WHAT PARENTS AND OTHER COACHES THINK
What's The Tachyon Difference
I want to thank you and Coach Dave for incorporating my daughter in your practices. The training she received is priceless.
Tamika L.
I have known Coach Derrick Johnson for over 30 years, 1st when he was a standout hurdler in high school, competing against my hurdlers and as a coach. He has always had a tremendous amount of passion to develop his craft( hurdles) to the highest levels. Both as an athlete and coach. In the many times that I have observed Coach Derrick work with his group of hurdlers, his knowledge and expertise is immediately obvious. But what is most impressive is his patience and skill to simultaneously work with student athletes of all ability levels, from the novice/beginner to the most advanced, and make each one of those kids feel as if he is only there personally for them. Over the past 20+ years, he has consistantly produced championship caliber hurdlers, most of them from scratch. His humilty will never allow him to toot his own horn, so i will do it for him. Coach Derrick Johnson has proven himself, many times over, to be a hurdling guru and I highly recommend that any hurdler, regardless of ability level, reap the benefits of working with him."
Coach Chris Parker
As a parent, I have been very impressed with TACHYON'S Strength and Conditioning and Development program.
Coaches Dave and Derrick have been a great positive influence to our daughter, Ashley. Not only have they added speed & strength, but the positive mental aspects and outstanding role modeling should not be overlooked.
They take special & specific care of each athlete in an extremely intelligent way. The way they make workout plans is impressive.
I appreciate the customized individual training they have provided for Ashley and the influence they have had on her, which is greatly contributed to her being an athletic college freshman at Syracuse University in 2020.
TACHYON is a real asset that our family has been fortunate to have.
Yolanda W.
Coaches Derrick and Dave are offering a great service for anyone wanting to learn or improve hurdle technique as well as work on sprint speed. I would highly recommend this! They emphasize mastering the fundamentals and will help you to improve your overall general strength and running mechanics. My daughter, now running for the US Naval Academy, has definitely benefited from their expert training when she was in high school. She continues to excel at the collegiate level and attributes her success to their specialized coaching.
Phyllis L.
Coach Derrick is our #1 coach because he is a man of Positive Character, Positive Attitude and a Great Life Coach. He knows how to make a student successful by encouraging a healthy balance between academia and athletics. Our son was not a person with a lot self confidence when we first met Coach Derrick. Alan was a shy young skinny boy whose arms and legs were flaring all over the place when he ran, staying in his own lane was a challenge let alone trying to hurdle. However Coach Derrick was able to groom him into a speedy hurdler who became the Maryland State 4A Champion in his senior year. Alan was reached out by several Ivy League track teams during his junior and senior year and I strongly believe that was the direct result of the 4 years of hurdle training and personal guidance received from Coach Derrick. He is a really great coach, because of him we save $200,000 on college tuition!!! Without him, Alan would have never learned how to hurdle. Alan’s HS and college years changed because of Coach Derrick. I appreciate his gentle tone and his forever lasting smile!! Thank you Thank you Thank you.
I am grateful for all that he did for our family. I pray God's favor and blessing over this truly wonderful coach and all his future athletes.
Katie L.
"Since working with Coach Derrick, it has been an honor watching him develop our student-athletes at Elizabeth Seton HS. Coach Derrick was an integral part of our program's success. His determination, motivation and passion for track and field has developed these student-athletes into something remarkable on and off the field. One of the things I admire about Coach Derrick is how humble he is. Coach Derrick listens and tries to develop a work-out strategy that is best for you. If you get the opportunity of being coached by Coach Derrick, you will see his leadership, his gentleness but firm coaching abilities and most important, how calm and humble he truly is."
Omar Q. Wilkins
Head Track and Field Coach
Elizabeth Seton High School
When you think of the word Tachyon, the first thing to come to mind is an organization that focuses on the development (I.e., mental, physical and spiritual) of athletes. The Founders / coaches, Derrick Johnson and Dave Winner have demonstrated an amazing ability to help build phenomenal sprinters and hurdlers. They think outside of themselves and work collectively, and have the capability to influence the condition of their athletes.
