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Building Relationships With New Coaches
Building a relationship with a new coach is indeed a process. Shelby Reichle, MS, CSCS shares her process on how she builds a strong bond with a new coach.
The Secret Sauce of Coaching
Strength and conditioning coaches do a fantastic job producing athletes who are resilient to injury and primed for performance gains in their sports. The pressure and time it takes to produce these outcomes can lead to blindspots in our programs. One of these areas is how your athletes are motivated to succeed.
Game Day: Morning Lift and Pre-Game Priming
Many sports coaches fear that any strenuous activity on the day of competition will negatively impact their athletes’ performance. Coach Chris Doukakis has always viewed this as a misconception. Here’s a look at his Game Day lifting strategies.
Building Future Leaders Through Strength and Conditioning
At Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Coach Peter Tongren integrates leadership training into strength and conditioning. Through core principles like trust, relationships, and task-driven focus, athletes grow both on and off the field—building not only physical strength but the skills to lead and succeed in life.
Building Future Leaders Through Strength and Conditioning
At Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Coach Peter Tongren integrates leadership training into strength and conditioning. Through core principles like trust, relationships, and task-driven focus, athletes grow both on and off the field—building not only physical strength but the skills to lead and succeed in life.
Building Future Leaders Through Strength and Conditioning
At Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Coach Peter Tongren integrates leadership training into strength and conditioning. Through core principles like trust, relationships, and task-driven focus, athletes grow both on and off the field—building not only physical strength but the skills to lead and succeed in life.
Mastering Conflict Resolution in High School Strength Programs with the SO QUIC Model
As a high school strength and conditioning coach, managing conflicts effectively is crucial for maintaining a positive and productive training environment. One valuable tool that can be utilized in this context is the SO QUIC Model for conflict resolution.
How We Implement Dr. Yessis’ 1×20 Program at North Scott HS
Training is cumulative. Everything builds upon what has previously been done, and success accumulates over time. Cumulative training effect and training age are extremely important concepts when trying to understand how to train novice athletes.
How We Implement Dr. Yessis’ 1×20 Program at North Scott HS
Training is cumulative. Everything builds upon what has previously been done, and success accumulates over time. Cumulative training effect and training age are extremely important concepts when trying to understand how to train novice athletes.
Your strength and conditioning program can change the atmosphere at your school
The strength and conditioning program has been a driving force behind the resurgence of a dynamic school atmosphere at Raytown South High School in Missouri.
Utilizing Medicine Ball Throws for Rotational Power Development
By Andrew Rafferty Rotation is a part of all sports and needs to be trained just like all other athletic qualities. However, it often gets
Fostering Competitiveness in the Weight Room
In the dynamic environment of a weight room, competition serves as a powerful catalyst for enhancing athlete and student performance and results. The infusion of competition in weight training not only enhances physical abilities, but also cultivates resilience and determination among athletes/students, setting the stage for long-term success both inside and outside the gym.
Fostering Competitiveness in the Weight Room
In the dynamic environment of a weight room, competition serves as a powerful catalyst for enhancing athlete and student performance and results. The infusion of competition in weight training not only enhances physical abilities, but also cultivates resilience and determination among athletes/students, setting the stage for long-term success both inside and outside the gym.
Fostering Competitiveness in the Weight Room
In the dynamic environment of a weight room, competition serves as a powerful catalyst for enhancing athlete and student performance and results. The infusion of competition in weight training not only enhances physical abilities, but also cultivates resilience and determination among athletes/students, setting the stage for long-term success both inside and outside the gym.
Fostering Competitiveness in the Weight Room
In the dynamic environment of a weight room, competition serves as a powerful catalyst for enhancing athlete and student performance and results. The infusion of competition in weight training not only enhances physical abilities, but also cultivates resilience and determination among athletes/students, setting the stage for long-term success both inside and outside the gym.
Making Training Fun Again
How do we as strength and conditioning coaches set up our training to maximize consistency and effort and get the most out of our athletes? Help them enjoy it.
