BASICS OF COACHING

As we strive to keep things simple in our training programs it is imperative that we understand our coaching needs to be just as simple. Here is a quick rundown to keep us on track while coaching our athletes.

COACHING

TEACHING: Clear, Clean, Concise and Direct. YOU MUST BE A GREAT TEACHER!

CLEAR - speaking or watching what you want.

CLEAN - exercise cues, graphics or video

CONCISE - break everything down. Fundamentals. TO THE POINT

DIRECT - direct your teaching at an individual or individuals

-Be specific and organized when critiquing players.

-Be specific with your exercises and drills.

-Demand they do exercise correclty / finish drills. If not do it again or teach better.

FINALLY

• Correct one thing at a time = 85% SUCCESS RATE

• Correct two things at a time = 35% SUCCESS RATE

• Correct three things at a time = Good Luck!

• No training Program is good or bad unless its not prepared, layout, comprehensive and coached

• If you are bored, your athletes have already been for a while.

• YOUR ATTITUDE, PREPAREDNESS AND ENERGY ARE CONTAGIOUS!

• Give the players your all!!

10 Pieces of Advice for a Young Strength Coach, from a Young Strength Coach

By Kyle Killilea (Paid Professional Intern Strength Coach for the University of Notre Dame Football)

The strength coach profession is the most underappreciated profession in athletics. A strength coach is more than someone who implements lifts and coaches them. A strength coach is there for the athlete physically, emotionally, and psychologically. The strength coaches that I had the honor of working for were hard on their athletes and demanded a lot of them, but they knew when the athlete needed someone to lean on. These strength coaches know what it takes and how to bring the best out of an athlete immediately. A positive strength coach can enhance an athlete’s life in so many ways. This is exactly why I chose to be in this profession.

My time in this profession is short but have been opportunities that will excel me further into this profession. I have been an intern at the high school level at Grandville High School, an intern coach for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team and currently a paid professional intern strength coach for the University of Notre Dame football team. Each place has been experiences full of growth and knowledge that I have loved doing. While at these places, I have been taught many lessons that I use every day. These lessons have been said to me by mentors of mine and things that have stuck in my head ever since. I hope that sharing these lessons I have been taught can help any young strength coach getting into this field, because I firmly believe that these will mold me into a great coach one day.

1.       You are the thermostat in the room. You set the energy level to the lift. If you are not energetic, your athletes won’t be either. Make the weight room enjoyable for your athlete. I remember meeting Coach Court for the first time and him talking about setting the tone to the lift. If that is playing music loud as the players walk into the weight room or if it is bringing everyone up on the last set of squat for each athlete, then so be it. “To tired” should never be a thought in your head. You are there to serve the athlete, you cannot be too tired to coach. Bringing energy to the lift will make you stand out as a positive coach and make the lift fun and efficient for the athlete. And who really cares if it is early, let’s work!

2.       Take pride in your area of work. Always make sure things are reset and look presentable. You never know who will come into the weight room to see it. Constantly check throughout the day if things are set. My boss, Coach Balis, always says that you can tell a lot about a program by the presentation of the weight room and if athletes take care of it as well. Teach your athletes accountability by showing them the proper way to reset the weight room and simply just cleaning up after themselves. Having some pride in what is your own is an easy way to help set the culture of the weight room. You can also get more work done in the day and develop as a coach when the weight room is reset quickly.

3.       Take care of the little things first and the big things take care of themselves. This is something my strength coach in college, Coach Jimmy Rodenberg, harps on and I believe it to be true. It is a simple statement, but when the little details are done the bigger details become immensely easy. The little details are always crucial. If you make the little details with the job a big priority, things are always better. This can be applied to anything in your work and life.

4.       Connection to the people you work with is crucial. Your connection to your athlete is the main reason why you are there. You are there to be their coach and lead them to where they need to be. No connection to them makes that impossible. If you cannot relate to the players, then what are you doing? In my opinion, it is a must to go out of your way to connect with the athletes you are working with. Having that connection will draw them even more to the weight room. Connection to other people in the field is crucial as well. How else do you think you can excel into this field? Having great connections can open doors up to new opportunities for yourself, new ideas on training to implement, and more growth within the field.

