Editor’s note: This story appeared in our Winter 2019 magazine as part of our “offseason training” issue.
Private trainer Danny Gildea didn’t do individual training while growing up playing the game in northern England. If he was growing up in today’s era, he’d have to in order to keep up with his opponents.
“It’s increased a huge amount,” Gildea said of the requests for one-on-one sessions. “There’s a lot more trainers that provide individual training; it’s a different time now.”
Gildea started offering private lessons in 2008 while coaching club teams on the outskirts of Madison, Wis. Since then, the number of elite young athletes looking to get personalized training has skyrocketed.