back in the lab with Kate Martin one of the newest members of the Golden State Valkyrie and now repp in my hometown State start the morning off with some competitive sparring working on our change of pace level Direction trying to tap each other's elbow this is awesome way to get warmed up remember Kate Martin the Iowa Legend Who barely saw Court time with the Las Vegas Aces well she's about to shock the basketball World from benchwarmer to potential star Martin's transformation with the Golden State Valkyries is nothing short of extraordinary continuing with that competition we
chased after some tennis balls but this time with a curved run around the ark yes I had to hop in the mechs cuz what competition without someone else to compete against in this exclusive footage we're taking you inside Kate's intense offseason training right after she's moved to San Francisco you won't believe the crazy drill she's doing to level up her game with her trainer are you ready to see how Caitlyn Clark's BFF is preparing to dominate the WNBA by the end of this video you'll hear Kate's thoughts about her new role and what her coach
really thinks about Golden State Kate are you ready let's go back with the legend herself Kate Martin started off with some ball handling and some lateral change of Direction with the Frisbee and then introduce some competitive balloon change of Direction balloons are absolutely great you get really competitive you try really hard the balloon moves so makes the movement really variable and it trains exactly what we want Kate Martin's rookie season with the Las Vegas Aces was a roller coaster ride of emotions when the aces selected her in the second round of the draft Kate was
over the moon she couldn't believe she'd be playing alongside some of the biggest names in women's basketball especially when she went to draft night primarily to support her best friend Caitlyn Clark the future looked bright and Kate was ready to make her mark on the WNBA looking at the mock drafts online and just seeing you know if my name was you know in the conversation at all and I didn't have an agent at the time so I was kind of in the dark and I was just talking to my coaches at Iowa asking like have
you heard anything you know like what's going on but as the season unfolded things didn't quite go as planned at first Kate found herself with a solid Roll Off the Bench she was getting decent minutes often playing double digits in the first half of the Season fans started to take notice and her teammates even gave her the nickname money Martin for her Knack of being in the right place at the right time however as the weeks went by Kate's playing time began to dwindle what started as a promising rookie campaign slowly turned into a frustrating
experience in the latter half of the Season her minutes dropped dramatically some games she'd barely see 5 minutes on the court even worse there were five games where she didn't play at all cuz I know a lot of fans online just wanted to see her away from the aces cuz they don't really like the aces just when you're looking at the playing time and the Personnel on that team and the role that Kate Martin had and where she fell in the pecking order It's A Hard Sell picture this you're a rookie on a championship caliber
team surrounded by seasoned veterans you're working your tail off in practice showing Hustle and dedication every single day your teammates are praising your work ethic and how well you fit in with the team but when game time rolls around you're stuck on the bench watching as others get the chance to shine I feel sad that Kate Martin also hasn't gotten as much playing time the second half of the season I feel like she deserves more or maybe she deserves a different team but here's where it gets interesting despite the lack of playing time Kate never
lost her drive she continued to push herself in practice impressing her teammates and coaches with her determination it was clear to everyone around her that Kate had untapped potential just waiting to be Unleashed moving on to the Las Vegas Aces another big storyline in this draft was that Kate Martin was drafted to the Golden State Valkyries then came the expansion draft and with it a golden opportunity for Kate Martin the Golden State Valkyries saw what the aces couldn't a hardworking talented player ready to take on a bigger role suddenly Kate's mindset shifted she was no
longer just a role player on a St team now she had the chance to become a star in her own right as Kate prepares for her new chapter with the Valkyries one thing's for sure she's not taking this opportunity lightly the benchwarmer days are behind her and a new Kate Martin is ready to take the WNBA by storm are you ready to see what she can do when given the chance to shine then we did some Sprint accelerations with the Frisbee offseason is long and training can get redundant so playing games like this keeps things
fresh fun and engaging then we did some more traditional skill work working on a step back and shooting off the Moon move before getting into some competitive one-on-one we are working on expanding our scoring package you might think you know what it takes to become a WNBA star think again Kate Martin's offseason training regimen is about to challenge everything you thought you knew about basketball preparation are you ready to see the science behind her transformation another awesome but intense Training Day with Kate Martin so we start off in the morning with some ball handling working
on Rhythm footwork and timing when you work on a lot of these drills it's not just about doing the move correctly but it's about feeling the movement we often do the drill film the drill review the drill and make sure we're all on the same page as how the drill should be done when Kate landed in San Francisco she knew she had to prove herself no more riding the bench no more watching from the sidelines this was her chance to show the world what she could do but completely overhauling her game that's easier said than