Our daughter, Leah Phillips, experience with Tachyon has been nothing short of great. Leah is a 10x National High School Champion and 13x All-American. Her success is directly correlated to the commitment from both Coach Derrick and Coach Dave. Her confidence blossomed as her speed, technique, and skills became more polished under these two coaches. She was able to enhance her hurdle skills which has allowed her to compete as one of the top hurdlers in the country. Leah is now competing on the NCAA Division I level with LSU in the SEC. Leah knows that Coach Derrick and Coach Dave have prepared her for the next level of competition. In the words of our daughter, “The coaches have always seen not what I am, but what I could be. The coaches instilled a part of their hearts in mine. As I travel into adulthood I will always have great memories of our time together.”
Forever grateful,
Jey, Christa and Leah Phillips
We are truly elated and profoundly motivated to give a review to such a phenomenal person. Coach Derrick has done an amazing job with training my daughter Masai Russell to become an elite athlete in the hurdles. He has the unique ability to maximize the athletes abilities, their mental strength and competitive talents with grace and poise! My daughter never complained and was excited every day to train at an intense level. She was able to develop her hurdle skill in the 10th grade and obtain a full athletic scholarship at University of Kentucky. We love his ability to develop not only an athlete, but a holistic individual. I highly recommend his training program for anyone serious about their track career!!!
In our Family the baton has been passed. Now he is training Solai Russell our youngest daughter to become a great athlete! It's funny, prior to her working with Coach Derrick she never wanted to go to practice and now she begs us to go to practice just to work with him and Coach Dave. They are two truly amazing individuals that definitely have a personal touch when it comes to developing young women and young men into athletes that will make a mark on society in their future endeavors.
Dr. Sharon Russell and Mark Russell
"The best word to describe Coach Derrick is “Extraordinary”! Coach Derrick has a knack for introducing athletes to hurdles and developing their skills into becoming top competitors in the event. His compassion is shown in his ability to adjust to the different learning styles of his athletes. When Coach Derrick introduced my daughter to hurdles, she was reluctant because she was accustomed to being an open sprinter. His patience while working with her ensured that she successfully perfected the technical foundation of hurdles before moving to the next phase. He not only develops the athlete but develops them into elite competitors."
Kenneth and Tawana Harris
I just wanted to thank you for being a part of Myla's journey. Your coaching style and patience has played a major role into her high school career. For that, I am truly grateful.
Danita Greene
WHAT DO ATHLETES THINK ABOUT US?
'Coach Derrick Johnson is the consummate professional. Yet, having been a successful, competitive athlete himself, he understands the mindset of an athlete and teaches both the proper technique and the psychology of what it takes to be a Winner!
Steve Brown, Olympian
"Coach Derrick was one of the best coaches I've had the pleasure of working with. His unique style of technical training matched with his caring and fun personality made me look forward to training with him every day. When he worked with my team, he was able to find the perfect balance of supporting and challenging each athlete to do their best. He pushed me to my absolute limits yet managed to make the difficult days enjoyable experiences. I loved every minute of it. I made incredible progress under his training and I absolutely credit his work for helping me get recruited and accepted to a D1 track and field college of my choice."
