Decisions... Decisions... Decisions

Early in my coaching career, 1995 at the NSCA Conference in Phoenix AZ to be exact, I heard a well respected strength and conditioning coach and researcher say, “You’re either a powerlifting guy or a weightlifting guy” when referring to training ideology and I sat there in the audience just thinking… here I wasn’t even certified yet and hadn’t completed my bachelors degree as my own professional sporting career had just ended and my coaching career was just beginning and here was someone that everyone seem to respect saying that you had to be one or the other.  

Now I know you’re thinking to yourself, why did this matter so much?  Welp, even though my coaching career was just beginning didn’t mean I hadn’t coached anyone because I damn sure had in fact I worked with David Greenwood for 2 years first when he was with the San Antonio Spurs then when he was member of 1989-90 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons and a couple guys from the San Antonio Missions (Dodgers AA Club) who’d go on to have Hall of Fame careers in the MLB, as well as volunteering with the Houston Oilers (for summer training camp in San Antonio) and the San Antonio Riders and if that wasn’t enough I had just begun to develop the Strength and Conditioning program at UTSA (they didn’t have one, I was the first Strength and Conditioning Coach in school history) in conjunction with the new Basketball Coach, Softball Coach and Volleyball Coach eventually taking on all 16 NCAA D1 Sports … so yeah you can say that I had a little invested here…. 

I sat there thinking in the audience thinking  ‘What the hell… I’m screwed if I have to choose between JUST those 2  because I have always been taught to use every available tool possible while training for my sporting career and in my coaching career. 

I’m thinking about this because with the creation of well I’ll just call it what it is ‘Strength Coach Twitter’ there’s always someone on there yammering about their own beliefs with ‘absolute statements’ on training methodology… well here’s a NEWSFLASH for y’all … I’m training athletes to become better ATHLETES I’m not training them to become weightlifters or powerlifters or strongman or bodybuilders ... no matter how much I love each of these sports.

Next Blog I’ll continue with this rant…. but until then 

PLAY HARD… TRAIN HARDER… NO EXCUSES