group, individual and team programs are built on a foundation of speed, strength and power training with a focus on long-term athlete development. Our sports-specific preseason and athlete-specific offseason programs are designed to help you optimize your performance. Our goal is to help you reach your goal.

Scholastic programs

Train like an athlete

The UW Health Sports Performance program focuses on the development of athleticism over time to enhance physical performance, improve health and fitness, reduce the relative risk of injury and develop competence and confidence of all athletes.

Athlete development programs
A child swinging a weighted stick
Ages 9-11Fundamental speed strength
This age is known as the "Golden Age of Skill Development," an optimal time to learn and perfect fundamental movement skills athletes can use to further enhance their athletic development for the future.
Preseason training programs
High schoolPreseason volleyball
Vertical power, lateral agility and first-step quickness equal high-performance. Improve lower-body power, keep your shoulders healthy and learn jumping and landing techniques to reduce injuries.
Performance academies, camps and combines
Ages 14-18Prep speed camp
Training on how to start, accelerate, change directions and move athletically. Includes linear speed development and reactive direction change skills for high-performance sports. (Spring break, winter break and summer)

Adult programs

Don't just work out, train

A lifetime of movement and activity has proven to be the best medicine for health and longevity. Our staff of degreed, nationally certified and experienced coaches will help you build strength, agility and stamina for life.

Small-group training

CrossTrain is the perfect blend of working hard and training smart. Each session includes a mix of flexibility, core stability, athletic movement, strength and power training in a fast-paced, engaging environment with other just like you.

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Strength is the foundation of everything athletic. One of the biggest reasons adult athletes decline in performance and have a higher risk of injury is declining levels of strength. This semi-private program allows you to progress at your own pace while under the guidance of our experienced coaches. You don't ever have to wonder if you're doing the right exercises for you again.

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Winter golf conditioning

Have you lost yards off the tee? We know where to find them. Are you looking to improve your clubhead speed? We can help you with that too. This program has what you need to get your distance back. Each power-packed session will have you training like a pro with strength, speed and power exercises designed to improve your golf-specific strength, power, stability and club head speed. (January – March)

Coming January 2024

If you’re lacking the flexibility you once had, we can help you get it back. This program focuses on regaining spine mobility, shoulder flexibility and hip rotation while teaching you how to maintain a stable core for better posture, balance, coordination and repeatable swing mechanics. (January – March)

Coming January 2024

Individual and team training

Building winning athletes and teams

Individual training

An athlete jumping over hurdles in a gym
1-on-1 training (ages 13+)

UW Health Sports Performance at East Madison Hospital works with area athletes in developing their athletic skills to improve on-field performance. Our nationally certified, educated and experienced sports performance specialists work directly with each athlete to create a comprehensive program to meet their goals. 60-, 75- and 90-minute sessions available.

A swimmer breathing while simming freestyle
Swim performance

For high-performance swimmers of all ages, the Swim Performance Program uses a dryland assessment and underwater cameras to evaluate swim stroke mechanics for improved performance and injury prevention.

A closeup of a cyclist's leg spinning on an indoor trainer
Cyclists performance

Cycling performance specialists will perform an anatomical bike fit and give recommendations for improved pedal stroke power. Cycling coaches all hold national bike fit certifications.

A person running on a treadmill
Runners performance

Offered both as 2D and 3D (East Madison Hospital only), the Runners Performance Program looks at the runner's gait in effort to minimize impact forces while maximizing running economy and performance.

A teenager throwing a baseball
Throwers performance

While the Throwers Performance Program started with baseball players, it has expanded into softball, too. Each athlete will undergo a physical evaluation followed by a 2D throwing analysis. At the end, the athlete will be provided with a take-home exercise plan.

A line graph showing a golf analysis
Golfers performance

The 1-on-1 Golf Performance Program includes both 3D body-swing analysis and a fitness assessment. Our golf performance coaches are certified by the Titleist Performance Institute. UW Health has Wisconsin’s only TPI-certified Level 3 medical providers.

