WS Chronicle

By Timothy Ramsey

The Chronicle

It’s only summertime, but those dedicated to their craft are gearing up for the next football season.  For those looking for intense training to prepare them for the year, JD Training might be the place for you.

JD Oglesby, a 2009 Atkins High grad and former Wake Forest football player, has been coaching football and basketball for the past four years after his graduation from Wake.  He began JD Training after urging from players he was doing work with after practice.  He is currently an assistant coach for the basketball and football teams at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy.

“I used to just do side work with some of my players that I was coaching at school when they wanted some extra work,” he said.  “It really took off when those players told their friends at other schools about me and it really just grew into its own thing.”

“I then thought to myself that if I am producing these kind of results I might as well turn this into a business,” he continued. 

According to Oglesby, JD stands for Just Determination.  He focuses his training on speed and agility along with football specific movements.

“In a group session we will keep it a little bit more basic, focusing on footwork, flexibility and agility,” said Oglesby.  “In individual workouts it’s more suited to what that individual person wants to focus on.”

Oglesby was a linebacker during his time with the Demon Deacons.  When it comes to his training, he works with all positions, catering a workout to the skill sets necessary for each individual position.

As a former Division I athlete, Oglesby feels he can give the players he trains the inside track on what it will take to make it to the next level in the sport.  He says the players he trains just are not aware of some of the drills they should be doing in order to get better.

“A lot of these kids are in a situation where they just don’t know what they should be working on,” he said.  “Every kid knows they should be quicker and faster, but they don’t know what the college coaches are looking for and what drills are actually going to translate to the game.”

“There are things their parents don’t know because they have not been in that situation.  I’ve been in that situation over the last 10 years and I’ve also worked some college camps at Wake and Chapel Hill, so I know what the coaches are looking for, so that’s what I am trying to give these guys now, to give them the advantage as they try and get recruited.”

Oglesby works with middle school, high school as well as college players.  He says for the younger guys he wants them to know what it takes to play in college but for the college players his focus is to enable them to climb the depth chart to become starters.

Since his business began two years ago, Oglesby says he has received nothing but positive responses from the players and their parents. 

“You can see the development of the players so in my eyes I can tell because I know where they started  and how far they have come,” he continued.  “Their parents can also tell because they have been in the process the entire time and the kids can feel that.”

“I have also been blessed to have clients that are focused and determined.  Like I said the name is Just Determination so if you come to me with determination we can accomplish some goals, but you have to have that before you come and the guys that I work with have that so it has been a lot of positive feedback from it.”

Overall the best thing about training the young guys for Oglesby is change he says.  He says he doesn’t want to do anything and not have a result he can see.  He enjoys seeing a client come to him with a goal and months later have that kid achieve the results he set out to for initially.  “Seeing their confidence change is the most fulfilling thing for me,” he said.

For more information on JD Training, call (336) 462-8207 or email at jdogle58y@gmail.com.