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CONTENTS | FOOTBALL Edition | POSTSEASON 2013 | Vol. XXI, No. 10
DENNIS STIFF/MAXPREPS.COM
Coaching Management
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COVER STORY Progressive programs 18 voices of experience 25 leaders against Surviving long-term as a football coach is getting tougher and tougher. We asked veterans totaling more than a century of experience for their secrets.
5
violence
Can a football team play a role in stopping violence against women? This coach found the answer to be yes.
A roundtable of experts offer their thoughts on tracking and improving athletes’ performance in strength and conditioning.
POSTSEASON 5 BULLETIN BOARD
Q&A 13 JOSH FLOYD
New Minnesota law protects coaches … A community relations challenge … UNI’s Mark Farley on coaching his son … Rewarding improvement … High school team embraces character lessons … “Dare Coach D” puts N.C. State coach on display.
Using the hurry-up spread offense, which he learned as a player under Gus Malzahn, Josh Floyd has led Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, Ark., to four state titles.
On the cover
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 41 Football Facilities 42 Strength & Conditioning 42 Coaching Aids/ Technology 46 Power Racks
Publisher Mark Goldberg
optimum performance 32 talk of the test
47 Uniforms & Apparel 48 More Products
Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter, Natalie Couch
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BULLETIN BOARD POSTSEASON 2013
CONTENTS
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5 State law
aids coaches
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5 Putting
outreach first
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6 A scholarship for improvement
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8 When your son’s on the squad
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9 Daily dose of character
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11 Daring
Coach Doeren
High School News
AP Photo/The Star Tribune-David Joles
Coaches Get Job Protection It’s no secret that today’s parents want a say in their children’s high school athletic experience. But what happens when their voices lead to coaches being fired? In Minnesota, state legislators have tackled this issue by enacting a law that makes it illegal to fire a coach entirely because of parent criticism. A statement reading, “The existence of parent complaints must not be the sole reason for a board to not renew a coaching contract,” was added to an existing piece of legislation and signed into law in May. The original bill, passed a decade ago, provides coaches with certain rights upon their termination, such as a document outlining the reasons for their nonrenewal and a chance to appeal their firing in front of the school board. According to John Erickson, Executive Director of the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association, the number of non-renewed coaching contracts in the state has risen steadily over the past decade. “We have found that a lot of terminations were driven by parents,” says Erickson. “Their involvement was putting unfair pressure on school boards and athletic directors, and coaches had no way to defend themselves.” Besides affecting current coaches, Erickson worried the frequent terminations and public attacks would deter future individuals from joining the profession, and he believes the new legislation can help prevent this. “We fear that young men and women who were considering coaching will take one look at the hostile work environment and say, ‘I don’t want any part of this,’” he says. “But coaching needs to remain an attractive position so we can continue to draw from a wealth of talent.” The Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) sent a letter to the House and Senate Education Committee chairs stating its opposition to the bill, arguing it is unnecessary to limit what school boards can and cannot consider when evaluating coaching contracts. Additionally, according to Kirk Schneidawind, MSBA’s Deputy Executive Director for Governmental Relations, restricting the influence of parents’ concerns in the process will close school board members off from the wishes of their constituents. CoachesNetwork.com
A new law in Minnesota makes it illegal to fire a high school coach due to complaints from parents. Above, Dawson-Boyd takes on Bethlehem Academy in the 2012 Class A Minnesota state semifinals. But Erickson sees it differently. “We are not questioning the school boards’ authority in any way,” he says. “We want them to have the same latitude they’ve always had. It just seems that school boards and administrators are under incredible pressure when parents are unhappy, and we are trying to make sure that stress doesn’t influence a decision. The boards are compelled to investigate any complaints they deem legitimate, but they are not required to follow the demands of parents.” Erickson adds that the bill was never meant to silence parents. “This isn’t about getting parents out of athletics, because the vast majority are supportive and encouraging,” he says. “But it does give coaches the freedom to do their jobs without worrying about being unfairly attacked and fired.” The bill was introduced and coauthored by a former high school cross country coach, Rep. Dean Urdahl, and
passed through the Minnesota House of Representatives 78-56 as part of the Omnibus Education Bill. After a joint Conference Committee between House and Senate members agreed on a final version, the bill moved through the Senate 41-26 on May 19. The governor signed it into law three days later. Although he says there are still aspects of parental interactions with coaches that could be improved, Erickson considers this bill a step in the right direction. “We certainly weren’t going to back down when it came to supporting our coaches, so we feel like we have made our point,” he says. “With this law on the books, hopefully it makes our coaches’ jobs easier and better.” In The Community
1,000 Hours Coaches often discuss the importance of community outreach with their teams. But few have managed to make it as integral a part of their program as Chris Rusiewicz, Head Coach at Guilford College. Since being named to the position in 2011, Rusiewicz has annually challenged his squad to complete a specific number Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013 5
BULLETIN BOARD of outreach hours. In 2011-12, the Quakers exceeded Rusiewicz’s 600-hour goal by 301 hours. Last year, he set the bar at 1,000, and the team surpassed it again. Rusiewicz started his community push nearly eight years ago, while he was Associate Head Coach at Ursinus College. “When I was going through a rough time, my pastor told me the best way to overcome adversity was to serve others,” he says. “By getting involved, I saw the positive impact outreach had on my life, so I started thinking about the influence it could have on the team. “I presented it to the players as a meaningful way to take advantage of their unique situation on campus, where our team was one of Ursinus’s largest, most visible groups,” Rusiewicz continues. “We had a fantastic opportunity to make an impact, both by taking part in projects that required significant manpower and by inspiring others to help.” Despite a strong pitch, getting commitment from players was tough initially. “Our goal was 400 hours the first year at
Ursinus, and we barely reached it,” Rusiewicz says. “Even though most of the hours were completed after the season was over, the players were always so busy and it was difficult to convince them to give their spare time to service.” Now, Rusiewicz uses several tactics to get buy-in from his Guilford squad. “I emphasize that in order for our team to be successful on the field, the players need to bond off of it,” he says. “If 20 guys deliver food to a pantry, they’ll develop a connection with each other and grow closer, which can help them on the field. “I also try to use the term ‘outreach programs’ instead of ‘community service,’” Rusiewicz continues. “To some 6 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
players, ‘community service’ is court-mandated punishment. As a result, they don’t approach it in a positive manner. By using other terms, I get them to see it as an opportunity to help others.” The squad’s largest outreach initiative is a mentoring program with a local school. “About 30 players and several coaches go to the school once a week for an hour and a half,” Rusiewicz says. “The behavioral coordinator there matches up our players one-on-one with kids who are dealing with the same problems they had growing up. About half the time is spent on homework, with the rest devoted to talking and playing sports. We volunteered close to 400 hours at the school last year, and it’s had a great impact on both our players and the younger kids.” Not all efforts are team-based, however. “You have to let players pursue their own passions if you want them to be engaged with community outreach,” Rusiewicz says. “One year, we had a player who wanted to become a teacher, so for two hours every week, he went to a near-
Responding to their coach’s challenge to log 1,000 hours of community outreach over the academic year, Guilford College players help new students move into their dorms last fall.
by elementary school and taught ESL students. Another player wanted to do something for senior citizens, so he helped construct pavilions at the local senior home.” As players complete outreach projects, they ask an on-site supervisor to sign a form indicating the amount of time worked. Rusiewicz and his staff then track the squad’s progress throughout the year.
“Challenging the team with a specific target for hours each year works well,” he says. “That way, the players learn the importance of setting and reaching goals, and the whole team feels great when we hit our mark.” The impact of the outreach has been significant on both the team and the community. “Now, the program is really propelled by word of mouth as players find projects they’re interested in and tell their teammates,” Rusiewicz says. “And they’ve developed a reputation in the community as being willing to help those in need. I get a lot of phone calls from groups asking if players are willing to volunteer with their organization, and we’re always happy to help.”
Awards
Pays to Improve What’s better than being named the “Most Valuable Player” on a team? At Southwest High School in Minneapolis, it’s being chosen “Most Improved Athlete,” which is accompanied by a $2,500 college scholarship. The award was the idea of Harvey Feldman, an alumnus and former football and basketball player at the school who is donating the scholarship money. “Harvey told me, ‘I want to do something for kids who were like me—who aren’t the best athlete, but who work incredibly hard,” says Ryan Lamberty, Athletic Director at Southwest. “So we decided on a scholarship for the most improved senior girls’ and boys’ basketball players and offensive and defensive football players.” Lamberty says there are several reasons this honor is special. “Most of all, it’s not simply another award for the ‘best’ athletes, but instead it’s for those who might otherwise be overlooked,” he says. “It’s also something the whole department can take pride in. “For example, the player who won Most Improved Defensive Football Player last year came to our school weighing about 95 pounds,” Lamberty continues. “But he got bigger, stronger, and faster and was making plays all over the field by his senior season. A lot of people contributed to his development, and this scholarship recognizes that.” For last year’s inaugural awards, the coaches chose the winning athletes— who did not have to plan to play in college to be eligible. “Because we only had a few months from the creation of the scholarship to our end-of-year banquet, we didn’t have time to come up with official criteria for winning,” Lamberty says. “In the future, Harvey, the CoachesNetwork.com
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this much money, you want the process to be as transparent as possible so people won’t complain that it was awarded unfairly.” The student-athletes who received the scholarships are recognized on a
QUESTIONS
coaches, and myself are going to sit down and come up with some. “We give out several awards, but this one has the highest dollar amount attached to it,” he continues. “Whenever you’re dealing with something involving
3
Mark Farley has enjoyed numerous special moments as Head Coach at the University of Northern Iowa, including seven conference titles and a trip to the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA championship game. But the past two seasons have allowed him to add a more personal bank of special moments to remember, thanks to the presence of his son, linebacker Jake Farley. Jake started his career at the University of Kansas, but broke his leg as a sophomore after redshirting his freshman year. Watching Panthers games online during his recovery stirred emotions that led him back to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to play for his father. He proved to be a welcome addition, sharing the team lead in tackles in 2012 to earn a spot on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team, while giving his father the chance of a lifetime. How do you balance the two roles of being Jake’s father and his coach? Since he’s not living at home, I actually see him a lot more as a coach than I do as a father. But when I’m coaching on the field or watching film, I really don’t notice him more than any other player. He’s just one of the 100 guys out there. When he’s around the house is when I take on the father role.
plaque outside the athletic office, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “When you reward kids for working hard, everyone appreciates it, because it helps validate everything they’ve done to that point,” Lamberty
Coaching Your Son However, I am very aware of perceptions of favoritism, and I guard against any appearance of it, almost to a fault. There’s more expected of Jake because of our situation and he knows it. He has to make sure he follows the rules closest of all. Jake’s handled it well, but it is very demanding. What was your role when he was choosing where to go out of high school? I offered him guidance when he MARK FARLEY asked for it, but it was important that I let him decide what he wanted to do and where he wanted to play. Sometimes I was tempted to say, “I want you to play here,” but he needed to see that there were other programs out there. I thought he made a good decision to go to Kansas. It’s a great school and a great program, and he spent some very important years there in grade school when I was an assistant in the program. Of course it was hard when he left, especially because of the distance involved—I didn’t get to see him play and he came home only three or four times a year. But it worked out well. He got an opportunity to grow up during that freshman year like any college student does, and now we see each other almost every day. What advice do you have for coaches who may be able to coach their sons? There’s no question that if they get the opportunity, they should do it. We may worry about what other people will think, but you have to shut those concerns out and do what’s best for your son and your football team. I would venture to guess that in most cases, it’s best for both if your son is part of your program. You share in the wins and you share in the losses, and most of all you get to share in the work.
