3 Major Concepts For Young Clients

Sorry for the late blog post guys. Who knew high school education would take up so much of my time. (Clearly high school educators did I just didn’t listen) I’m currently in the middle of writing a blog post on my new and revised belief and theory involving the usage of lifting straps for the Olympic lifts. Expect to see that coming in the next couple weeks and expect that to be much different from what you’ve heard from me in the past and probably what you’ve heard or seen in weightlifting videos across the world.
At King’s Ridge we are in full swing in our weightlifting program now. In fact, this morning our are classes started the 7/13 squat program. I expect that many of them will be hobbling around for the next couple of days. However, having worked with these students over the last couple weeks and more broadly over the summer, I’ve learned three specific things that most coaches don’t think to use with high school clients or students. These specific things, that we are focusing on at King’s Ridge, I believe will not only set the students up for success long-term but also allow them to achieve their athletic goals quickly and without injury.
1) This one may be the most commonly stated and preached and the least utilized amongst the strength and conditioning world. Using the Olympic lifts as developers for strength before they are used as developers for agility, coordination, balance, and overall athleticism, is a recipe for injury. With our students at King’s Ridge I have had to drop my desire to see heavy snatches and heavy clean and jerks on a consistent basis. Development of movement must come first plus I know that an athlete who is able to perform a clean, crisp snatch from the floor with even moderate weight will be able to excel in their field of play. It’s just a complex movement and the ability to perform it well is an indication of athleticism regardless of the weight.
2) Teach every movement every time. High school kids especially tend to forget the mechanics of even the squat or the kettlebell swing. What I find ironic is that in adult classes across the country, coaches find it imperative to teach and reteach every movement even down to the most simple concepts. Yet with high school kids so many coaches think it is sufficient just to teach the movement once and not remind them on a consistent basis of the mechanics. Not only are high school kids forgetful but they get caught up in the moment or the atmosphere and the mechanics fly out the window. It is imperative that regardless of how many times you’ve taught it or preached it to them that you preach it and teach it that many times more. The monotony of it will pay dividends in the future.
3) Create a system of intra-team accountability. Force groups and partners to count reps and enforce quality in their workouts. I have had to create penalties and punishments for entire groups because one athlete did not want to step up to the plate and complete the task as it is written. Creating intra-group accountability not only creates some camaraderie but what I found is that high school athletes are much more willing to complete all the work if they know their teammates will be punished otherwise. Creating that intra-squad accountability helps enforce and allow these athletes to bring the best out of themselves.
High school kids have a lot going for them that many adults no longer have. (Namely time, ability, and hormones) However they bring their own set of unique challenges. Many of these challenges can also be applied to adults. Take a second and consider whether you are using these principles in your own training.