Train like an athlete.Become one.
I'm Martin Kovács, a strength and conditioning coach and performance coach with a background in sport science.
Coaching was almost a straight line for me. My grandfather was my role model as a child — he worked as a coach himself, and his approach is the foundation of how I think about this profession today. Later I had coaches of my own who shaped me, and sport science drew me in more and more. I've always liked getting the most out of myself and out of the people around me — for me coaching isn't only about developing performance, it's about having a positive effect on the people I work with.
My coaching has been shaped just as fundamentally by the practical experience of the last few years as by my studies. I've worked in elite senior water polo for seven years, and in that time I've been alongside the team in the Champions League, in international cups and in a number of domestic league and cup finals. Alongside that I work with professional referees in football, with a women's first-division and a men's second-division team in basketball, and currently in an academy environment as well. Experience across different sports, performance levels and competitive situations has given me a great deal in how I think about developing athletes today.
Learning never ends for me either. I've earned two Master's degrees, completed a number of Hungarian and international courses, and I keep looking for the opportunities that will make me a better coach.
Credibility also means not just talking in theory about the methods I prescribe to my athletes. I train in a way that tests different training methods, systems and new approaches on myself. It matters to me that I go through the process I take my athletes through — its difficulties, its challenges and its rewards. That helps me get better professionally, and makes me more credible in front of the people I work with, and in front of myself.
If you work with me, I have one goal: to get the most out of you that I professionally can. There's no template with me and no guesswork — every program is built from where you are now, your sport and your goals.
- MSc — Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education and Health Promotion
- MSc — Sport Performance Analysis
- Strength & conditioning coach — elite water polo team and basketball academy, 7 years
- Work with Olympic athletes, FIFA referees and other professional athletes
RESEARCH
Heart Rate Variability & Athlete Anxiety
Co-authored with the Hungarian University of Sports Science, this peer-reviewed study examines how heart-rate variability relates to anxiety and emotional self-regulation in competitive athletes — the same data-driven approach behind every program at KM Performance.
Horvath E., Kovacs M.T., Tóth D., Tóth L. (2022). A study of the relationship between anxiety, cognitive emotion regulation and heart rate variability in athletes. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 22(2), 528–534.
Read the study (PDF)On the job
Results
What athletes say about working with me
Martin Bálint
3× kickboxing world champion, European Games champion
I really enjoy working with him, because I feel progress at every session, and the training is always consciously planned. I've made big gains in strength, explosiveness, and my attitude toward training. What's also outstanding is that he always makes sure the session is adapted to my current condition and goals. If I had to highlight one thing, it would be his professional knowledge, his precision, and how genuinely he pays attention to the person.
Bendegúz Ekler
Hungarian national team squad, professional water polo player
The conditioning sessions are professionally and systematically structured, matched to whatever phase of the season we're in. Personally, I made my biggest gains in two areas: explosiveness and muscle mass. What meant a lot to me is that whatever injury or issue came up, I always got help with it. On top of that, the sessions are varied, which has always been an important factor for me.
Gergely Szépfalvi
Hungarian national team squad, professional water polo player
When I started working with Martin, I couldn't even squat properly, and I had pain everywhere. He built me back up completely from the basics, and treated me as a partner in the process the whole way through.