5.       Be able to coach. Two of my mentors who I worked for at the University of Cincinnati, Coach Zach Higgins and Coach Danny Folino, would always say, “You could know an insane amount about the science of strength and conditioning, but if you cannot simply coach, you won’t make it.” It is as simple as that. There will be coaches that know way more about the field than you, but if you can out coach them, you are better off. Be able to coach and communicate. In my short career this is something take great pride in. There are a lot of coaches that know more, but I am going to try to out coach them.

6.       Take on any role that has been given to you with pride. If you are asked to train an injured player, make it the most enjoyable thing that athlete did all day. If you are asked to help on a special project, attack it and make it perfect. I was once asked to come up with a way for the athletes to be interested in drinking post workout shakes. Sounds a little ridiculous, but if the athletes are engaged then so be it. The task or role may seem pointless, but if it is done with precision then it will only help you in the long run. People higher up will notice small things like that. Trust me.

7.       Be a sponge. This is something my first boss, Coach Tully Chapman said to me before I left for my internship at Cincinnati last December. You need to absorb any knowledge you can. The people you are working for have been in this field way longer and know what it takes. Having this consistent growth of knowledge will propel you into your career and benefit you later in your career.

8.       Make the athlete smile. Listen to me. One thing I know for sure is that if the athlete is engaged into what is being coached, it makes the job easier. Simply interacting with the athletes and make sure they know I care and want them to get better is the easiest way to get them to engage. Another is to just make them laugh or crack a smile. Sounds a little corny but if you can add a positive point to someone’s day it can change a lot. You have no idea what kind of day this athlete could be having.

9.       Ask questions and ask how you can help. I currently sit next to Coach Tony Fusco in the office here at Notre Dame and I feel like I am always asking him questions about everything. Whether its programing, proper ways to coach a motion, or even just his opinion on something in a lift, I like to know more. It is also nice to just see other coach’s perspectives on how a program could be implemented. Do not be afraid to ask about something! Everyone learns by discussion. Looking back this is something I did more.

Trying to help in any way you can around the facility and in the program is another way to have positive interactions with the people in the building. If it is at practice and helping with drills or just simply helping someone carry something into the building. It may make the job easier for someone and can also help build relationships with other people that could lead to future opportunities.

10.   Write everything down! I am not talking just about numbers athletes hit on certain lifts but anything you need to remember, write it down. If the head strength coach asks you to complete something later in the day, write yourself a note to do it. I am a big fan of check lists, I always write down things I need to get done for the day, week, etc. I have always been told growing up that writing things down will help you remember things easier. There are researches out there that have proven this to be right. If there is something in the lift you have a question about that can be answered after the lift, write it down and ask it later. It will only benefit you as a coach. I have also been one to try to write a handwritten note to someone at least once a month. A handwritten note to someone can go a long way, especially if it is a thank you note.

I have several people to thank for who I am today-

My parents, my sister, my grandparents, my family, my friends from GVSU and home, Coach Jimmy Rodenberg, Coach Tully Chapman, Coach Matt Balis, Coach Danny Folino, Coach Zach Higgins, Coach Jeremiah Ortiz, Coach Fred Hale, Coach Tony Fusco, Coach Kyle Seger, Coach Jake Flint, Coach Austin Mayfield, Coach Mason Garrison, Coach Chase Axelrod, all athletic and academic administration at GVSU and especially Coach Rick Court.

Thank you for always challenging me to be a consistently good person and coach every day.

WHY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT

Why Do ATHLETES Need Sleep?

1. Restore Muscle Growth

2. Protein Synthesis

3. Soft Tissue Repair/Stimulates Healing

4. Growth Hormone is Released

5. Chance to clear Adenosine (by products of brain cellular activity)

6. Boosts cognitive function (reaction time/hand eye coordination)

How Much Sleep Do ATHLETES Need?

1. 8-10 uninterrupted hours of sleep per day, dark quiet, cool temperature

2. 20 hours of sleep deprivation negative impact on academic and athletic performance

3. Sleep Debt: Negative Effect on cognitive function, mood, reaction time

What are the Effects of Lack of Sleep?

1. Results in decrease of metabolism of glucose, slower storage of glycogen (ENERGY)

2. Level of Cortisol Increases stress hormones that can slow down healing, increase the risk of injuries, and worsen memory. It also lowers levels of growth hormone that helps repair the body.