Team training

Teams that train together, win
A group of kids on a sports team in a huddle

UW Health Sports Performance at East Madison Hospital works with area athletes, coaches and teams in developing athletic skills to improve on-field performance. Our nationally certified sports performance specialists work directly with sport coaches to create a program that meets the goals of the team. Teams can rent our space for practice and work with our coaches on improving their physical qualities for their sport.

  • Warm-up and injury prevention

  • Sport-specific strength training

  • Speed development

  • Agility and quickness training

  • Power training

  • Team testing/combines

  • Sport nutrition

  • Sport psychology

  • Team building

  • Staff education

Request information
  • ACL injury prevention for basketball coaches

  • ACL injury prevention for soccer coaches

  • Baseball coaches workshop

  • Golf conditioning workshop

Email us for more information on how we can help your club or organization.

Facility

UW Health Sports Performance Training Center

A state-of-the-art training facility

Our state-of-the-art facility at East Madison Hospital features 22,000-square feet of indoor sports and performance space, 13,000-square feet of FieldTurf and 2,100-square feet of outdoor medicine ball training space and medicine ball wall. It also features an indoor sprint track, sports movement room with 3D technology and a four-lane, 25-yard competition lap pool with starting blocks and reaction time system.

Sports Performance space
Turf field at UW Health at The American Center

22,000 square-feet of indoor sports performance space

Sprint track
A UW Health athletic trainer working on a track with a sprinter

A three-lane, high-speed energy sprint track allows athletes to focus on start and acceleration.

Competition lap pool
Indoor pool at UW Health at The American Center

A four-lane, 25-yard competition lap pool with track starting blocks and reaction time system.

Outdoor training zone
A turf training field outside the UW Health East Madison Hospital

The outdoor space includes a 2,100-square-foot training zone, acceleration/deceleration hill and a 7,000-square-foot turf field.

Sports Movement Room
A UW Health athletic trainer working with an athlete on a pressure sensitive treadmill

The Sports Movement Room is equipped to assess human movement using 3D video technology and integrated force plates.

Regulation court
A basketball court with the Wisconsin "W" logo inside East Madison Hospital

Our regulation-sized high school basketball/volleyball court is modeled after the court at the Kohl Center, home of the University of Wisconsin basketball teams.

Learn more

About Sports Performance

UW Health Sports Performance at East Madison Hospital is a program offered by UW Health Sports Medicine. This program started in 2015 as an extension of the sports medicine program that has been in existence since 1985. The goal of the program is to bring scientific, progressive training to developing and adult athletes in the greater Madison area as part of a holistic healthcare system.

Program philosophy

Athletes are well rounded with a complete set of fundamental movement skills and sports skills they can use for life. Beginning with a solid athletic foundation is a time-tested and proven path to athletic success. We do not use shortcuts, fads or gimmicks in our programs. We focus on developing athletes for a lifetime of athleticism, fitness and performance.

Whether you believe in the 10-year / 10,000-hour rule or not, we can all agree, it takes time to develop elite level skill. Our Youth Athlete Development Program is a 10-level program created specifically to allow time for the natural athletic development process to mature. Each level corresponds with a developmental year and focuses on positively impacting important developmental and athletic outcomes. The program curriculum accounts for the natural progression and developmental mindset at each phase of training.

Not all athletes are created equal and youth athletes are not simply miniature adult athletes. Growth and development is a non-linear process – meaning, athletes develop at different rates. Without a system for assessing current levels of growth, development, and maturity, training is pure guesswork. With our understanding of exercise science and the help of research, we utilize a non-invasive system for evaluating the developmental level of athletes. This system allows us to appropriately place athletes on the correct path for optimization of their athletic potential.

