1Forty-Four1′s Performance Coaches

 

Raphael Ruiz

Raphael Ruiz was born in AZ, raised as a youth in Hawaii and then lived the rest of his young life in Ft.Hood, Texas.  He played football and ran track for C.E. Ellison H.S. (Killeen) and at Sam Houston State University (Huntsville).  It was there where he began his career with the initial development of the concepts and forward thinking principles for an effective, comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to Strength & Conditioning (S&C); this program was titled Fitnecessity Sports Performance.  Those were the beginnings of the 1Forty-Four1 Training System.

Raphael relocated to Tampa in 1998 and began work as a Performance Coach at Harbor Island Athletic Club.  It was during this time that he branched out and joined the S&C staffs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Program as well as the Director of Sports Performance at the Clearwater Tennis Academy.  In the next step, Raphael became the Director of S&C for the University of Tampa where he helped to build an athletic program that resulted in 5 National Championships (M-Soccer, W-Soccer, M-Baseball back-to-back & W-Volleyball) during his long tenure at UT, in addition to more than 4 dozen athletes earning All-American status and one of the lowest prevalence rates of major & catastrophic injuries in all of the NCAA.  He also served as the Director of Sports Performance for the MLS Tampa Bay Mutiny for their last season before the league contracted the organization.  In 1999, he developed a football program specifically tailored for the needs of offensive & defensive linemen.  The Lineman School has produced and helped to expand the physical, mental & skill sets of some of the top linemen in the NFL (John Welbourn, Ed Mulitalo, Jeff Mitchell, Chidi Ahanatou).  In January 2005, the Sports Performance Clinic that Raphael developed was added as a division of the Musculoskeletal Institute [Established by Florida Orthopedic Institute].  In 2009 Raphael partnered with John Welbourn to create and teach CrossFit Football.  This was a condensed version of what we were already employing as a comprehensive S&C program, but taught on the CrossFit media platform.  He finished out his career at the University of Tampa in December 2009 and merged 1Forty-Four1 w/ Khanomtom-Tampa Muay Thai.  That move was a major event in the history of 1Forthy-Four1, as it was the catalyst for the development of two separate but intertwined tracts: one44one Sports & Competition Prep & 1Forty-Four1 HERO (Highly Effective Rescue & Operator).  1Forty-Four1′s HERO is a training system that increases the function of the human machine resulting in a more combat effective operator, prepared law enforcement officer (LEO) and situational ready rescue athlete.  ”Protecting those who protect us” has been the public mantra for 1Forty-Four1 as we’ve helped hundreds of tactical athletes including Seal Team 1′s CO Tom DeJarnette, USAF CCT Instructor Mark Lauren, USMC SpecOp Sven Hestrand & US Army Ranger Ronnie Bush.  In 2010 the 3rd major foci was announced as 1Forty-Four1 partnered up w/ Team Elite’s David Marsh (US Olympic Swim Coach) to teach the 1Forty-Four1 Dry-Land training systems specifically focused on the special needs of aquatic athletes involved in competitive pool, open water and combat/rescue swimmers called AXIS (Amphibious eXcellence is…).  The special considerations of water bred athletes are centered around reducing injuries, creating more effective & efficient streamlining positions and increasing skill acquisition for swimmers.  Shortly thereafter, the 4th separate but intertwined foci was organized from raphael’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge, 1Forty-Four1 University.  Not only for the continued development of the 1Forty-Four1′s training systems, but also to help bridge the gap between academia and the professional world, between different disciplines and also for the sharing of information and energy.  As the Chief Quality Officer, Raphael is responsible for 1Forty-Four1′s mission of “Preparing & Repairing Highly Effective Athletes” by properly implementing scientifically-based training systems that are orthopedically-sound and performance-driven.

Contact Raphael at raph@1441.us.

 

Mark Lauren

Mark Lauren is a certified Military Physical Training Specialist, Special Operations Combat Controller, triathlete, and competitive Thai boxer. He has effectively prepared over 700 trainees for the extreme demands of the most elite levels of the Special Operations community.

Mark started his career by being one of twelve to graduate the Pararescue & Combat Control Indoctrination Course, in a class that 94 trainees started. As an experienced operator, during mission planning and execution of airfield seizures, combat search & rescue, close air support, and reconnaissance & surveillance missions, he trained troops capable of immediate deployment into areas of forward combat operation by military freefall, static-line, all-terrain vehicles, overland, scuba, and other amphibious means.

As their physical training instructor, he enabled highly productive training to take place despite space, time, and equipment restrictions, and completely restructured training programs, resulting in a 40% reduction of student injuries and failures. He was hand-picked by the Advanced Skills Training Commander to ensure commissioned Special Tactics candidates remained physically able to “lead from the front” throughout the trying two years of training. Mark personally tailored physical training programs and diets to suit the individual needs of candidates and monitored their progress, as well as totally revamping the courses’ physical training programs.