The Benefits of Athletic Performance Training
Athletic Performance Training differs because its end result is to improve one’s ability to play sports. Shelby Reichle discusses several key principles involved with this type of training.
The Benefits of Athletic Performance Training
Athletic Performance Training differs because its end result is to improve one’s ability to play sports. Shelby Reichle discusses several key principles involved with this type of training.
Murray Athletic Performance 9 Week Outline
Coach Tyler Franklin does all of his athletes’ programming in nine-week increments. Everything is subject to change and nothing is concrete; hence the name “outline.”
Programming for Athletes at a Large School
Joseph Taylor, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Friendswood High School in Texas, train more than 600 different athletes in a given week. In this article, Coach Taylor explains his philosophy on programming and the systems he has created to train his athletes in the most efficient way possible.
2024 NHSSCA National Coach of the Year Matt Cates
Matt Cates has been a high school strength coach for 18 years and currently serves as the NHSSCA Indiana State Director, as well as the
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee: Scott Sahli
Scott Sahli’s Career Highlights Scott Sahli was first hired as the Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for all sports at Northfield High School in Minnesota, where
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee: Doug Bull
Doug Bull has served as a strength and conditioning coach and athletic administrator for the past 30 years. After four years working in the college
Comprehensive Nutrition Strategies, Not Just Products
Critical Reload offers comprehensive nutrition solutions and educational resources to bridge nutritional gaps, enhancing performance for coaches, athletes, and parents alike.
Building Neck Strength: From the NFL to High School Weight Rooms
For over a decade, Iron Neck has followed its mission to equip strength & conditioning coaches, trainers, and athletes, with the best tools for developing neck strength, mobility, and resilience.
Establishing a brand-new S&C Program
Schools are hiring strength and conditioning professionals, including many that have never had a qualified person running their strength and conditioning operations. Here are four keys to successfully establishing a brand-new strength and conditioning program.
Creating Incentives to Build Excitement
One of the biggest missions we as strength & conditioning coaches is making our program something that our athletes enjoy. To achieve this, we have to constantly be searching for ways to bring new excitement into our programs. Here are some ideas.
Building the Foundation for Your Program
Every strength coach has their unique philosophy, but there are certain
fundamental elements that I believe should be a part of every program. Here’s a look at the key areas you should focus on in creating the foundation for your school’s strength and conditioning program.
Simplify to Organize your Strength & Conditioning Program
What equipment, schedule, and set-up do you need to develop high performing student-athletes in your situation? You can develop high-performance athletes simply by working with what you currently have–as long as you have effective organization.
Gaining Weight The Right Way
Gaining weight for a high school athlete can be a very challenging endeavor. The keys to success should be centered around simplifying the information as much as possible and creating sustainable/repeatable habits.
Planning For Presence
Running a program and coaching endless numbers of workouts a week can pull our attention in a myriad of different directions. The concepts behind environmental design can help you create systems that minimize the noise and maximize the time you can spend coaching and building relationships with your athletes.
NHSSCA Executive Council: Celebrating Progress and Setting Our Sights in 2024
Reflecting on 2023, NHSSCA achieved significant milestones, including the successful NATCON 2023 and the launch of the HSSCC, enrolling over 500 coaches. Our impactful presence at the National AD Conference in Orlando expanded our reach, enhancing our commitment to strengthening high school coaching nationwide. As we head into 2024, we celebrate a transformative year and look forward to continuing our mission of empowering strength coaches.
2023 Year-End Review From NHSSCA President
2023 NHSSCA: A Year in Review” highlights key achievements under President Eric Cash’s leadership, focusing on the HSSCC launch and the NHSSCA’s member-driven progress. The review sets an optimistic tone for 2024, emphasizing continued growth and support for high school strength coaches.
Serving Equipment Needs of High School Coaches
Bridge BUILT specializes in creating innovative and unique strength and conditioning equipment. With customers across the world, Bridge is on a mission to bring the highest quality equipment to those that are passionate about their training everywhere.