From fostering physical literacy in young athletes to optimizing physical capacity in physically mature athletes, we have incorporated a progressive training curriculum that addresses the specific needs of each athlete for optimal performance. Our staff of degreed, certified and experienced performance specialists create challenging and rewarding programs designed to give our athletes a competitive advantage today, tomorrow and in the future.

Not only is it important to train the body to perform at its best, but we believe in training the athlete’s mind for improved performance. This begins with our lessons in sports nutrition and sport psychology. Our certified sports nutritionist has created a curriculum to help young athletes stay on the path to success. Working closely with our board-certified sport psychologist, we have created a mental training plan athletes can use to elevate their physical abilities.

Injury prevention is the cornerstone of any good training program. We have programs such as LEIP (Lower Extremity Injury Prevention) that help high-risk athletes learn better movement strategies to reduce injury risk. Every program we offer focuses on technical performance of all skills, which not only decreases the risk of injury with training, but sets the framework for staying injury-free on the court, field, turf, ice or track.

Frequently asked questions

No. While we work closely with our sports medicine team, our job is athletic performance enhancement.

No. The UW Health Sports Performance program was created to address the training and education needs of competitive, high performance, elite and recreational athletes locally and regionally. All programs are designed to bring you the same professional-level performance training collegiate, Olympic and professional athletes receive every day.

We list our programs by chronological age only because there is no way to restrict enrollment online based on developmental age. We know that not all 12-year-olds are the same. We use an assessment to create an Athlete Development Profile (ADP) for each athlete. Athletes are then recommended the appropriate program based on the results of the ADP. We also use the ADP to track the athlete throughout development to make sure their athletic development is staying on track.

Request an Athletic Development Profile

Request a tour and assessment through our online request form to determine your athlete’s athletic profile and most appropriate program.

Request an appointment

UW Health Sports Performance is a training center open to the public with fee-based training sessions that run on a monthly and seasonal schedule. We are not a membership-based fitness center. Sessions can be purchased online in monthly packages or sessions through our online registration system.

High performance training doesn't have to be high-priced. Our mission to educate, train and develop youth athletes to improve skills, enhance performance and prevent injury has brought this comprehensive program to you at a very competitive price.

Prices listed are general pricing only.

  • Team training ($8-12 per athlete per hour)

  • Small group training ($12-20 per athlete per hour)

  • Individual training ($50-75 per hour)

  • Specialty training ($150-350 per hour)

Not only do we provide the highest quality performance training for your athletes, we might be able to work together to provide facilities for your practice. The focus of our team approach is to work with sport coaches to combine their skills and technical knowledge with our human movement/performance expertise. Teamwork wins championships. Request your team training/practice through our online request form.

Request information

We offer 1-on-1, highly specialized assessments, training and education for a variety of individual and team sports. These programs are led by coaches with in-depth biomechanical, medical and performance training knowledge specific to the movement of the sport. Examples of some of the programs we offer are:

  • Golf Performance (fitness assessment)

  • Throwers Performance (baseball and softball)

  • Swim Performance (underwater video analysis)

  • Runners Performance (running video analysis)

  • Cyclists Performance (bike fit and cycling analysis)

Contact us

Athletes from all sports: Quality movement, strength, speed and athleticism are the cornerstones of every sport you play.

Athletes ages 9 and older: We don’t believe movement should be learned through sports alone. Sport movements can differ significantly from athletic movements.

How is this training program different than other performance training programs?

  • Knowledge: Our coaches have degrees in exercise science, national certifications in strength and conditioning (National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting, National Academy of Sports Medicine) and decades of experience working with developing, collegiate and professional athletes.

  • Innovation: We strive to advance the profession of sports performance by improving methods and tactics of training athletes. We use cutting-edge technology to enhance our coaching and improve the results seen by our athletes.

  • Education: Our staff provides education for youth sports coaches through local workshops, state organization affiliations, regional and national professional presentations. We coach coaches.

  • Quality: Our coaches coach. We are with your athlete every step of the way. The small group sessions provide a favorable coach to athlete ratio allowing for appropriate feedback and progression.