done enter Maxwell sharo Kate's trainer and The Mastermind behind her intense offseason program schm maro's philosophy no wasted time very focused and a mindset with the intent to learn and get better and boy did Kate take that to heart where we got into the basement and did some heavy bag contact prep some heavy lifting with the squad bar we like to use specialty equipment to make these lifts a little bit more comfortable allowing us to go heavier then we just explosive jump work measuring the velocities of each jump monitoring our fatigue moving fast to complement
our heavier previous squat work let's break down some of the crazy drills Kate's been doing first up the balloon drill picture Kate in the gym tapping a balloon while twisting and turning her body sounds simple right wrong this drill is all about enhancing coordination and body control sharo explains that it introduces variability and movement which is crucial for developing skills that translate to onc court performance but that's just the beginning Kate's not just working on her finesse she's building raw power too y then in the wait room we got after it with some power workor
doing some trap bar shrug PES working on being explosive through a vertical pattern and worked on some upper body strengthening before calling it a day heavy lifting and explosive jump training are now Staples in her routine we're talking trap bar shrugs and heavy squats that would make even seasoned weightlifters break a sweat why because sharo knows that expressing strength explosively is vital for game day performance now let's talk about Kate's shooting she's not just standing still and taking shots then we did this really fun competitive two cone shooting drill so basically the two cones are
set up a basketball in each one you can run to either cone grab it shoot it try and get a bucket and go after the other one then some contested shooting and some more tradition skill work before heading to the weight room hey yo tough little step back three-pointer no she's working on shooting off the move and contested shooting these drills are designed to refine her technique and improve her ability to create space on the court and the results well let's just say her speed and precision have gone through the roof then we did this
super competitive Chase shooting drill you the defender and a cone and it's up to you to get open and create some space and go get a bucket super happy with the speed she's moving on some of these shots able to decelerate control her body quickly release that ball oh go get a bucket and yes I had a hop in the mix too but here's where it gets really interesting remember how Kate struggled to find her place on the AC's stacked roster well those days are long gone coach Natalie Nas of the Golden State Valkyries sees
something special in Kate she believes that with Kate's incredible work ethic the limits are endless that's some High Praise from a coach who's seen it all if you've made it this far and are enjoying the video don't forget to like subscribe and turn turn on all notifications we know watching this video takes some of your time and we appreciate you now back to the action we ended it with some intense jumping we don't try and jump necessarily to dunk a basketball even though Kate Martin got up that Rim four times in a row we jump
because it's a great way to build explosive legs then we went to the legendary basement sports science lab we saved the heavy lifting for the end of the day yes it's pretty intense we got some heavy RDL work another amazing week of getting better in the books so what's the payoff of all this hard work brace yourselves because this is where things get wild remember how we mentioned explosive jump training well there's a video of Kate touching the rim not once not twice but four times in a row that's the kind of vertical leap that
can change a player's entire game the anticipation is building fans analysts and even other players are starting to take notice everyone's wondering how will Kate's offseason transformation translate to onc court performance will this be the Breakout season we've all been waiting for as we count down the days to Kate's debut with the Valkyries one thing's for sure she's not the same player who rode the bench in Las Vegas this is a new Kate Martin Stronger Faster more skilled and ready to take on the WNBA Kate Martin is a fan favorite and even though she didn't
play too many minutes with the aces last season everyone loves Kate and there was an uproar on Twitter when she got chosen by the Valkyries but here's the million-dollar question how will all this intense training payoff when the bright lights are on and the game is on the line will Kate's balloon drills and heavy squats translate into game-winning plays or will the pressure of being a franchise Cornerstone be too much to handle one thing's for certain Kate Martin is no longer content with being just another player on the roster she's put in the work pushed
her limits and transformed her game from the ground up now it's time to see if she can transform from benchwarmer to basketball star the stage is set the training is done and the WNBA is about to meet the new and roved Kate Martin are you ready for the show I am happy to see Kate go to Golden State however because she definitely needs to be a part of a growing team maybe not an already established one and there are so many great things about Kate's game and it seems like she's just a hard worker at
that and she is willing to step into any role that she needs to play on whatever team that will be so I think that she'll do great next season hopefully get more minutes and start finding her own as a player in the WNBA k Martin's arrival in San Francisco marks the start of an exciting new chapter the Golden State Valkyries see her as more than just another player they're betting big on her potential to become a franchise Cornerstone it's a huge leap from her days warming the bench in Las Vegas and the pressure is on