Lumin Sports Partners With NHSSCA
NHSSCA Partners with Lumin Sports to revolutionize high school strength coaching. Save time, boost performance, and elevate your coaching game. Discover more!
Introducing the NHSSCA Coaches Roundtable
Exciting news! NHSSCA Professional Members now have exclusive access to the monthly episodes of the “NHSSCA Coaches Roundtable,” expertly hosted by Caroline Palmer and Brandon Herring.
Why Force Free Motivation Tactics are Man’s Best Friend
Missy Mitchell-McBeth has more than 19 years of coaching experience both at the high school and collegiate levels. Through her experience working with her four rescue dogs, she has learned important lessons on how to more effectively create motivation within student-athletes.
Rhythm and Flow
While working at a small secondary school in San Antonio, Coach Crochran coined his balance/coordination and exercise selection/progression, “Rhythm and Flow.”
Upcoming Family Day Events
There are four Family Day Events planned during November. Family Days are a great opportunity to connect with other coaches, and also allow non-members to experience why #Family is more than just a hashtag.
NHSSCA Podcast On Positivity & Coaching
Dive into ‘Positivity’ with special guest Michelle Toy, former Strength & Conditioning Coach at Bellarmine College Prep and current owner of Toy Solder Training in Texas. Take advantage of her insights and experiences training athletes of all levels!
Training Adaptations to Expedite Return to Play
When injuries occur, do you have the tools to help your athlete expedite their Return to Play in a safe manner that assists the sports medicine staff?
Teaming Up: Strength Coaches Working Together on a Shared Vision
Jeremy Evans and Taylor Smith discuss how they work together to develop the school’s strength training program and philosophy, and how they communicate their shared vision to their student-athletes.
Resilience
Resilience is the mental capacity to adapt and bounce back when things don’t go as planned. It is mental toughness. Most importantly, resilience is a skill and it can be developed.
Rhythm: The Missing Piece to Efficient Performance
Rhythm, specifically in performance, is how timing can be expressed. The better the timing, the better the movement, and then hopefully the better the athlete performs.
BOLC for the High School Coach
The acronym for BOLC stands for “Basic Olympic Lift Certification.” Learn how the BOLC course delivers the basics of how to teach and coach the Olympic lifts.
Griffin Scott Pherson Educational Scholarship: Taylor Moon
This annual scholarship was created to honor the life and strength of Griffin Scott Pherson.
Exclusive NatCon and PreCon Recordings Await You
Unlock a wealth of knowledge from NatCon and PreCon through exclusive recordings. Dive into expert insights at your own pace and convenience.
Cultivating Power at the High School Level
Power is Sport. And without power, sport is not as captivating and/or the athletes are not as capable as we would desire. Here’s a look at power with high school athletes and what it all means.
NHSSCA Certification Launches at NATCON
One of the highlights from NATCON was the launch of the NHSSCA High School Strength Coach Certification (HSSCC).
NATCON 2023 Recap
We took the #Family Reunion to Homewood Flossmoor High School (IL) for NATCON 2023, and it was awesome!
NHSSCA Podcast Focuses On NATCON
The second episode of the NHSSCA Podcast is out! This episode was recorded live on site at the 2023 National Convention at Homewood-Flosmoor High School last month.
2023 NHSSCA National Coach of the Year Mike Crissinger
Coach Crissinger is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and a physical education teacher at Perry High School (OH). He is the Ohio state director for the NHSSCA, and was recognized as the NHSSCA Ohio State High School Strength Coach of the Year for 2019.
2023 Hall of Fame Inductee: Michelle Hart-Miller
Michelle has worked hard to build a program that brings a “college level” weight-room to the high school athlete in Londonderry, N.H.
2023 Hall of Fame Inductee: Patrick Cullen-Carroll
Patrick Cullen-Carroll was a Physical Education Teacher for 37 years before retiring, and coached football and strength & conditioning at the high school and college level during his career. Pat has been a competitive Power Lifter and has coached Olympic weightlifters from the beginner level to the international platform.
