TAgline

Hi, I'm Leonard!

LAD Performance was founded in 2021 by me, Leonard DeFino, while working a corporate finance job @ Boeing Aerospace. Wait, what..?! Yes, you read that correct. The Financial Analyst turned Sports Performance Coach… weirdly more common than you would think.

I have an expansive history in athletics growing up in Cleveland, OH. I played every sport imaginable as a young kid. I was constantly playing sports with my friends or siblings outside. I really think this set the framework for coordination, rhythm and fluidity. To this day I am still playing multiple sports and equally as competitive.

At a very young age I gravitated toward fast paced, change of direction sports. I really shined when I was using my speed or quickness in sports or free play. I was obsessed with watching elite athletes who were super fast or quick and agile. I especially loved watching how their feet moved.

Through my high school years I continued to pour nearly all my time and energy into sports, particularly basketball. You could not get me away from the court, playing all year round. I started to pick up quality movement habits and a disciplined approach to training. What could I do to jump higher or get to the basket quicker. I scoured magazines to try and digest as much as I could to give me an edge. I needed to seek out more advantages because I was usually the shortest player on the court.

I was fortunate enough in my early high school years to crack the starting lineup on my varsity team which was very uncommon at that time. As I started seeing some success I began to struggle immensely with my headspace. I was extremely critical of everything I did and at times it really messed with my head. Perfectionism is what I later found this to be. A bad play would quickly turn into a bad game & then compound into a string of bad games and a complete isolation. I’m sure it was easy to spot watching in the stands. Despite those  closest to me trying to help, I would not listen.

I remember forgoing opportunities to play in larger AAU circuits because of a fear of messing up or not being perfect. I shyed away from elite competition, it was a common theme in my high school years. There were many layers to that, maybe I’ll talk through those at a later time, but for now know that if you’re a high school athlete battling with this.. I HEAR YOU, I SEE YOU. I was 100% there. 

After weighing some options to play basketball and golf at smaller college programs, I decided to test my luck as a walk on at The College of Charleston (CofC). I thought I could continue doing what I was doing in terms of training and playing and I’d be skilled enough to make a walk-on spot. After the tryout I had a conversation with the CofC coaching staff that still to this day sticks with me. They told me to look elsewhere and that they weren’t taking anyone at this time. I was so deflated, I cried and went through a terrible mental spiral. I made some bad decisions, partied a lot and thought about transferring, but I am grateful I didn’t. 

Fast forward a decade or so and here we are in present day. The history I have, a lack of self confidence and direction when I was younger is a large reason for choosing this path I’m on. I want to help guide younger athletes, provide a resource in their lives. It’s a difficult time to navigate, but it doesn’t have to be harder than necessary.  LAD Performance wasn’t founded solely for athletic development. That’s why I like using human performance because a lot of what ya’ll are going through is between your two ears.