Jake Farley returned a fumble for a touchdown, and also recorded 12 tackles, in a win over Drake University.
8 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
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BULLETIN BOARD says. “After receiving their awards, the athletes each wrote thank-you cards to Harvey telling them how honored they were to be selected.” Those cards might have had an even bigger impact than the student-athletes expected. Over the summer, Feldman decided to give each of the scholarship winners an additional $2,500. Although the final amount was significant for the Southwest student-athletes, Lamberty says that a similar award can be effective even if the dollar amount is less. “This honor doesn’t require a lot of money to be a success,” he says. “Even if you can’t give several thousand dollars, rewarding the student-athletes who have improved is a great way to show everyone the value of working hard and getting better.”
Southwest High School alumnus Harvey Feldman, who funds the recently implemented Most Improved Athlete scholarships, poses with Deaudrey McKinley, an inaugural winner of the award.
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Leadership
Daily Reminders When Mark Rose took over the football program at Smiths Station (Ala.) High School in 2008, he inherited a team with a .500 record on the field, and a much worse record off it. Through daily character-building sessions, leading by example, and stringent discipline, Rose has turned the Smiths Station program around competitively—they finished the regular season ranked in the top 20 in the state—and behaviorally. Rose, who is also Smiths Station’s Athletic Director, started implementing five- to 10-minute lessons about integrity and sportsmanship every day before practice during his second season. “The players were behaving in school and keeping up academically, but once they left campus, it seemed like they were always getting in trouble,” he says. “As a coach, I feel it is my responsibility to teach my players to be good men who have character, morals, and self-discipline. I realized that I had to start doing something every day to instill those qualities.” To make sure his players grasp his message, Rose will often present a real-
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life example to accompany each daily lesson. “When my players grow up and have jobs, they can’t go off on their boss whenever there is a disagreement,” says Rose. “I equate that scenario to them controlling their tempers on the football field.” The lessons don’t end when practice starts, however, as Rose strives to lead by example, especially when it comes to sportsmanship. “Games are emotional situations and both players and coaches can lose their cool,” he says. “It’s something we address all the time. I’ve only had one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in 16 years as a head coach. I said something I should not have said, and I deserved to get flagged. But I learned from the experience, and it has never happened again.” Another aspect of sportsmanship Rose tries to model for his players is winning
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Smith Station (Ala.) Head Coach Mark Rose has turned his team around both on and off the field with help from daily character lessons. At right, he celebrates with his squad after winning a MaxPreps rivalry game vs. Beauregard.
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BULLETIN BOARD humbly and losing with dignity. “Everybody has to deal with losing. No one likes it, but you have to handle it with class,” he says. “You need to look your opponent in the eye when they beat you. “By the same token, you also need to be a gracious winner,” Rose continues. “I’ve never run up the score on an opponent. Once we have the game in hand, I’ll clear my bench and put younger players in. It’s important to remember that there are kids and coaches on the other sideline who are working hard and don’t deserve to be embarrassed.” And for those athletes who don’t buy into the daily lessons and leadership examples, Rose is quick with punishments when a player falls out of line. “If a kid gets an unsportsmanlike penalty or I find out he was disrespectful to his teachers, he’ll run after practice,” he says. “And if the behavior doesn’t improve, I’ll sit him.” That includes all players at all times. “In two of my first three years, I kicked the best players off the team because they had embarrassed the program outside of school,” says Rose. “That showed I would sit anyone who didn’t live up to my disciplinary standards, regardless of how talented the athlete was. Your consequences
need to be consistent, and you have to follow through on what you say.” In the years since Rose started his daily character-building sessions, he’s seen incidents of poor behavior drop dramatically, a trend he hopes continues. “I’ve gone from suspending a player every week during my first year to not having anyone suspended at all so far this season,” he says. “We’ve gotten to the point where the team knows what I expect and what the repercussions are going to be for a misstep. I rarely have to deal with behavioral problems anymore.” Promotions
Up for a Dare When starting in a new position, most head coaches get to know their communities through speaking engagements and a lot of hand shaking. Dave Doeren, firstyear Head Football Coach at North Carolina State University, took a different approach by learning how to knock one out of the park, sink a 3-pointer, and shoot a bull’s-eye. Through a promotion titled, “Dare Coach D,” Doeren was challenged to
As part of a promotion called “Dare Coach D,” North Carolina State University Head Coach Dave Doeren attempts to connect bat to ball against the school’s top softball pitchers. The outing was captured in a video and posted on the Web.
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BULLETIN BOARD keep up with the athletes on seven N.C. State teams—softball, bass fishing, women’s golf, rifle, men’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s basketball—once he arrived on campus in December of 2012. After capturing a few strikeouts and missed putts, a video compilation of each experience was posted weekly on the athletic department Web site in June and July, generating more than 20,000 total views. The idea came from Annabelle Myers, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications, after she learned Doeren did a similar promotion as Head
To watch Doeren take on the Wolfpack student-athletes, visit N.C. State’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/ ncstateathletics/videos.
Coach at Northern Illinois University. “We wanted to find a personal way to introduce him to our fans and community, while also doing something that was outside-the-box,” says Myers. “The Dare Coach D project was a good way to accomplish both, and it provided fans
with a glimpse into what Coach Doeren is like off the field.” The biggest challenge in getting the promotion off the ground was timing. “Trying to line up the schedules of each sports team with Coach Doeren’s availability was tough since he was busy with starting spring football practices and moving his family from Illinois to North Carolina,” says Myers. “In addition, some squads were embedded in their postseason when we started filming, so we had to wait until their off-season to shoot. “We also had to work with our compliance office to ensure that filming the teams didn’t violate any NCAA rules,” she continues. “For example, Coach Doeren visited the men’s soccer team during its off-season, and to prevent the meeting from being considered an organized practice, the squad’s head coach couldn’t be there. But since Coach Doeren met with the softball team during its season, its coach was present and appears in the video.” After participating in all seven activities, Doeren insists he thoroughly enjoyed each one but does admit to having a favorite. “I love to fish, so spending the day with the bass fishing team was the most
relaxing and enjoyable,” he says. “We ended up seeing more fish than we caught, but everybody hooked at least one.” His experience with the rifle team proved to be a surprising challenge. “Shooting the rifle was difficult because it required a high degree of accuracy,” he says. “I’m used to the spray of a shotgun shell, not a rifle that has to shoot a pellet through a very small window. The slightest breath sent me off target.” The student-athletes on each team all enjoyed participating in the videos. “Even though our athletes are some of the best at their respective sports, it was still a big deal for them to hang out with the head football coach,” Myers says. “They were very active in sharing the videos on social media sites once they came out.” Overall, the inaugural Dare Coach D project was judged a success, and the athletic department is looking to incorporate fans’ challenges for a repeat promotion next summer—something Doeren is game for. “If I can connect with other people, get them laughing, and allow them to see our program in a different light, I think it’s worth it,” he says. “Even if I look bad, at least people see what N.C. State athletics are all about.”
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Q&A
HURRY-UP SUCCESS
Shiloh Christian has used a spread offense to capture four state championships in the past eight years.
Q&A with JOSH FLOYD | SHILOH CHRISTIAN High School, Springdale, Ark.
dayna cook
From youth football to the NFL, coaches have spent the last few years clamoring to quickly learn the hurry-up spread offense. But for Josh Floyd, Head Coach at Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, Ark., it’s pretty much the only offense he’s known. Floyd was the starting quarterback at Shiloh in the late 1990s under Gus Malzahn, who popularized the strategy and led the school to two state titles before eventually becoming Head Coach at Auburn University. By the age of 24, Floyd had become Shiloh’s Head Coach himself, and has led the team to four CoachesNetwork.com
state titles while running the same offense he used as a high school player.
CM: What was it like playing for Gus Malzahn in high school and being at the center of the spread offense explosion?
Through his first nine seasons, Floyd posted a 93-25 record, including a 25-4 mark in postseason play. He won his first state title as a coach in 2006, which marked the start of five consecutive state championship game appearances. In 2012, however, the Saints moved up a class to 5A and did not make the playoffs for the first time in Floyd’s tenure.
Floyd: Back then, there weren’t many high schools running this offense and it was a lot of fun. When Coach Malzahn came in and said we would be throwing the ball more, we were pretty excited, but that first year we still used a traditional offensive system. The next year, he installed the no huddle and we had instant success with it. We broke a lot of records and won a lot of games because nobody knew how to defend it. I learned a ton from Coach Malzahn— about both Xs and Os and how to run a team and be a successful coach.
In this interview, Floyd answers questions on implementing new strategies, adding a strength and conditioning coach to his staff, and serving as the school’s athletic director. He also talks about being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and how that has affected his coaching.
How have you been able to maintain such a strong tradition of success? Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013 13
Q&A The main reason is that our players have seen those before them achieve it, and they want to experience it, too. Every year, we have a new group of seniors come in and those guys don’t want to let anybody down. They are totally committed to keeping our winning tradition going. Work ethic is important, too. As long as you can keep kids working hard, you’ll avoid the overconfidence that can cause a letdown.
toughness to the strength program. He’s also done a great job motivating the kids and pulling the best out of them.
Tell us about the video that plays on your scoreboard when your team takes the field at home games?
We always feature our seniors, but otherwise we try to mix it up each year. We look at a lot of colleges and mimic some of the things that they do. This year, we showed
“I thought after we won the state title in 2006 that we had it made and everybody would love us. The very next day I received an e-mail from a parent who was upset about their son’s playing time.” I think players only get arrogant when they start thinking wins are automatic once they step on the field. What’s your strategy for returning to the top again now that you’ve moved up a class?
Going from state titles to finishing around .500 has been tough on our program. But it’s also been an extreme motivator for our guys this year. Our senior class has put a lot of time and effort into this program and their goal is to get Shiloh football back to where it’s supposed to be. One key for me has been to try to learn from every experience. Whether we win a state championship or finish with a losing record, I always look back and evaluate what was successful for us and where we need to improve. What did you change going into 2013?
I realized we had to do a better job of adjusting our schemes to fit the talent we had. We haven’t changed our core philosophy— we still believe in the no-huddle offense and trying to run as many plays as we can. But we have altered things a bit in the running game. To play to the strength of our backs and our offensive line, we are focusing on downhill running instead of always trying to stretch it from sideline to sideline. We’ve also started to rely more on play-action, sprint-out plays because that suits our current quarterbacks better than using a lot of three- and five-step drops. Another big change has been in our strength and conditioning program. We hired an assistant coach who had been an assistant strength coach at the University of Arkansas, and that has given us a big boost. He brought expertise and an extra sense of 14 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
action clips along with some posed shots we took before the season started. People have different feelings about if that belongs in high school football, but for me it’s simply something fun for the kids. It also gets people excited about football. Most of the students who play high school football are never going to step onto a college field. They’ll never see themselves on the huge scoreboard at Razorback Stadium. My feeling is, let’s make it as special as we can for these kids and give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience—because that’s really what it is. Do you teach lessons in character and leadership?
We stress to our players the importance of being good citizens first and foremost. I tell them there are a lot of elementary school children who look at them like they’re professional athletes and they can use their influence in either a positive or negative way. One specific thing we’re doing this year is reading a book titled Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness, which looks at seven men who had a huge effect on the world over the past few centuries. We gave every kid a copy and each week we have one coach and one player facilitate a discussion about one of the people in the book. We’re hoping it will give our players an idea of what it really takes to be successful and examples of people they can look up to. You were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012. Has that changed the way you coach?
