The role of strength & conditioning in a program

slugboy

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In this article, CBS discusses a strength coach for Oregon who probably should never have been hired, and gets into other general issues with S&C in the NCAA.
There’s a good overview of the profession mixed in with some text meant to get attention, but I think it’s a worthy read.
Especially to understand the part of the year some of our players are in now.

 

GT_05

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I remember seeing a tweet after the UGA game in 2018 showing a shirtless GT player and the caption read, “They must skip arm day at Tech.” That still burns but it seems like S&C has improved dramatically since then. Many things have improved since then except the little things like wins and attendance.
 

takethepoints

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You all may remember what I've had to say about this before. But this article was an eyeopener for me too. All I had to do to know that the Oregon guy was.a snowbird was to see the term "up-downs". This particular exercise is not only useless, but downright dangerous. Nobody with an "exercise science" degree would use it. (Well … should use it.) As the article points out, the main qualifications for strength coaches are in about the same state as Georgia's qualifications for fortune tellers. (We still do that, btw.) Something needs to be done about this, but the research on building human strength is in its infancy. When we get better data, we might get better strength training.

Now, you think the article's scary? Think about strength training in high school. Where, I might add, the prospects for long term damage are much greater.
 

jgtengineer

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You all may remember what I've had to say about this before. But this article was an eyeopener for me too. All I had to do to know that the Oregon guy was.a snowbird was to see the term "up-downs". This particular exercise is not only useless, but downright dangerous. Nobody with an "exercise science" degree would use it. (Well … should use it.) As the article points out, the main qualifications for strength coaches are in about the same state as Georgia's qualifications for fortune tellers. (We still do that, btw.) Something needs to be done about this, but the research on building human strength is in its infancy. When we get better data, we might get better strength training.

Now, you think the article's scary? Think about strength training in high school. Where, I might add, the prospects for long term damage are much greater.

Are you talking about the controlled "up down" where its squat extend to plank then stand back up or run in place and bounce off your chest. Both have been called that. You don't do the second one not in pads and never have I heard of anyone being injured doing that. The first one is a core exercise and not any more dangerous than a squat or a lunge.
 

slugboy

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11,504
You all may remember what I've had to say about this before. But this article was an eyeopener for me too. All I had to do to know that the Oregon guy was.a snowbird was to see the term "up-downs". This particular exercise is not only useless, but downright dangerous. Nobody with an "exercise science" degree would use it. (Well … should use it.) As the article points out, the main qualifications for strength coaches are in about the same state as Georgia's qualifications for fortune tellers. (We still do that, btw.) Something needs to be done about this, but the research on building human strength is in its infancy. When we get better data, we might get better strength training.

Now, you think the article's scary? Think about strength training in high school. Where, I might add, the prospects for long term damage are much greater.
There are a lot more high schools, which means there are a lot more chances for a horror story to happen.

However, my kids’ high school coaches are better coaches than my coaches were—they know more, for one thing. There are still the moments of “how did you graduate college believing that?” when you run into a crackpot idea. I do wonder what they teach in some of the PE courses, but it still looks like coaches are better aware of exercise science now than they used to be. Younger coaches are going to have an advantage over older coaches in that area.

In college, especially at a P5 school, there’s going to be so much pressure to get the most out of your players that you might see more risks taken compared to high school.

I did a little looking, and there are some rhabdo cases in high school. It's less frequent than in older athletes, but it's there:

This SI article is 12 years old, but I wasn't expecting to see the idea that rhabdo is all over NFL camps. There's probably more of it than we're hearing about at high levels of sport.
 

flea77

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CSCCa. SCCC is a long hard process. 650 hours. Very tough written and physical exams w Master coaches. Will passed his first attempt. Many do not. If you read the entire article, there is a huge difference in the different certs. Will is now the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Mt Paran Christian. He worked w Coach Sisk for 4 years in college, summer after graduation at GSU. 2 years at Middle Tennessee and this past year at Reinhardt. I believe all S&C Coaches at the High School and College level should have this cert.
 

g0lftime

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CSCCa. SCCC is a long hard process. 650 hours. Very tough written and physical exams w Master coaches. Will passed his first attempt. Many do not. If you read the entire article, there is a huge difference in the different certs. Will is now the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Mt Paran Christian. He worked w Coach Sisk for 4 years in college, summer after graduation at GSU. 2 years at Middle Tennessee and this past year at Reinhardt. I believe all S&C Coaches at the High School and College level should have this cert.
He is moving up in his career. He will be at a big time school sooner rather than later. Thanks for sharing.
 

