How did you get started in your career?
I came from the business of banking, telecommunications, and consulting. I worked for Banco Filipino for five years,
I worked for Piltel, and various consulting jobs in IT including the Department of Agriculture. And in the U.S. I worked
as a retail salesman.
How did the concept behind PlyoSports form?
It was really more like an accident. I literally stumbled into the Frappiere program not really knowing there could be
such a concept [of training]. I've brought in this very innovative technology from the U.S., whereby you would be able
to enhance your sports performance in almost every facet.
So the accident came when I was asked by my alma mater - Ateneo - to help the track team and, in the process of
trying to remember the programs I used to do in the States when I was training, I kept stumbling into the Frapierre
Acceleration Sports Training Group. Upon learning about it and checking out the programs, the PlyoSports concept
fell into place.
How long did it take for PlyoSports to develop from a concept to the real thing?
It took approximately a year of planning, which entailed raising the necessary funds and getting equity partners to
buy into a very untested kind of facility. But here we are, this is our seventh month and happily coasting along.
Who are the other investors of PlyoSports?
They're all former track and field athletes. I don't know if they want to be mentioned, but one is my sister and the
other one is a fellow colleague in the Ateneo Alumni program of sports.
What's your clientele like?
The clientele that we have are basically threefold: the first segment, and most important of all, is basically the youth.
The age range of the youth market will be from 8 or 9 years old up to 21 years old. Then we have the recreational
market, which is basically young adulthood and up - about 22 years upwards. And then we have our professional or
elite market, including a whole lot of players from the national teams in various sports.
What is the niche of PlyoSports?
At the onset, our niche was sadly, but realistically, the affluent community. Those who have children and would like
to keep their kids in sports, or who'd like their kids to continuously improve. Or those who have an appreciation for
fitness, as well as recreational athletes that want to continue being in tip-top shape. But we are hoping that with the
economies of scale we could bring it down even to the grassroots level. [PlyoSports] is not something that we would
like to keep exclusively for such a niche.
Will there be other branches?
Definitely, but that is in the drawing boards. We are hoping that more and more equity partners come into play to
build more of these performance enhancement centers.
What are these training protocols you prescribe and administer?
One of the unique things about PlyoSports is that the [Frappiere Acceleration] programs are the result of scientific
research and development conducted in the US and Canada. Over a hundred thousand athletes have undergone the
various programs abroad, and what that means is that there's hardly any trial-and-error component. From the local
perspective as a coach, all I need to do is communicate the programs to the athletes and make them understand what
they're doing so they will have a better appreciation of this training modality and apply these to their sports. Last, but
not least, is the fact that we really get to motivate the athlete because these are very challenging programs.
When you take these two together, my job as a coach becomes easier. Our expert physiologists create continuously
improved programs for many sports and all we have to do is administer these. Speaking of equipment, the equipment
is also exclusively provided by my principals - Frapierre Acceleration Sports Training Group.