I live my life pretty much the same way as before, except that I take medication
every day and I am more easily fatigued. There are times I have to get more rest, but I can’t always explain why. I talk to the players about it from time to time and point out that we all go through struggles we have to figure out how to live through. While it’s not a life-threatening situation for me, any serious disease puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate your family more. You understand a little better that family and friends are a lot more important than the game of football. What are your career goals?
I have a great job here. I love Shiloh, and I don’t think there’s a better high school program in the state to coach at. I also have a lot invested in this place. But it’s always been a goal of mine to coach at the collegiate level at some point. I’ve had some opportunities in the past but it just hasn’t been the right time or the place. You became Head Coach at Shiloh at a young age. What was it like taking over a program without a lot of coaching experience?
The benefit was that I was naive and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I knew the Xs and Os, but I didn’t anticipate all the extra stuff that comes with being a head football coach, like dealing with parents and raising money for the program. But by working on them and consulting with coaches I trust, I’ve improved in those outside areas. It’s funny looking back at it now—I actually thought after we won the state title in 2006 that we had it made and everybody would love us. The very next day I received an e-mail from a parent who was upset about their son’s playing time. So it didn’t take long for me to understand that not everybody is going to love you, no matter what you do. You’re also Athletic Director at Shiloh. How do you balance the demands of your two positions?
It’s difficult at times, for sure. During football season, I have an assistant athletic director and others who handle most of the athletic administration load so I can focus on the team. Then once January hits, I put my athletic director hat back on. The hardest part is keeping a balance with my family life. So when I go to a basketball game, I’ll take a couple of my sons with me and let them be a part of it as well. But I really enjoy being athletic director, especially helping other coaches. I like talking with our coaches about the challenges they face and trying to find solutions. CM CoachesNetwork.com
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COVER STORY
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Experience Surviving long-term as a football coach is getting tougher and tougher. We asked veterans totaling more than a century of experience for their secrets. | By Patrick Bohn Hank Biesiot is one of the winningest coaches in NAIA history, racking up more than 250 victories at Dickinson State University. He’s also led the Blue Hawks to 17 conference titles, 15 playoff appearances, and five undefeated regular seasons. But the most impressive figure of his coaching career may be 38, the number of years he’s been head coach at the same school. Long-lasting coaches like Biesiot are becoming an endangered species, and not just because administrators are pressured to make quick changes. Those in the profession today can find themselves struggling to deal with the mounting responsibilities of leading a football program and louder criticism fueled by social media. “I used to have a poster hanging in my office that was a picture of a grizzled cowboy, with the words, ‘There were a lot of things they didn’t tell me when I signed up for this outfit,’” Biesiot says. “As I look back on my career, I laugh at how applicable that poster is to the coaching profession.” Biesiot also acknowledges that coaches face far more challenges now than when he began his tenure back in 1976. “There’s a lot more pressure coming from a lot more places than there was when I started,” he says. “At
Head Coach at Villanova University since 1984, Andy Talley says the keys to longevity in the profession are to be on the same page as your athletic director and have “things in your career besides wins that drive you.�
COVER STORY
times it can feel overwhelming.” How do the elder statesmen of the profession handle the obstacles to success? Their advice ranges from finding the right fit to strategies for stress reduction. SCHOOL CHOICE
While it’s easy to think that hard work is the determining factor in whether you’ll be a great coach and remain one for multiple decades, another component can be just as important: making sure you’re at the best school for you. Take a job at the wrong place and you may find yourself swimming
Once you’ve found the program that works for you, Andy Talley, Head Coach at Villanova University, says it’s important to not let a wandering eye derail your career. “Working in the right environment is the key to staying in this profession for a long time,” he says. “A lot of coaches wind up chasing their tail because they think there’s a more marquee job out there for them, and they try to feed their ego instead of focusing on what school would be the best fit for them overall. As a result, they walk away from a good job and disrupt their family, which can cause its own stress. Then, they
profession is still high stress. Recognizing that some of the stress may come from internal forces is the first step to handling it. “No matter where we work, the pressures we put on ourselves are the greatest ones we face,” says Biesiot. “For instance, my first year here, we went 4-4-1, and the next year we were 4-5. I started wondering if I was doing something wrong and began doubting my ability. “I called coaches I knew at successful schools and asked them what I was doing wrong,” he continues. “I explained that I was struggling and that I wasn’t feeling very con-
“When I first started coaching, parents were mostly okay with coaches yelling at players. Now, attitudes have started to shift on that. So self-evaluation becomes critical to make sure your policies are in line with what the community expects. Another example is the perspective people have on benching a player who’s not behaving well. Your policy on that should mesh with what parents feel is correct.” C.J. Hamilton, Silver Lake (Kan.) High School upstream from day one. Find one that fits your goals and gives you the support you need, and you’re much more likely to be coaching into your retirement. Denny Douds has been the Head Coach at East Stroudsburg University since 1974, and advises coaches to have honest discussions with administrators about the expectations surrounding a program before agreeing to take a position. “The first thing you need to do is find out what the school wants from you and what it can provide you with, ” he says. “Some make it a goal to win championships and will give you whatever you need in order to achieve that, but others simply want hardworking kids on the field. “When I interviewed for this job, I was told that we were part of a tough NCAA Division II conference and we were expected to be competitive in it,” Douds continues. “Then they explained the resources they were going to provide to help me achieve that goal. I saw that it was a good fit, and that helped me set appropriate goals.” While victories are often the measuring stick for success, coaches need to have a different mindset when winning is not the school’s top priority. “If you’re at that type of school and you come in like gangbusters trying to change everything and demanding more support, you’re going to run into problems,” Douds says. “Too many coaches want to focus on wins, but they find themselves at a school where the focus is elsewhere and they get frustrated with what they’re doing.” 20 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
may struggle to be successful at that next job, and it can be a career-ender.” Jim Hightower, Head Coach at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, La., has been coaching at the secondary school level since 1974. He credits his four-decade career to passing up on college coaching. “I was a graduate assistant at Louisiana State University,” Hightower says. “While I enjoyed coaching at that level, I really don’t think I’d still be in this profession if I’d stayed in Division I. The long-distance travel and constant recruiting was tiring. “I realized that for me to remain a coach, I’d need to spend time with my family,” he continues. “Being able to go home on Friday nights after the game is one of the main reasons I’m continuing to coach today.” Finding the right fit goes well beyond football. You also want to look for a situation that meshes well with your overall outlook and beliefs. “I’ve always valued academics and service,” says Talley, who’s in his 30th year at Villanova after five seasons at St. Lawrence University. “And both schools I’ve coached at have made those things a priority. For example, we recently moved the start time for one of our games to later in the day because many of our students were going to be participating in community service on campus at our original game time. That wouldn’t happen at a BCS school.” PRESSURE COOKER
While landing at a school that matches up perfectly with your values and goals is key, the
fident. They told me to be patient and realize that just because we weren’t winning didn’t mean I was doing a poor job. It was going to take time to put my system in place, and I needed to recognize that and relax. Hearing those words gave me the confidence to continue with what I was doing.” The next challenge is managing the external stress that can come from a variety of places. Talley’s advice is to be on the same page as your athletic director. “A lot of brilliant coaching careers have washed out because an athletic director came in, wanted to do things his way, and clashed with a coach,” he says. “If you want your athletic director to work with you, instead of against you, you need to keep them in the loop about your vision for the program and your coaching style. This is especially true today, because a lot of athletic directors are coming into the position with more of a business background and no coaching experience, so they may not understand why you handle situations in a certain way. “For example, a few years ago, when we were struggling, I gave an honest assessment of our quarterback situation to the media,” Talley continues. “What I said upset the quarterback, and he left the program. That could have turned into a larger problem, but because my athletic director understood I wasn’t going to pull punches when discussPATRICK BOHN is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: pb@MomentumMedia.com.
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ing a player’s performance, I knew I had his support.” Members of your staff can also be a source of stress, even if you don’t realize it. “A few years ago, I read the book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t, and one of the keys I took from it was the concept of having the ‘right people on the bus,’” says Bob Ford, Head Coach at the University of Albany since 1970, who is retiring this year as the longest-
“For example, we had an assistant coach a while ago who was well qualified but extremely critical of his players,” he continues. “The athletes would get upset, practices would lag, and eventually, those players moved to other positions or left the team entirely. This became more and more frustrating for me, so one day I called him into my office and said, ‘This isn’t working, because not only do the players dislike playing for you, it’s dragging down the rest of the
critical to lasting in the profession. “I’ve never been on a staff where every coach didn’t believe in our team’s chances to win on Saturday,” he says. “If, as a staff, you go into game days doubting your team’s ability, you’re going to get tired of the job quickly. Even if you look at an upcoming matchup and know it will be tough, you need to focus on the little things you’re doing to prepare your players and believe that they give you a chance to win. That’s also how you remain positive.”
“If you’re working 100-hour weeks and staying up until 2:30 in the morning looking at film, you’re going to feel like you’re running in peanut butter, and you’ll get tired of the job a lot quicker. I have two specific rules in place to prevent that. The first is a staff-wide policy that no new work can begin after 11 p.m. on Sunday ... In addition, I schedule a two-hour ‘Denny meeting’ every Wednesday morning when I can do whatever I want.” Denny Douds, East Stroudsburg University tenured coach in college football. “When I thought about how that applied to coaching, I realized how much of a head coach’s energy can be depleted trying to deal with the problems created by an assistant coach who isn’t going in the same direction as the rest of the staff. To me, if you want a long career, you have to look forward to working with everyone on your staff.
coaching staff. You need to change your behavior.’ To his credit, he went home and thought about it, and the next day, his attitude was completely different. It was a breath of fresh air.” Jim Grobe, Head Coach at Wake Forest University since 2001 and completing his 19th year as a head coach, agrees that having assistant coaches who can work as a team is
moving in place Since being named Head Coach at the University of Albany in 1970, Bob Ford has had the distinction of coaching club, NCAA Division III, Division II, and Division I FCS teams—while remaining in the same place the entire time. Although his job changed as the
program rose up the NCAA ladder, the one consistent was his location. And that was a large factor in his longevity.
“This profession is about survival,” says Ford, who is retiring this year. “And for me, survival isn’t just about wins and losses. I love living here in Albany. It’s a nice mix of town and city, there are attractions like Saratoga nearby, and it’s a great place to raise a family. “It sounds cliché, but those things played a big role in me remaining happy and content,” he continues. “That, in turn, contributed to me having the energy and enthusiasm needed to stay in this profession for a long time.”