Leading by example has always been Mark’s credo, and for this and his physical prowess he was often chosen to lead officers through all physical training events during the extremely rigorous Special Tactics Officer Selection Course, which he did at a punishing pace.

Lauren’s active duty and civilian employment has taken him all around the world to teach, including Iraq and Afghanistan. As a civilian, Mark Lauren spends much of his free time Thai boxing with Khanomtom Muay Thai in Tampa, FL and various Muay Thai gyms throughout Thailand. After training a total of 7 months in Thailand, over a period of three years, Lauren has managed to capture the FL IKF Middle Weight Championship and a professional belt in Phuket, Thailand.

Lauren broke, and still holds, the Pararescue/ Combat Control Indoctrination Course’s long standing “underwater record” by swimming 133 meters, on one breath, subsurface, for 2 minutes and 23 seconds, until losing consciousness.

Stephanie Turner

Stephanie grew up in Buffalo, NY where she graduated from Clarence High School. She played club volleyball out of Rochester, NY for VolleyFX Magic and was recruited to play D1 volleyball at East Carolina University (2006-09). While there, Stephanie worked her way up to team captain during the 2008-09 season. During the 2008 season she was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.

Her senior season, she led the team with 256 kills, kills per set, digs and serve receive percentage. While not on the volleyball court, Stephanie was focused on graduating with her degree in Exercise and Sports Science.

During her last semester, she did an internship as a sports performance coach at the Athletes Compound under Jason Riley.

It was here where she learned to develop and implement sport specific programs for MLB, NFL combine and youth training. Along with sport specific training, she is also the head Varsity Volleyball coach at Academy at the Lakes in Land O Lakes Florida.

Ronnie Bush

Ronnie Bush was born and raised in Tampa, FL, where his family still resides. Ronnie has worked with Fitnecessity and 1441 since 1998. He attended Plant High School and graduated in 2004. While at Plant, Ronnie lettered in both baseball and football. Upon graduation, Ronnie earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He accepted the appointment and reported for “Beast Barracks” in the summer of 2004.

While at West Point, Ronnie earned the Recondo Badge, given for tactical excellence to the top 10% of cadets from each class. He also earned the Army Physical  Fitness Badge, and graduated 3rd in his class in physical performance. Ronnie graduated with a Bachelor’s in Economics and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army in May of 2008. After graduation, Ronnie reported to Fort Benning, Georgia to conduct Basic Officer Leaders Course where he graduated 5th out of 60 participants, after which he reported to the Ranger Training Brigade to begin Ranger School. Ronnie graduated Ranger School in October 2009 to become a US Army Ranger.

Ronnie is stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia with the 3rd Infantry Division and is currently assigned to a light infantry task force. He has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Brian Kensel

Brian Kensel proudly served as the Senior SWAT Team Leader for the FBI’s Tampa Division.  His comprehensive duties from 1982 through 2005 included performing as a special agent, operator, sniper, Principal Firearms Instructor (PFI), Principal Tactical Instructor (PTI) and combat medic.  As the PTI, he developed intense curriculums ranging from Street Survival, Managerial & Media Relations, Use of Force, Close Quarter Combat, Vehicle Assaults, Counterterrorism and Advanced Firearm & Tactical Training. He also coordinated the FBI National Academy program.

Currently, he is well sought after for LEO Training & Consulting, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at St. Leo University (Criminal Justice) & St. Petersburg College (Counternarcotics) and was a Mobile Training Team Leader & Instructor for Homeland Security Solutions, teaching U.S. Navy and Marine security forces Firearms, Defensive Tactics & Clearing Techniques.  Brian is highly recognized and has appeared on live interviews with Brett Baier, Larry King and Wolf Blitzer as an expert in the field and throughout the tactical communities.

Sven Hestrand

Sven Hestrand, originally from Sweden, came to the United States on a college football scholarship. He has competed in all arenas of sport such as soccer, water polo, martial arts and triathlons. He graduated from college with a BA in Health & Physical Education and became a college level S&C Coach.

He moved back to Sweden and enlisted in the Royal Swedish Army, where he was an Infantry Officer for seven years. He returned to the US and joined the Marine Corps, where he has been for ten years. With the Marines, he has served as a CQB Instructor witht IMEF Special Operations Training Group and an Instructor at Marine Special Operations Command. Sven has been decorated for valor while working with Coalition Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq, where he also earned the Purple Heart. He is a certified SPEAR Instructor and Rescue Diver.

Away from the Marines, Sven is an avid Crossfitter with multiple certifications. He currently resides in Northern Virginia. He is a badass and extremely hard to kill.

Craig

Contact Craig at craig@1441.us.