Technique is possibly the most important aspect of any sport. A wide receiver won’t be able to lose his defender if he doesn’t run his routes correctly. A shooting guard won’t hit that 3-point shot if his elbow isn’t tucked. Practicing technique is important in becoming a star athlete, and Dominique Moses is here to help young athletes do just that.
Technique Athletes is a non-profit sports training program founded by Moses and a group of mentors. Their mission is to help youth improve their football motor skills and overall football IQ. They provide kids with a safe environment to practice and compete so they can grow in the sport. They also have an Academic Success program that helps students become inspired to learn inside of the classroom. They provide support, including ACT and SAT prep, to help students create big goals for themselves beyond just football to get them ready to succeed academically at the collegiate level.
Moses has been football training for about eight years now, and he designed Technique Athletes back in 2012. Without the funds or resources to start the program, Moses couldn’t bring his idea to life until last year when he met up with Kevin Prather, the head coach of Pop Warner football team the Tiletown Titans. Prather was training and working with young kids in the community at the time Moses pitched him the idea of Technique Athletes, and he loved it.
“We got together, and I asked him to manage the program,” Moses said of Prather’s impact on the program. “He kind of just took off with it for me.”
Prather is the acting CEO of Technique Athletes and played a major role in the beginning of the program. He works with sponsors of the program such as Carter’s Corner, Manwell Organization, Valdosta State University, and multiple others that help Technique Athletes reach its full potential. They have a complete team in place to assure their athletes receive the training and exposure necessary to succeed on the field and in practice.
“We just try to give back by doing what we can, trying to be positive,” Prather said.
They have a media team that helps with expanding the Technique Athletes brand on social networks and a recruiting team that helps with monitoring athletes’ progression during training sessions. Everyone involved in the program is there to help these young athletes progress in football and life in general.
Some kids have been training with the program since it began and use their experience to help mentor the younger athletes. Kids from ages 5-18 train and work together to become better. The older athletes inspire the younger athletes to keep working and not give up.
They have a media team that helps with expanding the Technique Athletes brand on social networks and a recruiting team that helps with monitoring athletes’ progression during training sessions. Everyone involved in the program is there to help these young athletes progress in football and life in general.
Some kids have been training with the program since it began and use their experience to help mentor the younger athletes. Kids from ages 5-18 train and work together to become better. The older athletes inspire the younger athletes to keep working and not give up.
“I use my experience on the field to help lead and motivate the younger guys to keep working hard so one day they can make it to where I’m at,” said Tarrell Roberts, a junior wide receiver at Valdosta High School.
Players who worked with Technique Athletes in the past before going on to play college ball and eventually join the pros are examples of what it takes to make it big. Some notable NFL players who were a part of the program before heading to the next level were Kenneth Durden, Josh Harvey-Clemons, and Jay Rome. All three of these men came out of Valdosta and trained with Technique Athletes.
“Just to see things evolve, seeing kids from 8 to 10 years old go up to high school and receive scholarships, it’s just awesome,” Moses said.
Technique Athletes is a year-round training program, and they do this to keep these athletes in shape. Taking them to camps and keeping them working is a major part of how this program benefits the youth.
As for the future, Moses and his team plan to build a small indoor football field for the athletes to train on.
Written by: Justin Chandler
Photography by: Eric Vinson
Health Life Magazine 