More About Your Featured Coaches

Spring 2026 | Agility Kickoff

This spring edition of Agility Kickoff brings together three exceptional international agility judges & coaches who each bring a unique philosophy, style, and competitive experience to the program.

From world-class competition experience to innovative training systems, Grace Heck, Roman Lukac, and Thora Van Der Stock will guide you through three months of learning designed to elevate both handler and dog performance.

Each coach offers a different perspective on agility training, allowing participants to gain insight into multiple high-level systems and approaches used across the world today.

Grace Heck

Grace Heck is a highly respected agility competitor and instructor known for her thoughtful approach to training and strong emphasis on clarity between dog and handler.

Through her training platform and seminars, Grace focuses on building confident, connected teams that can handle modern international-style courses. Her approach blends technical understanding with strong relationship-based training, helping handlers develop dogs that can perform with speed, understanding, and commitment.

Grace brings a wealth of competitive experience and a clear ability to break down complex concepts into practical training steps that handlers can immediately apply.

Roman Lukac

Roman Lukac is one of the top agility competitors from Slovakia and a member of the Slovak National Agility Team. His performances on the international stage have made him well known for his smooth handling, technical precision, and ability to produce fast, confident dogs.

Roman’s training philosophy emphasizes efficient lines, clarity of handling cues, and developing dogs that can commit and drive forward through modern technical challenges. His experience competing at the highest levels of international agility brings valuable insight into how teams can prepare for today’s demanding courses.

Handlers working with Roman’s material will gain insight into the skills and mindset required for high-level agility performance.

Thora Van Der Stock

Thora Van Der Stock is an internationally recognized agility competitor, coach, and judge known for her energetic teaching style and creative approach to training.

With extensive experience competing and teaching throughout Europe, Thora focuses on developing fast, confident dogs that understand their job and love the game. Her training encourages engagement, motivation, and thoughtful skill development so teams can perform with both speed and control.

Thora’s ability to make complex concepts approachable while keeping training fun and motivating has made her a favorite instructor for many agility teams around the world.

What to Expect in the Spring Edition

Throughout April, May, and June, all three coaches will contribute to the Agility Kickoff experience.

Each month will include:

• Course designs and sequences created by Grace, Roman, and Thora
• Skill development exercises and training concepts from each coach
• Podcast discussions featuring the coaches together
• Individual podcast features highlighting each coach’s philosophy and insights



This format allows participants to experience a blend of international training perspectives every month, giving you a deeper understanding of agility skills, course challenges, and handling strategies.