HouseDivided

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I remember seeing a tweet after the UGA game in 2018 showing a shirtless GT player and the caption read, “They must skip arm day at Tech.” That still burns but it seems like S&C has improved dramatically since then. Many things have improved since then except the little things like wins and attendance.

Believe it was Searcy and one of the mutts commented before the game to with "yall don't lift weights".....Granted those idiots look a lot more physically imposing than anything we've trotted out in a while.
 

takethepoints

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Are you talking about the controlled "up down" where its squat extend to plank then stand back up or run in place and bounce off your chest. Both have been called that. You don't do the second one not in pads and never have I heard of anyone being injured doing that. The first one is a core exercise and not any more dangerous than a squat or a lunge.
Neither one, actually. What I'm talking about is the run-in-place-drop-on your front-get-up-run-in-place. That is what we always used to call an up-down. But perhaps the terms have changed. I agree about the first of your defs; I do those myself. I don't see how the second involves any up-down at all.
 

takethepoints

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6,097
I remember seeing a tweet after the UGA game in 2018 showing a shirtless GT player and the caption read, “They must skip arm day at Tech.” That still burns but it seems like S&C has improved dramatically since then. Many things have improved since then except the little things like wins and attendance.
Or, to put it another way, everything except what counts. I think it's a basic fallacy to think that more muscle = better performance. The real equation is more muscle maximizing what you want your team to do = better performance. Combined with recruiting to get players who can perform well in the schemes you want to use, of course.

I'm pretty sure you would agree with that. I'm not so sure that our present staff does.
 

forensicbuzz

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Neither one, actually. What I'm talking about is the run-in-place-drop-on your front-get-up-run-in-place. That is what we always used to call an up-down. But perhaps the terms have changed. I agree about the first of your defs; I do those myself. I don't see how the second involves any up-down at all.
Up-downs were to simulate getting cut and then getting back up and running again. You were supposed to land on your hands and chest, then get back up. Much different than what being described.
 

jgtengineer

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Neither one, actually. What I'm talking about is the run-in-place-drop-on your front-get-up-run-in-place. That is what we always used to call an up-down. But perhaps the terms have changed. I agree about the first of your defs; I do those myself. I don't see how the second involves any up-down at all.
The second one I am describing is exactly that, you do it when you have gear on you catch yourself in your hands and pop back up? Thought that was implied with "bounce of your chest" and i don't see how that's any more dangerous than getting tackled?
 

flea77

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All I remember from that pic of Qua is GT beating UGA's ***. It was one of the best moments in GT History. Searcy leaping across the goal line. Who cares how big a WR Biceps are , LOL. 2016.
 

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SteamWhistle

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All I remember from that pic of Qua is GT beating UGA's ***. It was one of the best moments in GT History. Searcy leaping across the goal line. Who cares how big a WR Biceps are , LOL. 2016.
What was funny to me about that tweet, the player who sent it : His little brother Marcus had no problem truck sticking a few mutts in that same game in 2016.
 

iceeater1969

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All I remember from that pic of Qua is GT beating UGA's ***. It was one of the best moments in GT History. Searcy leaping across the goal line. Who cares how big a WR Biceps are , LOL. 2016.
Will had to play early - as true fresh because the ol was so thin. HE HAD TO BE BIG in first year. Did fine and real did well next year.
Then we needed him to change to play fast at ot.
Then he was back at guard. Crap i think he was asked to handle all the positions except center.

I am still mad about how fhe last year of his gt career ended.


But life goes on and that varied experience will be valuable to him as a gets players ready. In real world you seldom get to play in a perfect situation.

Damn Fine Tech Man
 

flea77

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Will had to play early - as true fresh because the ol was so thin. HE HAD TO BE BIG in first year. Did fine and real did well next year.
Then we needed him to change to play fast at ot.
Then he was back at guard. Crap i think he was asked to handle all the positions except center.

I am still mad about how fhe last year of his gt career ended.


But life goes on and that varied experience will be valuable to him as a gets players ready. In real world you seldom get to play in a perfect situation.

Damn Fine Tech Man
Tks. Started and played in a lot of games, no regrets. " Got Out " GT helped prepare him for life. Great Exp. Lifetime friends.
 
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