Sylvia Deppen, Harvard Graduate
I’ve been working with Coach Derrick since my freshman year in high school. Before hurdling with Coach Derrick, I knew little to nothing about hurdles. I did hurdle for a bit in 8th grade, but I was told to “go over the hurdles fast.” Coach Derrick teaches you everything you need to know about hurdles, down from hurdle technique to where your takeoff point should be. Freshman year was the year I was learning all about hurdling and getting used to going over them. One thing I could not get was three-step in between the hurdles. It was one practice where I felt as if I wasn’t getting better, sprinting, or hurdling. I pulled Coach Derrick aside after practice and told him, “I wanted to quit because I wasn’t getting any better”. He encouraged me to keep going, and if I still felt that after freshman year, he’d let me quit. Three years later, I was Shuttle Hurdle National Champion. * In between those years, I worked out with him each summer to keep improving my technique, reaction time, and takeoff point. He pushed me every workout. There were times where I would question why I ran track, but I still came back to practice, ready for the next challenge. I progressively got better throughout the years. My senior year was stressful dealing with the recruiting process, choosing the right college, and doing good on the track. There were moments where I felt defeated and just wanted to give up. Coach Derrick was always there to encourage me and push me because he knew what I could do. My first time running the shuttle hurdle relay indoors, he had complete faith in me that I would do great. For all my races, he believed that I would do better than my last race. Even if I didn’t do well, he would be honest and tell me what I could’ve done better. I remember when we were at the University of Kentucky my senior year, and I believed I didn’t do well because I didn’t hit the time I wanted to. He did not hesitate to let me know that I can’t put myself down because I didn’t hit a time a college coach wanted me to run. “You did better than you did last year, which is what counts.” Moments later, we found out I made it to finals, which gave me another chance to do better. When I was waiting on the line, I looked at him, and he said, “You got this.” As soon as the gun went off, I just ran. I shaved about 3 seconds off my trial time. Coach Derrick is like my track dad. He never gives up on you and knows what’s best for you. Whether you’re in high school or college, he will always check up on you on or off the track. We’ve laughed, celebrated, and even cried together. I am where I am today because of him.
Jordyn Jeffers, East Carolina Student Athlete
"Coach Dave & Derrick are first off amazing individuals. They take their time with each athletes and cater to the person not just the group. I am now a junior at the University of Kentucky and I don't know where I'd be without them today. I'm so thankful to receive the coaching by these two & they definitely prepared me for what college had coming for me"
Masai Russell, University of Kentucky Student Athlete
Coach DJ has been such an influential coach and mentor for me through my high school years so much so that a lot of what I learned stuck with me throughout college. He always made sure you get something positive out of practice and this shows in your results.
Taylor Tucker, University of Maryland Graduate
I’ve been running track since the age of seven and over the past 11years I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs. After freshman year, I had a particularly rough time. I felt burnt out, unmotivated, and I was poorly coached. Nothing seemed to be going my way on the track and I was extremely defeated. Luckily, the summer after my sophomore year I was introduced to Coach Derrick. He continued to work with me through my rough patch and slowly improved my hurdling skills. After exactly a year of working with him, he introduced me to my current college coach. From there on out, everything accelerated. Thanks to him and Coach Dave, I was able to make my last high school season unforgettable with a number pr’s and awards. Without them, I would not be running division 1 track and field, and for that I am forever grateful.
Nyia Cummings, Cornell University Student Athlete
I met and began training under Coach Derrick my junior year of high school but our season was cut short due to the pandemic. Over the summer and fall of the following season, I began training with Coach Derrick and Coach Dave at Tachyon. The training, mentorship, and support, I received during that time was history in the making. Coach Derrick's training regimen prepared me to be the best. My confidence was high and my running form was amazing. At my very first indoor track meet, I was extremely nervous and Coach Derrick calmed my nerves, by saying "trust your training and have fun." I ran 8.49 in the 60m hurdles, which gave me a US #1 ranking. Tachyon was truly what I needed and the training I received helped stamp my ticket to compete at the next level, Division I track and field. I am forever grateful for my experience with Tachyon and thankful for Coach Derrick and Coach Dave.
Jada Pierre, University of Virginia Student Athlete
Since working with Coach Derrick Johnson, DJ, over a summer, I went from a novice hurdler going into my Junior Year in high school to now finishing up my Junior Year in high school as being ranked in the top 10 hurdlers in the 110mh (13.69) and 300mH (36.87) in the USA. The techniques and drills he provided helped my form and therefore provided the basis for my current success. The attention to detail was incredible (trail leg speed, landing over the hurdle distance, running between the hurdles, etc.) Coach DJ, played a huge part in my current success! I don’t believe I would be having this success without his foundation.
Thank you, Coach DJ, for all your support and training!