In 1998, Tony Holler's "best team ever" got destroyed in the state...
Thad Wells@ThadWells
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Jun 20, 2025
~3 min read
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In 1998, Tony Holler's "best team ever" got destroyed in the state finals.
That crushing defeat led him to question everything.
His answer became known as Feed the Cats & is used today by big time stars like Saquon Barkley.....🧵THREAD
That crushing defeat led him to question everything.
His answer became known as Feed the Cats & is used today by big time stars like Saquon Barkley.....🧵THREAD
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The loss was devastating. His talented 400m and 800m runners got beaten by a team of pure sprinters.
The newspaper headline read: "GREAT SEASON, ONE BAD DAY."
But for Holler, it wasn't just a bad day. It was a wake-up call.
The newspaper headline read: "GREAT SEASON, ONE BAD DAY."
But for Holler, it wasn't just a bad day. It was a wake-up call.
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That same year, at a clinic in St. Louis, everything changed.
Paul Souza from Wheaton College shared something that broke Holler's brain.
His four sub-48 second 400m runners never ran more than a 200m in practice.
Paul Souza from Wheaton College shared something that broke Holler's brain.
His four sub-48 second 400m runners never ran more than a 200m in practice.
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This contradicted everything Holler believed about training.
High-volume workouts. Grinding through pain. Breaking athletes down to build them back up.
What if it was all wrong?
High-volume workouts. Grinding through pain. Breaking athletes down to build them back up.
What if it was all wrong?
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In 1999, Holler made a radical decision.
He would "load my team with great athletes and then under-train them."
The philosophy was simple: "Cats don't jog. Cats sprint and sleep."
He would "load my team with great athletes and then under-train them."
The philosophy was simple: "Cats don't jog. Cats sprint and sleep."
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The results were immediate.
In the five years after his conversion, Harrisburg won the Illinois state championship in the 4x100m relay four times.
They set a state record in 2001.
In the five years after his conversion, Harrisburg won the Illinois state championship in the 4x100m relay four times.
They set a state record in 2001.
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But Holler's revolution was just beginning.
He started timing everything. 10-meter flies. 20-meter flies. Sprint after sprint.
Then he posted the results publicly.
He started timing everything. 10-meter flies. 20-meter flies. Sprint after sprint.
Then he posted the results publicly.
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"When athletes break records, the hit of dopamine is addicting," Holler explains.
Kids became obsessed with seeing their times drop.
Success bred more success.
Kids became obsessed with seeing their times drop.
Success bred more success.
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The science backed up what Holler discovered by accident.
Small doses of high-intensity stress trigger optimal adaptation.
Too much stress becomes harmful. Most coaches were poisoning their athletes with volume.
Small doses of high-intensity stress trigger optimal adaptation.
Too much stress becomes harmful. Most coaches were poisoning their athletes with volume.
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By 2018, Holler was ready to challenge football's sacred cows.
He wrote "New Ideas for Old School Football Coaches."
The blog post exploded across coaching communities like a grenade.
He wrote "New Ideas for Old School Football Coaches."
The blog post exploded across coaching communities like a grenade.
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"What if we could agree that most of what we do as football coaches is wrong" he wrote.
Football practices hadn't changed in 40 years.
Maybe it was time to question everything.
Football practices hadn't changed in 40 years.
Maybe it was time to question everything.
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The method spread like wildfire.
Kenny Bednarek won Olympic silver using Feed the Cats principles.
Kahmari Montgomery became NCAA Champion and U.S. National Champion.
Kenny Bednarek won Olympic silver using Feed the Cats principles.
Kahmari Montgomery became NCAA Champion and U.S. National Champion.
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Then came the ultimate validation.
In 2024, Saquon Barkley personally reached out to Tony Holler.
The NFL superstar felt he had "lost a step."
In 2024, Saquon Barkley personally reached out to Tony Holler.
The NFL superstar felt he had "lost a step."
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Despite being known for massive strength, Barkley wanted speed-focused training.
The result: 2,005 rushing yards, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and a Super Bowl championship.
An elite NFL player seeking out a high school coach.
The result: 2,005 rushing yards, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and a Super Bowl championship.
An elite NFL player seeking out a high school coach.
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Today, Feed the Cats has influenced coaches across every sport.
From Princeton lacrosse to the New York Yankees.
The philosophy is simple: tired is the enemy, not the goal.
From Princeton lacrosse to the New York Yankees.
The philosophy is simple: tired is the enemy, not the goal.
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The greatest coaches aren't afraid to admit they were wrong.
They're willing to question decades of tradition.
Sometimes the most revolutionary idea is simply doing less, but doing it better.
They're willing to question decades of tradition.
Sometimes the most revolutionary idea is simply doing less, but doing it better.
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I recently joined Tony on his podcast for one of the most honest conversations I've ever had about coaching.
We talked about everything from "Rock Top" to why coaches are terrible at family balance despite preaching it constantly.
Listen below 👇
We talked about everything from "Rock Top" to why coaches are terrible at family balance despite preaching it constantly.
Listen below 👇
Keith Grabowski 🏈 Coach and Coordinator Network@CoachKGrabowski
📣 New Episode: Sprint-Based Football presented by @titansensor
@ThadWells joins @pntrack for a powerful conversation on leadership, simplicity, and personal growth in coaching. From burnout to breakthrough, they explore how balance, clarity, and sprint-based systems can change the game — and your life.
🎙 “Don’t bring me problems — bring me solutions.”
💥 “Rock Top vs. Rock Bottom”
⚡ Coaching with intention, not exhaustion.
Listen now.
🍎:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spr…
🟢:open.spotify.com/episode/2LPscC…
@ThadWells joins @pntrack for a powerful conversation on leadership, simplicity, and personal growth in coaching. From burnout to breakthrough, they explore how balance, clarity, and sprint-based systems can change the game — and your life.
🎙 “Don’t bring me problems — bring me solutions.”
💥 “Rock Top vs. Rock Bottom”
⚡ Coaching with intention, not exhaustion.
Listen now.
🍎:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spr…
🟢:open.spotify.com/episode/2LPscC…