22 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
For high school coaches, one of the major external sources of stress is parents. C.J. Hamilton, Head Coach at Silver Lake (Kan.) High School, and a head coach since 1973, has found it necessary to thoroughly understand parents’ expectations and change as they change. “When I first started coaching, parents were mostly okay with coaches yelling at players,” he says. “Now, attitudes have started to shift on that. So self-evaluation becomes critical to make sure your policies are in line with what the community expects. Another example is the perspective people have on benching a player who’s not behaving well. Your policy on that should mesh with what parents feel is correct.” Otherwise, you may find yourself spending way too much time explaining and defending your decisions. “Coaches sometimes fail to pick their battles,” Hamilton says. “That leads to everything becoming a source of conflict, and you’re not going to be happy in the profession if that’s the case.” Regardless of where the stress comes from, Grobe advises coaches to develop strategies for dealing with it. His main tactic is to remember to look at the big picture. “A lot of times, coaches get derailed by the little things,” he says. “They focus on the thing that’s not going well right now and miss the overall job they’ve done. “One of the ways I avoid that is by getting away from the football offices and interacting with other people around campus,” Grobe continues. “Often, they’ll have positive things to say, which makes me feel like I’m appreciated here. And when you feel appreciated, you’re less likely to succumb to stressors.” CoachesNetwork.com
COVER STORY
GETTING AWAY
The life of a head football coach often comes with expectations of being locked away in an office all hours of the night. But that sort of mentality doesn’t result in lengthy careers, warns Douds. “If you want to last in this profession, you have to have energy,” he says. “If you’re working 100-hour weeks and staying up until 2:30 in the morning looking at film, you’re going to feel like you’re running in peanut butter, and you’ll get tired of the job a lot quicker. “I have two specific rules in place to prevent that,” Douds continues. “The first is a staff-wide policy that no new work can begin after 11 p.m. on Sunday. You can finish up the task you’re working on, but once that’s completed, you have to go home. In addition, I schedule a two-hour ‘Denny meeting’ every Wednesday morning. During this time, I can do whatever I want: visit a friend, write letters, or just sit back and do nothing. That ensures I have time for myself and it helps me relax.” Grobe takes advantage of the picturesque Wake Forest campus when he needs to get away. “There’s an area near my office that’s like a garden,” he says. “Every day at lunchtime, my wife and I take a walk through it and talk about non-football topics. It helps me get my head away from the game and reminds me that it’s important to have other things in life you can turn to when things aren’t going well in the football program.” Hightower takes a longer route to decompress. “I’m a cyclist, and for the last 20 years, I’ve probably ridden close to 6,000 miles a year,” he says. “I’ll do several ‘century’ rides that are 100 miles long and take as long as five hours to complete. I’ve also gone on rides in other states—one year I rode from Houston to Austin. It’s a great time for me to focus on something else besides football. “It’s also a way for me to be with my family,” Hightower continues. “My son and his CoachesNetwork.com
fiancée will often come on rides with me. It keeps me healthy and stress-free, both of which are important.” For Talley, the best way to get away from the pressures and demands of football is to help others. In 1992, he became involved with bone marrow donor registration, organizing drives on the Villanova campus and forming the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money and promotes donor drives. “You need to have things in your career
besides wins that drive you and thus help you to stay in the profession,” Talley says. “I’ve chosen to use my name and my team for a cause that can save other people’s lives, and this gives me a lot of joy. The school supports me and allows me to use oncampus locations for some of these events and that means a lot to me as well. I realized a long time ago that if all I cared about was football, I’d burn out. Other coaches haven’t figured that out, and they’re the ones who wash away.” CM
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Sometimes, players can be a source of inspiration. “One year, I had an athlete on the team with one hand, who also was a diabetic,” Ford says. “Seeing him in the weightroom doing the same workout as everyone else despite his challenges would make me realize my problems weren’t so bad.” For Talley, a serious medical event helped put things into perspective. “I had a heart attack in 2002,” he says. “Once you’ve had something like that happen, you learn to change your priorities and not get worked up about things beyond your control. I started to realize I just had to let things happen and try to be understanding and flexible.”
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Football players at Mesa Verde High School in Citrus Heights, Calif., have become leaders on their campus in building and modeling respectful relationships with women.
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Can a football team play a role in stopping violence against women? This coach found the answer to be yes. By Ron Barney
CoachesNetwork.com
Last March, when two high school football players in Ohio were convicted of rape, national headlines brought the news into everyone’s consciousness. Young people were made aware of the dire consequences of their actions and inactions. Adults gained insight into what was going on with today’s teens. I don’t know how most coaches reacted in terms of talking about the incident with their own student-athletes, but here at Mesa Verde High School in Citrus Heights, Calif., there was immediate discussion on my team. This came naturally and was expected by our student-athletes. The reason our athletes were eager and willing to talk about the case was because dialogue on the broader topics involved was already happening. A few years ago, we implemented a program called Coaching Boys Into Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013 25
PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS
Men (CBIM) that teaches male student-athletes their role in stopping violence against women. The initiative has been extremely powerful in helping our football players become leaders on this issue, and it has changed the culture of our school.
After a year or so of using the program, we noticed the number of fights and suspensions went way down and there was calmness and a sense of safety on our campus. The impact of the program was bigger than I thought it would be. The change it has brought to our school is simply amazing.
WHAT IS CBIM?
CBIM is a proactive program that addresses the problem of violence against women through education and discussion. Tapping into the power of sports and the influence of coaches, CBIM equips coaches with tools to help them teach male athletes how to build respectful, nonviolent relationships. My involvement with CBIM began in 2009 when I was contacted by researchers from the University of California-Davis who
COACH AS TEACHER
One of the main components of the program is that coaches—as opposed to specially trained facilitators—teach their athletes the CBIM messages. Because we spend at least two hours a day with our teams, what better person is there to relay these lessons? In addition, most coaches already have the athletes’ respect and serve as male role models.
If we are going to talk the talk, we also have to walk the walk. I am really proud to report that our coaching staff has stepped up its game in modeling good behavior. We are careful to choose the right words in all conversations, call out any athlete who is disrespecting women, and not joke about something that is not a joke. It has forced us to improve our own leadership, which has made us better coaches. We always send a letter home with our athletes to get permission from their parents to be part of the program. So far we have had all our athletes on board. After using CBIM for several years, I’m frequently asked, “How do you find the time to implement the program?” I had the same concern when first approached about this
For each topic, there are a series ofUSA questions and MADE IN talking points the coach can use to begin discussion. When you first get started, players can be apprehensive. But once you break the ice and get some of the athletes in a dialogue, more athletes start talking. were just beginning to test the program. They asked if the Mesa Verde football team would join a few other high school squads in being the first to try CBIM and judge its effectiveness. My initial reaction was that I did not have time to do this. One more thing on my full plate would likely be unmanageable. But after reading a little about the program, I became interested. As a lifelong coach and educator, I have heard many stories and witnessed incidents of violence against women. CBIM presented a golden opportunity to help make a difference. We started the program with the 45 players on our varsity football team. Another football coach at Mesa Verde and I went to a CBIM seminar to learn more about the program and how to deliver its lessons. We found out the aim of CBIM is to teach respect, integrity, and nonviolence in an effort to develop solid, responsible studentathletes who will become upstanding citizens. Its core goal is to inspire men to teach boys the importance of respecting women and that violence never equals strength. The program also develops leaders by training athletes in how to intervene. Our players became confident in changing a situation instead of looking the other way. This not only empowered our players, but changed the school climate. The CBIM lessons taught our young men on the team to become leaders against violence toward women, and they in turn created more leaders. 26 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
The first step of CBIM is simple training for the coaches that supplies them with many teaching tools. One is a series of training cards to help lead weekly discussions with athletes throughout the season. Each lesson is meant to last at least 10 to 15 minutes, and there is flexibility in the implementation. Some coaches present the sessions before or after—or even during—practice, while others hold them at lunch time. Here at Mesa Verde, I conduct my lessons with the football team every Monday afternoon following a Friday contest. We watch game film for about one hour and 15 minutes, and then we do a CBIM lesson. This is a great time for us since we are fresh and ready to go after the weekend, and we are in a classroom so I have my team’s undivided attention. Sometimes the sessions last up to 30 minutes if there is a lot of discussion, but the extra time is always worth it. Along with the formal lessons, coaches are asked to make respect and leadership a constant theme within their team. To help with this, there is a CBIM kit called a Playbook, which includes facts and information about relationship violence and abuse, teachable moment scenarios, and tips and tactics on how to talk to your athletes. For example, if I overhear a young man speaking disrespectfully to a female or read a news story related to sexual violence, I will have a meeting with my athletes to discuss it using tools from the Playbook. (See “Teachable Moment” on page 28.)
initiative. But as a coach striving to constantly instill lifelong lessons, I also want to teach morals and values. CBIM gave me all the tools I needed as a coach to achieve that goal. The question I ask back is, “How can you not find the time?” LESSON PLANS
Talking about violence against women can be difficult. CBIM provides a sample introductory speech that can be helpful. It goes like this: I want to talk to you about your responsibilities on this team and my expectations of you. This season we’ll not only be focusing on your development as athletes, but also on your development as young men. This includes how you carry yourself and how you treat others, particularly women and girls like your girlfriend or your sister. Periodically, I want to talk to you guys about some of these things and focus on how we can better show respect to ourselves, teammates, and others. The lessons cover these topics: 1. Respect 2. Personal responsibility 3. Insulting language RON BARNEY is Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Mesa Verde High School in Citrus Heights, Calif., as well as Athletic Director for the San Juan Unified School District. A 37-year coaching veteran, he has served as chair of the Golden Empire Football League for 12 years and was honored with the Michael D. Gebhardt Coaches Award for spirit, sportsmanship, and dedication in 2011. He can be reached at: rbarney@sanjuan.edu.
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PROGRESSIVE PROGRAMS
4. Disrespectful behavior towards women and girls 5. Digital disrespect: cell phones, texting, photos, videos 6. Understanding consent 7. Bragging about sexual reputation 8. The responsibility of physical strength 9. When aggression crosses the line 10. There is no excuse for relationship abuse 11. Modeling respectful behavior towards women and girls. For each topic, there are a series of questions and talking points the coach can use to begin discussion and encourage athletes to share personal stories and thoughts. When you first get started, players can be apprehensive. But once you break the ice and get some of the athletes in a dialogue, more athletes start talking. The first lesson is on respect. Here are the questions that get the conversation going: n What does respect mean to you? n How can you show respect to your teammates? n How can you show respect to your friends and family? Your girlfriend?
n How do you show respect even to people you don’t know, like at a restaurant or a mall? Talking points include the following: n I care about how you act on and off the field. n Respectful behavior means treating others how they want to be treated. n Showing true respect involves everything you do—how you speak, how you act, how you think, and the way you present yourself to others. n As athletes, people will watch you, and many will look up to you. The language you use, how you act, and how you treat other people is very important. n I want you to keep up with your schoolwork, be polite to your teachers, and respect women and girls. The final lesson is on modeling respectful behavior towards women. Here are some of the questions to generate conversation: n What are ways you can show respect in your relationships with women and girls? n How can you watch out for each other and make sure your teammates are responsible on and off the field?
n What can you do if you hear your friend being disrespectful towards a girl or another person? n As someone other players and students look up to in this school, what are ways you can share these principles of respect with others? Talking points include the following: n You can show respect to others in many ways, like valuing and supporting their personal boundaries, decisions, and individuality. n By showing respect towards women and girls in your language and actions, you’re not only doing the right thing, you’re setting an example for others. n If you witness one of your teammates using inappropriate language or behavior or being disrespectful to a girl, don’t join in on it. CALL HIM ON IT. n If you witness a situation and it makes you feel unsafe, don’t get involved directly. Ask an adult for help. n Think of ways you can share the principles of respect—teamwork, responsibility, integrity, nonviolence—with your community. n You are all part of something positive at
teachable moment When coaches are faced with an inappropriate situation among their own players, sometimes they may not know how to react. The following teachable moment from the Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) Playbook provides an example of what to do when one or several of your players step over the line. During a time out at practice, Jennifer, a freshman on the tennis team, is walking alone across the gym floor toward the east entrance. While you’re adjusting the VCR to show your players a video on teamwork, some of your boys in the back notice Jennifer and start howling, whistling, and making inappropriate comments. You notice that she is uncomfortable and perhaps a little scared, but she holds her head up and continues through the gym. Step in as soon as the behavior starts.
