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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Fall 1998
Unification & Curriculum Based Strength Programs
By Greg Shepard
Published: Fall 1998
Unification of all athletic strength programs and physical education weight training programs will give any school a big edge. Unification is the first item on our BFS Clinic agenda. We believe in training all athletes involved in power sports in virtually the same way. We do not have one program for football, one for basketball or one for women's sports, etc.
We believe that whatever gets an athlete to run the fastest between point A and point B is what we should all be doing regardless of the sport. Whether you are running down the football field, executing a fast break in basketball, stealing second base, sprinting down the track, taking three quick steps to "dig" out a volleyball or involved in soccer, you should train the same way. The techniques of running should be the same. The same approach would also apply to jump training or plyometrics. Whatever gets us to jump the highest is what we should all be doing.
The typical high school has seven different flexibility programs floating around. One coach has one program and then the athlete moves on to a different sport season and he/she must learn another way to stretch. The same goes for a philosophy on in-season training. One coach will say it is important while another coach won't find time to train at all. This leaves many different mixed messages with different terminologies and no continuity.
The typical BFS school who follows the teachings from a BFS Clinic will experience a complete paradigm shift. A unified program will be adopted. Coaches will all use the same terminology on coaching technique. All coaches will commit to two thirty-minute in-season workouts per week. All sports, in both boys and girls teams, will do the same program. Therefore, the two and three sport athletes have continuity and just don't miss a beat in the transition from one sport to the next. Everyone does the BFS Dot Drill for quick feet. Everyone does the BFS 1-2-3-4 Flexibility program for speed and jumping power. Everyone includes some speed and plyometric drills. Everyone breaks 8 or more personal strength and conditioning records per week even during the season. BFS athletes are truly getting better every day.
What do you think happens to team and individual confidence? What happens to relationships between players and coaches? What happens to school spirit? What happens to the injury rate? What happens to the wins and losses? It would be impossible to not improve substantially in all of these areas.
Finally, put the BFS program into a regular physical education class. It is designed to fit any time slot or situation whether it be a block schedule or a shortened 40-minute period. You can offer a watered down circuit training class or have students workout on a bunch of machines or universal type machine. Instead, do the BFS program. It will be something they will remember in a positive manner for years to come. A natural additional benefit is that more athletes will be discovered and participation in the entire athletic program will increase.
BFS has made it easy with its videos, manuals, clinics and comprehensive computer programs. Think of it this way. How would you like to compete against a BFS school with a unified strength and conditioning program with the athletes and physical education students? Join us! We will help you every step of the way. Our job is to help you win and be injury free.
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Greg Shepard
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