Chris Phillips has seen what happens when athletes specialize too early. After three decades working with everyone from NHL players to Olympic figure skaters, the founder of Compete Sports Performance and Rehab is sharing what he’s learned about keeping athletes healthy in his first book, “Built to go the Distance: The Real Path to Athletic Performance and Longevity.”
The book tackles a problem Phillips has watched intensify throughout his career: athletes breaking down at increasingly younger ages. Year-round sports schedules have created a wave of acute and chronic injuries that derail promising careers at every level, from middle school club teams to professional contracts.
Phillips brings a different perspective to the conversation. His resume includes 17 years in professional hockey, with eight seasons in the NHL working for the Ducks and Capitals. As head athletic trainer, he’s been to the Stanley Cup Finals, the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2022 Winter Olympics. He has worked with elte athletes such as Alex Ovechkin, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, and Olympic Champion Nathan Chen.
From Professional Arenas to the Community
In 2009, Phillips opened Compete Sports Performance and Rehab, applying professional-level training principles to athletes at all stages. The approach appears to be working. Since opening, his clients have secured 200 college athletic commitments and produced two NHL first-round draft picks.
The sports performance training methodology Phillips advocates in his book emphasizes fundamentals over flash. He pushes back against the rush to complex movements, arguing that athletes need to master simple patterns first. Single-leg strength gets particular attention, an area Phillips identifies as frequently overlooked in sports training programs.
One of the book’s central themes addresses the gap between typical physical therapy and what Phillips calls true sports injury rehab. He outlines what he sees as missing links in standard recovery protocols and makes the case for more comprehensive approaches to getting athletes back on the field, court or ice.
Bringing Data to Athletic Development
Phillips hasn’t stopped evolving his methods. Recently, he’s integrated measurement tools that bring objective data to athletic training and rehabilitation. Vald’s Human Trak software identifies movement imbalances and asymmetries. Force Decks measure exact jump heights. OVR laser timers track sprint speed. OxeFit systems quantify force output.
These aren’t gadgets for gadgets’ sake, according to Phillips. They’re about removing guesswork from training decisions and catching potential injury risks before they sideline an athlete for a season.
The book is deliberately short. Phillips wrote it for busy parents and athletes navigating club sports schedules and athletes trying to balance training with everything else. His message to both groups centers on patience: athletic development is a ten-year journey, not a single season sprint.
For Phillips, who holds certifications as both an Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist, plus credentials in Corrective Exercise, the goal is straightforward. He wants athletes at every level to have access to the same principles that keep professionals healthy and performing through long careers. The injury prevention and performance training strategies he’s refined over three decades are now available beyond his California facility. You can find his book on Amazon.com.