3. Effects decision making and reflexes. Studies have shown that athletes who don't get enough sleep are worse at making split-second decisions.

4. Weakening of Immune Systems

5.Memory Issues

6.Depression

7. Could Prevent an athlete from responding to heavy training and lead to overtraining and/or injury.

What Can Affect Sleep Patterns?

1. Stress/Anxiety

2.Alcohol/Drugs (THC) "Partying"

·Disturbs the deeper stages - REM Sleep

·Takes 2-3 days to fully recover

from 1 night of partying

·Suppression of Normal hormone Levels

·Limits ability to think, remember and

respond quickly.

·Limits Athletic and Academic Performance

·Reduces Testosterone Levels

·Decreases sleep quality

3. Overtraining

Tips for Quality Sleep (REM)

1. No caffeine

2. Turn off TV or bright lights.

3. Go to bathroom before bed. Can't sleep after 45 minutes. Read for 15 minutes and return.

4. Power Naps 20-30 minutes in afternoon. Any longer, than 30 minutes and you become sluggish.

CHOICES

“It takes hard choices.” This is the title to Chapter 3 of my favorite book, It Takes What It Takes, by Trevor Moawad. Trevor Moawad is a mental conditioning coach and has worked with some of the best players and teams all around the world. If you have not read or listened to this book, you need to.

            As coaches, we can develop our players in the weight room, preach about nutrition and recovery, talk about mental toughness and GRIT. All of that is important for developing players, but do you as the coach understand it enough for it to impact your athletes. Do you understand that it takes hard choices to become great. Because if you do not understand that, then how do you expect your athletes too?

            The talk of all professional sports is longevity and being able to play the game for as young as you can. We see athletes like LeBron, Vince Carter, Adam Vinatieri, and Tom Brady play for years and years and continue to produce. As outsiders, we look into their training and nutrition and recovery and think that is the answer. What outsiders don’t see is the decision making and the choices that they made and didn’t make throughout their careers. All the times they didn't go out and party, or choose to eat a meal that is complete with a nutrition profile, but rather hit the gym, studied film, or worked on their craft. Even the most minute of choices were taking into consideration how this could affect them. 

            These choices can also be applied into the weight room, on the field and in the classroom. What we have to get our athletes and ourselves to think about is, at the end of the day, will we regret the decision that we made. Will it affect our long-term goals? We have to preach to our athletes to not be a could’ve kind of guy. LEAVE NO DOUBTS. This doesn’t mean to always bench at 90-100% 1RM for lifts and bury yourself into the ground. This could mean that you worked your tail off BEGINNING in the warm-up and finishing with the last rep of the last exercise. Being a leader and doing what is right, holding other players accountable, being the guy that everyone knows they are going to give it their all, handling their business in the classroom, taking control of their nutrition and recovery.

Everyday, we wake up with choices. Like my college football coach used to say, “You are guaranteed two things, death and opportunity.” Those opportunities have choices that follow along with them. As coaches, we need to keep preaching these opportunities and the choices that come with them. Our goal should be that every time our athletes wake up and come to train, go to class, and live their lives that they are making choices and decisions that will benefit their futures. Everybody makes decisions that they regret, it is going to happen. The goal that I have and that we should all have is, not making very many of those. If we can lay our heads on our pillow every night and not have any regrets with decisions and actions, then we did something right. On the counter to that, if you go to bed and think, “Man, I could have done more, I could have studied harder, I could have chosen to eat a good dinner instead of hot pockets, I could have been a better son/daughter/wife/husband, I could have etc.” We want to limit those nights and days.

            I mentioned a lot about choices. If you really think about it and ask these players that are great at their sport. They are really choices. Think about how you would answer these questions, is it healthier to eat an apple or a bag of chips? Is it a better idea to go out and party on the weekends or study for your exam on Monday? Should you play Call of Duty all night or get to bed early and get a workout the next morning? The answers are pretty easy and we all know what those answers are. When it comes down to it, we all know what to do and our athletes know what to do. If they want to be great and make it to the next level, then they have to do the things they might not want to do, but what they have to do.

Like I preached all summer to my boys down in Lucas, Texas, “Don’t leave anything left on the table, treat everyday like it is your last time playing this great sport you love. One day you are going to look back at your time in high school. Make sure that you have no regrets on ANYTHING you did.”  

