Neal E. Saunders
Founder | Lead Developer
EARLY YEARS.
From the beginning, Neal displayed an affinity for sports. But he wasn’t just passionate about playing them; he was obsessed with unlocking human potential. At seven years old, he instinctively broke down his weaknesses, setting up cone drills and miscellaneous training stations to forge them into strengths. But a deeper observation began to stir within him – a frustration with seeing raw, untapped potential consistently left behind. Young athletes overlooked, not for lack of heart or desire, but because they don’t fit a conventional mold.
This was a problem. And though he couldn’t yet grasp its complexity, he knew that with the right guidance, structure, and team in their corner, athletes like these represented a potential for greatness never before seen. By the age of 12, Neal was consumed by his dream: to crack the athlete development code and travel the country in an 18-wheeler, developing superior athletes. A dream that would provide the athletic development blueprint for athletes, trainers, and coaches everywhere. What he didn’t imagine was that his 18-wheeler would evolve—replaced by a global digital platform capable of delivering his dream at two-thirds the speed of light to athletes, parents, coaches, and trainers around the world.
HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE.
A multi-sport athlete in high school, his main focus was baseball. In eighth grade, he was playing JV, and by 9th, he was dominating varsity. This dedication led him to play Division I baseball at VCU in Richmond, Virginia. However, his time at VCU proved pivotal beyond the field.
It was there that he finally understood the problem and all its complexity: the current athlete development model was incapable of effectively developing fundamental athletic qualities—such as speed, power, skill, and mindset—in individuals who didn’t already possess them at a high level. Consequently, it favored and rewarded pre-existing talent, creating a barrier for athletes needing any improvement. To Neal, it was now obvious, “take 2 athletes of similar measurables (e.g., speed, strength), and I’ll show you two different levels of on-field performance”. And… “even with widespread access to modern training tools… blocking sleds, batting cages, and training facilities filled with all of the latest novelty equipment in the world, I’ll show you the same thing… a systemic failure to develop the fundamental athletic qualities in one athlete compared to another”.
But rather than investing in methods to effectively close the gaps and raise the performance ceiling across the board– the traditional development model was focused on leveraging the achievements of more talented athletes. It was a “clout economy,” says Neal, where “no standard for development, or means by which the model itself could be audited for effectiveness existed”. Assessments were tools for selection rather than identifying developmental priorities. And everyone was hiding behind more talented athletes, masking their lack of true developmental expertise.
Neal also saw things from another angle. Not only did this “clout economy” prevent the actual development of fundamental athletic qualities, it created an environment where even the best athletes could stall. Because a coach on clout could never relate to athletes who instinctively challenged themselves and strived to be the best. They lacked the insight to push them and keep them motivated, to nurture the relentless drive that fuels their ambition, or to identify that what they thought was “bringing that fire” only extinguished the spark.
On clout, they thought it was all about them. They thought that with just a touch, everything around them turned to gold. And what could have been an amazing team became more about control and what they thought they knew than teamwork, problem-solving, and optimal performance. It created delusion. It created ego. It created the transfer portal.
Finally understanding the problem as a whole, Neal knew he was far from the solution. He also knew that wherever the solution was, he wasn’t going to find it in a broken system. Seeking structure, objectivity, and a methodology grounded in proven results, Neal’s path took an unexpected, yet defining, turn.
DUTY CALLS.
Leaving college, Neal eventually enlisted in the United States Army. As a soldier, he was introduced to foundational Army doctrine on organization, operations, and training methodology, particularly Field Manuals 101-5 (Staff Organization and Operations) and 7-1 (Battle Focused Training) – the Army’s doctrinal foundation for how to train effectively.
Initially, these manuals only represented theoretical frameworks. However, deploying to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and experiencing combat fundamentally changed his perspective. He witnessed firsthand the profound power of systematic, battle-focused training. He saw how clearly defined doctrine, when properly implemented, built resilient, adaptable, and highly effective teams capable of performing at the highest levels under extreme pressure.
It was a profound realization. Development wasn’t about leveraging hype, clout, or pre-existing abilities. It was about structure, focus, and relentless execution—a lesson that would become the foundation of everything to come.
FM 101-5.
Drawing upon the principles of FM 101-5, Neal approached athletic development with the strategic rigor of a commander planning for war. Every branch of science—biology, physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, physics, psychology—became a division under his command. Distinct but interconnected, each held a key piece of the puzzle, critical to the development of superior athletes.
Biology provided insight into how the body generates and utilizes energy. Physiology helped him understand proprioception, motor control, and muscular function. Anatomy clarified the structural interplay between muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Physics and biomechanics allowed for the refinement of movement efficiency and technique, while psychology offered a framework for communication, motivation, and mindset.
