Muncie native Eric Van Matre has been immersed in fitness his entire life. A three-sport athlete in cross-country, basketball and baseball, he was two days shy of signing a contract to play minor league baseball when he blew out his elbow throwing a football with friends. He hadn’t properly warmed up. That injury led him to pursue a master’s degree in sports performance from Ball State University.
“I thought, ‘Man, if I could have learned to train in more of this athletic style at a younger age, where might I have ended up?’” Van Matre said.
After graduate school, he hoped to become a collegiate strength and conditioning coach but instead ran a private sports performance facility in Dayton, Ohio, working primarily with middle and high school athletes.
“I fell in love with it because I essentially got to build an athlete, starting with the foundation,” he said.
In 2018, Van Matre returned to Muncie and connected with the owner of The Arsenal, a performance fitness facility downtown. Home to Muncie CrossFit, it also includes Arsenal Sports Performance, a program for youth aged 10 and older that helps athletes build confidence and reach their full potential through cutting-edge, science-backed training. Van Matre said 10 is the starting age to ensure athletes have the attention span and maturity to focus properly.
The program offers three core pathways to athletic excellence, each aimed at improving coordination, increasing joint and tissue durability, and boosting strength and power. The first pathway is one-on-one, sport-specific personal training. The second is a semi-private group session for three to six athletes. The third is a general sports performance class, with four to 25 kids per session and a coach-to-athlete ratio of 1 to 10.
“You earn your way through the program,” said Van Matre, head performance coach at The Arsenal. “Every athlete, whether they’re 10 or 18, must go through our foundations progression. That means they learn to use kettlebells, dumbbells and body weight exercises before progressing to barbells.”
Athletes move up as they meet range-of-motion and strength standards. The journey may take months or years depending on age and development. For example, a 10-year-old and a 16-year-old vary greatly hormonally.
“The big thing with young athletes is skill acquisition and motor control development,” Van Matre said. “If they master that early, when hormones kick in, training becomes fun. A strong foundation lets hormones enhance progress.”
New athletes begin with an assessment, during which Van Matre asks them to identify two physical and two mental goals. One 13-year-old wrestler, for instance, admitted to losing confidence when facing higher-ranked opponents. His mental goal became improving confidence on the mat.
“Kids often don’t realize they can achieve something by sticking with a long-term goal,” Van Matre said. “They don’t yet see how doing hard things pays off.”
The program is unlimited; athletes can attend as often as they wish. However, Van Matre requires at least two sessions per week for progress.
“At the youth level, people focus on physical performance,” Van Matre said. “But teaching kids how to follow a process, create goals and pursue them is key.”
Christopher Finke, who went on to play in the NFL, trained with Van Matre.
“A group of high school teammates and I trained with Eric for an offseason,” Finke said. “We all dreamed of a state title and college football. Each day was challenging, focused and fun. He taught me the technique to build strength and quickness for the field, which led to my best season and a walk-on offer from Notre Dame.
“I owe the strength of my body, my friendships and the ability to chase big dreams to Eric.”
The Arsenal Fitness is located at 210 E. Centennial Ave., Muncie, IN 47303. For more information, call 765-748-4936 or visit arsenalfitness.com.