Scot Mullenix

Strength and Conditioning Intern

University of Tulsa

Things you need to know as a young strength coach

****so important——repost

            Being a young strength coach I am constantly evaluating myself, pursuing knowledge and looking for ways to develop. I often ask the question, what do I need to do to get better? I have been blessed and fortunate enough to have great mentors help me answer these questions and invest time into me as a young professional.

 Building relationships: At some point in your life there has been someone who has invested in and cultivated your growth as an individual. As a former student athlete at Michigan State University, no one invested in relationships and the development of student athletes like Coach Ken Mannie. Coach Mannie was exceptional at building relationships and fostering growth with athletes. He invested time in nurturing the development of young people. He wanted to make sure people were great husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, and sons/daughters. Above and beyond the field of play, Coach Mannie cared about you as a person. Relationships act as a gateway into the life of our athletes. I can remember going into Coach Mannie’s office after I found out I was not going to play football anymore, I do not know if I was seeking advice or comfort. What I do know, is that I never would have done this had he not taken the time to invest in the relationship he built with me. As coaches we must take the time to invest in and form relationships with our student athletes and work colleagues, show genuine interest, and above all else show them we care.

              When I got into the profession, under Coach Court, he always told me to make sure I was taking the time to invest in and build relationships with the kids. We talked about it all the time, and I believe that building relationships is a cornerstone of becoming a great coach.

Formulating objectives:  It is important to evaluate yourself in all facets of life and to look for areas of improvement. Once you have identified areas to further your development it is important to create objectives on how to improve. Once you have identified things you want to get better at, go attack it! You must have great intent and motivation when setting out to pursue your goals. I have created a list of objectives for myself. 1). Read something daily, anything, just read. 2). Go on site visits and learn from others 3). Listen to and present at clinics. From a personal stand point I want to be a good son and be a good husband to my wife. There is always something we can do… Evaluate and GET BETTER!

Mentorship should not be easy:  I attended a summer clinic at Sorinex a couple years ago and Ryan Horn gave an awesome presentation that still resonates with me today. He said that being a mentor should not be easy. It should make your life harder because you should take time and invest in people. While at The University of Cincinnati, I found myself in charge of the internship program for the first time. I found it to be more challenging than I initially thought. After coaching long days and working in the office, the last thing on my mind was taking time to talk with the interns. The easy thing to do would be to go sit down and take a break before I headed home for the day, but by doing this I would be depriving the interns of their much-needed development. I would also be depriving myself of developing further. The easy thing to do when you are tired and have been working hard is to put yourself first and others that rely on you to the side. If my mentors had done this to me, I would not be where I am in the profession. Mentorship is about giving back, just like the mentors in our life have given back to us.

Listen and ask questions: I think it is so important to the development of a young coach to listen to what your peers and mentors have to say. I have found out that I rarely have any of the answers, let alone all of the answers. However, I have also found out that if I listen and ask questions I can really learn a lot. So many times throughout my career I have held things back and not asked questions, and it has truly hindered my development. Now that I am a bit older, I believe transparency and communication help not only myself but often times my colleagues as well. During my internship I was also told, there is no such thing as a bad question. I often thought to myself, that in fact, there are bad questions. I learned that this is not the case. So many times during my career I have asked questions or heard questions that have helped others and myself. No matter how big or small, if you do not ask questions and push for transparency you are hindering not only your development, but also those around you. 

Work life balance:  I am going to attempt to give you my opinion on this; I have heard this phrase numerous times in my young career. Here are my thoughts, when you are home with your family, you must be present. When you are at school with your athletes, you must be present. Work until the job is done, then go home. If there is more to be done, get it done. Those who are super successful now cannot look back and say, “I wish I would have spent more time at home” because they would not be where they are today if they had. Life is full of sacrifices. If you are at home, you will sacrifice things in your career. If you spend a lot of time on your career, you are going to miss things in your personal life.

Loyalty: This is something that I have talked a lot about lately with friends, colleagues, and mentors. It is also something I hear a lot of other coaches talking about during presentations or round tables. I believe that loyalty is owed to those who have helped you, invested in you, and done things to further your career. I would do anything for my mentors, colleagues, and others who have helped me in my career. There are certain people in my life who have sacrificed for me in this career, and I owe them my loyalty. As a coach, I think its common to have disputes in the office; this is healthy in any job. We are not always going to see eye to eye, but that does not mean you switch loyalties to those around you. Even through difficult times where we might not understand “Why is the boss is acting out?” or “Why do we have to do this?” it does not matter. Stay loyal and fight for those who have fought for you!

