The Art

Set CLEAR expectations on day 1
Open communication
Positive approach
Achieve athlete trust
- - Be the athlete support system
  - Make time for your athletes outside of "weight room" lifts
  - Answer any questions they may have, when you don't know the answer be honest, tell them you are unsure but will look into it and get back to them

Verbal Communication

External cues have been scientifically proven to be more effective than internal cues. However all athletes are different and learn from different approaches. Try and gauge which cues allow for the most response. As a coach it is important to keep things simple as possible to avoid too much thought process. Most athletes care about HOW to get there and not the WHY

External Coaching Cues
- - "Push the floor away from you"
  - "Jump and touch the ceiling"
  - "Blow out your birthday candles"
  - "Smell the flowers"
  - "Break the bar"
  - "Stand tall like you're going to be measured"

Internal Coaching Cues
- - "Externally rotate your hips"
  - "Extend your leg behind you"
  - "Activate your glutes"
  - "Exhale your ribs down"
  - "Move your elbows lower"
  - "Engage your lats"
  - "Shoulders back, chest out"

Risk vs. Reward

Every single decision a strength and conditioning coach makes should surround the basis of risk versus reward. Am I getting the biggest bang for my buck? Here are a few of countless examples;

Do I need the athletes to squat over 2.5x their body weight? Probably not.
Are your athletes able to perform movements properly? Can they reach their end positions easily? Will you encourage the development of poor movement patterns by doing a specific workout with poor movement quality? Poor mobility plus high volume workouts can be bad news.
How are your athletes performing lately? A lack of progress can mean they are close to needing more recovery. A decline in performance means they will likely need recovery in the very near future.
Is it worth taking the time to do Ober's Test or Craig's Test with the whole hockey team to find out the majority of players have some type of hockey hip impingement? Or use that time to put hockey correctives in the program and train?

Coaching Expectations

Weight Room Expectations

Mandatory attendance for all athletes

- - Unless alerted coaches before the training session starts

Set specific training times

- - "If you're on time you are late, if you are early, you are on time"
  - Make sure the athletes acknowledge and understand team rules

Discipline for athlete behavior

- - Never scold an athlete in front of the other teammates for individual issues (Pull off to the side privately before or after a training session)
  - Depends on severity and number of offenses but below are general guidelines;

1. Verbal warning

If single athlete, pull him off to the side
If multiple athletes, confront the team to avoid further issues

2. Private consultation

Address issues/see what can be done to help the individual athlete

3. Team consultation

Address issues with head coach of sport's team
Team loses weight room for the day and tidy equipment up

4. Lose 1 week of access to the weight room

Create action plan with head coach how to resolve issues

5. Remove access to weight room for semester or season

Lose access to weight room until further notice

Dress code

Preferred athlete supplied training gear
Only colors of the team/school/university
NO cutoff sleeves
NO other university or team logos
NO profanity or inappropriate topics

Tidiness of weight room

Set positive punishment for failure to maintain cleanliness and expectations (i.e. 1 mile bike ride for everyone)
"Details Build Championships"
- - Pay attention to the details in training and the weight room. Make sure your athletes touch the 300 yd shuttle line each time. Failure to do so could allow the players to be sloppy and undisciplined in-game
  - Pick up after yourself and your team
Habits positive or negative in the weight room have a direct correlation with in-game behavior discipline (So keep them positive)

Leave out personal altercations

Weight room is a public environment for all encompassing athletes

Challenge fellow teammates to get better

"Talk. Touch. Trust."
Spot each other to build trust
High five fellow teammates as much as possible

Mentorship

Veterans show the ropes to new athletes and assist rookies with adapting

Hard work

Required 100% of the time
- - Athlete's full attention and focus while in session
Follow the workout sheet unless instructed otherwise by strength coach
- - Failure to do so could result in possible athlete injuries

Outside Weight Room Expectations

Maintain a good student standing

Passing semester GPA
Be around other teammates to avoid "troubling" situations (Hold each other accountable with decision making)

Be a role model

Support the community
- - Volunteer, participate in fundraisers, etc.

Learn from mistakes

Goal Setting

General Insight

Develop a "Tentative Game Plan" daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
Understand Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement and when to appropriately use them

Short term goals

What are you trying to achieve in today's session or this week?
Ability to set an objective goal
- - I.e. Perform 3 sets of 12 RFE Split Squats
  - I.e. Daily questionnaires to alter volume and intensity for session

Long term goals

What are you having your team achieve in 3+ weeks?
Set an obtainable goal
- - I.e. Improve conditioning foundation for upcoming season and maintain durability in-season

About the Art

I love absorbing as much information as I can. My learning must precede anything else I do, but understanding information about the human body and prescribing appropriate and tailored exercise is not simple.

I want to help athletes become the best version of themselves physically and mentally. To pursue that goal, I have spent countless hours studying exercise physiology, biomechanics, and exercise testing and prescription. I have been working as a certified personal trainer and an assistant strength and conditioning coach to better apply what I have learned in the classroom. This experience allows me to sharpen my clinical judgement, improve communication skills, and boost my confidence in real world applications. Through extensive study and practice, I want to continue to grow as an evidence based strength and conditioning coach. I routinely obtain a defined history of the athlete, perform thorough athletic testing, and instruct proper mechanics with the goal of making them a breakthrough athlete.

I believe a necessary part of being a strength and conditioning professional is to obtain a strong foundation of knowledge. In school, more education translates into better opportunities, and in life, more knowledge leads to greater control over one’s circumstances.

Education matters and learning all of the little details pays off, especially when you can answer any questions an athlete may have, whether it be, “Why are we performing 12 reps?” Or even, “Why are we performing this specific exercise?” I want to be the best strength and conditioning coach I can possibly be. I strongly recall another saying my baseball coach would yell enthusiastically to me when I was pitching, “Learn the craft, son!” I surmise that he was implying that one must exercise a skill through practice. To become proficient towards an objective, one must practice. This applies to knowledge too since you have to spend a large quantity of time reviewing note cards, pouring into textbooks and creating appropriate study guides in order to be successful.

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