January/February 2025 - 57
T
he advent of the New Year means it's time for
football coaches to formulate and implement their
off-season programs.
Many high school coaches are already well into their
winter workouts and taking advantage of this critical time
for the growth and development of their players, in
addition to laying a foundation for team building and unity.
The emphasis on physical development during this time
of year is so great, in fact, that the summer training
program is the only period where I receive more inquiries
and requests for lifting, speed training, agility, and
position-specific conditioning protocols.
In this article, I will focus on some of the details
and peripheral issues that can cause several snags if
not addressed.
PARTICIPATION
Organizational procedures are much more complicated for
high school coaches, who often face the four-headed monster
of time constraints, space and equipment limitations,
scheduling multi-sport athletes, and in some instances, a
general lack of support from parents and/or administrators.
I had the distinct privilege of coaching at the high school
level for ten years, and therefore experienced many of
these administrative brush fires up close and personal.
This dates back to the mid-seventies and it ran through
the mid-eighties, an era when the importance of strength
training was finally winning favor with high school
coaches. Soon thereafter, old storage rooms in the bowels
of the buildings were being gutted, painted, spruced up,
and transformed into weight rooms.
Today, you would be hard-pressed to find a modern
high school building that does not have a spacious,
well-equipped weight room woven into an architect's
initial design. Many of the ones I've seen rival those at the
collegiate level. And yet, the aforementioned problems
remain as a stitch in the side of coaches trying to
formulate off-season training programs.
Here are some troubleshooting suggestions for high
school coaches:
* Schedule a meeting with all administrators and
coaches in the school to discuss the importance of
year-round training programs for all of the athletes.
Hammer out a common ground agenda for multisport
athletes so that they are provided the
opportunity to benefit from strength training
activities, regardless of the time of year or the sport
they are participating in at the time. This can be
accomplished if everyone approaches it with an open
mind and keeps the best interests of the athletes at
the forefront.
* Stay in constant communication with parents, as they
can be your best allies and provide the stout support
your program will need to grow and develop.
Whether this is accomplished at parent/booster
meetings, via e-mails, newsletters, or through the
athletic page of the school's website, information on
the hows and whys of your program is deeply
appreciated by most parents. Also, any awards,
recognition, or other motivational tools that are in
place as incentives for attendance, effort, testing,
etc., should be shared with parents. Keeping them in
the loop and giving them a sense of their importance
to the program will go a long way.
* Schedule qualified guest speakers to come into your
school to address all of the coaches, administrators,
athletes, and parents on the importance of training and
proper nutrition for overall good health, injury
deterrence, and improved performance. In today's
quick-fix age of performance-enhancing drugs,
ubiquitous supplements, and a host of other deleterious
practices, it is important to counter all of this nonsense
with solid, scientifically-founded information.
* Keep your staff actively involved in continuing
education activities including clinics, seminars, and
visits with college/professional S&C coaches. As a
young high school coach, I can remember attending
several clinics or arranging meetings with collegiate
coaches every month in the off-season - many of
them on my dime - and it served me well.
COACHING AND SUPERVISION
Everyone involved in the day-to-day operation of the
program should be thoroughly knowledgeable in every
aspect of its implementation.
Far too many times we see one person calling the shots
with large groups of athletes, while a few assistants try to
coach on the run with little or no fundamental background
in what is being taught. This is a recipe for chaos and it
destroys the credibility of your program. As a head coach
or one who is designated as the coordinator of the
off-season program, you must take the time to coach your
staff on the finer points and important details of every
drill, exercise, etc., to the point where you would have
complete confidence in their ability to run the show
seamlessly in your absence.
Discuss the Xs and Os of your program design with
your staff, and do not be satisfied with their retention
until they can teach the program to you - complete with
the rationale that supports the perceived benefits of
every single activity. Before I feel confident in turning the
teaching reins of activity over to one of my interns or
graduate assistants, they must teach it to me and
convince me of its worth.
One final, yet extremely important point here: Failure to
supervise a workout session in its entirety puts the
athletes in harm's way and could place you, as the person
in charge and primary supervisor, in a litigious situation
should someone sustain a serious injury.
COACHAD.COM 57
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January/February 2025
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2025
2025 Coaches Survey Results
Ad Index
A.D.ministration
Between the Lines
Built For This
CSCCa Strength Focus
Facility Focus
Football Focus
Football X&Os
Holistic Health
Organizing the Offseason
Product Focus
Product Marketplace
Q&A.D.
January/February 2025 - 1
January/February 2025 - 2
January/February 2025 - 3
January/February 2025 - Between the Lines
January/February 2025 - 5
January/February 2025 - 6
January/February 2025 - 7
January/February 2025 - A.D.ministration
January/February 2025 - 9
January/February 2025 - 10
January/February 2025 - 11
January/February 2025 - 12
January/February 2025 - 13
January/February 2025 - CSCCa Strength Focus
January/February 2025 - 15
January/February 2025 - 16
January/February 2025 - 17
January/February 2025 - Built For This
January/February 2025 - 19
January/February 2025 - 20
January/February 2025 - 21
January/February 2025 - 22
January/February 2025 - 23
January/February 2025 - 24
January/February 2025 - 25
January/February 2025 - 2025 Coaches Survey Results
January/February 2025 - 27
January/February 2025 - 28
January/February 2025 - 29
January/February 2025 - Football X&Os
January/February 2025 - 31
January/February 2025 - 32
January/February 2025 - 33
January/February 2025 - 34
January/February 2025 - A1
January/February 2025 - A2
January/February 2025 - A3
January/February 2025 - A4
January/February 2025 - A5
January/February 2025 - A6
January/February 2025 - A7
January/February 2025 - A8
January/February 2025 - A9
January/February 2025 - A10
January/February 2025 - A11
January/February 2025 - A12
January/February 2025 - A13
January/February 2025 - A14
January/February 2025 - A15
January/February 2025 - A16
January/February 2025 - Q&A.D.
January/February 2025 - 36
January/February 2025 - 37
January/February 2025 - Football Focus
January/February 2025 - 39
January/February 2025 - Holistic Health
January/February 2025 - 41
January/February 2025 - 42
January/February 2025 - 43
January/February 2025 - Facility Focus
January/February 2025 - 45
January/February 2025 - 46
January/February 2025 - 47
January/February 2025 - 48
January/February 2025 - 49
January/February 2025 - Product Focus
January/February 2025 - 51
January/February 2025 - 52
January/February 2025 - 53
January/February 2025 - 54
January/February 2025 - 55
January/February 2025 - Organizing the Offseason
January/February 2025 - 57
January/February 2025 - 58
January/February 2025 - Product Marketplace
January/February 2025 - 60
January/February 2025 - 61
January/February 2025 - 62
January/February 2025 - 63
January/February 2025 - 64
January/February 2025 - 65
January/February 2025 - Ad Index
January/February 2025 - 67
January/February 2025 - 68
January/February 2025 - 85
January/February 2025 - 86
January/February 2025 - 87
January/February 2025 - 88
January/February 2025 - 89
January/February 2025 - 90
January/February 2025 - 91
January/February 2025 - 92
January/February 2025 - 93
January/February 2025 - 94
January/February 2025 - 95
January/February 2025 - 96
January/February 2025 - 97
January/February 2025 - 98
January/February 2025 - 99
January/February 2025 - 100
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