The names didn鈥檛 miss Adam Dofflemyer鈥檚 eyes.
Looking for an extra training boost to propel him into a college baseball prospect, Dofflemyer saw how other high school athletes thrived as pupils of Mike Martin at .
鈥淲hen he got a couple of these good athletes around the area to start working out with him and you see them succeed, that鈥檚 what kind of drew me to him,鈥� said Dofflemyer, a recent Spotswood graduate. 鈥淭hese guys are obviously talented, but he鈥檚 kind of taken them to that point where they鈥檙e really doing well and I wanted to see if he could do anything with me.鈥�
Now, like plenty of Martin鈥檚 clients, Dofflemyer is on his way to being a college athlete.
Martin, 40, opened Next Level鈥檚 current facility in Harrisonburg in 2012, and he now trains between 50-60 clients 鈥� with high school athletes accounting for a high percentage of them.
A decent amount of them, too, are standout athletes heading to play in college.
Martin doesn鈥檛 pretend he鈥檚 the only reason for that, however.
鈥淭he athletes we train and the level that some of them are able to go and play at, that certainly is beyond what I would鈥檝e thought,鈥� said Martin, a 1995 Eastern Mennonite High School grad and former 91短视频 soccer player. 鈥淭he kids that are reaching the levels they are, they鈥檙e already highly skilled. It鈥檚 just the fact they鈥檙e putting time in for offseason training and that鈥檚 just a part of their work ethic that they already had.
鈥淚f we can take what we know, which is sports performance, we can possibly help a kid improve a little bit so they can reach the goal that they want. That鈥檚 where you see the reward. When you see them make an improvement or when they get excited about an offer that they got or they ran a 60 and their time dropped a tenth or two-tenths and they鈥檙e excited about that, that kind of stuff right there, that鈥檚 what makes it fun.鈥�
Martin also works with the of 91短视频, and he鈥檚 also trained local products who have reached the professional ranks, such as Turner Ashby grads Brenan Hanifee and Kirby Burkholder and Spotswood alum Austin Nicely.
The goals of Martin鈥檚 trainees vary; some want to play Division I, some aim to simply play in college, and some just want to make a high school team.
Accordingly, he develops plans specific to the athletes.
鈥淓verything we do is individualized. That鈥檚 number one, because every kid is different,鈥� said Martin, a former Spotswood and EMHS soccer coach and Rockingham County physical education teacher. 鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely overlap because there鈥檚 fundamental movement patterns and fundamental qualities that we want every athlete to be at 鈥� every young athlete, especially, regardless of gender, regardless of the sport. Then as they get farther along or more specialized, we鈥檒l become higher-level in their sport.鈥�
That specialization is something high school programs can鈥檛 always offer, while college programs feature their own strength and conditioning staff members.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have that, so he鈥檚 brought that specialty area to all the local high schools and colleges, as well,鈥� said Bobby Mongold, the Broadway girls basketball and girls soccer coach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have someone who has a knowledge base about that. I mean, I can go on the internet and I can look stuff up, but I鈥檓 not an expert on that.
鈥淪o if I see an exercise or something I like on the internet, I don鈥檛 just plug it into our system. I get in touch with Mike or someone else 鈥� but a lot of times Mike, because I trust him.鈥�
Mongold, whose soccer program had close to 40 players involved this past spring, isn鈥檛 often able to design workout plans specifically for each athlete.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me to say to my daughter Ravyn, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 your workout. Hey, Chloe Weaver, here鈥檚 your workout. Claire Witmer, here鈥檚 your workout. Destiny [Ritchie], here鈥檚 your workout,鈥欌�� Mongold said. 鈥淲e kind of have to group them all together and do things that are going to be beneficial to everyone, but not maximize.鈥�
Mongold added that Martin is highly personable and 鈥渧ery open鈥� about his training system. The BHS coach said Martin also does a 鈥済reat job鈥� of assessing players, finding their needs and building a program for them, and also connecting with the athletes, especially through social media.
It鈥檚 鈥渞eally helpful,鈥� Martin said, to be on the same page as high school coaches because they see the players in an athletic setting every day and can help find weaknesses.
Conversely, Mongold goes to Martin for advice on how he can supplement what the Next Level owner works on and also how to prevent injuries, particularly with the ACL.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to do everything we can to prevent those things and Mike has been my go-to in that category,鈥� Mongold said.
Dofflemyer, a D-II King University baseball signee, began training with Martin at the end of his junior year, and he鈥檚 since undergone a 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� noticeable change in velocity as a pitcher.
He鈥檚 also become a better hitter, and he said Martin has a great feel for how baseball players can get more use out of their legs.
鈥淓very single time I leave, I always feel like I got better or I feel more motivated when I go train with him,鈥� Dofflemyer said. 鈥淚 feel a lot more comfortable in there, too. I go out there and I鈥檓 feeling more confident with what my body can do, and then on the baseball field, it鈥檚 kind of helped me.鈥�
The former three-sport athlete at Spotswood added that it鈥檚 been 鈥減retty cool鈥� to interact with athletes from other schools that also train with Martin at Next Level.
鈥淸Martin] definitely holds you accountable for everything you do,鈥� said recent Turner Ashby graduate Cana Davis, a Virginia Tech softball signee. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e ever in the corner trying to slack off, 鈥楬ey, Cana, stop talking.鈥� He always has to tell me that because we all know each other.
鈥淗e works you hard and the stuff that he teaches, he鈥檚 very fundamental and making sure that before you do a lift, you鈥檙e going to do the lift 100 percent correct.鈥�
Training players from multiple schools has forced Martin to sometimes be a neutral spectator when he watches games, but he said it鈥檚 also fostered a fun atmosphere at Next Level because players from rivaling schools tend to know one another.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also some competitive stuff because they don鈥檛 really want a kid from another school that plays their same sport to out-work them or get stronger than them,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚t does lead to better competition and a heightened competitiveness during the training session, which I also find helpful for the kids.鈥�
The ultimate goal for Next Level, Martin said, was to be able to provide for his family, which includes his wife, Danielle, and their four young children. But he鈥檚 also aimed to develop relationships with the athletes, in addition to teaching them more about how to care for their bodies off the field in areas such as sleep and nutrition.
And while plenty of standout athletes have come through Next Level, more are on the way, Martin promises.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a blessing, some of the athletes that we鈥檝e been able to train that鈥檝e come through our doors and that are still there that maybe some people don鈥檛 know about yet or are just getting started,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be some pretty high-level athletes coming through this area in a couple of years that people are going to start hearing about. It鈥檚 definitely beyond what I was expecting.鈥�
This article was published in the July 24, 2017, Daily News-Record.