How To Be A Godsend To Your Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach

By Cristi Bartlett

In light of summer being just around the corner and some high school athletes gearing up for their transition into collegiate athletics, a guideline of sorts may be needed to make the transition to college easier.

 

Here’s some helpful info:

 

1.  Don’t try to impress anyone. Nothing is more irritating to a coach than hearing about what you did “back in the day”. You are too young to have a “day”. If you were taught correctly how to perform the lifts, it will show.  Chances are you are going to learn a different way to do things, since as a college s/c coach; we have to preserve your bodies for 4 years and produce athletes at the same time. Remember that your are an investment and we have to make sure that you are conditioned and healthy enough to do what you do best, to display your skills. Strength and Conditioning is THE foundation of your athletic career.

 

2. Master the basic lifts and movements. A pull up, push up, bench, squat, overhead press, deadlift and a box jump. Not necessary, but if you can perform a clean without making me want to claw my eyes out, that is always a plus. It amazes me how some Kids make it through their entire high school career, without performing a proper pull up, squat, or push up but can tell you and try to show you all the different variations of the bench press and how it makes you a better football player. There is no expectation of you to be able to squat a house or pull a ton of weight. Be proficient in the movements before you even begin to touch extremely high loads.

 

3. Respect your coach. Respect the title. None of that yo man, what's up, or yo< insert first name>. It's Coach, Coach <whatever name you are permitted to use>. Period.

 

4. Listen! Shut your mouth and take it all in. The information that you will get will save you from a pec tear, or low back injury that you'd have to deal with for the rest of your life. So listen closely and apply it to the best of your ability.

 

5. Be Coachable. When a coach tells you something, don't do the opposite on the next rep. Try your very best to get it right. Example: if I say exaggerate the shrug on the clean, then I expect on the next rep to see you try to touch your shoulders to your ears.

 

6. Retention. Week 1-8, there will be a lot of information, coaching cues, and instruction thrown at you. Remember it. There is nothing worse than having to repeat something that has been stated over 100x during week 1-3, at week 22. Retain the info!

 

7. Effort. Try your hardest. Go as hard as you can all the time, no matter what. Had a bad day, push it aside and train as hard as you can. I'd rather have your intensity level at 100% all the time and have you poop out half way through a training session than have you go 60% and make it the entire way. Train like hell.

 

It is all about getting better. Look at every repetition of every set, or every step within every run or every cut in every drill as a means to an end, to be great. Have fun with it, do it because you want to do it, do it because you want to be better than mediocre. Training is fun, so even after and during all of the instruction, sometimes harsh words and grueling sets, enjoy the process and get better.