March/April 2020 - 10

Football Strength & Conditioning
there as opposed to say 25-30 years ago. "
Getting bigger, faster and stronger is a full-time job for
college football players today, Marotti said.
" You can't just run stairs and get a quick burger and fries
and expect to play at an elite level or develop into an elite
athlete, " he said. " They have to take care of themselves; they
have to go to class; they have to study tape and then go do
a lot on their own. "
CULTURE CLUB
Creating a positive culture for his staff and athletes is one
of the keys to building a successful program, Marotti said.
" I think what makes us unique is that we have an
inordinate amount of experience and an inordinate number
of skilled coaches, ones that believe in the culture of what
we believe in and that help resonate that culture to the
players, " he said.
Every strength coach that Marotti hires has to have been
a team captain on a sports team in high school or college.
" I just don't want leaders. I want mentors; I want role
models; I want family men and women; I want somebody
that these athletes can look up to, " he said. " I want someone
who these athletes can reach out to when something is not
going right or if something is going well. "
NEW CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge coaches are facing today is the
Generation Z athlete, Marotti said.
8 | Training & Conditioning | March/April 2020
" We try to open up our hearts so they
open up their hearts, and once that
happens you've got an athlete. "
- Mickey Marotti
This generation was born between 1997 and 2012,
which encompasses 8- to 22-year-olds, and are now the
majority of college players, according to the Pew Research
Center. They have grown up with technology, the internet
and social media and on average get their own cell phone by
the age of 12. They have communicated primarily through
social media and texts.
" If an athlete is not performing to their ability or to the
expectations of people out in the world, they'll let them know
on Twitter instantly and it really affects our players, " he said.
With all of these outside influences on college athletes,
Marotti said he believes mental health and mental
performance is going to take a bigger role in college sports.
OSU recently hired additional sports physiologists and
several athletic counselors to help their athletes.
" We've made a pretty big commitment in that area in the
last year and a half, so we're pretty excited about it, " he said.
" It's the next big thing. "
Motivating and inspiring this digital generation of athletes
has had to take on a much more sophisticated look with a
unified communication plan, Marotti said. They work with
the head coach to come up with a communication plan so all

March/April 2020

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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2021
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2020
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