can Kate step up and become the star the Valkyries Envision coach Natalie Nas has big plans for Kate's development she's not just looking at Kate's on court skills but her leadership potential too Nas sees something special in Kate praising her eagerness to learn and improve she's always asking questions about how to get better nassi says that's exactly what you want to see in a player coach nass is somebody you're going to want to run through a brick wall for uh she's a truth tell she's going to be honest with you but she matches that with
love and support 100% so those are the kind of coaches that you just want to give your all for and I'm super grateful that we had to we got to build a relationship in Las Vegas and we get to continue that in uh San Francisco the are building their team culture from the ground up and they see Kate as a key piece of that puzzle they're not just looking for a player who can score points they want someone who can embody the team's values and Inspire her teammates it's a tall order but Kate seems ready
for the challenge I'm really excited um you know this league is all about opportunity and you know you just need one shot right and I am very thankful for the Aces and everything I got to learn there but I'm really excited for this new beginning and to build something from the ground up here with the vyes when asked about her new role Kate's excitement is palpable I'm thrilled to be here in San Francisco she says the Valkyries have given me an incredible opportunity and I'm going to give it everything I've got but there's a hint
of nerves in her voice too after all going from a bench player to a potential star is no small feat let me talk about Kate Martin first of all Natalina has experienced in the NBA she has experienced in a championship WNBA team what's important Corner threes that is where Kate Martin thrived this past season 38% on Corner three specifically that floor spacing ability that Kate Martin's gonna bring it Kate's impact on the valkyrie's play style could be gamechanging her ability to stretch the floor with her shooting opens up new possibilities for the team's offense as
the countdown to Kate's valkyrie's debut Begins the anticipation is building fans are excited teammates are inspired and Kate herself is ready to prove that she belongs in the spotlight her journey from underutilized Rookie to potential franchise player is about to face its biggest test yet the WNBA is a tough League and expansion teams often struggle in their first season but with Kate Martin leading the charge the Golden State Valkyries might just surprise everyone will Kate rise to the occasion and become the star the Valkyries believe she can be the basketball world is watching and we're
about to find out my focus has just been getting better I mean all around like um I had a decent rookie season but I just know something that's really cool about me is that my ceiling is very high so I have a lot of room to grow um always working on my my shot always working on being quicker but really uh being able to handle the ball a little bit more and um freedom of my feet and defense uh you know I know coach nass hangs her hat on defense and um I want to be
able to be somebody who can you know beat lock down the number one number two option on the other teams Kate Martin and Caitlyn Clark's chemistry at Iowa was something special these two weren't just teammates they were a dynamic duo that lit up the court every time they played their friendship off the court was just is strong and it showed in their game Kate averaged 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in their final season together perfectly complimenting Caitlyn's scoring prowess but now they're facing a new challenge it's a big change but it might be
just what Kate needs to step into a leadership role her time at Iowa prepared her for this moment teaching her how to support and Elevate her teammates even with the distance their bond remained strong when Kate joined the Valkyries Caitlyn was quick to show her support she posted on instagam let's go kater it's clear these two are still in each other's Corners no matter what Jersey they're wearing Caitlyn Clark also showed her support um on her Instagram story let's go kater um with a message there as she shared the the post about Kate going to
the Valkyries and it just seemed that Kate and everyone around her was enthus as Kate starts her journey with the Valkyries she's not just bringing her skills she's bringing the leadership and teamwork she learned at Iowa with Caitlyn's unwavering support and her own determination Kate's ready to make her mark on the WNBA the Iowa Legacy lives on and we can't wait to see what Kate does next there's a certain like ability to Kate it'll be interesting to see though like how she backs it up with her play you know what can she do with a
bigger role with more responsibility with more pressure in a sense Kate Martin's Journey from Underdog to potential WNBA star is nothing short of remarkable she's gone from warming the bench in Las Vegas to being the face of a franchise in San Francisco the stage is set for what could be an incredible breakout season with the Golden State Valkyries picture this Kate once overlooked now stepping onto the court as a key player for her team her offseason transformation has turned heads and the basketball world is taking notice as Kate herself put it this league is all
about opportunity and you know you just need one shot right well Kate's got her shot now and she's not wasting it the numbers don't Kate's 38% shooting rate from the corner 3 during her rookie season hints at untapped potential now with increased playing time and a bigger role who knows what records she might set one thing's for sure Kate Martin's determination and work ethic might just change the game the WNBA better watch out because Golden State Kate is coming are you excited let us know in the comments like subscribe and turn on all notifications so
you never miss out click the video on the screen and we will see you in the next one