Practice what you preach: Rick Court always used to tell me that the only disability in life was a bad attitude. This is a phrase I clung to. The people you surround yourself with, athletes and colleagues alike, feed off of energy. I think it is important to always bring positive attitudes to those around us, you never know how it may affect someone’s day.

As coaches we are constantly evaluating. Our goal is not to develop great athlete’s alone, but also great human beings to go out into the world after college has come to an end. We tell our athlete’s they must be work to become great sons/daughters, husbands/wives, and parents. We preach to them to take the time to develop in all facets of life. As coaches, we too must make an effort to be all of these things; after all, we are given a platform of influence.

Zach Higgins

Associate Strength for Football

University of Cincinnati

Managing Mindsets - Stacking +1's

Storied college football coach Bo Schembechler was quoted as saying, “Everyday you either get better or get worse, but you never stay the same.”  Now if you have ever read about, researched or watched a video on Bo, you can hear his grough, scratchy voice in your head as you read that famous quote.  The beautiful aspect of this quote is that even though it came from one of the most influential leaders of our industry over 50 years ago, its simplistic nature is even more impactful today than it ever was.

I recently became aware of the legendary figure that is Brandon Lilly.  I started following Brandon on social media after seeing him in action at Sorinex’s Summer Strong 14 conference in South Carolina in May of 2021.  It was there where I discovered a podcast called “The Vigilant Life Podcast” where Brandon was able to share some of his story, but most importantly his approach to all aspects of his life with the “+1 Mindset”, which goes hand in hand with Coach Schembechler’s quote.  Brandon broke down this theory as every day, every encounter, every meal and every thought comes down to either a positive (+1) or negative (-1) experience. This uncomplicated approach can be applied to all aspects of a person’s life.  He stresses to be a +1 to every person you encounter and most importantly, a +1 to yourself.

As a teacher and coach, the +1 mindset approach has been something that has completely recalibrated by approach to every student, athlete, colleague, class, practice, opponent and contest.  As a husband and a father, my home life continues to see a paradigm shift in the most important part of my life’s responsibilities.  I have learned to anticipate and prepare for specific encounters and execute a game plan for positive interactions that can be incredibly impactful. As a result, my ability to stack +1’s every hour of every day is not only something that I savor, but it’s something that I am motivated by. Now I will be the first one to tell you that I experience my fair share of -1’s every single day, definitely more than I desire to experience.  But I recognize them when they happen, and I am even more motivated to turn those specific -1’s into future +1’s.

In all the different areas of my life where I have specific leadership responsibilities and opportunities, the +1 mindset approach simplified and focused my approach to relationship establishment, development and maintenance.  I can serve others and be a beacon of positivity to them.  In turn, I will be surrounded by people who can support and encourage me with their positive reinforcement.  As a result, we can constantly build eachother up, hold each other accountable and celebrate our victories together.

I find it most encouraging that creating +1 encounters, by nature, requires zero talent.  It does take effort, intentionality and it might get us out of our comfort zones, but it does not require us to be strong in a certain discipline.  Starter or role player. Captain or underclassman.  Veteran or rookie.  It does not matter where you are in your organization.  What does matter is your approach to your role and how you can excel in that position by fostering positive experience in all your encounters.

Life is extremely fragile.  Perspectives are easily misconstrued and manipulated.  Groups of people with differing opinions can be divisive and dangerous.  Now, more than ever, our mindset’s matter.  They are important to our own health and well being.  They are vital to the people we do life with.  I firmly believe if we all can collectively commit to stacking as many positive experiences as we can while striving to avoid negative encounters, we can work to be the people that we were all created to be.  

Keep stacking +1’s

Curt Copeland

PE Teacher/Coach

South Christian High School

(Grand Rapids, Mi)

CONFIDENCE

Confidence:

-Mental Preparation.

Studying scouting reports, watching film, and focusing on assignments during practice allows you to perform in games with confidence.  When you know your assignments everything becomes automatic.

-Hard Work.

