ORIGIN STORY

While competing in the first ever Big Eight Decathlon Conference Championship for the University of Nebraska, Jeff Loescher won the competition.  His journey goes like this.

A standout, multi-sport athlete in high school, three-year starter in basketball, led his team to two Class A South Dakota State Tournament appearances.  Track & Field was where he excelled with three consecutive Class A State Titles in the High Jump, as well as top 5 in sprinting and Long Jump.  He did all of this without lifting any weights.

Going with Nebraska
One reason he selected Nebraska was the well-known strength & conditioning program.  That paid off in his first ever collegiate meet he surpassed the magical 7’ mark, a goal that eluded him in high school.  He continued his training and became a consistent 7’+ jumper with a best of 7’3½” by the end of his sophomore year.  It was announced that the decathlon would be added as an official event to the Big Eight Conference his Sr. year.  With the support of his coaches, Jeff started training for the grueling 10 event competition his Jr. year.  It was during that transition that he began to make substantial gains in the high jump, peaking at 7’6”.  Jeff attributes his gain by switching to full functional movements focused on shoulder-to-hip strength and overhead release, something that jumpers/sprinters don’t train enough, even to this day. 

Starting Odin
He won the conference championship despite being a poor javelin thrower,
“I could throw a football/baseball 60 yards, but that arm-strength didn't transfer to the javelin.”  - Jeff

This became a source of frustration as his "traditionally learned" over-the-shoulder throwing motion was preventing him from pursuing his dream of qualifying for the US Olympic Team.  It wasn’t until after he retired from competition that he met Tom Petranoff.  At the time, Tom was one of the world's premiere javelin throwers.  A two-time Olympian and Javelin World Record Holder, Tom had clearly figured out a winning throwing technique.

As they became friends, Tom shared his strategy of combining science-based mechanics of movement with a training philosophy of Test-Access-Adjust-Train. 

"If you're serious about improving any over-the-shoulder throwing motion, you have to embrace a regimen that builds a strong, balanced foundation.  Those athletes looking to take short cuts and bypass fundamental techniques may/will have limited success and are destined for potential career ending injuries. I used this system for 17 years and attribute much of my success, and lack of injury, to the fundamentals taught with the Odin Kinetic Training System." - Tom