Taking the time to put an end to what your players may have viewed as innocent fun is a preventative step toward educating boys about respecting women and girls. The next step is to go into further detail at a subsequent meeting or practice. n
Explain that taunting women and girls is degrading and that girls should not be belittled because of how they look or what they choose to wear.
n
Mention that most girls do not welcome that type of attention and are probably fearful of defending themselves.
n
Point out that, as members of a team, they should know how important it is to respect others. Tell them that the same holds true in real life and that they must always think about how their actions affect other people.
n
Finally, let them know that the men you admire are those who treat women and girls with honor and respect.
Coach: All right, cut it out! Player 1: Coach, we’re just playing. Besides, look how she’s dressed. She’s asking for it. Coach: Catcalls and jeering aren’t playing. And how somebody dresses isn’t asking for anything. Player 2: But Coach, she’s hot! Coach: If you like the way she looks, wait until after practice and go up and tell her—by yourself. She might even appreciate it. What you guys were doing was just trying to impress each other with how funny you are. That’s not the way we impress each other on this team. We do that by treating each other with honor and respect and by treating women the same way. Is that clear? Team: Clear, coach!
28 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
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this school. Your commitment to respect is also a responsibility—defend it and share it. At the end of all the lessons, your team can sign a pledge to affirm its commitment. We make a big poster with the pledge on it and have all athletes and coaches involved sign it. It is displayed for everyone on campus to see. The pledge states: I commit to take a stand against relationship abuse, and I believe that violence is neither a solution nor a sign of strength. I understand that by treating everyone with respect, I am a role model to others. By taking this pledge, I publicly denounce violence against women and girls. A world of respect starts today and it starts with me. However, the program is not over after signing this pledge. Coaches should continue to talk about the issues at every opportunity. In addition, the program should be repeated every year as new students join a team. Veteran student-athletes do not find this boring, but rather become leaders in the discussions in ensuing years. Even if the lesson is the same, new things are brought up and learned because of the different experiences of everyone involved.
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REACHING FURTHER
Part of our success in growing CBIM is due to recruiting allies in our efforts. We’ve received the support of district leadership and upper-level administrators, as well as our booster club. Local TV and radio stations have produced stories about the program and its impact on student-athletes. Dockers, a branch of Levi Strauss & Company, came to our school and shot a short film about the problem of violence against women and the CBIM program, which it then posted on its Web site. My personal involvement with CBIM has grown, as well. Last year, I trained 38 coaches on how to implement CBIM in Alaska. I have remained in contact with many of the coaches, and they feel the program is making a difference. Colleges and universities in California have become interested in the program, and I spoke about CBIM at a meeting of all the campuses in the University of California system. I offered suggestions on how they might want to implement it at their schools. As the meeting went on, I could see there is a great need for this program at the college level.
One of the most rewarding outcomes of CBIM is that our athletes carry its message with them. In my first group of football players, we had a young man who became the leader of our CBIM program. He was honored as Youth Leader of the Year in California for his efforts. Three young men who were also on that first team spoke to the California State Legislature on behalf of the program and the need to implement it in all schools. I am proud to say I have students in college now who are spreading the message that CBIM delivers. My experience with CBIM has been nothing short of amazing. At times, I’m overwhelmed at the effect we can have as coaches in a young man’s life, a team, a school, and a culture. I have been in education for 37 years and I have seen many changes in our society. The need for teaching young men to respect women has never been greater, and CBIM will give you the tools to make a difference. CM A version of this article was published in Athletic Management, a sister publication to Coaching Management. More articles from Athletic Management can be found at: www.AthleticManagement.com.
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optimum performance
talk of the test
32 Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013
Sports are a bottom-line endeavor. Most contests have a clear winner and loser, and the results are there for all to see. Athletes are judged by how they perform in the heat of competition. But the evaluations don’t stop there. Athletes typically spend more time in training than they do in competition, and this aspect of preparation usually includes testing. The main goals of such testing are to
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At Clemson University, Director of Strength and Conditioning Joey Batson evaluates football players for speed and agility twice a year, using test results to create individual goals.
A roundtable of experts offer their thoughts on tracking and improving athletes’ performance in strength and conditioning. By Dennis Read
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assess athletes’ progress and, hopefully, give them a boost of confidence. But there is not one agreed-upon formula for testing. Different coaches often
have different approaches and methods. We asked five strength and conditioning experts (see “The Panel” below) to share their ideas on the topic.
THE PANEL Andrew Bosak, PhD, CSCS, is an Associate Professor in Sports Medicine with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology at Armstrong Atlantic University, and has served as a sport scientist and strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate, high school, and club levels. Joey Batson, MSCC, is in his 17th year as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Clemson University and his 27th as a strength
and conditioning coach. He works most closely with the Tigers’ football team and has coached 20 All-Americans and seven first-round NFL draft picks. Jon jost, MEd, MSCC, CSCS, is the Director of Strength and Speed for Olympic Sports at Florida State University, where he has worked since 2001. During his time with the Seminoles, he has worked with all sports, including football,
and he oversees a staff of six full-time assistants. alissa goldman, MS, MSCC, USAW, is Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Virginia, joining the department in 2007. chris ruf, MS, CSCS, SCCC, USAW, is Director of Football Athletic Performance at Baylor University, where he also oversees training for the track and field program.
How do you use test results to help your athletes get better? Andrew Bosak: We compare the athletes’ results to what they have done previously and what they should be doing in comparison to others. Those standards help you zero in on their needs. For example, if a football player needs to work on foot speed, you find ways to make him more explosive. chris ruf: We use the results to identify how each player needs to improve from a physical standpoint to be better on the field. For example, take an offensive lineman who moves pretty well, but his strength numbers are below the other guys at his position. Even though he may be doing okay on the field because he can move, we know he has to spend more time getting stronger so he can hold up at the point of attack and push people around. Or, we may find that a defensive back has good strength, but his jump output is a little bit lower than the other guys in his group. He’s a good candidate to spend more time on power development. DENNIS READ is an Associate Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: dr@MomentumMedia.com.
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Jon jost: We look at testing results for each athlete in order to evaluate their progress and identify areas where they need to improve, and then we set corresponding goals for their next training cycle. But sometimes the results reveal deeper issues. For example, if an athlete hasn’t made any progress in several areas while others around him
will help him maximize his athletic performance. But it’s more than simply having guys lift more weight. If we have an offensive lineman who did a 600 squat and a 395 power clean as a junior, it doesn’t make sense to have him chase a 605 or 400 as a senior. He’s plenty strong enough already and lifting those five extra pounds won’t benefit him out
alissa goldman: To me, the biggest benefit of testing is that it shows the athlete in black and white that their hard work is paying off. That feedback usually gets them to take greater ownership of their training, which makes it less likely that I’ll have to persuade them to work hard. When they see positive results, they appreciate that the
“Test results can provide motivation for the athletes, but you have to find the right approach to take with each individual. For some, this means illustrating how much they have improved in a certain area. In other cases, the key is comparing them to their teammates or other athletes.” have, then we know the problem isn’t with our training program. Using the individual’s results, we can then sit down with members of our staff like our doctors, psychologists, or registered dietitian to identify the root of the problem and figure out what’s been holding him back. Joey Batson: We use the results to pinpoint each athlete’s strengths and weaknesses, and then we develop a training program that
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on the field. So instead of trying to get more weight on the bar, we’ll focus on quick-ladder work to improve his foot speed or plyometrics to help him unlock his hips and move a little better on the field, while continuing to have him squat and clean at submaximal weight to work on speed. What other benefits do athletes get from testing?
training is helping them become a better athlete. jost: Test results can provide motivation for the athletes, but you have to find the right approach to take with each individual. For some, this means illustrating how much they have improved in a certain area. In other cases, the key is comparing them to their teammates or other athletes. For example, some of our athletes have
optimum performance
aspirations of playing professionally, so I’ll compare their results with those from the NFL combine and tell them, “If you want to pursue playing in the pros, you’re going to have to improve in these areas, and it’s going to take a lot of work. This is the average vertical jump or 40 time for a defensive back at the NFL combine, and this is where you are.” How do you use test results to evaluate the effectiveness of your strength and conditioning program? goldman: I look to see how the results from the current season compare with those from the same time of the training schedule in previous years. I also look at the results by class year, so I can see how the current sophomores are doing compared to the sophomores from the past. Those can be a little arbitrary due to changes in the athletes involved, but it still gives me some idea how the program is progressing. jost: First, we look at testing trends to see if the athletes are improving. Then we’ll compare the current team averages to those from years past. This can be a little difficult to do since the quality of athletes is always changing, but sometimes you’ll see a change that forces you to go back and re-examine your training program. Bosak: I once had a high school sport coach come to me and say, “I know there’s a problem with my strength training program. I don’t know what it is, but here’s what I think the signs and symptoms are.” He explained that some of his athletes’ performances actually started to get worse toward the end of the year instead of better. We tested his athletes regularly the following season, and midway through, we saw some of their results start to decline. We determined that these athletes were overtraining, and we were able to suggest ways the coach could prevent this in the future.
What specific tests do you use and why? ruf: Players who come through our program have aspirations of playing in the NFL, so we use many of the same tests used at the NFL combine. This way, they’ll be familiar with the tests should they go to the combine, and they can use the results to know where they stand and as something to strive for. At the end of the winter program and again at the end of the summer program, we test strength movements in the weightroom using a five-rep bench, five-rep clean, fiverep squat, and a 225-pound bench max-reps test. For our best and most experienced lifters, instead of doing a five-rep max on the CoachesNetwork.com
clean or squat, we’ll use a Tendo unit to measure the bar speed and set a threshold they have to hit. That way, the focus is on speed rather than chasing some really big weight number. We’ll do our agility testing three or four times during the winter conditioning program. We test the 40-yard dash with splits at 10 and 20 yards, plus vertical jump, broad jump, pro-agility drill, and the threecone drill. Batson: We do our strength testing
twice a year—in late February and then late June. We test one-rep bench, 225-pound bench max-reps, three-rep squats, threerep power cleans, and three-rep clean and jerks. We formally test for speed and agility twice a year using the vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro-agility drill, 60yard shuttle, and a sit and reach. However, we’ll often pull the clocks out during training sessions and do some informal testing as well. Finally, we do a conditioning test in
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the summer using a 110-yard shuttle and 300-yard shuttle. goldman: I like tests that focus on the main principles of athletic performance— strength, power, speed, and conditioning. To test strength, I use the power clean, back squat, and bench press, and a vertical jump or a standing long jump for power. We do a onerep max for all these tests because they’re reliable and easy to repeat. I also use a 40-yard dash to test speed, a 300-yard shuttle for conditioning, and a 50-yard shuttle for agility.
How often do you change the tests you use? Batson: We’ll get together as a staff and examine any new trends and ask if we’re missing any information we would like to have. We also go through our notes from the previous season to determine if anything beyond the tests needs to be changed, like the timing of the test. Maybe we did a heavy leg day on a Monday and then we tested vertical jumps on Tuesday, which affected their results.
