KC GRIPZ TEAM
TWO FRIENDS, ONE BALLZZZY VISION
KC GRIPZ is the result of nearly two decades of friendship and collaboration between two guys who really know their stuff when it comes to functional training and working with elite athletes. Fitness experts Mike Santini and Ruben Payan, former co-partners in a successful personal training business recognized a void in fitness training and reunited as business partners to fill it.
Mike is a strength and conditioning coach in Scottsdale, Arizona for youth, high school and collegiate athletes.
Ruben is a strength and conditioning coach in Beijing, China and an avid climber and mountaineer.
Both Mike and Ruben recognized that grip strength was being underutilized and often under trained. As passionate industry innovators they discussed possible solutions and training scenarios.
From this, the vision for KC GRIPZ emerged.
Mike is a strength and conditioning coach in Scottsdale, Arizona for youth, high school and collegiate athletes.
Ruben is a strength and conditioning coach in Beijing, China and an avid climber and mountaineer.
Both Mike and Ruben recognized that grip strength was being underutilized and often under trained. As passionate industry innovators they discussed possible solutions and training scenarios.
From this, the vision for KC GRIPZ emerged.
MICHAEL SANTINI
About Mike Santini
Mike is a leader in sports performance training for youth, high school, college and professional athletes in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is a motivational speaker that helps youth athletes overcome their fear of failure, and positively reinforces their ability to succeed. He is now taking on the role for KC GRIPZ, as the company's primary instructor for training the body to prevent injury during sporting activities. Mike has coached the McCormick Ranch Little League Bulls; who under his leadership were the 2012 All Stars District 6 Champions, and finished 3rd in the state against 140 plus Little Leagues. Mike is an outstanding athlete with a very competitive nature! He has taken up Rock Climbing, and Obstacle Course Racing. He was a competitor on season 6 of American Ninja Warriors as an extreme athlete.
RUBEN PAYAN JR.
About Ruben Payan
In addition to climbing seven of the world’s eight highest mountains, Ruben owns an award-winning fitness studio in Beijing, HUMAN IN MOTION, named China’s best by Men’s Health magazine in 2013. Ruben is also a motivational speaker and regularly travels around the world to address audiences as a successful mountaineer, functional training expert and fitness industry innovator. In the spring of 2018 he took on the deadliest and most technically difficult mountain in the world, K2. While he was not able to summit, he plans to conquer the mountain in the near future to complete his mountaineering journey.
NEXT LEVEL ATHLETES
2022
Luke Moeller — University of Arizona — baseball
Riley Valentine — Arizona State University — softball
Ilana Weiss — University of Rochester — softball
Tommy LaPorte — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
Chase Valentine — University of Tennessee — baseball
Andrew Carroll — University of Arizona — baseball
Colin Christensen — Antelope Valley College — baseball
Gavin Smith — University of Arizona — football
Trey Newman — Arizona State University — baseball
Jon Enright — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
Kiilu Davis — Florida A&M University — baseball
CJ Eastwood — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology — football
Sachin Hill -- Friends University -- baseball
Daniel Osborn — Salem University — baseball
Brandon Nacario — Grinnell College — basketball
Collin Riff — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
2021
Wes Kath — Chicago White Sox (2nd Round) -- baseball
Anthony Franklin — Stanford University — football
Brett Picus — Illinois Institute of Technology — baseball
Sabrina Ibsen — Park University — softball
Cayden Collins — Yavapai College — baseball
Mitch Moralez — Utah Valley University — baseball
Ryan Campos — Arizona State University — baseball
James Jaquint — University of San Diego — football
John Lauinger — Oakland University — baseball
Rogan Freeburg — Eastern New Mexico University — football
Damon Ingram — Bellevue College — baseball
Trace Laudenschlager — University of Mary Harden-Baylor - Baseball
Peyton McGregor — Oakland University — baseball
Tyler Farrell — Waldorf University — baseball
Kadden Drew — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Chase Valentine — Central Arizona College— baseball
Jake Alwine — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Dayton Francis — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Isaiah Harris Jr — Nebraska Wesleyan University — football
Morgan Kubicki — Kent State University — lacrosse
Luke Newman — Glendale CC — baseball
Tyler Dorsch — Concordia University Chicago — Baseball
Christian Kirkman — Arizona Christian University — football
Maguire Peterson — University of Kansas — baseball
Tyler Krater — Concordia University Chicago — baseball
Elijah Eynon — Glendale CC — baseball
Garrison Pregulman — Los Angeles Pierce College -- baseball
Michael Riley — Mesa CC — baseball
2020
Griffen Chewning — South Mountain CC — Baseball
Dylan Fesperman — South Mountain CC — Baseball
Jaylan Jeffers — University of Oregon — Football
Spencer Roy — Army (West Point) — Football
Connor Butt — Army (West Point) — Football
Adam Verbalaitis — Northern Arizona University — Football
Sienna Duffill — Rollins College — Lacrosse
Dallas Odle — Cal State University Bakersfield — Soccer
Brock Locnikar — Harvard University — Football
Max Kendall — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Peyton McGregor — College of Southern Nevada — Baseball
