GAME DAY COACHING MANUAL:

Mike Tuchscherer, Reactive Training Systems (RTS) founder, 1st USAPL Male World Games Gold Winner (2009)

“Winners make attempts. Matt has drilled that into my head over the years and I’ve benefited both as a coach and an athlete because of it. Matt and Sioux-z’s game day coaching is second to none. Matt’s eye for picking attempts is uncanny in the truest sense that I can convey. He knows my attempt selection better than I know it myself. And it’s not just about putting the right number on the bar — it’s about timing your warmups, having everything you need, being in the right place at the right time and having the absolute BEST meet you’re capable of having that day. I’m happy to pay for Matt and Sioux-z’s game day coaching because it makes that much of a difference to my total. Totally easy decision.”

Ray Williams, 5x IPF Open Raw World Champion, SQ WR holder (120+kg)

“Matt and Sioux-z are awesome coaches because they allow you to give input in the game plans. Their game plans have helped me set IPF Open Raw World Records in the squat and total while winning five consecutive world championships (2014-2018) in the 120+kg class. If I have any problems with my lifting, I always know that I can reach out to Coach Gary. There has never been a time on or off the platform when I felt I wasn’t in good hands, and if they are willing to be in my corner, I feel honored to have coaches as accomplished as them helping me.”

Eric Helms PhD, CSCS, Team 3DMJ Coach

"There are a handful of people I've met in my career who made immediate, lasting impressions on not only how I practiced my craft as a coach, but also my coaching philosophy. Matt Gary is undoubtedly one of those people. There was a time period I considered myself a good platform coach. There was a time I considered myself attentive to detail, responsive to the mental state of my lifters on game day, good at attempt selection and cool under pressure. Then, there was the time period that began the day Matt Gary presented at a 2013 seminar I attended to 2017 and 2018 IPF worlds where I coached one of my athletes alongside him, to the present, where I've been trying to make up the huge gulf of capability that I realized separated the two of us. To this day, I aspire to one day become half as good a coach as he is. Let me be clear, to say 'Matt is good at attempt selection' not only sells short this specific skill of his (he's not good, he's excellent), but it also misses the breadth and depth of his coaching skills. Matt facilitates an individualized environment conducive to high performance starting weeks in advance of a competition where he will be coaching an athlete. In meetings to discuss an initial game plan his language is intentional, he communicates clearly, asks the right questions, and forms a partnership of trust. In the emails and messages, he sends closer to the competition, his emotional intelligence is tuned to the specific needs of the athlete. On game day, he says the right things, knows when to be more passive or more active, and in the moment, he makes the right calls, knows the nuances of the technical rules, and his success rate is the proof in the pudding. Matt is a humble man, but if you see him in action, it is obvious that he has two decades of powerlifting coaching experience, with another decade of strength and conditioning coaching experience on top of that. His Game Day Coaching Manual is that a manual to maximize your or your athletes' performance on game day. But it's also so much more than that. From the philosophy of coaching to the psychology of performance, to the process of making weight, to the oh-so-important topic of reflection and self-assessment, this is truly the book every coach (and lifter) should read, twice."

Sam Calhoun, Multi-time USA Open Raw National Champion and Coach

“We all know the famous saying, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’ After reading this book you will quickly realize there’s so much you don’t know about game day coaching and planning. The only way to capture all the knowledge that this book contains is to coach hundreds of lifters in multiple different scenarios -- failing and learning as you go. This book takes decades of knowledge and puts it into a practical framework that can be applied right away. Now we all have the opportunity to be better coaches due to this invaluable resource.”

Bryce Lewis, The Strength Athlete (TSA) founder, 3x USA Open Raw National Champion, 2019 IPF Open Raw World Champion (105kg)

“After reading Matt’s in-depth breakdown of attempt selection and applying most of these same strategies myself, I’ve seen a definite improvement in my ability to make attempts on the platform, feel prepared, and in-charge on game day. I reached out to Matt for game day coaching for Raw Nationals 2015 because I knew I wanted to make the absolute most out of the day, and I was right in trusting him! Matt loaded every warmup set, planned the exact time I should be lifting it, and I never once felt that I needed to be doing anything. There was zero stress. My job was just to lift weight. I can’t explain how freeing that was particularly on a day when so many people are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I got to just enjoy every moment and execute when it mattered.

Besides controlling all the important parts, Matt is also a master at adjusting attempts when it matters for placing, strategically choosing numbers that either set someone else up for an attempt they should not be taking or situate you in the best possible position to medal or win. I trust him 100% and will be repeatedly using his services.”

Jason Tremblay, The Strength Guys (TSG) founder

“Matt Gary’s passionate and thoughtful approach to coaching is on full display in this comprehensive and timeless guide to coaching powerlifters. The Game Day Coaching Manual goes beyond the X’s and O’s of strategy to cover every topic that you need to improve as a coach. I highly recommend this resource to any coach who is looking to learn or refine their craft.”