Coach Barber gives great insight on how you can develop as a great assistant. Coach Barber has risen thru the coaching ranks fast because he is a doer!. This is a read and re-read for sure!! Read and take notes carefully.
The learning process in strength and conditioning is never ending. The development process as an assistant strength and conditioning coach is extremely important to fulfill your role as an assistant or secure a position at a different university in the future. Athletes notice improvements as well and appreciate the progress you make professionally, and mentally. The more that you develop and expand your “toolbox’ the more athletes will listen because they will trust that you will enhance their performance. There are a few steps that I have found extremely helpful in developing each year.
1. Try to keep all issues from crossing the Directors’ desk
The Director of Strength and Conditioning at every institution has more to deal with than every assistant. The more they can focus on big picture issues and not micromanage each situation, the better the experience will be for everyone most likely. As an assistant the more that you can put yourself out there to learn and handle situations the better. Each experience you will be forced to make decisions with your best judgement and see the outcome. Each time that you make a decision, immediately inform the director of what happened and the way that you handled the situation. Understanding how the Director wants issues to be handled will go a long way in developing as an assistant. As you earn the Directors’ trust from working hard and preventing issues from arising, the more likely they will give you additional responsibilities.
2. Take notes on everything
If you take notes intentionally on everything that happens positively and negatively you will be equipped to handle most situations that arise. The notes that you take can vary from your personal interactions with athletes and range all the way to scheduling and how many hours are used during in-season training. The pandemic was unexpected however during this time I created and reviewed my detailed notes from throughout the season and was able to design socially distant lifts and be prepared for the logistics that come with it. Once you take the notes be sure to review often, I like to review my notes weekly or bi-weekly.
3. Know your athletes
Take the time to develop relationships with your athletes and get to know them. If your athletes trust you and relate to you personally the harder, they will work for you. By sharing your personal experiences with your athletes, it can help them develop a sense of similarity and personability with you. They will begin to share more information about their life and talk to you about how they honestly feel when training. The more honest feedback you get from developing relationships with athletes, the more you can understand how to push them individually to get the most out of them every day both physically and mentally.
4. Continuing Education and Reading
Expand your ‘toolbox’ beyond the training that is currently being used with your athletes. At any point in time, a modification to training or a new idea may be needed. It is crucial to be prepared for any and all unique situations such as how you may want to change the training methods when you obtain a head coaching position or are asked for any input.
5. Train Hard
Even though your athletic career is over it is still important to train and push yourself physically but also mentally. Find time to push and not to get complacent with your current state. Train your mind just like you train your body.
The process of developing as an assistant strength coach is essentially geared towards helping your athletes and giving them your best professionally. The biggest part of your job is providing an enjoyable experience for athletes as they grow to fulfill their full potential in life as well as athletics. The biggest impact in my opinion does not come from an athlete “PR’ing” in their back squat but calling after they are done with athletics and telling how pushing them mentally has prepared them to succeed in life. Athletes want to be pushed and it is our job to do so to create the growth they didn’t realize was possible.
Jordan Barber
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
University of Miami Hurricanes