Bosak: Unless a coach can switch to a test that more accurately replicates performance on the field, they’re usually better off sticking with a test they know is valid and that has provided reliable data previously they can look back on. Sometimes, technology advances can prompt a switch. For example, there are now mobile metabolic testers that some athletes can wear during practice to determine maximum oxygen consumption. If we can do a trial with an athlete running outside, it’s going to more closely resemble their competitive setting than when they run on a treadmill, and thus provide better data.
Do you do anything differently in the training sessions leading up to a testing day? Batson: A few days before testing, I remove a lot of the auxiliary things we typically do and focus on doing big movements to see if we can maximize their performance on the tests. I’ll also reduce the loads to help them get some recovery leading up to test day. The other thing I do is emphasize that it’s important for the athletes to properly handle their nutritional needs, academic loads, personal lives, and anything else that could affect their results. Bosak: I want the athletes to approach a test day the same way they would a game day, including how they eat and sleep. And if the team is practicing, I ask the sport coach to use the same intensity during the preceding practices that they do before a game, if possible. And I make sure we do the same in the weightroom. ruf: We generally try to administer testing at a time that best fits in with the rest of the training program. For example, we do most of our weightroom tests on Mondays because athletes have the weekend to recover and their central nervous system should be primed. On the flip side, we do our movement testing on Fridays, even though that’s when they’re most fatigued. Most books say you shouldn’t do that, but it gives us an opportunity to reinforce to our athletes that they need to take care of themselves during the week—they need to make sure they’re sleeping enough, eating properly, and getting hydrated properly so they produce when test time comes on Fridays.
Are there common testing pitfalls that coaches need to watch out for?
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jost: Testing is an important part of the training and evaluation process, but it can be dangerous if not performed correctly. Athletes are extremely competitive and will push themselves to great lengths, but this CoachesNetwork.com
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can put them at risk for injury. So if we see any breakdown in technique, we will stop the lift. There have been a number of times when athletes have believed they can complete another rep—and they were probably right—but we wouldn’t let them do it because the rewards of making that lift did
data and forget about who we are testing and why. We have to take a step back and ask whether the improvements in test results will transfer to the field. If not, then we need to find something else to test. Batson: When I was a younger coach, I was all about chasing the big numbers. But
ruf: I think the biggest thing to watch out for is making sure you’re consistent in how the tests are administered. If you want to compare numbers from year to year, you need to have data that’s been measured the same way every time. There are a lot of variables that can affect the results, such as
“It’s important to make sure that the tests we’re using are applicable to the athlete’s sports performance needs. We have to take a step back and ask whether the improvements in test results will transfer to the field. If not, then we need to find something else to test.” not outweigh the possibility of injury. We have to remember that we’re doing a test, not holding a weightlifting competition. I would rather play it safe than risk an injury by putting five or 10 more pounds on the bar—even if the athlete can do it. Bosak: It’s important to make sure that the tests we’re using are applicable to the athlete’s sports performance needs. We’re passionate about what we do, and sometimes we can get caught up in the testing
as I got older, I realized it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the fundamentals of lifting—learning how to lift the proper way and how to handle the load. We’re not training these guys to be Olympic weightlifters. Guys want to max out all the time, but the intent is not to see who can lift the most weight. The goal is to help these athletes develop more muscle mass and flexibility and show improvement in overall strength, explosiveness, and power.
differences in the surfaces, equipment, and intensity of preceding workouts. You need to account for as many of those variables as possible, and then minimize those you can’t control. CM
A version of this article appeared in our sister publication, Training & Conditioning. For more articles from T&C, please visit: www.Training-Conditioning.com.
Circle No. 124
CoachesNetwork.com
Coaching Management POSTSEASON 2013 39
Directory
Introducing AE Equipment:
Advertisers Directory
Beauty in #Beastmode
Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
103 . . . Active Ankle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
118 . . . Power Lift®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
114 . . . Aer-Flo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
101 . . . Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
106 . . . American Public University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
125 . . . PowerMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
129 . . . Austin Plastics & Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
131 . . . Powernetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC
104 . . . Coach Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
109 . . . PowerPlay™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
110 . . . Coaching Management Program Service. 16-17
115 . . . Pro Look Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
111 . . . Cramer Protective Apparel by Stromgren. . . . 21
132 . . . Rogue Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
100 . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
128 . . . Salsbury Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
119 . . . Human Kinetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
123 . . . Samson Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
124 . . . Infinity Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
116 . . . SMi Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
102 . . . McDavid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
113 . . . Sports Attack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
105 . . . Mor 4 Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
130 . . . Sports Tutor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
120 . . . New York Barbells of Elmira. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
122 . . . The Iron Neck (Mission Competition). . . . . . . . 37
107 . . . NSCA Coaches Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
121 . . . Total Strength and Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
112 . . . OakWood Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
126 . . . TurfCordz®/NZ Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
117 . . . Parents’ Guide to Sports Concussions. . . . . . . 31
PowerMax
Products Directory Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
Circle #. . . . Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page #
523 . . . Active Ankle (Excel lace-up brace). . . . . . . . . . 48
514 . . . Power Lift® (Multi Hip). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
522 . . . Active Ankle (Volt ankle brace). . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
549 . . . Power Systems (Slam Ball) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
528 . . . Aer-Flo (Cross-Over Zone®/Bench Zone®). . . . 41
550 . . . Power Systems (Monster Sled). . . . . . . . . . . . 43
526 . . . Aer-Flo (Tuffy Windscreen). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
508 . . . PowerMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
524 . . . American Public University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
532 . . . Powernetics (Bulldog/Attacker). . . . . . . . . . . . 43
527 . . . Austin Plastics & Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
531 . . . Powernetics (High Stepper). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
543 . . . Bison (“Big B”). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
539 . . . PowerPlay™ (cold/compression therapy). . . . . 48
501 . . . Bison (expandable uprights). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
540 . . . PowerPlay™ (pain/swelling reduction). . . . . . . 48
519 . . . Cramer (protective football apparel). . . . . . . . . 47
541 . . . Pro Look Football (stretch tackle twill). . . . . . . 47
525 . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
542 . . . Pro Look Sports (custom). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
544 . . . GearBoss® by Wenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
548 . . . (REPS) The Football Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
507 . . . Human Kinetics (Kettlebell Training). . . . . . . . . 42
536 . . . Rogue Fitness (Monster Series Rigs). . . . . . . . 46
513 . . . Human Kinetics (Power Eating). . . . . . . . . . . . 43
537 . . . Rogue Fitness (Rogue Bar). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
®
529 . . . Infinity Flooring (G-Max Platforms). . . . . . . . . . 44
500 . . . Salsbury Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
530 . . . Infinity Flooring (iTurf). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
512 . . . Samson Equipment (DB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
521 . . . McDavid (7932 Hex™ Sleeveless Shirt). . . . . . 47
515 . . . Samson (Functional Training Rack Series). . . . 46
517 . . . McDavid (7991 Hex™ Shorts). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
534 . . . SMi Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
™
545 . . . McDavid (7332 Hex Girdle). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
502 . . . Sports Attack (Snap Attack). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
511 . . . Mission Competition (The Iron Neck). . . . . . . . 43
504 . . . Sports Attack (Universal Cart Clamp). . . . . . . . 42
547 . . . Mor 4 Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
503 . . . Sports Tutor (ProLite). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
505 . . . New York Barbells (Mega Tricep Bar). . . . . . . . 42
518 . . . Stromgren (Cramer Lightning 7) . . . . . . . . . . . 47
516 . . . New York Barbells (TDS Power Rack System).46
520 . . . Stromgren (Cramer Thunder 7). . . . . . . . . . . . 47
546 . . . New York Barbells (training ropes). . . . . . . . . . 43
538 . . . Total Strength and Speed (Econo Log). . . . . . . 44
506 . . . NSCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
533 . . . Total Strength and Speed (Prowler 2) . . . . . . . 43
535 . . . OakWood Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
509 . . . TurfCordz®/NZ Manufacturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
510 . . . Power Lift (Full Body Squat). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 ®
Circle No. 125 Circle No. 125 40 Coaching Management POSTseason 2013
CoachesNetwork.com
Football Facilities Secure Storage
Standard lockers can be too small for football, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. The Open Access Lockers provide large, vented space for clothing, uniforms, and many other applications. Plus, the Open Access Lockers include a coat rod and feature a lockable upper shelf and foot locker for secure equipment storage. Salsbury Industries’ trained and knowledgeable staff can help you get what you need in time and on budget. Salsbury Industries • 800-LOCKERS www.lockers.com
Circle No. 500
A Professional Look
OakWood Sports is a premier custom wood locker builder, experienced in design, construction, delivery, and installation. Whether it’s a new build or renovation, the company handles locker needs from start to finish and beyond with LEED-compatible finishes, glues, and veneers. OakWood has completed more than 800 locker rooms since 1991 and uses this experience and knowledge to ensure visually stunning and highly durable locker systems, with several in Canada. OakWood understands the construction requirements of athletic lockers and prides itself on applying that expertise for each customer’s needs.
OakWood Sports, Inc. • 517-321-6852 www.oakwoodsports.com
Circle No. 535
Super-Premium Windscreen
The Tuffy Windscreen lasts for years, because it’s made with Aer-Flo’s exclusive VIPOL® Matrix. Plus, with its five-year warranty, thousands of high schools and colleges—as well as MLB teams and NASCAR facilities—have put them to the test. This windscreen is available in 20 standard colors, and with super-durable Chroma-Bond® Imprinting for multi-color logos that will not fade like digital printing. The Tuffy is the Official Windscreen of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association. Super-premium but surprisingly value-priced for school budgets, this windsreen is sold only by Aer-Flo Authorized Dealers. ®
Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com
Circle No. 526
Recognizing Excellence
Protect Surfaces
Cross-Over Zone® and Bench Zone® protect costly track surfaces at crossing from damage due to teams, people, and equipment. Thick, tough geotextile, plus vinyl edging with steel chain inserted all around provides ballast to keep the protector down even in high winds. Steel-tipped cleats cannot puncture, but rain drains through. These covers are easy to install and remove. Sizes for all tracks, and multi-color imprinting are available. These protectors come in heather gray or black with edging in gold, white, or a custom color. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com
Circle No. 528
Portable and Functional
Bison’s “Big B” portable football team benches are exactly what football coaches have been asking for—double-wide seats for comfort, a rear shelf for gear or extra seating, and school color options. Each bench is 15 feet long, with 20-inchdeep seating and a 10-inch-deep back and rear shelf. The powder-coated steel structure, extruded aluminum planks, and molded rubber risers ensure weather resistance and are covered by a lifetime limited warranty. Bison, Inc. • 800-247-7668 www.bisoninc.com
Circle No. 543
Save Space
Wenger’s GearBoss® and GearBoss II ™ storage systems improve inventory management, space utilization, and sanitation. Requiring significantly less space than traditional shelving, these flexible, high-density carts are easily configurable for a variety of equipment. Carts roll along a fixed track, allowing easy access and minimizing wasted space. The open design enables equipment to dry quickly, improving sanitation. The GearBoss II system incorporates key GearBoss features and innovations at half the cost. Wenger Corp. • 800-4WENGER www.wengercorp.com
Circle No. 544
Adjusts Easily
Athletic record boards are effective tools for motivating your athletes to do their best. Visit Austin Plastics’ Web site to view examples of football-related boards, such as off-season strength and conditioning record boards, playerof-the-week boards, goal boards, and football record boards. Engraved record nameplates are available, or you can print your own using perforated card stock supplied by the company. Custom boards are also available.