The physical preparation during strength and conditioning workouts, and the consistent effort put forth in practice helps increase your belief in yourself.  You gain confidence when you know that you have outworked your opponent.

-Remembering Past Successes.

As a part of your pre-game preparation visualize times when you have been successful.  Replay in your mind your own highlight tape.

-Being able to let go of mistakes.

“The biggest mistake an athlete can make is to be afraid to make one.”

Everyone will make mistakes.  If you can learn from mistakes, let them go, and move on to the next play you will be successful.  Athletes who let mistakes erode their confidence and play with a fear of failure will not perform to their potential.

-Making the choice to be confident.

Use positive self-talk.  To increase your self-confidence, say, think, and imagine positive thoughts.  Use key words or phrases to motivate yourself and prevent negative thoughts or images from taking over your mind-set. You should expect to be successful, not hope or wish to be successful.

*Taken From a Presentation From Kevin VanderBusch, Ben Davis High School

Culture: Fact or Fiction

Culture is a buzzword that is often used in many different sports settings, weight rooms or businesses.  We talk about the culture we have created and the culture that’s followed. But what is it?  Lots of us talk about it, but like me, had never really defined it.  I talked about our culture at East Kentwood, but until a Big Ten head coach came to our facility to recruit one of our players that I was finally put to the test!

As often happens when college coaches come to the weight room, I greet them with a hand shake, welcome them to EK and tell them how much I look forward to talking when we complete our primer clusters.

I believe it is really important for them to see where our students come from, the structure of our program and the skill and technique they have developed in our training. For me, it is a critical component of recruiting that can separate us from many others.  It’s a time to showcase who we are and what we are all about!

The great thing about that day, was that it was just like any other day in our weight room. Nothing changed!  We train the same way no matter who is there.  We have the same expectations, the same standards and the same workout skeleton:

A.  Complete 3 different primer clusters of 3 exercises each prior to our core movements: 9 exercises x 2 sets each = 18 total sets.

B.  2 core lifts along with explosive movements and complimentary exercises

C.  21 racks, 76 students an hour, 6 hours a day and a mirrored class after school.

D.  40 to 45 minutes of work time. 

E.   We need to be efficient and effective.  High volume in a short window of time! 

No dilly-dallying today just because another college head coach was here, or anyone else for that matter. Business as usual!

This class was spot on.  They were right on point.  The coach was able to see what an hour in the life of an EK Advanced PE student looked like!  At the end of the 3rd primer cluster, I gave the class directions on the core lifts for the day and as well as the other exercises along with adjustments needed for game day athletes.  When I finished, I was finally able to talk with him.

As I walked over, before I could say anything, he looked at me and asked, “What the heck just happened?  I have been all over the country recruiting from north to south and east to west, and have never seen anything like that.  Most of the weight rooms that I visit, the students are on their phones, sitting on the benches with not very much actual work going on.  Your class is incredibly diverse with males and female and ethnicities and wow!  How do you do what you do here?”

It was at this point that I used the buzzword: Culture.  I said, “Well, you know coach, we don’t know any other way.  It’s just what we do!  We really have created a culture here at East Kentwood High School.” Before I knew it, I was talking about each of the layers.  I was able to define what made our Culture without any hesitation or thought.  Five things came right to mind:

First, I talked about our curriculum that had been developed over the last twenty years while at EK.  The living and breathing document that was ever changing to give our students the best opportunity to become bigger, better, faster and stronger! 

I then went on to describe the scope and sequence in the curriculum and how it makes us unique in our teaching.  I explained how our students are separated into:

A.  3 different Groups: Devo 1’s, Devo 2’s and Veterans. 

B.  2 different Sub Groups: Athletes and Non-Athletes

C.  5 different Variables: Like Height, Like Strength, Like Motivation, Pitsharkers and Injured Personnel

All of this information helps us to align every rack in the room, which then allows us to differentiate our instruction!

We aren’t enablers.  We talk about truths in the weight room.  We have rules and procedures and we hold them accountable.  Students really want those things, even though they might not always admit it.  They want structure.  They don’t want chaos!

We coach in here.  We teach in here!  We give them constructive criticism.  We analyze their technique and we work on fixing it.  Technique, technique, technique: we don’t sacrifice technique to add weight!

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, we coach with enthusiasm.  We praise all the different accomplishments that are being made in our weight room.  We look for the positives and celebrate with them!

