Arkansas Sports Performance Center.

Owners: Matt Thornton, Steve Longinotti, B.J. Maack

Address: 8907 Kanis Road, Suite 400, Little Rock 72205

Phone: [phone]

Hours: 4-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Startup: June 12

Web site: www.arsportsperformance.com

For athletes, performance is everything. They train constantly to jump higher, run faster or throw farther. Arkansas Sports Performance Center in Little Rock challenges athletes young and old to exceed their previous personal records--no matter the sport or the ability.

Since opening the center in June, physical therapists Matt Thornton and Steve Longinotti and certified athletic trainer B.J. Maack have helped more than 60 athletes. Most of these athletes have opted to undergo six weeks of training, where their balance and agility is tested, muscles strengthened and speed increased.

Performance Center clients have been known to increase their jumping heights by an average of four inches and fast pitch by four miles an hour.

Many clients experience decreased recovery times after events--allowing them to run nearly as fast at the end of the game as they did in the first part. They also sustain fewer injuries during competition and practice as a result of their time at ASPC, Thornton said.

Clients who opt for the six- to eight-week course will pay $395, which includes personalized training three days a week on treadmills, with resistance cords and footwork drills.

"We think we can give athletes an edge during competition," Thornton said.

The Performance Center is a member of the Frappier Acceleration Sports Training Network of Fargo, N.D., and currently leases 1,500 SF from Martin Bowen & Hefley Knee and Sports on Kanis Road, where the three owners also work full time.