Strength and Conditioning

Looking to gather some information on the topic of strength and conditioning at the high school level. Does your school have a strength coach? Are they certified or is it just a coach running the weight room?

If you school doesn’t have a strength coach what does your kid do for training?

Does your kid have an interest in training?
 
 
I believe there is a lot of interest in lifting in many successful programs and surprising amount of lifting in down programs. I think it would be interesting to see the philosophy of lifting and nutrient intake in variety of programs. For me, I would like to observe some of the MAC schools programs.
 
For Versailles, the head football coach is there three days a week before school and after school. I believe they run a 10 week cycle of Bigger, faster, stronger philosophy. Pushes to eat a lot of healthy foods.
 
I know at Canfield their AD is the former S&C Football Coach for Ohio State, Youngstown State & Marshall. Would like to believe he runs it there. That’d be a huge advantage
 
In my experience the best S&C programs are the ones that figure out just how far they can push the envelope without crossing the line into breaking the rules. For example starting a Powerlifting team as a way to bypass the 30 day dead period after the season. Then once the dead period is over you can hold football lifting before school for a few hours and Powerlifting after school for a few more hours.
 
Having been in strength and conditioning in the high school, college (MAC school) and professional level, I have noticed a few areas that could potentially be improved upon. Improving upon these areas would not only help your team now but also your athlete in their athletic career. Everyone wants to get bigger and stronger and faster but there’s areas being missed that are vital to success.
 
In my experience the best S&C programs are the ones that figure out just how far they can push the envelope without crossing the line into breaking the rules. For example starting a Powerlifting team as a way to bypass the 30 day dead period after the season. Then once the dead period is over you can hold football lifting before school for a few hours and Powerlifting after school for a few more hours.
Why would you go through all that hassle when you could make weight lifting a P.E. credit as many schools do?
 
Why would you go through all that hassle when you could make weight lifting a P.E. credit as many schools do?
Unfortunately, some districts won't do that. The district I used to coach in refused. And if a football player played a winter and/or spring sport, those coaches wouldn't let them lift either. It was a mess.
 
Unfortunately, some districts won't do that. The district I used to coach in refused. And if a football player played a winter and/or spring sport, those coaches wouldn't let them lift either. It was a mess.

those school districts are a mess. Everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to certain things in the athletic department. There’s a lot of positives when it comes to lifting during the season. Stronger, mobility will usually get better (that is if you take the time to do it) and the chance of injury is going to go down (we all know there will always be injury tho)
 
Having been in strength and conditioning in the high school, college (MAC school) and professional level, I have noticed a few areas that could potentially be improved upon. Improving upon these areas would not only help your team now but also your athlete in their athletic career. Everyone wants to get bigger and stronger and faster but there’s areas being missed that are vital to success.
In your opinion, what are some important areas that might be missing at the high school level.
 
those school districts are a mess. Everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to certain things in the athletic department. There’s a lot of positives when it comes to lifting during the season. Stronger, mobility will usually get better (that is if you take the time to do it) and the chance of injury is going to go down (we all know there will always be injury tho)
Preaching to the choir Bulldog. This starts with the AD. Curious, what MAC program were you involved with?
 
Speaking of......at what age do your programs start their official lifting programs?

Ours I believe is January after their 8th grade football season.
 
Besides a little bit of lifting during Jr. High football and other sports, lifting after the 1st of the year during their 8th grade year is the 1st consistent lifting programs for the boys at Versailles.
 
Why would you go through all that hassle when you could make weight lifting a P.E. credit as many schools do?
Time. I can either have the kids lift ever day for 1 period (45ish minutes) or I can have them "practice" every day for multiple hours.
 
Unfortunately, some districts won't do that. The district I used to coach in refused. And if a football player played a winter and/or spring sport, those coaches wouldn't let them lift either. It was a mess.
I kinda don't blame the Spring/Winter coaches. Football coach isn't letting Johnny miss an hour plus of practice everyday to go to open gym with basketball team. Basketball coach isn't letting Billy miss practice to go throw with the pitchers every day or take BP.

I am all for cooperation within the athletic department but the in season sport should never be told to take a back seat so the kid can lift for an out of season sport. Or am I completely misunderstanding you?
 
I kinda don't blame the Spring/Winter coaches. Football coach isn't letting Johnny miss an hour plus of practice everyday to go to open gym with basketball team. Basketball coach isn't letting Billy miss practice to go throw with the pitchers every day or take BP.

I am all for cooperation within the athletic department but the in season sport should never be told to take a back seat so the kid can lift for an out of season sport. Or am I completely misunderstanding you?
Not necessarily true.
Our football coaches have been known to allow kids miss 7 on 7s, even a QB, or miss conditioning, if it conflicts with an ACME baseball tournament game. Even allow a pitcher to just be a spotter at lifting if he is pitching that night.

Good programs can coeoxist if coaches allow it and don't put kids on the middle.
 
Not necessarily true.
Our football coaches have been known to allow kids miss 7 on 7s, even a QB, or miss conditioning, if it conflicts with an ACME baseball tournament game. Even allow a pitcher to just be a spotter at lifting if he is pitching that night.

