By: Danny Olszowy, CSCSThe Master’s Academy Strength & Conditioning Coach
Sports Performance SpecialistSPECTRUM, Inc
The field of Strength and Conditioning has grown lucratively over the past ten years and plays a major role in athletics. As a young kid and into my teenage years I never knew of anyone who sought out specialized strength training to gain an edge in their athletic development. Not to say it was not happening, but the need and desire was so sparse that the few that did utilize this service were few and far between. Fast-forward to 2015; I am in my mid-twenties and the role of Strength Coaches and Performance Specialists are so pivotal that a new reality exists. Athletes will fall behind their peers developmentally if specialized training is not received from an expert, especially at the high school level. For those high school athletes looking to get the best start possible in their athletic careers, training needs to be approached in a refined manner. How can the ever-expanding pool of knowledge in the field of strength and conditioning be better implemented into the regime of high school athletes?
The available range of training options for high school athletes has blossomed from individualized training in a private setting to team training services provided by specialists, often times on-site in a designated training facility. Performance Specialists have begun to fill the role that most Sport Coaches have filled for many years. For decades, Sport Coaches have trained their young athletes with varying success. With the evolving nature of Strength and Conditioning and all that it entails, Sport Coaches are no longer as effective in providing their athletes everything they require to gain the edge needed today.
Much like you would bring a lawyer into a transaction of legal matters and doctors to deal with the diagnosis of health issues, Performance Specialists spend their time practicing and perfecting their craft. Continual grow in every area related to the field of Strength and Conditioning is key to staying ahead of the game. As is innate to all professions, Sport Coaches do not have the time and resources to keep up-to-date with all the knowledge required to evolve their training methods. Their main responsibility is to help physically develop athletes in their particular sport, producing quantifiable results that facilitate success: Winning the competition.
That is where the beautiful relationship of a Sport Coach and Performance Specialists begins. Each has the like-minded goal of improving their athletes. Becoming bigger, stronger, faster and more skilled at their sport is the new and improved vision. When both perspectives are brought together, the goal is to help the athletes improve as a whole, not just individually or within a limited scope of athletic ability.
I am going to spend the next several weeks talking about how to train different high school level athletes with limited resources; a common modality of training that performance specialists are often forced to work with. Next week I will touch on training a football team in the aforementioned scenario, providing nuggets of information and organizational tips that can help you in your own unique situation.
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