Anthony Hirschman
Co-founder and creator of the Optimal Performance Technology components, Anthony M. Hirschman, M.S., has tested and implemented these systems in ever-evolving forms. His methodology has been utilized by athletes at the highest levels of pro and Olympic sports since the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles through the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The various programs he has developed with his partners have helped some of the most successful American athletes get even better. Among these athletes are the following all-time greats, along with several coaches who also belong in the best-ever category.
For those athletes already retired, Hirschman’s programs improved their overall health…and they returned the favor, allowing him to learn up close what made them the best. The year Hirschman first worked with the athlete is noted in parentheses.
Carl Lewis (1984)
All-Time NBA Career Scoring Champion and winner of 6 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. At the culmination of the 1984-85 NBA season, Abdul-Jabbar led the Los Angeles Lakers to their first NBA Title over the Boston Celtics in nine attempts (dating back to 1959).
For that accomplishment, he was voted NBA Championship Series MVP and also received Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award.
Kareem was the first all-time great athlete who provided a tangible example for Hirschman of what it was like to be able to access the Zone at will. Part of his skill in this area came from his mental training...which was heavily yoga based.
Abdul-Jabbar was known to be an accomplished practitioner of the martial arts, being a student of Bruce Lee’s and Lee’s fight-scene sparring partner in the movie “Game of Death.”
Winner of four gold medals in the Olympics that year. Lewis ended his Olympic career in 1996 with a total of nine gold medals, tied for the most of any track and field athlete in any country in the history of the modern Olympics (dating back to 1896). Voted United States Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated in 1999.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1984)
The live-action sequence above shows Magic Johnson passing the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 1984-85 NBA season.
The shot he makes broke Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Time NBA Scoring Record.
Chamberlain was also a former Hirschman client (in 1996). Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA Career Scoring Record until 2023…38 years after he first broke the record.
Joe Montana (1986)
Four-time Super Bowl Champion and the first three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. His statistics of 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in those four Super Bowl victories are an indicator of his mastery at handling pressure in the biggest of games. He was voted to be the Greatest Quarterback of the 20th Century by both Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press in 1999.
Jack Nicklaus (1987)
Winner of 18 major professional golf championships, the most in history. In 1990, Sports Illustrated designated Nicklaus’ major titles to be the Greatest Career Record Ever for any sport. The same magazine voted Nicklaus in 1999 to be the Greatest Individual Sports Athlete (in golf, tennis, and boxing) of the 20th Century.
Mark Spitz (1990)
Tied with Carl Lewis for the second most gold medals in any sport in Olympic history. In the 1972 Olympics, Spitz won a record seven gold medals and set seven world records in the process. This was a feat unmatched until Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics.
Reggie White (1993)
In 2010, White was voted by the NFL to be the Greatest Defensive Lineman in history on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. Overall, he was ranked number 7 (for any position) out of the top 100.
One could conclude that Reggie White was and is one of the seven greatest players in NFL history, a tremendous honor for the player whose nickname was “The Minister Of Defense.”
Deacon Jones (2000)
Chosen by the NFL in 2010 to be the Third Greatest Defensive Lineman ever, with a ranking of number 15 for any position in the Top 100. Like Joe Montana, Deacon Jones is one of the rare players who was a unanimous selection to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team.
Even the two defensive lineman ranked ahead of Jones in 2010 (Reggie White and Joe Greene) were not unanimous selections to the 100th Anniversary Team in 2019.
Willie Shoemaker (2001)
Voted by the Associated Press in 1999 as being the Greatest Jockey of the 20th Century.
Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races, including four Kentucky Derbies. He still holds the record for being the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby…at age 54.
The photo of Shoemaker and the winning horse, Ferdinand, was taken after his final victory at the Kentucky Derby, an amazing feat since the jockey literally has to steer the almost half-ton horse going 40 plus miles per hour with his body.
The Coaches And Their Colleagues
Hirschman has worked with some of the greatest coaches ever on the Olympic and professional level. Here are a few of them…in this case, NFL head coaches who have won multiple Super Bowls. Also included are people to whom Anthony Hirschman was introduced through these best-ever coaches…some of the great executives, assistant coaches, players, and media personalities in the history of American professional sports.