With the structure and clarity of FM 101-5 as his guiding framework, Neal synthesized these diverse scientific disciplines to create Combat Logic™– an integrated, mission-driven approach to training that emphasized the understanding of scientific principles to athletic performance. Its purpose? To align every aspect of athlete performance with a clearly defined objective: the development of superior, combat-ready athletes. In essence, Combat Logic™ represents the strategic implementation of scientific knowledge, applied with military precision, to achieve optimal athletic outcomes.
FM 7-1.
Building on that foundation, Neal applied FM 7-1’s battle-focused principles to sports with the same clarity and structure used to train soldiers for combat. The FM’s emphasis on how to train helped Neal reverse-engineer sport and position-specific skill demands into mission-essential tasks for athletes.
And through the lens of FM 7-1, Triangular Training Theory™ (T3™) was born — a groundbreaking training model integrating what Neal discovered to be the three (3) fundamental aspects of athlete development:
✅ Athletic Traits and Characteristics (ATCs): the innate qualities and potential an athlete possesses, such as natural speed, strength, and coordination, along with mental toughness, physicality, and resilience.
✅ Mission Essential Tasks (METLEs): the specific, sport and position-related skills, movements, and strategies required for success– encompassing everything from technical proficiency to tactical understanding.
✅ Motor Function (MTR-F). The neurological aspects of movement as they relate to motor control, coordination, balance, and the efficiency of signal transmission between the brain and muscles. At its core, MTR-F is about how well the athlete executes the METLEs.
“By linking these three components, T3™ creates a comprehensive and strategic framework finally capable of developing the required fundamental athletic qualities, in any athlete”, says Neal. “It ensures each athlete’s training addresses their inherent strengths and weaknesses (ATCs), the precise skills they need for their sport (METLEs), and the neurological foundation that supports effective movement (MTR-F), thereby providing a complete and tailored pathway to excellence”.
THE PROVING GROUND.
What began as a dream had slowly evolved into an entirely new way of approaching athlete development. At the center of it all was Neal—methodical, relentless, and completely locked in on one mission: developing superior athletes. He wasn’t chasing clout. He wasn’t trying to be better than anyone. He was proving his methods and refining his processes to support athletes in pursuit of their dreams.
Athletes who fully committed to his pilot programs were going from the bench to starting. Players who were already starting only cemented their positions further. Objective and quantifiable, the results were undeniable. The code had been cracked!
With success came resistance. Local coaches and trainers, not understanding his vision, downplayed his knowledge. Questioned his methods. Mocked his commitment. But his vision was to create an athlete training model that, beyond all of the hype, was actually capable of developing superior athletes. A model that could be used by anyone and everyone for superior results. And though Neal tried explaining his vision, their focus was narrow, only interested in the clout and relevance they could claim as their own. So they attacked his process. But Neal didn’t flinch. He recognized the hate for what it was: the price of moving the needle. Their criticism wasn’t a reflection of failure—it was confirmation he was on the right track.
“When I look back, my only regret during those times is that I wish I had done more to keep certain parents and athletes from buying into the hype that a lot of these folks were selling. Hype that resulted in those athletes never reaching their true potential. But their decisions weren’t mine to make… and without those experiences, I don’t think I would have focused as hard on developing a platform capable of silencing all the hype. Because I think all of this hype just preys on parents who don’t know. But as soon as they open a skillpack… they’ll know. And when they never see any of these things being addressed in training, they’ll know even more. But whatever you do, don’t let’em add on an ABP™, because now we’re dealing with hard data, and when those numbers aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, it’s a wrap”.
SPORTS UNIVERSITY.
For more than thirty years, Neal dissected athletic development, researched solutions, consulted experts, and relentlessly tested and refined his model. He learned what truly worked, perfected his approach, and finally, it’s time to deliver his message to the world. The only remaining obstacle: building a system capable of delivering the message.
Neal realized that his original dream of traveling the country in an 18-wheeler had evolved into the creation of a global digital platform, capable of delivering his dream at two-thirds the speed of light to athletes, parents, coaches, and trainers worldwide. However, this realization immediately presented a significant hurdle: building such a platform required skilled developers and financial resources he simply didn’t have. Faced with yet another challenge, he committed himself to acquiring the necessary skills. He dedicated countless hours to learning coding, platform architecture, and everything else required to build his system from the ground up.
All of this work—the decades spent understanding the problem, developing the solution, and building the platform through which it could be delivered—was undertaken just to arrive at the starting line. A testament to the power of resilience, vision, and faith in process, Sports University, with its powerful sports training technologies and cutting-edge development strategies, is ready to deliver infinite possibility to the over one billion sports-aged kids worldwide—ready to help them transform their dreams into reality.
“For the athletes dreaming of greatness, for the parents seeking trustworthy guidance, for the coaches committed to true development: Sports University offers a path cleared of ego and paved with objective, measurable results”.