Does your field have a high school football game on Friday, and a college game on Saturday? Sharing the football field is no longer a problem with expandable uprights that can be adjusted safely and easily from college-width to high school-width by one person. These uprights are available from Future Pro in 5 9/16-inch diameter gooseneck style goalposts with four-inch crossbars and your choice of 96or 72-inch setback. They are available with white or safety yellow powder coating.
Austin Plastics & Supply • 800-290-1025 www.athleticrecordboards.com
Bison, Inc. • 800- 247-7668 www.bisoninc.com
CoachesNetwork.com
Circle No. 527
Circle No. 501 Coaching Management POSTseason 2013 41
Coaching Aids
Strength & Conditioning
Ultimate Training Tool
The Snap Attack features solid, polyurethane wheels with wheel guards—no more inflating or burns. Its passing stand allows the throwing head to pivot instantly in any direction, accurately throwing passes, punts, and kickoffs to any location on the field. The elevation changes are quick and easy. Plus, the machine can be locked in for precise repetition. In its lowered position at ground level, the machine snaps the ball to any depth in shotgun and pistol formations, as well as practicing extra points and punts with realistic angles.
Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com
Circle No. 502
Saves Quarterback’s Arm
Many college and high school football programs are discovering the benefits of training their receivers with tennis ball machines. The ProLite tennis ball machine provides closerange drills to sharpen hand-eye coordination and enforce proper catching technique. With the ProLite, a player can catch 100 throws in less than 10 minutes—and several machines can be set up to simulate various catching angles. Plus, it reduces wear and tear on quarterbacks’ arms. Compact and lightweight, the ProLite transports easily and is available in batterypowered or AC models. Prices start at $699.
Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com
Circle No. 503
Versatile Practice Tool
The Snap Attack Football Machine is a snap, pass, and kick machine that will maximize time on the most difficult-to-practice phases of the game. The Universal Cart Clamp is designed to fit any round or square mounting post or pedestal from 2.5 to four inches. The clamp securely attaches Snap Attack to the cart, allowing the operator to swivel the machine in any direction for punts, passes, and end-overend kickoffs. And you can detach the Snap Attack quickly and easily for use in snapping drills.
Sports Attack • 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com 42 Coaching Management POSTseason 2013
Circle No. 504
Maintain Positioning
The Mega Tricep Bar is one of the only seven-foot Olympic bars that can be effectively used on Olympic benches and power racks. It can be used for a host of exercises including bench pressing, skull crushers, and hammer curls. Knurled and chrome-plated, this bar helps to maintain normal positioning of your wrists. Visit New York Barbells online for more information. New York Barbells • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com
Circle No. 505
Complete Guide
In Kettlebell Training, renowned kettlebell expert Steve Cotter shares his training secrets. This guide is an easyto-use, no-nonsense book that will get athletes started setting goals, assessing fitness, and selecting exercises. Packed with 95 basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises, Kettlebell Training provides complete coverage on getting started with kettlebells, creating customized sportspecific routines, and conditioning the whole body. Human Kinetics • 800-747-4457 www.humankinetics.com
Circle No. 507
Top Industry Professionals
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is an international educational association. This organization develops the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings. Unlike any other organization, the NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from personal trainers, strength coaches, researchers, and educators. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal—improve athletic performance and fitness. NSCA • 800-815-6826 www.nsca.com
Circle No. 506
A GRAND SLAM
This no-bounce, no-roll ball is specifically designed for high-impact throwing and slamming to the ground and is a must for any crosstraining regimen. Use in place of a standard medicine ball to perform traditional core exercises or pass back and forth between partners. Its rugged, textured surface provides superior grip, handling, and long life. Power Systems, Inc. • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com
Circle No. 549 CoachesNetwork.com
Strength & Conditioning Enhance Training
Best of Both Worlds
The 1.25-inch-thick Infinity iTurf is the perfect companion for the Infinity Max tiles. Both have the same thickness, which allows you to have the best of both worlds in your weight room in a flush installation. The Infinity iTurf is perfect for running, jumping, and agility drills. This product does not have rubber infill. It is available in 16 colors, with an option of customizing with your layouts and logos.
Infinity Performance, Inc. • 888-479-1017 www.infinityflooring.com
Circle No. 530
Concussion Prevention
Mission Competition Fitness Equipment has just released the 2014 model of The Iron Neck. The featured improvements are a disc-braking system that adds rotary resistance, quick-adjust head and chin straps, and a built-in pumping system. The improvements will allow an athlete to more quickly build a strong, force-dissipating, concussion-resistant neck.
Mission Competition Fitness Equipment • 310-776-0621 www.IronNeck.net Circle No. 511
More than a sports nutrition book, Power Eating is a scientific blueprint for helping strength and power athletes achieve superior performance. With a resume that includes work with many NFL and NBA athletes as well as world-class bodybuilders, Susan Kleiner presents the latest research to enable competitive and novice athletes to gain power, reduce body fat, build muscle, tighten mental focus, and enhance training. Human Kinetics • 800-747-4457 www.humankinetics.com
Circle No. 513
Ideal Equipment
The Multi Hip is an ideal equipment piece for every strength and fitness facility. Its standard features include a 300-pound weight stack with 150 pounds of resistance. It also includes a weight stack guard; a large, adjustable footplate; a movement arm that can rotate 360 degrees and can be positioned into one of 24 spots; three rotating handles for multiple hand positions; and a large working platform. Power Lift® • 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com
Circle No. 514
Versatile and Effective
Push it. Pull it. Drag it. Since its first sale in April 2005, Williams Strength’s Prowler 2 has been featured on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” and called “quite possibly the most versatile and effective conditioning tool ever devised,” by Muscle and Fitness. It has been used by more than half of all NFL teams and countless colleges, high schools, and training centers. All of this has made it one of the most popular conditioning sleds ever built.
Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.totalstrengthandspeed.com
Circle No. 533
Accommodates Different Grips
Ideal for training runs or coachassisted runs, the Monster Sled features a 37-inch-wide handle to accommodate wide and narrow grips as well as alternate grip positions. The sled comes with a padded shoulder harness for comfort with strong nylon leads. Two 12-inch weight posts hold up to 540 pounds. Forty-five-pound weight plates are sold separately. The sled is made of strong welded steel. Assembly is required for this product, but instructions are included. Its dimensions are 50” L x 32” W x 2” H, and it weighs 90 lbs. Additional shipping charges will apply for this product.
Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.powersystems.com CoachesNetwork.com
Circle No. 550
Total-Body Power
Powernetics offers many products-including the Bulldog and the Attacker--for your players’ strength training needs. The Bulldog isolates the hamstrings and glutes, without putting stress on the knees and back. It also offers an explosive hack jump that develops power in the hamstrings, glutes, and quads-all from one exercise. The Attacker allows the athlete to fire and roll his hips while moving up and out, into a full hand separation. Because of the intense movement, power is developed from the feet through the hands. Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
Circle No. 532
Natural Wrist Motion
New York Barbells offers a complete selection of training ropes in 1.5- and two-inch diameter in all lengths up to 100 feet. New York Barbells offers a 1.75-inch braided rope that retains its shape and is more resilient than twisted rope. New York Barbells also offers and installs handles on the ropes for a natural wrist motion. A complete line of exercise chain is also available. Fulfill all of your rope needs for climbing, battling, pulling, and special applications with New York Barbells. New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 546 Coaching Management POSTseason 2013 43
Strength & Conditioning Log Your Workouts
Designed as a low-cost strongman training log, the Econo Log is also a neutral-grip bench log. The outside handles are 24 inches apart to match the handles of logs used in strongman competitions. The other two sets of inside handles are great for regular and narrow neutral-grip bench pressing. It fits standard-width bench and rack J-cups. The handles are 1 1/4 inches in diameter and the dimensions are 1 1/2” x 10” x 84”.
Total Strength and Speed • 888-532-8227 www.fatbars.com
Circle No. 538
Revolutionary Dumbbell
Finally, there is a heavy-duty, adjustable dumbbell that doesn’t break the bank–the DB from Samson. This unique design features two handles (each weighing 15 pounds) and all the 10-, five-, and 2.5-pound plates you need to adjust each DB up to 90 pounds. Each plate slides on effortlessly, then pins in place with solid-steel rods. Each handle is open, just like any other dumbbell, so full wrist range of motion is possible. A custom table operates on lock-in-place casters, the top staging area is coated with heavy-duty urethane, and the front of each table can be fully customized with your graphics.
Samson Weight Training Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com
Looks Like Wood, Performs Like Rubber
Circle No. 512
Infinity G-Max Platforms in new “synthetic wood” are state of the art. These 1.25-inch thick solid, seamless, flush platform centers combine the look of real wood with the durability and performance of rubber. G-Max was designed to be the best surface to perform squats, dead lifts and power cleans on. G-Max has just the right amount of traction and rebound enabling you to lift with confidence and safety. It’s also available in solid colors. Infinity Performance, Inc. 888-479-1017 www.infinityperformance.com Circle No. 529
Explosive Movements
The Patented (#7662075) Pro Plate Load Full Body Squat is an essential piece to help strengthen the lower body. The design provides for a broader range of motion through the hip as compared to traditional leg presses. Users can perform explosive movements due to the low inertia created from the fourbar linkage system. Its standard features include weight storage, band attachments, shoulder adjustment, a unique single-leg stabilizing device, and rubber floor bumpers. Power Lift® 800-872-1543 www.power-lift.com Circle No. 510 Circle No. 126 44 Coaching Management POSTseason 2013
CoachesNetwork.com
Strength & Conditioning Reduce Groin Injuries
The High Stepper develops explosive power in the hip flexors and legs. The stepper uses a running motion, which substantially increases athletes’ speed, quickness, and durability. Coaches notice fewer groin injuries with their athletes after training on the High Stepper. The High Stepper can improve 40-yard dash times, decrease groin injuries, and train the legs to explode higher and more powerfully.
Powernetics • 800-829-2928 www.powernetics.com
The Rogue Bar is a polished 28.5-millimeter bar with no center knurling—and both powerlifting and Olympic lifting knurling marks. This bar has the great understated knurling that has made Rogue Fitness bars famous. It features high-quality brass bushings for reliable spin and will whip enough for use in Olympic weightlifting. Circle No. 537
Safer Workout
Reach new heights in conditioning with the Jump Belt, a TurfCordz® product designed to strengthen leg muscles to increase vertical leap. The Jump Belt features an adjustable belt and two 30-inch tubes connected to foot straps. It is available in resistance levels from three to eight pounds, up to 14 to 34 pounds. TurfCordz resistance products provide a versatile, safer, and more comfortable workout.
NZ Manufacturing • 800-886-6621 www.turfcordz.com
Circle No. 509
A More Natural Exercise
The Football Bar has been receiving rave reviews. Here’s what Will Hicks, Syracuse University’s Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Performance, recently wrote Football Bar inventor Joe LaCroce: “With fall camp coming to an end and starting game week, we are fairly healthy. The Football Bar is one of the reasons--to be able to train many different upper-body lifts with our hands in a more natural exercise has helped in not putting extra stress on our shoulders. The neutral-hand position also helps reinforce the football techniques taught by the coaches. This bar should be in every school.” (REPS) The Football Bar • 800-541-4755 www.repsdirect.net
CoachesNetwork.com
Winning Locker Room Design
Circle No. 531
Understated Knurling
Rogue Fitness • 614-358-6190 www.roguefitness.com
Testimonial
Circle No. 548
“Our previous lockers looked outdated and it was also time to update their functionality,” says Andy Harris, Assistant Director of Football Equipment at the University of Minnesota.”They had a cookie-cutter style and didn’t use space effectively.” “We wanted a locker room that gives the ‘wow factor’ every time the players walk in,” he continues. “Wenger did an outstanding job translating our goals into reality.” The lockers include several customized features. Ventilation ducts integrated into each locker’s foot locker and topper unit are tied into the main HVAC system to accelerate the drying of equipment. And cleaning the lockers is easy — the all-wooden surfaces feature an antimicrobial, polyester laminate finish that makes wiping them down simple and quick. Aesthetically, the university’s maroon and gold colors are incorporated throughout. A padded seat doubles as the foot locker lid to help conserve floor space. “With the locker room’s open design and more locker space, everyone just feels more like part of the team,” Harris says.