Athletes First. Our philosophy is centered around the development of athleticism over time to enhance physical performance, improve health and fitness, reduce the relative risk of injury and develop confidence and competence of athletes. We use our Athlete Development Profile to track progress and recommend appropriate training programs. Athletes completing the 10-level program are proficient at weight training techniques and movement fundamentals at a beginning college level. Training is part of the long-term process encompassing a lifetime of movement and health. We don’t just train athletes for the weekend tournament – we train them for life.

The UW Health Sports Performance Program is part of a comprehensive sports medicine team. This team includes sport nutritionists, sport psychologists, athletic trainers, physical therapists, sports medicine physicians and performance training specialists. This team of professionals helped mold the Sports Performance Program philosophy. Programs are all designed and run by leaders in their respective professions.

The Sports Performance Training Center at East Madison Hospital is a 22,000-square-foot facility that houses open movement space and highly technical equipment all for the purpose of training athletes.

The indoor space includes a full basketball and volleyball court, 6,000-square-feet of turf, strength area outfitted with Keiser Power equipment, elevated sprint track and sports movement room with AMTI force plates and 3D cameras.

We also have a four-lane, 25-yard performance lap pool with reaction time starting blocks and Colorado timing system. The outdoor training space includes 8,000-square feet of turf, medicine ball training wall, agility pit and sprint training hill. In the winter the outdoor turf is home for our 100-foot x 70-foot outdoor hockey rink.

The UW Health Sports Medicine Sports Performance program was created as an Olympic training center-style resource for youth, junior, prep, adult and elite athletes in greater Madison area and beyond.

How can I sign up for individual training?

Meet with one of our sports performance specialists, at no charge, to discuss your goals and what you hope to achieve with 1-on-1 training. If your goals and our program are a good fit, you will advance to Step 2. Request an initial interview through our online request form.

Request an appointment

Working with your schedule, we will create a training plan that fits your goals and your busy schedule. The number of training sessions scheduled will dictate the per session training cost. The hourly rate for 1-on-1 training is discounted for 10, 20 and 30 or more sessions.

After you have approved your training schedule, we will schedule an Individual Athletic Performance Assessment to evaluate you to determine a performance baseline and identify movement/performance deficiencies. This will be the guide to your program design. Each training session will then be tailored to your specific needs and goals. Additional assessments will be performed as determined by the sports performance specialist. (1 charged visit).

You will train 1-on-1 with a sports performance specialist who will design a program specific to your goals and needs for your sport/position. Sessions will be scheduled for 60, 75 or 90 minutes; 2-4 times per week based on your training goals.

What should I expect when I attend a training session?

The exact formula applied to each session varies based on the program, athlete and focus of the day’s training session. However, the general outline of each training session includes:

Athletes are not left on their own to perform exercises or drills for a set time period or number of reps. Our coaches coach.

Preparing the athlete to move. After sitting in class all day, the body is not prepared to be athletic. The first step is movement preparation. This includes joint mobility training, flexibility, core stability, a dynamic warm up and neuromuscular preparation geared toward the day’s training session. This step is critical to get the most out of the day’s training session.

Athletic performance on the field, court, ice or track requires total body power in multiple directions. There have been a vast number of studies demonstrating the preference of rate of force development (power) over maximal strength in the transfer of strength to sport performance. Each session will challenge the athlete to produce force fast.

Linear speed is a valuable asset in many individual and team sports. We incorporate speed training in the form of starting speed, acceleration, deceleration, reactive speed and maximal speed using drills, exercises and skill-based work.

Agility training is the ability to decelerate, control posture and re-accelerate — quickly. We call this multidirectional speed. Each training session will include multidirectional speed training progressions including lateral quickness, power steps, repositioning footwork and change of direction agility.

Strength training to improve athleticism is the focus of our program. While this can include common strength training exercises, the common goal is to improve athletic positions, movement and ability for optimal transfer of strength to sport.