About High Demand Training Academy

Coach Rod is a respected leader, mentor, and game-changer in the world of athletic development and youth transformation. With a legacy built on discipline, grit, and faith, Coach Rod has dedicated his life to training champions, not just for sports, but for life.

A former standout athlete and a relentless competitor, Coach Rod shares deep roots with longtime friend and former teammate Rod Gates, a connection forged in locker rooms, late-night practices, and high-pressure moments that shaped them both. Their bond, built on trust and a shared standard of excellence, continues to influence how Coach Rod leads with loyalty, purpose, and a drive to bring out the best in every young athlete he trains.

Coach Rod’s career is marked by real results:
✔ Developed countless athletes from raw potential to college-ready recruits
✔ Built programs rooted in structure, accountability, and high performance
✔ Known for his sharp eye for talent, mental toughness training, and faith-centered approach

As the visionary behind High Demand Training Academy, Coach Rod created more than just a program he birthed a movement. A movement where passion meets preparation, where athletes don’t just train for a game, they train for legacy.

He believes in building the whole person, mind, body, and spirit and refuses to let young people settle for average when greatness is within reach.

Whether coaching on the field, mentoring off the clock, or speaking life into the next generation.

Coach Rod is proof that real leadership leaves a mark not just on trophies, yet on lives.

Coach Tarick “Tank” Miller is a passionate motivator, respected mentor, and dynamic multi-sport coach with a powerful presence both on and off the field. Currently serving as an Assistant Football and Basketball Coach at Mundy’s Mill High School in Jonesboro, GA, Coach Tank is more than a coach he’s a builder of champions, character, and future leaders.

With a background as a collegiate tennis player at Johnson C. Smith University, where he studied Sport Management, Coach Tank brings discipline, drive, and strategy to every program he touches. His athletic journey, combined with his academic foundation, fuels his mission to develop well-rounded athletes who excel in competition, classroom, and character.

A relentless advocate for young athletes, Coach Tank is known for his hands-on recruiting support, helping players gain exposure and opportunities at the next level. Whether on the sidelines or behind the scenes, his voice, vision, and values leave a lasting impact.

As a face behind High Demand Training, Coach Tank takes personal responsibility in raising the bar not just for performance, but for life. His coaching philosophy is rooted in faith, structure, and transformation. With over a decade of mentoring youth, his commitment goes beyond the game, he’s here to make sure no one gets left behind.

Driven. Disciplined. Demanding Excellence. 

That’s Coach Tank.

Coach Smith is the quiet storm behind the power of High Demand Training Academy a seasoned coach, devoted father, and pillar of strength with over 30 years of certified experience in sports training, youth development, and character building.

A true student of the game and master of fundamentals, Coach Smith has trained, mentored, and inspired athletes across generations. From coaching championship teams to developing everyday discipline in young men and women, his legacy is written in lives changed, not just wins recorded.

What sets Coach Smith apart is his ability to see what others overlook: the potential buried beneath pain, the greatness hiding behind inconsistency, the purpose waiting to be unlocked. His voice carries weight, his wisdom brings peace, and his methods work because they’re built on experience, faith, and real love for the game and its people.

As the father of Coach Rod, the dynamic duo of High Demand represents the best of two worlds: the legacy of the old school and the energy of the new generation. Together, they’re proving what it means when Scripture says: "One generation shall praise Your works to another." (Psalm 145:4)

At HDTA, Coach Smith is more than a coach he’s the foundation. The calm in the storm. The proof that longevity, loyalty, and love still win.

Coach Smith doesn’t just build athletes he builds men, women, and warriors.

 Essie Smith is the kind of woman whose presence changes rooms not because she demands attention, but because she carries a grace so deep it speaks before she says a word.

Born in Mississippi as one half of the unforgettable James Twins, Essie and Bessie. Essie has always stood out for her tender heart, sharp mind, and spiritual grounding. 

A teacher by nature, a nurse by profession, and a mama bear by calling, Essie has spent her life building, healing, and fiercely protecting what matters most.

For over 30 years, she served as a nurse, not just tending to the physical needs of others, but ministering to their spirits with her compassion, her prayers, and her God-given intuition. To be cared for by Mama Essie is to be truly seen. Her patients didn’t just recover, they left better because they were loved through it.

Her influence doesn’t stop there.

She’s the rock of her family, the voice of reason in chaos, the hand that holds everything together behind the scenes. She is the faithful wife to Coach Patrick Smith, and the proud mother of Rodney Smith, whose journey through the heights of NFL and CFL success could never outshine the light that raised him.

And through all the travel, the headlines, the accolades, and the expectations, Essie has remained grounded, gentle, and gracefully strong. It takes more than pride to be the mother of a public figure. It takes prayer, endurance, humility, and a deep knowing of who you are in God. She has walked it all with quiet dignity, never seeking a spotlight, yet always being the light in the room.

To know her is to experience warmth, wisdom, and unwavering love. She will speak life into you, cover you in prayer, correct you with kindness, and remind you of who you are when the world tries to make you forget. She’s the kind of woman that makes you feel safe enough to be real, and strong enough to stand back up.

Essie Smith is not just a nurse, not just a mother, not just a wife she’s a walking ministry. 

A woman of still waters and unshakable strength. 

A woman who has loved hard, served long, and stood tall through storms most people never see.

She doesn’t just carry strength.
She is strength.

Nurse. Wife. Mother. Coach. Queen. Warrior