Archive for “High Schools” Tag

Co-Existing With Today’s High School Athlete

Posted on: May 31st, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

How To Co-Exist With High School Athlete Programs

By Wil Fleming

Some of my fondest memories of training came when I was in high school training with my Olympic Weightlifting club 3 nights per week. We had a great time and became better athletes in the process. To me it was a lot like AR before there was an AR. I loved going because I knew that what I was doing was aiding what was expected of me as a high school football player and track athlete.

My coaches supported me and would often come by just to watch training. My high school coaches knew that I was not participating in a competing program but rather one that was only aiding in my development. My high school coaches knew that I was working with experts in the field of strength and conditioning.

As a high school athlete I never felt pressure to choose 1 or the other. This allowed me to enjoy the experience fully and fully commit to getting better when I don’t suggest that we all run weightlifting clubs, but I do think that there are some valuable lessons from that experience to apply to your coaching. It is important to coexist with the high school programs already in place instead of trying to take their place.

Here are my top 4 ways to successfully coexist with programs for a high school athlete already in place.

Find out what the high school is doing. My weightlifting club would ask coaches at high schools about the current focus in training. At AR Bloomington, I like to find out what the coaches’ focus is at the time and try to augment their results. Being redundant in training is the last thing you want to do, athletes will not want to attend an AR session where they are planning on doing a heavy quad dominant exercise when they did back squats at school the same morning.

Offer to assist the coach. Assisting the coach is one of the easiest ways to coexist successfully with a high school program. Inviting the coach to watch your sessions is an easy way to show that you have an open door and are not competing for their athletes time, but instead just aiding in their development.

Don’t Pressure the athletes. Although we remember our high school days fondly and the carefree attitude that was associated with that time, athletes today feel pressure from every direction. Not even mentioning the season during which nearly every hour after school is accounted for on everyday, athletes are expected to attend workouts year round for their sport, expected to participate in club or travel team practices and games. Giving the impression that a high school athlete should only be a part of your program is a quick way to lose athletes from your business.

Despite evidence that year round participation in a sport is a poor route to choose for athletes looking to improve, trying to force this message on your athletes only adds to the pressure that athletes are feeling.

Most importantly is point number 4 below:

Become an expert and then some. Coaches often feel like they must be a jack of all trades, they have to develop their schedule of competitions, they have to handle the gate receipts, they organize fundraising, they have to plan the x’s and o’s and then plan their strength and conditioning program. So why would they send their athletes to train with another jack of all trades?

Instead find something to be the “go to” expert in your community. Speed and agility, recovery and regeneration, and Olympic lifting are great places to start.

No matter your current level of knowledge, keep improving. My area of expertise is the Olympic lifts and many high school coaches have sought out my help in this area, but I am not satisfied with my current knowledge and have read nearly a dozen books or manuals this year on the subject to keep improving and further separate myself as the go to expert in my community. By improving these skills your business will always be the place to send athletes looking to improve in that area.

The excellence of your training program cannot be experienced without the approval of high school coaches in your area.

Working to gain their trust and acceptance is worth it to get the opportunity to impact more new High School Athlete everyday.

High School Strength Certification

Posted on: January 24th, 2011 by IYCA No Comments

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IYCA High School Strength Certification

High School Strength Certification will be released tomorrow.

And today, I wanted to hit you with a few key points for your consideration…

Barrington High School

Timothy Christian

Prairie Ridge

3 of the numerous high schools I either worked at or consulted for from 2001 – 2009.

Without question the most fulfilling time of my career.

In those 8 years and with those 6,000+ high school athletes, I experienced more in the way of learning than at any other point in my 15 years inside this industry.

I learned that the situation (for multiple reasons) was never going to be ideal and that a practical system was necessary to optimally train these teenagers.

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IYCA: Thank You and A Gift From Me

Posted on: November 26th, 2009 by IYCA 3 Comments

IYCA Provides…

by Wil Fleming – www.beforcefit.com

It is the week of Thanksgiving and I wanted to share with you why I am thankful for the IYCA.

Certainly I am thankful for the knowledge I gain from attending live events and the continuing education certification courses but that only touches the surface. The IYCA gives away, literally gives away, so much valuable information. All of it for free. The IYCA treats its members like family. I am thankful for being a part of an organization that wants me to be able to do what I love better than any other professional around.

As members of the IYCA we are all passionate about the training of our youth. Some are passionate about reducing the prevalence of obesity in our youth, others want to help athletes succeed to their highest levels. Wherever you fall on this spectrum there is one thing that will determine your success.

Your ability to reach as many young people as possible.

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The Trouble with High School Athletes

Posted on: March 10th, 2009 by IYCA 19 Comments

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High School Athletes Training Programs

Okay… So the ‘trouble’ really isn’t with high school athletes, per say,
it’s with the training programs they’re often forced to use.

And frankly, they don’t know any better.

But then again, neither do many high school Coaches.

Not a targeted shot, just reality.

So here are some of the problems I’ve seen –

1) Train Versus Teach

From Day 1, many incoming high school athletes are asked to ‘perform’.

Using lifts they are often unfamiliar with and receiving little to no
technical instruction, they are often left to their own devices.

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Youth Conditioning Programs Tip of the Week

Posted on: January 23rd, 2009 by IYCA 2 Comments

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Youth Conditioning Programs

Why hold on to the ‘norm’?

What’s the point of doing what everyone else always has?

Case in point.

I’ve worked with literally dozens of different high schools
over the past several years and almost always have been
asked to ‘add’ to there already existing programs rather
than re-create a system that I know will work better.

It takes time, but eventually the Coaching staff come to
learn that my style of athletic development works better
than what they currently have and turn the reigns
completely over to me.

And when that happens, do you know what my first step
is in changing the face of their youth conditioning programs and methods?

I separate the freshmen from everyone else.

High school represents a perfect developmental model.

4-years of having the same athletes – guaranteed.

So rather than making the young 14 year olds perform the
same lifts as the 18 year old seniors (and with the same
zeal of heavy loads) I remove them from the equation and
train them as a separate group.

We work on things like summation of forces, lift technique
and speed/agility basics.

This gives them a solid foundation on which to grow and
ensures they don’t get caught up in the ‘how much can you
lift’ world of high school athletics.

By the time they are sophomores, they are much better
equipped to handle loads and perform lifts with more
accuracy and precision.

Now this methodology flies in the face of what most high
school athletic programs do.

But trust me when I say that it’s a much superior system.

Don’t be afraid to go against the ‘norm’ with Youth Conditioning Programs.

Carlos Alvarez, looked at as the best high school
strength coach in the entire United States, will be discussing
topics just like this one next month at our International Summit.

MORE than worth taking a look at –

http://www.iyca.org/2009summit

Have a great weekend!

Brian