Wenger Corporation 800-4WENGER www.wengercorp.com Coaching Management POSTseason 2013 45
Power Racks A Unique Design
The new Functional Training Rack Series is setting the world of strength and conditioning ablaze. This unique design combines a fully functional Power Rack with two adjustable cable column machines–all within a compact area. With this equipment, an athlete can now perform all the core lifts a rack/platform provides with the multifaceted capability of a fully operational functional trainer. This product is extremely easy to adjust and use quickly, as it gets your athletes in and out of every facet of a workout much more effectively. The new 111FTR Rack Series is only from Samson Equipment. Samson Weight Training Equipment • 800-472-6766 www.samsonequipment.com Circle No. 515
Elite Equipment
The PowerMax “Athlete Engineering”™ Weight Equipment line is 100-percent U.S., made by one of the most experienced athletic companies in the industry and features materials that will exceed your expectations. This product’s welds are by the only welders in the athletic equipment industry certified by the American Welding Society’s standards. PowerMax has had powdercoated athletic equipment for more than 20 years. You want to be focused on building excellence, and PowerMax wants to partner with you. Contact your local dealer today for a quote. PowerMax • 855-232-4666 www.powermaxequipment.com
Circle No. 508
Virtually Immovable
Sturdy Construction
Strong power racks provide for safety at any commercial fitness center, school training center, or home gym. The TDS Power Rack System does just that plus more. This sturdy 2.5” x 2.5” construction supports regular rack exercises. This system also includes plate holders, two dipping attachments, and a unique Lat Pulldown attachment.
The Rogue Fitness Monster Series Rigs are the ultimate gym accessory. Built with the collegiate athlete in mind, the Monster Rig is a classic example of Rogue’s “over-built” construction that will suit any affiliate or gym with its immovable capacity. The standard Monster Rig is built with 11-gauge, 3” x 3” steel tube uprights. This is a virtually immovable piece of Americanmade training equipment.
New York Barbells of Elmira, Inc. • 800-446-1833 www.newyorkbarbells.com Circle No. 516
www.roguefitness.com
COACHING MANAGEMENT FOO Salsbury Ind
Rogue Fitness • 614-358-6190 Nov/May
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Products Include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Single Tier Standard Double Tier Standard Triple Tier Standard Box Style Standard Extra Wide Vented Open Access Modular Designer Solid Oak Executive Cell Phone Lockers Plastic Storage Lockers Benches
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Uniforms & Apparel Cool and Protected
The 7991 Hex™ Shorts with contoured wrap-around thigh are designed for protection. These shorts feature thorough, nine-millimeter Hex protection at the thighs, hips, and tailbone. They are made with hDc™ Moisture Management Technology fabric to help keep you cool and dry. The seams are finished with six-thread flatlock technology for strength at the seams and added comfort.
McDavid • 630-783-0600 www.mcdavidusa.com
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Ultimate Protection
As one of the best in protection, Cramer’s Thunder 7 girdle utilizes permanently attached hip, tail, thigh, and knee pads featuring the new Spider Web EVA foam. Hard thigh pads implement high-impact plastic cores and hip pads extend to promote security of the iliac crest without impeding athletic execution. The product is fabricated of 80-percent nylon/20percent spandex with a 100-percent polyester mesh gusset and includes a two-inch-wide waistband with spandex elastomer. Stromgren Athletics • 800-527-1988 www.stromgren.com
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Protects and Performs
As one of the best in performance, Cramer’s Lightning 7 girdle utilizes permanently attached hip, tail, thigh, and knee pads featuring the new Spider Web EVA foam. Soft thigh pads are ultra-light in weight and hip pads extend to promote security of the iliac crest without impeding athletic execution. The product is fabricated of 80-percent nylon/20-percent spandex with a 100-percent polyester mesh gusset and includes a two-inch-wide waistband with spandex elastomer.
Stromgren Athletics • 800-527-1988 www.stromgren.com
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Avoid the Hurt
The 7932 Hex™ Sleeveless Shirt/5-pad keeps you dry and protected. It features ideal, nine-millimeter Hex coverage at the ribs, shoulders, and spine with hDc™ Moisture Management Technology fabric. McDavid provides two more ways to bring the confidence and avoid the hurt. Hex technology is the original, and highest-rated, compression with protection gear. McDavid • 630-783-0600 www.mcdavidusa.com
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Branching Out
Cramer Products, an industry leader in the manufacturing and marketing of sports medicine and physical education products, is expanding its offerings to include apparel—a first in the company’s 95-year history. Beginning in the fall of 2014, Cramer will offer protective football apparel including girdles, shirts, jerseys, and pants. These protective garments previously carried the Stromgren label, but the line will feature labels with the Cramer name and logo, reflecting Cramer’s acquisition of Stromgren Athletics in 2011. Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com
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Unstoppable Uniforms
Just What You Want
Pro Look Football is where tradition meets innovation. Combine the latest in material technology with the unique ability to create any style uniform for one low price, and you get a superior uniform experience. In fact, Pro Look uniforms are so good that they are backed with a limited lifetime manufacturing warranty. Call today for your free custom design mock-up. Pro Look Sports • 800-PRO-LOOK www.prolook.com
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Ironclad Protection
Since 1996, Pro Look has developed award-winning uniforms for titlechasing athletes. The company is proud of its innovation and attention to detail. Its garments work with athletes when they need it most. Pro Look fabrics and construction methods stand up to abuse season after season. The stretch tackle twill technology creates tackle twill that is designed to soften and move with players, all the while maintaining traditional tackle twill strength and longevity. Combine stretch tackle twill with innovative moisture management fabrics, and make your next set of uniforms virtually unstoppable.
Get ironclad protection for the gridiron with McDavid’s 7332 Hex™ Integrated Girdle/five-pad. McDavid’s nine-millimeter light and flexible Hex Technology confidently shields at the hips and tailbone. This girdle features hard-shell guards protecting at the thighs and a must-have cup pocket. The hDc™ Moisture Management Tech keeps a player cool and comfortable. The 7332 Hex Girdle is 100-percent washable and dryable, and 110-percent reliable.
Pro Look Sports • 800-776-5665 www.prolook.com
McDavid • 800-237-8254 www.mcdavidusa.com
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More Products Increases Stability
The Volt ankle brace features a frictionreducing hinge and allows for full plantar flexion/dorsiflexion. The fabric-lined EVA foam minimizes tearing of the pads and increases comfort. A single webbing strap with a dual-fastening option holds the ankle for a customized fit. This brace protects interior linemen from lateral ankle sprains when getting rolled up. The Volt’s functional, lightweight design increases ankle stability and integrity. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
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Awards and Promotions
SMi Awards is the official awards supplier of the NFHS, with a full line of custom logo watches, plaques, rings, gift sets, and more. These items are perfect for senior/letter-winner awards, championship teams, and staff gifts--plus more than 300,000 promotional products are available. The company offers significant pricing incentives for annual purchases and will work with you on an unparalleled personal level to provide service you expect and deserve. If you’re looking for a reliable awards-supplier with quality products, outstanding prices, and 26 years of experience, contact SMi Awards.
SMi Awards • 800-326-8463 www.smiawards.com
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Fits Your Lifestyle
American Public University offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of specialties. Whether you are working in a municipal, commercial fitness, school, or military setting, APU offers a flexible and affordable program to fit your lifestyle. APU’s tuition is far less than other top online universities, so you can further your education without breaking the bank. American Public University • 703-334-3870 www.studyatAPU.com/athletic-mgmt
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Cold and Compression Therapy On the Go
PowerPlay™ is a portable cold and compression therapy system for joint relief and muscle recovery. At approximately one pound, PowerPlay goes wherever your game takes you. One affordable unit lets you treat up to three athletes or sites at once, and delivers cold through form-fitting, re-freezable gel wraps. PowerPlay’s intermittent, sequential compression reduces swelling while optimizing tissue healing, blood flow, delivery of oxygen, and lymphatic drainage. Recover faster and boost performance with PowerPlay.
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Achieve Their Best
Give it everything you’ve got. Gatorade is dedicated to providing high school athletes with the fuel they need to achieve their best during practice and competition. That’s why Gatorade offers G Series performance packages to high school coaches and athletic trainers at a significant discount. To get the most out of every play and every player, visit the Web site to learn more and place your order. Gatorade • 800-88-GATOR www.gatorade.com/coaches
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Cold and Compression Therapy
Get a jump on pain and swelling reduction with PowerPlay™. Lightweight and portable, PowerPlay delivers cold and compression anywhere your game takes you. One affordable unit lets you treat up to three athletes or sites at once, using form-fitting, re-freezable gel wraps for pain reduction. PowerPlay’s intermittent, sequential compression reduces pain and swelling while optimizing tissue healing, blood flow, oxygen delivery, and lymphatic drainage. Recover faster and boost performance with PowerPlay. PowerPlay • 918-744-1078 www.powerplay.us
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Innovative Protection
The Excel ankle brace features an innovative lacing system that tightens all the way around the ankle and conforms much tighter than other braces. The nylon eyelets reduce pressure points and allow for better comfort without losing support. This brace provides athletes the support needed by utilizing the figure-eight straps commonly used in taping techniques. This brace is designed to protect the ankle while performing agility movements in any sport. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com
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More For Money
Mor4 Designs creates banners, record boards, and locker room graphics by working hand in hand with coaches and athletic directors. Owned by teacher, coach, and high school administrator, David Morford, the company understands what it takes to motivate, reward, and recognize achievement with the school image in mind. The company’s focus is to help guide you in the selection of products, imagery, and expression to produce the best effect for the finished product. Mor4 Design • 913-967-9410 www.mor4designs.com
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Box 329 Riverside, TX 77367 1 (800) 829-2928 www.powernetics.com http://www.youtube.com/Powernetics2020
Explosive Exercises: Quarter Squat Jumping Angle Squat Jumping Angle Squats
Programs training with the Bear New England Patriots Pittsburgh Steelers New York Jets Houston Texans Kansas City Chiefs Cleveland Browns New York Giants Miami Dolphins Tennessee Titans New York Yankees Texas Rangers Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Univ. of Texas Univ. of Arkansas N.C. State Virginia Tech Univ. Boston College Univ. of Pittsburgh Rutgers University
+ Maximizes vertical jump + Develops the power potential + Athletes experience astounding drops in 40 times + Increases quickness and muscular endurance + Eliminates safety concerns created by bar squats
And Many More ...
"We have worked with Gary Fuller from Powernetics for the last ten years and really appreciate their professionalism in business. Without question their machines are second to none. My favorite being The Bear machine. We have had more athletes increase their vertical jump doing this machine more than any other we have ever used. If you want to take your athletic skill to another level then use Powernetics equipment."
Don Beebe CEO, House of Speed LLC Nine Year NFL Veteran Super Bowl Champion
Coaches
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