Good programs can coeoxist if coaches allow it and don't put kids on the middle.
During the summer everyone should do their best to coexist and most places I am aware of do a good job of this. But is your coach cool with Johnny missing football practice in September for open gym? That is my question. Maybe I am just way out of the loop but I cannot imagine missing game prep for my in-season sport to go to something for an out of season sport.
 
In your opinion, what are some important areas that might be missing at the high school level.

mobility issues are prevalent with freshman coming into college athletics. Hamstring strength and low back strength are other areas of weaknesses I have noticed with my freshman. Basically all of the posterior chain is weak (ie. back, glutes, hamstrings). We all know kids in high school want to have the biggest bench and only want to bench, but it’s creating deficiencies in other areas of the body leading to injuries when the speed of the game is quicker at the next level.
 
mobility issues are prevalent with freshman coming into college athletics. Hamstring strength and low back strength are other areas of weaknesses I have noticed with my freshman. Basically all of the posterior chain is weak (ie. back, glutes, hamstrings). We all know kids in high school want to have the biggest bench and only want to bench, but it’s creating deficiencies in other areas of the body leading to injuries when the speed of the game is quicker at the next level.
I would also add in deficiencies on flexibility and balance. Too many football coaches are opposed to things like Yoga that can dramatically increase flexibility and balance.

Lastly, I also believe core strength is something lacking in most high school athletes, and core is not just your abs.
 
During the summer everyone should do their best to coexist and most places I am aware of do a good job of this. But is your coach cool with Johnny missing football practice in September for open gym? That is my question. Maybe I am just way out of the loop but I cannot imagine missing game prep for my in-season sport to go to something for an out of season sport.
Never said they were missing game prep. They missed 7 on 7's in the summer prior to official first day of practice for baseball games.
 
Never said they were missing game prep. They missed 7 on 7's in the summer prior to official first day of practice for baseball games.
I know you didn't. But the way things were phrased in the original comment I replied to led me to believe they were advocating for athletes to miss in season practice to go lift for an out of season sport.
 
Why would you go through all that hassle when you could make weight lifting a P.E. credit as many schools do?

To boot my school offers football class as a PE credit. It's listed in the course guide book as "PE: Team Sports". We also offer weightlifting 1, 2 and 3 at my school.
 
I would also add in deficiencies on flexibility and balance. Too many football coaches are opposed to things like Yoga that can dramatically increase flexibility and balance.

Lastly, I also believe core strength is something lacking in most high school athletes, and core is not just your abs.

The year Lima Senior won state (1996) that entire summer they would spend two days a week (an hour each of those two days) working with an aerobics instructor. So during June, July and early August it was lifting on Mon / Wed and Aerobics on Tues / Thurs.
 
If anyone needs help with strength and conditioning programs please reach out. Or even if you need a program for your kid let me know! I will gladly be able to help your team or your kid reach their potential!
 
Another strength and conditioning variable overlooked at this level is nutrition. Kids have a tendency to not eat breakfast, not get enough protein and take in way too much sugar.
 
I know from my perspective when I started lifting with the football program(Coach ran) there was a lot of embarrassment for the younger weaker athletes. It led to a lot of kids putting way to much weight on the bar trying not to look weak and having horrible form. One kid was trying to deadlift so much weight to impress the coaches he hurt his back so bad he was never able to play contact sports again. My hope is with these smaller programs they get away from coaches running these lifting programs and get someone who actually knows what to do and can get kids to lift properly.
 
I know from my perspective when I started lifting with the football program(Coach ran) there was a lot of embarrassment for the younger weaker athletes. It led to a lot of kids putting way to much weight on the bar trying not to look weak and having horrible form. One kid was trying to deadlift so much weight to impress the coaches he hurt his back so bad he was never able to play contact sports again. My hope is with these smaller programs they get away from coaches running these lifting programs and get someone who actually knows what to do and can get kids to lift properly.
That is on the coach for not teaching proper form and letting the kids put too much weight on. A way to get away from "embarrassment" is to have different groups lift. Have your weaker, and typically younger players lift one session while the stronger guys are conditioning. After an hour, switch.
 
It's important to communicate to athletes that lifting is to make you better at sports. Not make the weigh lifting team. Full range of motion is the key
 
I know from my perspective when I started lifting with the football program(Coach ran) there was a lot of embarrassment for the younger weaker athletes. It led to a lot of kids putting way to much weight on the bar trying not to look weak and having horrible form. One kid was trying to deadlift so much weight to impress the coaches he hurt his back so bad he was never able to play contact sports again. My hope is with these smaller programs they get away from coaches running these lifting programs and get someone who actually knows what to do and can get kids to lift properly.

Just curious, how many coaches and how many players were in the weight room? In my experience, we usually had about 1 asst coach overseeing 4-8 players. They weren't certified strength coaches, but they had common sense and could teach form reasonably well.
 
Just curious, how many coaches and how many players were in the weight room? In my experience, we usually had about 1 asst coach overseeing 4-8 players. They weren't certified strength coaches, but they had common sense and could teach form reasonably well.
At the time the team was fairly large especially for a D5 school, we had about 30/35 players there and maybe 3 coaches. The problem at the time there was no real structure. Especially for the younger kids. Coaches just sat and watched the seniors lift and talk about the upcoming season while the younger kids wonder around. I know since the school has a certified lifting instructor now.

Another question I have for people is what do coaches actually think about you taking your kid to get outside help in lifting and speed training?
 
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