How I got through Year ONE as a High School Strength Coach

This is my 18th year as a Coach/Trainer yet I got to experience my first year Coaching at the High School Level. What keeps me going after all of these years is how much more impact and change is needed within the high school weight room. Not just football players, every sport, and every athlete needs to be exposed to proper, year round Strength and Conditioning. Sport Coaches need to worry about running their program, developing the athletes at practice, putting together film to be studied, playbooks and game plans, and working cohesively with your entire coaching staff. Where do they have time to develop weight room sessions and how we implement Speed Training into warm ups and throughout the week? What happens when an athlete gets injured and how do we approach an entire off-season of developing 3 different teams that will eventually lead into an In Season model?

The goal from Day 1 was to create consistency in the weight room and to get these athletes to understand the importance of training together during the off season. We were also going to bring in the first group of Freshman into the weight room and their 8-2 record speaks highly of how hard they worked all summer long. We didn't have the year we wanted at the varsity level but we have developed the next group of Bulldogs to take over in the coming years and let me tell you one thing, the future is very bright for Tracy High Football. Regardless of wins and losses, our team was healthy and fast all year with only one injury that resulted in a season ending hand surgery, not much we cant do about that. However that specific athlete never stopped supporting his teammates and modified everything he did in the weight room to remain strong for his team, never missed a practice or game and that speaks highly of what is being built at Tracy High.

I felt support from complete strangers that I have been looking for my entire career. Many people in this town have tried to bring something to life at Tracy High and no one has stuck around like me. We have been at it 4 days a week since January, we trained through triple digit summer days, double days, and it all lead to us continuing once the season started. There are too many coaches and programs in this town that think In Season Training isn't important and that it leads to soreness and kids being tired. This is just the consequence of not being educated on the benefits and importance of Year Round Strength and Speed Training. It also solidifies why Strength Coaches are NEEDED at the High School Level. Whether I volunteer or someone pays me I really don't care, this is about the kids playing sports and giving them tools to succeed well beyond any sport they will ever play.

Final Varsity workout of 2024 (THS Football)