2023 Hall of Fame Inductee: Reb Brock
As a strength coach for 38 years, Reb Brock has trained professional, collegiate, and elite amateur athletes, including one Heisman Trophy winner, responders and members of the United States military.
Certification Update
Watch Coach Bewley deliver an update on the certification that will be available at this year’s NATCON in Chicago.
Podcast Launches for NHSSCA Members
Andrew McGhghy is starting a special monthly podcast for the NHSSCA, which launches on June 1st.
Making Data Meaningful to Sport Coaches
We spend a fair amount of time with data and being able to understand it from a logical and meaningful perspective. Here’s how to communicate this to your coaches.
Supporting our Mission While Using Social Media
Strength Coaches invest so much time into building positive relationships with our athletes. Let’s show them how to use social media in a healthy manner to Empower others.
Creating an Athletic Performance Program from Scratch
When you take over a school’s strength & conditioning program, be sure to have a developed philosophy and program that is adaptable and all encompassing.
Coaches Corner: Brady Nyland
Coach Nyland, the strength and conditioning coach at Speedway High School in Indianapolis, uses the whiteboard in his facility to celebrate his athletes’ success.
The Benefits of Core Values Training
Strength coaches need to both “read” their athletes’ moods and wellness and improve their own self-awareness.
Customizing Your Training Programs
Evaluate the training programs for your athletes throughout the school year rather than just at the end of the year.
Get Ready for NATCON 2023 in Chicago!
NATCON is our annual #Family reunion and is more of an experience than an event. Make plans to attend this year’s conference.
Coaches Corner: Brady Nyland
Coach Nyland, the strength and conditioning coach at Speedway High School in Indianapolis, uses the whiteboard in his facility to celebrate his athletes’ success.
Incorporating Olympic Weightlifting Movements into High School Athletic Development Programs
Olympic weightlifting movements and their derivatives have long been used as a means to improve athletic development and enhance performance in various settings.
Why the Olympic Lifts Belong in High School Athletic Development and Performance Programs
Here’s a look at the various types of Olympic lifts and their many benefits, and why they must continue to be taught.
Force Plates for the 21st Century
The Hawkin Dynamics system features nine hard-coded tests. But you can do any type of exercise on the force plate to measure how that movement was executed.
A Platform Serving the Needs of All Strength Coaches
O’Reilly and Whelan interviewed over 100 sports practitioners worldwide to determine their needs when developing Output.
The 6th Annual Griffin Workout Challenge: March 18th
This year’s 6th Annual Griffin Scott Workout, we unite to celebrate as a #FAMILY the life and strength of Griffin Scott Pherson.
Share Your Knowledge With Other Members!
We want to showcase members more in our newsletter and invite you to review our article submission form and guidelines
The True Meaning of “Liftmas”
By creating “12 Days of Liftmas,” Coach Peter Tongren has created a fun way for his athletes to provide Christmas joy to children in their community.
Reaction Training Improving Impulse
You need to be able to react faster than your opponent. Reacting faster is accomplished by quickly processing incoming information and moving specific to that perception of that information.
Upcoming Events
We ring in the new year with 3 State Clinics and 1 Family Day in January, and then another 5 State Clinics and 1 Family Day in February.
Working Out to Leave a Legacy
Hunterdon Central Regional High School Strength Coach Paul Kolody honor a former Hunterdon student-athlete who passed away by holding an event where people give it their all in the weightroom.
Coaches Corner: Jerad Johnson
Jerad Johnson is Athletic Performance Director at Pope High School. He provides insight on being a “Positive” Strength Coach, and how to implement these beliefs into your strength training program.
Share Your Knowledge With Other Members!
We would like to start showcasing members more in our newsletter, giving them the opportunity to produce and share content.
NHSSCA Announces New Governance Board
The NHSSCA new Governance Board will take office on January 1st. Their role will be to manage the business and strategic planning of the association.