Nicholas Fratantoni — Ottawa University — Baseball
Mason Francis — El Paso CC — Baseball
Jake Farrell — University of Hawaii — Football
Austin Pickowicz — Paradise Valley CC — Baseball
Caden Hoffman — Concordia University @ St. Paul — Basketball
Shane Sunday — Army (West Point) — Football
Calvin Schapira — Purdue University — Baseball
Matt Leonard — Lake Forest College — Football
Amayah Kirkman — Azusa Pacific University — Basketball
Greg Bozinovich — Gateway CC — Baseball
Nolan McLane — Gonzaga University — Baseball
2019
Jake Smith — University of Texas — Football
Clay Randall — Air Force University — Football/Baseball
Adam Campbell — Simpson College — Football
Paul Marsillo — Pepperdine University — Baseball
Mason Johnson — Emory University — Basketball
Tramaine Brock — Arizona Cardinals — NFL
Nolan Brooks — University of Evansville — Baseball
Jacob Griffin — Ottawa University — Baseball
Trey Newman — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Chris Duran — Ottawa University — Football
Patrick Donovan — Chandler Gilbert CC — Baseball
Carter McCarthy — Stony Brook University — Football
Kj Jarrell — Arizona State University — Football
Stone Matthews — Lake Forest College — Football
Tyler Mead — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Dylan Fesperman — Scottsdale CC — Baseball
Luke Moeller — University of Arizona — baseball
Riley Valentine — Arizona State University — softball
Ilana Weiss — University of Rochester — softball
Tommy LaPorte — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
Chase Valentine — University of Tennessee — baseball
Andrew Carroll — University of Arizona — baseball
Colin Christensen — Antelope Valley College — baseball
Gavin Smith — University of Arizona — football
Trey Newman — Arizona State University — baseball
Jon Enright — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
Kiilu Davis — Florida A&M University — baseball
CJ Eastwood — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology — football
Sachin Hill -- Friends University -- baseball
Daniel Osborn — Salem University — baseball
Brandon Nacario — Grinnell College — basketball
Collin Riff — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball
2021
Wes Kath — Chicago White Sox (2nd Round) -- baseball
Anthony Franklin — Stanford University — football
Brett Picus — Illinois Institute of Technology — baseball
Sabrina Ibsen — Park University — softball
Cayden Collins — Yavapai College — baseball
Mitch Moralez — Utah Valley University — baseball
Ryan Campos — Arizona State University — baseball
James Jaquint — University of San Diego — football
John Lauinger — Oakland University — baseball
Rogan Freeburg — Eastern New Mexico University — football
Damon Ingram — Bellevue College — baseball
Trace Laudenschlager — University of Mary Harden-Baylor - Baseball
Peyton McGregor — Oakland University — baseball
Tyler Farrell — Waldorf University — baseball
Kadden Drew — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Chase Valentine — Central Arizona College— baseball
Jake Alwine — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Dayton Francis — Paradise Valley CC — baseball
Isaiah Harris Jr — Nebraska Wesleyan University — football
Morgan Kubicki — Kent State University — lacrosse
Luke Newman — Glendale CC — baseball
Tyler Dorsch — Concordia University Chicago — Baseball
Christian Kirkman — Arizona Christian University — football
Maguire Peterson — University of Kansas — baseball
Tyler Krater — Concordia University Chicago — baseball
Elijah Eynon — Glendale CC — baseball
Garrison Pregulman — Los Angeles Pierce College -- baseball
Michael Riley — Mesa CC — baseball
2020
Griffen Chewning — South Mountain CC — Baseball
Dylan Fesperman — South Mountain CC — Baseball
Jaylan Jeffers — University of Oregon — Football
Spencer Roy — Army (West Point) — Football
Connor Butt — Army (West Point) — Football
Adam Verbalaitis — Northern Arizona University — Football
Sienna Duffill — Rollins College — Lacrosse
Dallas Odle — Cal State University Bakersfield — Soccer
Brock Locnikar — Harvard University — Football
Max Kendall — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Peyton McGregor — College of Southern Nevada — Baseball
Nicholas Fratantoni — Ottawa University — Baseball
Mason Francis — El Paso CC — Baseball
Jake Farrell — University of Hawaii — Football
Austin Pickowicz — Paradise Valley CC — Baseball
Caden Hoffman — Concordia University @ St. Paul — Basketball
Shane Sunday — Army (West Point) — Football
Calvin Schapira — Purdue University — Baseball
Matt Leonard — Lake Forest College — Football
Amayah Kirkman — Azusa Pacific University — Basketball
Greg Bozinovich — Gateway CC — Baseball
Nolan McLane — Gonzaga University — Baseball
2019
Jake Smith — University of Texas — Football
Clay Randall — Air Force University — Football/Baseball
Adam Campbell — Simpson College — Football
Paul Marsillo — Pepperdine University — Baseball
Mason Johnson — Emory University — Basketball
Tramaine Brock — Arizona Cardinals — NFL
Nolan Brooks — University of Evansville — Baseball
Jacob Griffin — Ottawa University — Baseball
Trey Newman — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Chris Duran — Ottawa University — Football
Patrick Donovan — Chandler Gilbert CC — Baseball
Carter McCarthy — Stony Brook University — Football
Kj Jarrell — Arizona State University — Football
Stone Matthews — Lake Forest College — Football
Tyler Mead — Utah Valley University — Baseball
Dylan Fesperman — Scottsdale CC — Baseball
KC GRIPZ® EST. 2014
KC GRIPZ® LLC. 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YOU BETTER GET A PAIR™ 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
KC GRIPZ® LLC. 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
YOU BETTER GET A PAIR™ 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED