Personal training for high school athletes

If you train high school athletes this will get you thinking about your value to the high school athlete. I can understand both perspectives for the personal coach and team coach. At the end of the day, it is about what is the most beneficial for the student athlete.

I have had the pleasure of working with quite a few high school athletes and teams over the years and I have seen the good and the bad. I have seen coaches who did not understand athletics training athletes inappropriately (in my opinion) and I have seen coaches poorly condition and prepare their athletes (in my opinion). I have also had overzealous parents who thought that this is what their athlete needed, when in fact that athlete needed a rest and not to train 7 days a week.

Any good coach or trainer will take the time to talk with the athlete about their goals, understand their personal and training history and observe their movements. I agree that a lot of schools utilize a cookie cutter strength program that is not appropriate for every member of the team. Whoever is running the program needs to understand human movement, and athletics in general, as well as how to assess a movement and progressions/regressions. Tossing a player into a poorly organized and controlled program is a recipe for poor results. If a personal coach is able to work with athletes and improve their form, movement, strength and speed then they have a role. But, let’s also keep this in perspective, great athletes will be great athletes regardless of who they train with. The main thing is to keep them healthy and gradually progress them. Too often these athletes are pushed farther and farther because of their raw athleticism and the basic patterns are ignored. In this instance, the training is inappropriate, regardless of who is in charge of it.

Is there a place for the personal coach, I think so. As long as they keep the long term health and goals of the player in mind when developing a program to maximize their performance and decrease their injury risk.

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/high-school/personal-trainers-for-prep-athletes-is-there-value-br.html?eid=277204494&bid=1156965