Kelly Johnson and Blaine Boyer of the Atlanta Braves are about to find out if their offseason training regime at Rapid Sports Performance in Woodstock will pay dividends.

Johnson and Boyer, who both missed the 2006 season due to injuries, are back at work in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., home of the Braves' spring training camp. Johnson is expected to battle Martin Prado for the Braves' starting second baseman position. Boyer hopes to earn a spot on the a professional baseball player, you are pretty much on your own during the offseason when it comes to staying in shape," Johnson said. "For me, personally, I never had a performance trainer or a workout routine."

That was until Boyer introduced him to Rapid Sports Performance, located near the corner of Trickum Road and Ga. 92. The Braves' reliever, whose fastball has been clocked at more than 90 mph, wanted to work on his balance and stability.

"We want Blaine to be pitching from April to October," said Joe Elam, Rapid's corrective exercise specialist.

"Until Blaine told me about this place, I had no intention of working out before the season started," the 25-year-old Johnson said.

But that mind-set changed once he met with Mike Berenger, Rapid's founder and director of training.

Johnson thus joined his teammate and athletes of various ages and abilities who have benefited from Berenger's tutelage, his association with the Braves and the amenities that his facility offers.

Everything is enclosed within a two-story, 12,000-square-foot, red-brick building.

Once the glass doors open, rock music permeates the exercise haven, which includes the following: Hitting and pitching lanes, a 200-foot hard-rubber sprint lane and computerized training equipment. All of it is used to enhance an athlete's performance — professional and amateur alike.

Berenger located in Woodstock because of its close proximity to area high schools.

"You have Kell, Lassiter, Roswell, Sequoyah and Woodstock to name a few," he said. "Training for athletes starts at 9 years old. We have been able to improve the performance of young athletes in a safe environment and in an effective manner."

Berenger's commitment to performance training started while he was a power systems engineer at Lucent Technologies.

"I was there for almost six years when I opted to get laid off," Berenger said. "Subsequently, I received a severance package and used it to invest in my new venture."

After a year of operating out of the back seat of his 2001 Lexus IS300, he met his business partner, Glenn Osborne.

"Glenn has given me the opportunity to turn a dream into a successful business," he said. "Our growth has been phenomenal."

Braves connection

Berenger's association with the Braves began with a chance meeting in 2001 with Braves scout Al Goetz.

"Perseverance paid off," Berenger said. "I kept calling Al because I wanted to tell him how I could help the Braves."

Eventually, Berenger connected with Roy Clark, the Braves' director of scouting. Clark invited Berenger to the team's Instructional League and spring training camp last year after Clark's son, Justin, trained at Rapid.

In working with Johnson, who is coming off shoulder surgery, Berenger's goal was to improve his speed, strength and flexibility.

"Kelly was very tight through his hips," he said. "Because of that, one of our goals was to increase his hip mobility that would allow him to comfortably stay down on ground balls."

In addition to Johnson's flexibility, playing second base also means improving footwork with ladder drills, and increasing range with countless speed and agility drills.

"If he wants to be the Braves' starting second baseman, his range and his footwork around the bag have to improve," Berenger said. "If he wants to be a leadoff hitter, he has to be explosive coming out of the box."

Along with Johnson and Boyer, other professional athletes who have sought out Rapid Performance include Tyler Flowers, a Blessed Trinity graduate and a catcher in the Braves organization; Cedric Hunter, outfielder, San Diego Padres; Andrew Pinckney (third baseman) and Chuck Jeroloman (shortstop), Boston Red Sox; Brian Jeroloman, catcher, Toronto Blue Jays; and Tyler Meigs, pitcher, Independent League.

Contributed by the AJC