Clif Marshall

I never took an acting class, but I found myself in Hollywood! I’ve learned that “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” To God be the glory. {James 1:17}

@ishowspeedsui ⚡️⚡️⚡️

In honor of this week’s @NBA Combine, here’s @ishowspeedsui training to break the all-time fastest 3/4-court sprint record at the NBA Combine. Kevin Durant showed up to verify the “speed’s speed” in person. ⚡️🏀

He missed every Friday night high school football game… and still made the NFL! Davion Taylor’s path to the NFL is unlike any football story you’ve ever heard. Raised in Mississippi as a commandment keeper, Davion could not play Friday night high school football because of his faith. With no traditional exposure, he fought for an opportunity at junior college, earning a roster spot after competing against more than 150 athletes. That opportunity changed everything. Davion went on to earn a scholarship to the University of Colorado, became All-Pac-12, ran a 4.39 second 40-yard dash for NFL scouts, and was eventually drafted in the 3rd round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Tune in to the Sam Acho (@TheSamAcho) podcast to hear this incredible story for God’s glory ⬇️ samacho.com/resources/he-m…

In a similar experience, my first year working with Mike Woodson — a man who had spent his entire life playing and coaching in the NBA — I brought him a detailed off-season report showing player strength numbers, sprint times, and vertical jumps. He looked through it for a second and simply said: “Yeah… but can they put the ball in the basket?” 😂 Another great learning experience for me. In football, testing can heavily influence opportunities. In basketball, physical tools matter — but skill rules everything. Speed, power, vertical jump, and movement all help… but at the end of the day: Skill and stamina is king in hoops. 🏀

In honor of the NBA Combine taking place this week I wanted to share this story… A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the NBA Draft Combine with one of our athletes at Indiana University. I had a coaches VIP pass that allowed me access into the arena to watch all of the testing and evaluations firsthand. Naturally, I hustled straight back to where the vertical jump, agility drills, and speed testing were taking place because that environment was what I knew best after spending nearly a decade preparing athletes for the NFL Scouting Combine. But when I got there, I was shocked. There were very few (less than 10) NBA personnel, coaches, or scouts watching the testing. Instead, nearly everyone was gathered on another court watching shooting workouts, skill development sessions, and the 5-on-5 games. That moment became a powerful lesson for me as a basketball performance coach. It reinforced something I had always known, but now saw clearly at the highest level: speed, agility, quickness, and power absolutely matter in basketball — but basketball is ultimately a game of skill. That experience stood in stark contrast to the NFL Combine world I had been immersed in for years. At the NFL Combine, every scout, coach, and general manager is locked in on the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, and agility drills. The physical testing drives so much of the evaluation process. In basketball, the emphasis was different. Decision-making, shooting ability, feel for the game, movement skills, and live play carried far more weight than the testing numbers alone. I’ll never forget that experience because it helped shape my perspective as a coach. I’m grateful for players like Romeo Langford, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood Schifino, Kel’el Ware, and Mackenzie Mgbako whom attended the NBA combine — athletes I had the privilege to work with and learn from along the way.

@Tony_Villani_ 🙏👊

Amen. Good night.

@brian_davidson8 🙏👊

Not just about going to church it’s much more than that. It’s a reset day that God designed for our own good.

What I thought is explained much better by Clif. Been training guys as long as me (maybe I am older...lol!), but he gained tremendously experience at U Indiana Basketball I never have. What an explanation on jumping.

@Tony_Villani_ 🫡 my friend. Iron sharpens iron. I appreciate your encouragement. Much respect.

@adamazing1 Yes, there are certainly some exceptions and Zion would be a great example.

@ClifMarshall Then there's zion Williamson... But then again, he breaks every other day.

NBA guards average about 30” on the standing vertical jump test at the NBA Combine. NFL defensive tackle Jayden Loving jumped 35” at 313 pounds in front of NFL scouts in 2026. Think about that for a second… How does an athlete weighing over 120 pounds more jump 5 inches higher? After nearly a decade working in the NFL and later coaching basketball performance at Xavier, Dayton, and Indiana University, I’ve seen hundreds of athletes and testing profiles firsthand. Here’s the difference: 🏀 Basketball athletes are built for: • Reactive jumping • Repeated-effort elasticity • Coordination with skill • Length, fluidity, and movement efficiency 🏈 Football athletes are built for: • Absolute force production • Short-burst explosiveness • Max power output • Power relative to body mass NBA players are typically taller, longer, and optimized for continuous movement and skill expression. NFL athletes, especially in combine testing, are often capable of producing higher raw explosive outputs because the sport directly rewards force, power, and measurable explosiveness. This is trained at an early age in the weight room, and it translates directly to the field, where the players are typically in a stance with their feet underneath their hips before the snap of the ball. In addition, the Olympic style training that most football strength coaches incorporate helps train vertical power. Different sports. Different demands. Different adaptations.

Great question @Tony_Villani_ in my experiences (and you’ve been in the trenches longer than I have) NFL athletes are generally producing greater absolute force outputs and eccentric braking forces. As you know, the sport is built around violent acceleration, deceleration, collision, and short-duration maximal efforts. Basketball athletes, meanwhile, are usually more “reactive” and elastic. They live in repeated stretch-shortening cycles all game long: reactive jumps quick contacts change of direction rhythm and timing stiffness/reactivity qualities So if you tested RSI: standing vertical or force-dominant outputs → many NFL athletes would likely win RSI / drop jumps / repeated elastic outputs → NBA players would probably separate themselves That doesn’t mean NBA athletes aren’t explosive - they absolutely are. But it’s often expressed differently: less raw force more efficiency more elastic utilization better reflexive/reactive qualities A 313-pound defensive tackle jumping 35” is an example of enormous force production and power relative to body mass. But if you asked that same athlete to repeatedly bounce off the floor with elite contact times and maintain efficiency over multiple jumps, a high-level NBA guard or wing flips the equation. Different sports create different adaptations: 🏈 NFL → force dominant 🏀 NBA → elasticity dominant Both are freaky. Just in different ways as you know.

D1 senior director of coaching @ClifMarshall shares a simple cue that can completely change an athlete’s speed mechanics. And breaks down a drill to train it. ⚡️⚡️ Today in the D1 Daily: d1training.com/article/coach-…

Rest is not weakness. It’s biblical. God created the Sabbath not to punish us - but to restore us. In a world addicted to hustle, slowing down takes faith. Recovery. Worship. Family. Gratitude. Reflection. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is rest. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” {Matthew 11:28} Check out this week’s @TheSamAcho podcast samacho.com/resource/podca…

Basketball players don’t need more mileage on their joints in the off-season. They need a way to condition without constantly pounding their knees, ankles, and hips. The @VersaClimber is an outstanding tool because it checks nearly every box: ✅ Low impact ✅ Elite conditioning ✅ Full-body workout ✅ Repeat sprint endurance ✅ Fat loss accelerator ✅ Recovery-friendly Here’s why so many NBA players use this machine: 1. Low impact = less wear and tear Basketball already creates massive stress on the knees, ankles, hips, and lower back from jumping, cutting, sprinting, and landing. The VersaClimber allows players to train at a very high intensity without the pounding of repeated running. That matters in the off-season because: Players can improve conditioning while recovering from the season It reduces cumulative joint stress Athletes can recover faster between workouts. 2. Elite conditioning without long-distance running Basketball is primarily anaerobic repeated sprint work: short bursts recovery repeat The VersaClimber is perfect for interval training: 15–30 second bursts repeated efforts heart-rate spikes active recovery That mimics basketball energy systems much better than slow jogging. It can improve VO2 max and cardiovascular output at very high levels. 3. Full-body conditioning Unlike a treadmill or bike, the VersaClimber forces: upper body lower body core posture muscles to all work together simultaneously. For basketball players, that helps: total-body endurance trunk stability posture late in games arm-leg coordination core stiffness 4. Builds “basketball shape” Basketball conditioning is not just cardio - it’s being able to: recover between plays maintain power output keep explosiveness late in games The VersaClimber trains athletes while upright and in a contralateral movement pattern (opposite arm/opposite leg), which transfers better to sprinting and athletic movement than seated cardio. 5. Great for body composition Off-season athletes often want to: stay lean improve work capacity maintain muscle The VersaClimber burns a massive amount of calories because it uses nearly the entire body at once. That’s why many pros use it during: post-season recovery cutting phases conditioning blocks pre-camp prep 6. Excellent recovery-day conditioning One of the biggest mistakes basketball players make is doing too much high-impact conditioning in the summer: suicides repeated pavement runs excessive jumping The VersaClimber lets players push conditioning while preserving the nervous system and joints. Lebron James has used VersaClimbers throughout his career and it has been a valuable tool for him to stay in shape without pounding his joints. This off season NBA veteran Trayce Jackson Davis is using it for: repeat sprint conditioning tempo aerobic work recovery days body-fat reduction phases post-lift finishers deload weeks An example off-season basketball VersaClimber session: 10 x 30 sec hard sprints (aim for at least 100 feet) Once your heart monitor or Apple Watch gets back to around 120 bpm - go again. Maintain a tall posture Drive your knees aggressively Full arm action Stay rhythmic Or: 15–20 min steady aerobic pace on recovery days It’s one of the best “high output, low impact” tools available for basketball athletes. Keep climbing!

Live action! 1st catch of 2026!