Reinforcement — Strength Training for Neck and Head Support
Strength training of the neck needs to be performed not only in a two-dimensional manner, but rotational movements need to be included also.
Coaches Corner: Tony Stewart
Coach Stewart discusses how his track and field has influenced his strength coaching philosophies and what he hopes his athletes learn through participating in his strength & conditioning program.
Building Teamwork Through Strength Training
Building teamwork is a vital part of the strength and conditioning program for Coach Garrett Keith at Westminster Christian Academy.
Pioneers of the Rack Bench System
Matt Purdy started a strength equipment company in 1996 under the name of The Equipment Guys, specializing in weight equipment for high schools and colleges. The company now operates under the name of Stray Dog Strength. From his athletic career and experience in the field, Matt realized an important trend in sports performance, the emergence of racks as the core strength training equipment.
Coaches Corner: George Adams
George Adams is entering his fourth year as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. Coach Adams discusses his strength training philosophies and the values he works to instill in his athletes, and how he begins the process before they become varsity athletes.
Block 0 Program to Master Movement Patterns
Grant Stewart has been the Strength & Conditioning Coach and a Physical Education Teacher at Severance High School since the summer of 2020. He has also served as a D1 strength & conditioning coach for three years, and as a strength & conditioning coach for the U.S. Army Special Forces for two years. Coach Stewart discusses his lessons while working with the U.S. Special Forces and how they impacted his high school athletes’ training.
Opportunity to Serve
At the 2022 NHSSCA National Conference, we spoke with attendees at our booth and took down information from those interested in serving the NHSSCA. We will continue to process those applications and seek out more individuals to serve. At the NHSSCA, we have the following opportunities.
Fall Family Day Events
We have implemented a new and exciting format to our Family Day events to maximize the opportunity of growth for the NHSSCA. One of the big changes came from attendee feedback.
Governance Board Update
As the NHSSCA continues to grow and support all High School Strength & Conditioning Coaches throughout the country, our organization has adapted to meet the demands it placed upon it. To this end, per an email sent out to all members in the past couple of months, we are in the process of creating a Governance Board.
A Partnership To Advance Careers Through Education
Tom Cormier utilized advanced online education to fuel a career path that led him to his current position of Manager, Commercial Operations & Global Academic
Reminder, Awards time is coming up!
The NHSSCA goes above and beyond to award and honor high school strength coaches for the hard work, dedication, and commitment they provide to their
Tell Us What You Want!
As we transition into this year’s cycle of clinics and conferences, we invite you to submit a presentation or submit topic suggestions.
Check out our new website
At this year’s NHSSCA National Conference, we unveiled our new version of www.nhssca.us! This newsletter format is a luminous example of our work to deliver
A Common Sense Approach to Nutrition at the High School Level
I would like to start out by saying I am not a registered dietitian, and in Tennessee, there are legal boundaries regarding the creation of
Coaches Corner: Rich Lansky
Bill Nelson at Jamestown High School in North Dakota shares his philosophy on doing things the “right” way vs. the “wrong” way.
Coaches Corner: Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson at Jamestown High School in North Dakota shares his philosophy on doing things the “right” way vs. the “wrong” way.
NHSSCA Success at the North Carolina Coaches Association
Discover how Coach William Fly, the NHSSCA North Carolina State Director, looking to promote association membership in his state, found resounding success.
Commit to Consistency
Discover how Coach Amber Burson at Lexington High School in Nebraska embodies a commitment to consistency with her athletes in a challenging world.
2022 NHSSCA National Conference Recap
The NHSSCA pulled off another epic event in Nashville this year. Check out recap of the #FamilyReunion as we celebrate 2022 NHSSCA National Conference, the best high school strength & conditioning conference, one last time!
We Exist To Educate, Equip, and Empower Coaches
The National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA) exists to Educate, Equip, and Empower Coaches to make a lasting impact on the lives of student-athletes. We are committed to developing coaches that are trustworthy, knowledgeable, effective, passionate, and transformational
