Vienna's 2 Paths Training Offers Personalized Training For Athletes

VIENNA, VA — Growing up as football teammates at Centreville High School, Julian Garrett and Jameel Siler formed a bond that would extend beyond their high school years. Six or seven years ago, the friends started training their brothers to improve their athletic ability. Garrett and Siler were playing Division I and III sports in college, respectively, and were deciding what their next steps were.

That led to the idea of teaming up again to guide other young athletes on the path to success.

"We thought, well, we have tons of experience doing this coaching and training, that we could help a lot of other kids and offer this to the area, because we felt that there wasn't a huge presence," Siler told Patch. "We both spent different ways training in our youth, and we both thought that there was a lot more that we wanted and needed for our development and through our own training, kind of felt that we could do that."

That's how the Vienna-based 2 Paths Training was born. The name 2 Paths signifies the two paths of life for youth — athletic paths and life paths.

Siler and Garrett, who have combined decades of experience playing sports, including basketball, football, baseball and soccer, want to give a coaching and mentoring experience they didn't have growing up. According to Garrett, 2 Paths Training provides both sport-specific training as well as skills to become a better athlete overall. Training is individualized to each athlete, so the coaches can help them work toward gaining a certain skill in their sport, for example.

"A lot of the training we do is gonna make you a better athlete overall as a set. So speed, agility, jumping ability, all that stuff will help all sports," said Garrett. "But we're also able to work with the sport specific, so like football, catching or your ability to block or your ability to run, wide receiver routes, basketball, your ability to shoot. So we'll help you with your sport getting specifically better those skills but also just your overall athletic ability."

According to Siler, many of the athletes 2 Paths Training works with don't necessarily have Division I sport dreams and may lack confidence. Instead, they are usually looking for growth in their game and gaining confidence. On the mental side, Siler says the training gives athletes confidence in social settings and helps deal with challenges like stress.

"Overall, we know that developing the body also helps develop the mind," said Garrett. "So just the ability to overcome, first, the dealing with stress, we put you through a stressful day at the field, it's just going to help you that much more when you're dealing with a stressful test or studying just that ability to deal with adversity and overcome challenges."

For those who do want to pursue athletics beyond high school, both coaches have experience going through the recruiting process. Garrett and Siler can walk them through the complex process, help them contact coaches, and help them determine what level may be the best fit.

2 Paths Training works with sports from football basketball and soccer to lacrosse, field hockey and Frisbee. Most of the athletes at 2 Paths Training work with them two to three times a week, and Garrett says consistency helps athletes with growth in their goals.

2 Paths Training has grown its clientele through word of mouth recommendations in Vienna. Many of the participating athletes come from Vienna or other parts of Fairfax County. Garrett says parents in Vienna are very supportive of athletes and want them to succeed and be some of the best.

"We never had that issue with the kids' effort. They're always coming out, giving their best," said Garrett. "It's just about guiding them, how to maximize that effort, how to build the skill, so that you're not just out there giving it your all, but you also have the tangible knowledge of how to do well."

Siler believes his and Garrett's young ages can help them relate to the young athletes, break down barriers of trust, and help them reach their goals more quickly.

"I feel like we're a different face to the community, and I feel like we offer something that a lot of people around here haven't seen before or have been a part of," said Siler. "If you would like to see your kid grow, we're able to do it."

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