The Collectively Sharpened Idea Has a Home: Dre Muhammad & Traction Athletic Performance

Left: Traction Athletic Performance trainer Lawrence Barnett with clients doing foot drills at the new facility; Right: Dre Muhammad (right) with the Dallas Cowboys’ Jaylon Smith.  Muhammad won second place at Smith’s MEI entrepreneur competition in July

Right before his interview, DeAundre “Dre” Muhammad, founder of Traction Athletic Performance, was organizing keys for his employees.  His new company facility still has that moved-in look so things are done, like sorting keys, on an as needed basis.  Traction Athletic Performance has recently moved from their facility at The Summit to their new place at 216 Marciel Drive, down the way from Putt-Putt Fun Center and directly across from Speedway Flea Market.

The reason for the move had everything to do with “maximize the business (and services) to do more for our customers,” Muhammad said, who wanted to have the option to operate the facility 24/7.

Traction began with the purpose of doing strength and conditioning for professional athletes and as a potential collaborator with AWP Sports Performance, at the time, where Muhammad was the director of athletic development and a wide-receiver specialist trainer.  AWP’s (and Traction’s) facility at the Summit, specifically its field-turf, was expansive.  The field-turf is about 7,000 square feet (the building is 10,000 square-feet)...it’s smaller, more intimate by comparison.  “Trainers have to now focus on great service, knowing what to do and doing it right because we don’t have a lot of space,” Muhammad said.  “We have to collectively sharpen up.”  There’s a weight room, a parent gallery, a nutrition room in the back for replenishment after workouts.  There’s a player lounge upstairs to foster social engagement.

In July of this year, Muhammad placed second in Jaylon Smith’s inaugural Minority Entrepreneurship Institute (MEI) competition; he used the funds for the new facility and everything therein.

On Sunday, November 3, 2019, Traction Athletic Performance will hold an open house from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Guided tours and a nice surprise, “something that will honor those who’ve come before us,” Muhammad said, are on the docket.

When AWP dissolved last year, Traction absorbed its high school athletes.  Training for football is still going to be a focus at Traction, like it was at AWP, but Muhammad also plans to delve into untapped markets for development, like training female athletes.  Mentorship, another AWP staple, is also integral to Traction but Muhammad will incorporate sports psychology, as an added benefit, with psychologist Donovan Martin.  “In terms of rewiring, we just put wires in different aspects and go on from there,” Muhammad said.

Michael Ledo, AWP co-founder, first trained Muhammad, a standout wide receiver for the IU Bloomington Hoosiers, as he prepared to enter the NFL Draft; he was eventually invited to the Raiders training camp.  After his stint with pro ball, Muhammad came back to AWP and learned all aspects, from the frontline to the back office, of the performance business.  He was a performance coach, then a skills coach, then into a leadership position for AWP’s 7-on-7 team and eventually carried the title of director. “Mike helped me understand entrepreneurship,” he said.  He was able to define entrepreneurship for himself.  “To me it’s not just starting a company but it’s programming, being able to work with athletes, providing a service to help me build a brand.”

Dre Muhammad, Traction Athletic Performance

216 Marciel Drive

Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Phone: 260.739.3059

Website: TractionAP.com