Strength and conditioning is not your everyday, 9-5, Monday through Friday job. Its 6-7 days a week, 15 or more hours a day. Any time off goes by fast, and the mornings come even faster. It is the epitome of a GRIND. You must love what you do. You don’t have to love every single aspect or element that comes with it, but you have to love what it is you have the opportunity to do. If you aren’t aware of the privilege, it’s to have a positive influence in the development of the lives of young people. Some of you might need to reevaluate your “why” if this is a new concept.
My “why” is the athletes. Regardless of the time commitment, physical demand, workload, whatever it might be, I owe it to the athletes to remember that I am a driving force in their growth. I have to be a positive influence. I am developing these kids regardless of what I bring to the floor. If it isn’t positive, it’s a disservice.
My dad taught me at a very young age about the golden rule of life. “Do onto others as you would want done to you.” People tell me time and time again that I am a “people person” and that I know how to schmooze people. I don’t believe that is a God given characteristic. I believe its from an understanding of the core values my parents taught me at a molecular level. I strive to embody this rule as not only as person but as a coach of young men and women. At the end of the day, regardless of what athletes directly see, they will see right through you. If you are a negative or disrespectful person that treats others poorly, how do you expect athletes to treat you? And regardless of that, it’s a value that we as people need to remember far more often.
As a former student-athlete and very young coach, I have to remember what its like to be in their shoes. Not only do in a training setting, but the everyday life of a student-athlete. Whether it be class, training, practice, film, social life, etc. Not to mention, the high expectations they have from parents, friends, coaches, fans, and even themselves. As much as I love and appreciate my experience as an athlete and my ability to put myself in their shoes, it isn’t enough. As strength coaches, we have to get everything we possibly can out of these athletes. As a player, I needed it. One of my coaches and mentors taught me the importance of learning to strain. But teaching a kid how to strain without having a relationship with him is like putting the cart before the horse. It’s also like maxing out on back squat on the first day with a new team. They probably aren’t ready for it, and they definitely aren’t going to get much out of it. But why?
If a stranger walks up to you on the street and gives you constructive criticism about your posture, you’re probably going to not only be confused, but irritated and stubborn to take any of the advice offered. Now if you slightly alter the scenario from a stranger to someone you respect, you’ll be jumping at the chance to walk upright. The exact same thing goes for training an athlete with intensity and purpose. If an athlete doesn’t know a thing about me, and I proceed to get after them, the results will not be significant. As an athlete, the best coach-player relationships I ever had, were with the strength staff and it’s not even close. And it isn’t because I thought maybe they were just funny or maybe they would help me get on the field more. It’s because I knew they cared about me as a person. Playing time didn’t matter to them. Natural talent or even overall strength didn’t matter either. Did I work hard for them? Was I respectful? Did I listen? Did I try to do things as perfectly as possible? I was and am far from perfect. But when a coach shows he cares, an athlete is going show you they care too.
After every lift I found myself staying longer and longer just to talk to the coaches about anything besides football. Before lifts I was no longer stressed and dreading the day. Now I was striving to impress the guys training me. When my body really began to tell me, it might be time to walk away from the game, it was in our head strength’s office I found myself in. It was sitting in the strength staff’s office having the tough conversations. When I talk to many of my mentors, they all have very similar stories that led them to this profession. When I was in my closing months of college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, again I found myself in their office.
When I look at myself in the mirror to reflect how I’m doing as young coach, I have to think about the new relationships I’ve formed. One of the coolest aspects of this journey started at my time as an intern at the University of Cincinnati. Since it was my alma mater, almost every single athlete I was now coaching, at one point was one of my teammates. Pretty soon I formed very tight relationships with guys that I never really did as a player. I slowly but surely started to earn their trust. Pretty soon I was able to earn the trust of all the new young guys too. As a fresh new assistant at Wittenberg University, I now find athletes sitting in the strength office wanting to talk to me, and I remember being in their shoes not that long ago. It is reassuring that maybe I am doing something right. But I have to keep going. I have to be willing to take the trust and push these athletes past their limits and help them grow. There is growth under friction, but first there must be trust established.
It’s as simple as asking a kid their name if you don’t know them. Or where they are from. Or what their major is. The coaching aspect is fun. Learning about strength and conditioning and expanding my knowledge is interesting. But earning a young athletes trust and coaching them really hard and watching them grow is what it’s all about. Before you can grind someone with the expectation of getting their full attention, care, and effort, you have to show them your attention, care, and effort.
I would not be where I am without the direction and mentorship of several people. It would be a disservice to not give thanks to them. My Parents Paul and Laura Garrison. My Grandmother Ann Biermann. Coach Brady Collins, Coach Zach Higgins, Coach Jeremiah Ortiz, Coach Dustin Trip, Coach Jimmy Rodenberg, Coach Parker Showers, Coach DeAndre Ward, Aaron Himmler, Coach Mark Uptegraff, Coach Dan Scholz, Coach Tim Swanger, Coach Mike Price, Coach Kyle Prosser. Countless others have helped me along the way. Thank you for bettering me as a coach and a person. A special thanks to my fiancé Katie Carter and little sister Kaitlin Garrison.
Mason Garrison
Wittenberg University
Strength Coach