June July 2024 - 15

CSCCa Strength Focus
Next, know your why and be confident in the how
of what you are programming. You may create the
highest-level program to give to your athletes but if
you do not understand the why behind what you are
programming, you will never sell it to them. Athletes
want to know why and you need to be able to explain
it in a way that is basic and digestible to them. There is
no need to get lost in the depths of science with your
athletes. Additionally, knowing your why is going to
help you be confident when implementing or defending
that program. Remember, a program is only as good
as your ability to coach it and how much your athletes
trust in you.
An often-missed concept that young strength
coaches can fail to comprehend is knowing how it
feels. Test yourself first. If you are going to program
something for athletes, make sure you have tried it
yourself beforehand, so you better understand what
specifically it is you are asking your athletes to do,
both mentally and physically. Because you know how
it should feel, you can better coach and cue your
athletes through the training session and cycle. That
said, do not forget all the stressors in our athletes' lives
that we may not be aware of. As strength coaches,
we manipulate physical stressors to attain certain
performance adaptations. Sport coaches are doing
the same with practice, and additional physical stress
must be considered when programming along with the
mental, emotional, and spiritual stressors outside of the
time spent training for their sport.
Another lost thought for young and eager strength
and conditioning coaches is communicating and
collaborating with their respective sport coaches-never
mind valuing their input. It is imperative to understand
what matters to them and what they want out of
their team, because it is their team, and it is our job to
support them. Every sport coach is different-some will
be entirely hands-off so long as their athletes remain
healthy and improve, while others want to be highly
involved. The priority must always be on building a
relationship with your sport coach to provide the best
training environment for your athletes.
Finally, what I believe to be the most important piece
is meeting your athletes where they are at-not where
you want them to be-and then bringing them with
you. It can be easy to assume or overestimate their
abilities. Simply because they are a Division 1 athlete or
they play a certain sport and that skill is a part of their
sport, it does not mean they are a good mover or even
coordinated. Even more, it is understood that the human
component comes before the athlete. Make it a priority
to care about them as a person first. Most athletes
TO BECOME
YOUR BEST,
WORK WITH
THE BEST.
Our Facility Design team will elevate your work
- and your workout. Whether you're a local rehab
facility or a world-famous professional sports team,
we'll work with you from planning to installation to
create exactly what you need to change the game.
800-556-7464 | PerformBetter.com
40850 MF PB 2024 FACILITY_7x4875_f_x1a.indd 1
training-conditioning.com | 15
2/2/24 9:49 AM
http://www.PerformBetter.com http://www.training-conditioning.com
June July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June July 2024