Tom Flores (1984)
His Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders teams won Super Bowls in 1980 and 1983.
Coach Flores was one of the first major pro or Olympic coaches who recognized the value of Hirschman’s initial program…Circulation Training (described in the next section).
Flores helped to organize and implement Hirschman’s research testing with a member of his team following the Raiders’ last Super Bowl victory in January of 1984. It was his intention to make the best team in the NFL (at the time) even better.
Tom Landry and his Chief Scientist (1984)
His Dallas Cowboys teams were Super Bowl Champions in 1971 and 1977.
Coach Landry introduced Hirschman to the Cowboys’ legendary strength and conditioning coach, Bob Ward…a man credited by the Dallas media (and by Tom Landry himself) as being instrumental in helping build the Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1970s.
Dr. Ward was one of the first coaches to use science as a precision tool to develop both athletic ability and the power of the mind. He became a mentor of Hirschman’s, specifically in the area of speed and mental skills training.
Bill Walsh and a Key Associate (1996)
His San Francisco 49ers teams won Super Bowls in 1981, 1984, and 1988
Hirschman met Coach Walsh in 1996 while attending a private luncheon at the Bel Air Country Club in Los Angeles with Don Klosterman (Super Bowl-winning General Manger of the Baltimore Colts), Joe Namath, and Vin Scully. Walsh, Klosterman, and Scully became mentors for Hirschman, modeling how the best ever in their field think and act…lessons he continues to utilize.
Klosterman, in particular, helped Hirschman by providing ongoing resources and information in terms of “people skills.” These tools are essential in terms of understanding what qualities enable the highest achievers in sports and business to ascend to their lofty positions.
The key is teamwork. For example, it was Don Klosterman who recommended that Coach Walsh bring Steve Young to the 49ers. As General Manager for another team, Klosterman had drafted Young out of college in 1984. By 1986, Young was floundering with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the same year that Joe Montana had back surgery.
Klosterman knew that Steve Young was tremendously talented. He provided Walsh with specific information on how Young could help his team.
The 49ers’ coach took action and traded for Young to back up Montana, which he did for the better part of four seasons.
Steve Young went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer and a 100th Anniversary Team finalist at quarterback. He broke Joe Montana’s Super Bowl record by throwing six touchdown passes in the 49ers’ 1994 Super Bowl victory over the Chargers. This happened, in part, because Don Klosterman knew how Young would fit into Walsh’s offense. He then gave the hot tip to Coach Walsh. That is an example of the best use of human resources (friends looking out for friends). This a rule Klosterman practiced when he was the General Manager for the Los Angeles Rams during the time period when they made their first Super Bowl appearance ever, in 1979 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What goes around comes around. Case-in-point: It was Klosterman’s friend and team doctor for the Rams, Toby Freedman, who recommended that he meet Anthony Hirschman and use his system.
Coaches Landry and Walsh were voted by the NFL in 2019 to be two of the Ten Greatest Coaches in history and were also members of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team. They, as well as Tom Flores, have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Vin Scully (1996)
This chronology is not meant to be all-inclusive. There are significant time gaps in Hirschman’s working with these all-time greats. During these intervals, Hirschman was fortunate to work with some of the most accomplished musicians, entertainment executives, and sports broadcasters of the era, such as the great Vin Scully of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the mid-1990’s.
As previously mentioned in the Gallery Of Champions, a comprehensive listing of OPT’s year-by-year successes can be obtained by accessing the OPT Research Systems PowerPoint. A link and security code to this site are available upon request for qualified persons.
OPT Co-Founders
CHRIS HOFFMANN
Chris’ background includes being a world-class junior level soccer player in Germany, the most dominant country in soccer when Hoffmann was in his teens. Over the years, he has developed many skills, including training the mind to focus effectively and freeing up joints so they can become more mobile.
His specialized techniques have assisted several athletes in a variety of sports win multiple world championships (specifically in figure skating, Major League Baseball, and Chinese pro basketball).
