By Kate Kalnes, Ed.D., C.S.C.S. & Jim Davis, Ed.M., RSCC*D Strength and conditioning is one of the fastest growing fields in high school sports. Many have recognized that stronger, faster, and safer athletes have a better athletic experience; additionally, students who participate in a coordinated strength training effort have more…
Coaching and teaching require similar skillsets. Leaders in each must develop subject matter expertise, create cultures rich with learning, and share information with students/athletes. The “classrooms” look different (some might have desks, others might have hoops or barbells), but the methods and objectives are similar. Eric McMahon understands those similarities.…
The weight room can be one of the most powerful learning environments in all of athletics. For 9 months each year (an offseason), dedicated educators create cultures within a “classroom” full of novelty, goal-directed behavior, hard work and fun. Time after time, young people report learning valuable lessons in the…
my natural social personality is to be laid back and let things come to me. No such thing as a laid back strength coach when you're asking an athlete to squat twice their body weight at 6 AM on a Monday morning
This article originally appeared in the Harvard Crimson in September, 2019. Football season is upon us. The current instantiation of the 10,000 men of Harvard take the field on Sept. 21 and finish on Nov. 23 when, for the 136th time, Harvard locks horns with Yale. But the battle surrounding…
Illinois, we’re heading in the right direction! There are so many exciting moments to come as we seemingly turn a corner in this pandemic. That is, if we take up the charge of ensuring a thoughtful return to training. Coaches across the state agree that the goal of the spring…
by Chris Dertz The Powerlifting Team at Eastland High School in Lanark, Illinois is making a name for itself. Although it is a new sport at the school, and despite limited gym access, a few dedicated Cougars have found ways to compete… and they are excelling. The weekend of December…
In the newest episode of “Coffee with a Coach,” Jim sat down with Tom Sroka. Tom is an elite athlete, competing at a world-class level in the Olympic weightlifting, Highland Games, and pretty much anything that requires strength and power. Tom owns and operates The Strength Agenda, a gym located…
East of Humboldt County, in the Trinity Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, Chris Duffin heated river water in a jug to bathe. He was a child then and, in his own words, “a different level of poor.” His story goes beyond poverty. During Chris’ developmental years he was exposed to…
The energy in the E & L Andrew Fitness was palpable. Winter sunlight cascaded through the expanse of windows in the Knox College weightroom to highlight a bar loaded with almost 600 pounds. GiHo Jeong was approaching the platform. One year prior, GiHo was leading the Whitney Young High School…