Hidden Gems: Meet John Moran of JJ SPORTS

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Moran.

Hi John, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in New Jersey, I played sports from a very young age. My father actually suffered from knee injuries in football and decided soccer might be a good idea to start for me with from a young age. I also played baseball, basketball, and in high school I ran track and played volleyball so I understand how crazy sports parents’ schedules can get.

While I loved all sports, soccer was my go-to. I was never the biggest player, but I had speed and tenacity. High school is when I really started getting noticed, playing at a high level state-side, and eventually having opportunities to play overseas.

My family was always a big support for me. I can remember my father, a blue-collar worker in NYC would battle the tristate traffic to catch my high school games or take me to my very-far-away travel practices. He’d always sit behind the goal, smoking a pipe in his fold up chair and cheering me on.

Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly when I was 15. It was a tough time in life, but it taught me a lot about mental strength and using sports as a vehicle for stress relief and camaraderie with my team. Basically, sports became an outlet, provided structure and also helped me build lifelong friendships that I still have today.

As for my “why” with starting JJ SPORTS, I wish I had access and resources in sports performance training and nutrition earlier in life. Growing up, I played sports naturally – no real proper running mechanics, no advanced techniques to gain an edge in agility and strength – I just did what felt right. If I had access to high level instruction from proven instructors at an earlier age, who knows where my ceiling would have been.

At JJ SPORTS, our goal is to share the knowledge we’ve collected through the years to advance the next generation of athletes. Whether that’s introducing healthy habits in fitness, nutrition and mobility, introducing sports psychology and mental preparedness techniques, or providing premier speed, skill and strength training, we build long-term relationships with our athletes to help them take their sports journey as far as they want to go.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In terms of my sports career, losing my father unexpectedly was a big moment in life. I could have quit, hung my head and gave up, but my family, friends, and especially sports were a huge support system for me.

As a funny story during my playing years, when I played in England at 16, I broke my arm in a friendly and was in the hospital for a few nights. My family wan’t in the country so it was a little strange. Over there, they have up to 6 people in a hospital room and as soon as my “roommates” knew I was American, I earned the nickname “The Yank”- whether that was meant to be friendly or not, I’m still not sure…but the fella next to me had broken his leg in 6 places at his recent Sunday League game, so I figured at least I faired a little better than he did.

As for the business, making sure I was in the right location, with the right equipment and the right trainers was key. Every day we continue to improve at JJ SPORTS, and I don’t think that aspect of the business will ever change. I not one for complacency, so continued improvement in myself and my business is always top of mind.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about JJ SPORTS?
We are Denver’s premier sports performance training facility offering youth speed, agility and strength training, soccer-specific skill training, and adult fitness in private, small group and class settings.

We help any athlete of any sport be a better athlete.

We take care of the athlete from a full 360 approach by not only working through speed, agility and strength training, but also through the “less-talked about” aspects such as mobility, nutrition and mental preparedness. We have an in-house nutritionist and partner with a private physical therapist to help athletes get back to their game quickly and efficiently.

We’re not interested in getting athletes in for a session and seeing them in a week or two – we’re invested in long-term growth and relationships. We attend our athlete’s games, we watch film, we get to know families and invest int their success. Our trainers are all former competitive athletes and understand the stressors that come with “the game” – we’re here to help your athlete gain an edge not only from an athletic point of view, but by also helping to build confident, proud, respectful and self-regulating people.

We also donate gently used tennis shoes, turfs and cleats to local charities to make sure everyone has a chance to participate in their favorite sport with proper footwear.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m a student of the field – the science in sports performance is fascinating and ever-evolving, and the more we can share with one another as trainers given our experiences and depth of knowledge, the more we can advance our future athletes.

I will be launching a new website in a few weeks which will feature a section of tips, tricks, news, etc. reflecting thought leadership and interesting quick content. Be sure to check it out at jjsportstraining.com!

Pricing:

• New Client Trial Promo: 3 Group Class Sessions for just $30
• All Group Classes: $29
• Private and Semi-Private Training Vary
• Summer Sunday Youth Soccer Series: Every Sunday $29
• Nutrition Free Consultations

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jjsportstraining.com/
• Instagram: jjsportstraining
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551419482653