Like Hirschman and Wickline, he knows the mindset of the best athletes because he’s greatly contributed to their success. More specific information about Hoffmann and his services, including video testimonials from some of the athletes he has worked with recently, is available by logging on to his personal website at: athleticstrategies.com
Richard Wickline has been studying the mind and its relationship to peak performance for a half-century. His first major breakthrough came in 1977, where he served as an assistant tennis coach to Jerry Teeguarden. Teeguarden coached Margaret Court of Australia, who became (in 1973) the record holder of the most Grand Slam Singles Titles in tennis history (24). As of mid-2025, she still holds that record….tied with Novak Djokovic.
Teeguarden coached Court in 1970, when she became the first woman ever to win the calendar year Grand Slam.
In 1977, Richard worked as a coach and hitting partner for another of Teeguarden’s athletes, Virginia Wade, who won Wimbledon that year. This triumph became legendary for three reasons:
1. Wade won the tournament on the historic 100th Anniversary of Wimbledon.
2. She remains the last British woman to win that country's (and tennis') most prestigious tournament.
3. Wade beat and dominated the defending champion, Chris Evert, 6-1 in the third set of the semifinals. Richard was part of strategic discussions with Coach Teeguarden and the victorious Ms. Wade about how to take down the seemingly invincible Evert.
From there, Wickline rose through the ranks as his tennis journey unfolded, conducting annual clinics at the largest tournament in Los Angeles in the 1980s and '90s for Jack Kramer. Kramer, founder of the men's professional tennis tour in the 1950s, also won three Grand Slam Singles Tournaments himself. He was another highly knowledgeable person for Richard to learn from. This seeking out the best minds in his sport became what propelled Wickline’s growth into the expert he is today.
RICHARD WICKLINE
Richard studied extensively with Tim Gallwey, creator of the concept and books "The Inner Game of Tennis” and "The Inner Game of Golf.” As a result of this direct interaction in the late 1970’s, Richard trained and certified "Inner Game" instructors from all over the world.
Tim Gallwey was Pete Carroll's mentor from Carroll's college days in the mid-1970s to his successes with USC football and the Seattle Seahawks. There's even whole chapter about Gallwey in Carroll's definitive book, "Winning Forever," called "The Inner Game of Football.” Pete Carroll was voted by the NFL to their 2010 All-Decade team along with just one other coach…six-time Super Bowl Champion, Bill Belichick. Coach Carroll remains one of only three head coaches to have won both an NCAA title and a Super Bowl. Gallwey clearly made his impact on Pete Carroll...and on Richard Wickline.
Wickline has collaborated with Anthony Hirschman since 2011, specifically with Vernon Davis, Stephon Marbury, and Helen Maroulis.
They also worked with Kyla Ross, a 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist in team gymnastics. The media dubbed this team the “Fierce Five.” Kyla was convinced by the pair of researchers to aspire to become the "Nadia Comeneci" of her sport (the best ever). She almost got there, finishing second in the all-around competition to Simone Biles at the 2013 World Championships in China. Ross actually beat Biles on the balance beam, and was leading going into the final event of the all-around competition (the floor exercise)...where Biles won due to a greater degree of difficulty. Ross finished second in the all-around.
Since Simone Biles has won 8 World Titles (2 Olympics and 6 World Championships)...her record exceeds by one that of Tom Brady (who won 7 Super Bowls) and two over Michael Jordan (with 6 NBA Titles). 2013 was a historic run for Anthony's and Richard's client, Kyla Ross…who at the age of 16, seriously challenged Simone. Biles eventually became the unquestioned GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in women's gymnastics.
On July 16, 2025, Biles won the ESPY for Best Championship Performance. The other nominees were Rory McIlroy for joining golf’s Career Grand Slam Club, Freddie Freeman (Dodgers World Series MVP vs. the Yankees), and Steph Curry (2024 Olympic Champion and U.S. team leader).
According to the ESPN voters, Biles’ victory was more significant than all the others. She won the all-around gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 11 full years after she won her first World Championship.
Biles' chief rival way back when was Kyla Ross...who almost dethroned the GOAT before she ever got started. Hirschman and Wickline didn't begin working with Ross until just after the 2012 London Olympics...where Kyla won a gold medal competing for the victorious Team U.S.A. Had the two researchers had more time to prepare Ross, she could have stopped the future GOAT before she even started.
