"Go To Practice"
Joe Kenn | V.P. of Performance Education
The start of my college career was a whirlwind. A graduate assistant overseeing the majority of Olympic Sports in a university setting was quite daunting. As I maneuvered through the learning process, I learned quickly that buy-in was made simpler by showing up unannounced at practices and games.
Lessons of a Veteran Strength Coach Point 3 – Go to Practice!
This seems simple, but speaking to many, still not a common activity among strength and conditioning coaches. In this day and age of sport specific positions, it is almost deemed mandatory that the strength staff per said team be at every practice for every minute of practice. In the multiple sports setting, attending practice may not be something that you are even realizing you are missing. This can be an important aspect of the relationship building process. It’s very easy to forget about the other aspects of an athlete’s athletic schedule while coaching several sports in the training hall as well as programming duties, meetings, and additional administrative work.
I can assure you, stopping by a practice even for a thirty-minute time period once per week will make a dramatic impact on your athletes and the coaching staff. Meeting the athletes in their domain shows you are willing to learn more about the daily demands they face as well as showing your support. Plus, you never know what you can pick up watching a practice. I have learned a tremendous amount about planes of movement, energy system demands, and well as watching coaches coach!
The credibility earned will enhance the relationship, communication, and the overall effort that is needed to have success when competitions begin. Hopefully, this note is just reaffirming what many of you are already partaking in.