Meet Coach Vern

Vernon Smith - Mentality & Performance Coach

Over 17 years of experience in Mentality & Performance Coaching

Vernon Smith is the founder The Freak Performance, a results-driven performance brand that has developed youth, collegiate, professional, and Olympic-level athletes. With a rare blend of elite experience, personal resilience, and transformational coaching, Coach Vern has become a respected name in the performance world,  not just for what he builds, but for how he builds it.

Coach Vern spent 13 years as the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Marian University, where he oversaw 26 sports, helped lead multiple national championship teams, and designed a state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot collegiate weight room. But his journey started long before that as a collegiate football player who battled back from a devastating knee injury to finish his career, and pivoted his pain into purpose.

Now, Coach Vern trains athletes of every level with a personal, sport-specific, and mental-first approach. His methods are grounded in science but led by connection. As his athletes have said, Vern doesn’t just train the body, he unlocks the mindset. His ability to form deep, meaningful relationships while pushing athletes to exceed their potential is what truly sets him apart.

Athletes who train with Coach Vern gain more than speed, strength, and explosiveness, they walk away with belief, confidence, and mental tools that impact far more than just performance.

From first-timers chasing a dream to be a professional one day or a pro chasing longevity, Coach Vern trains them all with the same freak standard.

Coach Vern currently resides in Westfield, Indiana with his wife and three daughters and continues to build the #FreakFam, one athlete at a time.