I told him that I believe these 5 things have helped us to create the culture here in Advanced PE.  That’s why you were able to see what you saw today.  That’s why you’d see it any day you come here.  We are changing lives in this room!  It’s the greatest job in the world and I feel fortunate to do what I do.  I’m thankful every day to teach here!

Culture: Fact or Fiction?  That’s a FACT at East Kentwood High School Advanced PE!

Marty Martens

Director of Strength and Conditioning

East Kentwood High School (Grand Rapids, Mi)

With Experience, we may be Warnings

An Example: A person regarded in terms of their character/moral compass to be looked to and the likelihood of it happening.

A Warning: A person that indicates a possible or impending danger, problem, or other unpleasant situation.

We may be both.

We’re conscious of being virtuous examples, and I’d venture to say we ultimately desire to be.  Inevitably a piece of our human condition. With much effort going into this lane, let’s still reserve energy to serve as warnings…carefully though.  

If we’ve been teaching and coaching this long, we’ve experienced a great deal.  If we’ve soaked up our surroundings, hopefully we’ve etched the good into our memories-remember the joys and assessed the trials. 

We write workouts, teach, evolve, build, design, listen, comfort, inspire, coach, and lead. Those are all only a few of our privileges.  We all have our inspired “why” that guides each seemingly minuscule decision.  All of these moving parts possibly based on our experiences in our field, or life. 

In our weight rooms, we’re chronologically older than most of our audience and certainly have experienced more in our arena.  It’s not anyone’s fault for being ignorant, they’re younger.  We have jobs that come with outstanding responsibilities, because our crowd doesn’t even know what knowledge they’re missing. 

We strive to be great examples, to practice what we teach.  Then there are the times we need to serve as warnings. 

We’ve trained longer, we’ve had injuries, we’ve fought, we’ve questioned our modalities, we’ve had confusing times, stationary training…no progress under the bar. 

“We’ve been there done that”

With all of our past and future experiences, we may have the right to be warnings to others.

This though, the warning, is an extremely delicate teaching opportunity.

Two considerations here:

1.       The point we’re making, it may not come from a place of anger, but of a sincere place of care and concern with only one goal; to serve. 

2.       It must be accompanied with sustainable-radical-empathy. Be consistent in our message, be thorough, and genuinely seek to understand.  It’ll behoove us to immediately put ourselves in the other person’s shoes when we’re dealing with a tough conversation or situation. Remember where we were 20 years ago.

We’ve all done this before. We’ve answered a question with, “Because I said so.” Maybe we meant to say, in a caring tone, “because I’ve done it that way, I’ve trained that way, I’ve gone down that path and it will not work, and this is why…”

Let’s be virtuous examples, and never shy away from carefully being the warning. 

In Strength,

Adam Stoyanoff MS, CSCS

Director of Strength and Conditioning

Grand Rapids West Catholic High School

Relationships

When it comes to relationships most fall into one of two categories; Transactional or Transformational.

Transactional relationships are ones where people only engage or invest in the relationship when they feel or expect they will get something in return. This is a common approach because it is easier and more in the moment. The rewards are short lived but lack the deep roots that will be needed for long-term success.

Transformational relationships are a long-term investment where you pour into the relationship expecting nothing in return. This is an investment in the other person and the genuineness of the relationship, not for your own gain. The reward of these relationships can last a lifetime and come back to you in ways you could never expect.

Investing in transformational relationships have a compounding effect. The rewards gained in this type of relationship come from seeing the person you impacted pass that gift along to others. That is the true reward!

Those you choose to develop relationships with the most and keep closest to you will have the largest impact on you. A great friend of mine taught me that you are the average of the five people closest to you. We should all choose wisely to who those five people are.

Your 5 people might not be who you think either. The 5 people closest to you are the ones that control your thoughts the most. For some they could be the author they read, podcast they listen to, a friend, spouse, parent, or co-worker. The ones who effect your thoughts the most are the ones who will have the greatest impact on our lives.

As we move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts, our lives will trend in the direction of those who are impacting our thoughts the most. If you want to see your future, look at your circle and there it will appear.

To wrap up, seek out genuine transformational relationships and invest in them. Build your circle with those who value those relationships and continue to impact those around you.

Kenny Goodrich

Associate Director Athletic Performance/Olympic Sports