I have to laugh when I hear people justify how good of strength coach you are by who you have trained. Ninety-five percent of the time they want to hear names of players who are in the professional ranks or high profiled college players. As if these are the guys that don’t already have God-given ability.
What I have always said is show me what you can do as a strength and conditioning coach with a 13-year-old who doesn’t have much ability. You have to take someone who doesn’t have incredible …

There have been many name changes, many new products, and many services provided through Sports Speed, Etc. over the years but one thing has never changed…Education!
Sometimes I have to shake my head and just laugh it off when I have people commenting on how they didn’t like a DVD because there wasn’t enough drills in it.
I could agree if I promoted my products simply as sources for more drills. There is nothing wrong with this approach as long as you state the purpose. But I have always stated my products …

No one likes to win any more than I do. But over the past few years of coaching youth sports I have been able to fight the urge to go for the big win and sacrifice the big picture. Now I admit, I may not have created equal playing time for all my kids, but on that note I reward hard work and commitment to the team. The girls who played mostly are the same girls that worked their tails off all year long and committed.
A big issue with youth …

Learn how a few simple tips can change how you run your business or organization more efficently. Listen to two very important people who help Lee run his “ship”.
Please Login or Register to read the rest of this content.

Too often we allow volume to dictate our programs rather than skill development. In the past two weeks I have received workouts from many different coaches and athletes. These workouts are to build strength and power in their athletes. One of my athletes was given a workout by his football coach and the volume on one day of knee bending exercises was 120 repetitions per leg (this is just one day, not the entire week). Not to mention, many of the exercises were off machines. To give you an idea …

I can remember the first time I learned to dribble two basketballs. It was a very awkward feeling. After a few sessions it became easier and felt more “normal”. Why would I want to learn to dribble with two hands when the game is played with one ball? Here are my thoughts on practicing, not only two handed exercises, but exercises that require off hand manipulation. 
The reason I teach all my players how to dribble with two basketballs is because Please Login or Register to read the rest of this content.

Sometimes my frustration level reaches such a high I do a poor job of communicating my feelings regarding poor training methods with young athletes.
There is a youth volleyball coach that coaches at a local club. She is currently working with 12- and 13-year-old girls. Her practices are absolutely brutal. An extreme volume of suicide runs, shuffles, holds in a defensive stance and more. Yet, none of that has to do with making the young kids better volleyball players.
At a young age it is all about skill development and motor programming. …

Sometimes I wish I could work with athletes for free. Unfortunately, the timeframe many athletes stay in a program is dictated by finances. I would love to never have finances be an issue, but we all have bills to pay, want to make a living for our families, and need to pay staff. So the fees exist.
The other dilemma is the marketing of a program to get people in your door so you can train them. I am a big believer in doing what my athletes and clients need. I …

What are your feelings on experience versus talent? I mean when the players with experience have pretty close to the same talent, but not quite as good as the younger talented players.
I think talent wins when it doesn’t matter more than when it does matter. I think experience offers players opportunities to manage situations better and negates talent.
Let’s look at Mark Sanchez, the QB for the jets. He started out like fire. He definitely has talent. But after time, the experience of defenses and coaching negated his talent. Even his …

I can’t tell you how many former students and athletes over the years that have said to me, “I want to be a PE Teacher or a Trainer. It looks like so much fun.” My first reaction is always, “Good for you. It’s a great profession.” Little do they know how much work actually goes into the job.
I can honestly say in just the past 5-6 years there have been roughly 10-15 athletes that I have trained who went into the exercise science, physical education, athletic training, or physical therapy …

Thanks to those of you who supported my message on the welfare of our youth. There are so many people who have done much more than I will ever do to help kids lead better lives. My frustration comes from the lack of respect fitness receives from parents, school systems and other youth organizations. Please don’t get the impression I don’t think education is important. I agree it is so important. I just want people to realize how good health trumps good academics every time. If you don’t think so, …

As coaches, we need to be aware of our athletes’ current abilities. This is why we should perform at least a visual assessment of how they move. When first assessing athletes, I always allow them move freely in many different directions in the beginning. I often also use the FMS or other three dimensional movements to see how their body handles itself in space. However, the strategies I devise from that point on are based on what I know the body should be able to accomplish.
The important aspect of coaching …

Let me set the stage. Friday, my wife went to Chicago with my oldest daughter, Jae, on a class field trip. I stayed home with Bailee and Brennen. Not only did I have to get Bailee up for school and drive her there, I also had to get Brennen up and ready to go with us. And it just happened to be the day before Halloween so Bailee had a little more stuff than usual to bring to school. It wasn’t such a big deal. For the most part it …

My history in strength and conditioning, as well as sport coaching, is strong because of my up brining. My father and brothers were coaches, therefore, my entire life I was able to watch, listen and learn how to be a coach. Before I went full time into the world of strength and conditioning, I coached sports. Even as I began training athletes as a business, I was still coaching sports. It is in my nature to coach and I don’t believe it will ever leave me.
I can honestly say my …

At the Michael Jordan Flight School in Las Vegas last summer I had several opportunities to hear Michael speak and give his expert advice. One particular thing that I vividly remember him saying was how important his coaches were in his life. Without hesitation, he said having a coach made him who he is today.
Michael not only spoke about his athletic and sports coaches, but he spoke about his business coaches. He has developed such an empire, but none of it would have happened had he not had mentors along …

I think one of the most fascinating aspects of coaching is the actual art of teaching locomotor skills to athletes. You would think I am referencing just the primary grade level athletes (k-3) but I am sadly grouping older athletes in this as well. The reason for this is because we have failed, as a country, to teach the most basic fundamental locomotor skills to our entry level athletes. This has left us lagging behind in the most elementary movement skills. The purpose of this post is to express my …