JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?Z( ( ( ( (*_jZo똠dfFcE4s xH5B][kM7~ [mVHMViYn/cXS[ED%Iʦn9?J(((((((ʀ (ʏʀ (܅}F+i|9%݆-ռ2n@rASOڇq8PG WX_[~S,Ĩ>WVU7Ls'U,$xЉA +1^k#MmDYA(4-zR-3[ßREvTeI!T&.}M)k`C_ʏʷ0 (ʏʀ (ʏʀ (<8:-Z0[iw{o/գ-ZA1&{{-Z?~xŵQD+DAygsjCm&rVvWeœ;E] ?hc@[ڿtY)W<- >a-4lc@[-Z, G4k}bYdEzVrhw25~#yspƹi*MV6iq""ݰ ޹+.Tݴ0Ļ&w-NEnxVΟܻ\ƼM$Ӯ75_ir[J]oRqhLߍuƟ.RAUǫx?<1Q95=zG//կRc-ځ ?G/կU.ʣnN?Zi:{@b sV͏n׋GFF8*ɠhe@[-Ze)÷V<"ʑNF R(?}YgطYEy,0 P(0PsiB9\,Fq9tQ> p:f8<'H@*v:soAݞxS8f5 efKoECɎCHrs}(oZ[ްHuXr5ŕHQu !,w3$J ǯ^T}̽uK?Չ]9E6rT~8qsQx\_C8Dz ʃ0HQ,Pn`+|#+ŧ&$v-s׽y8ܟ꼡9n($x|4w)dZ$s$UmtIi4 Ђ<iA,S3伵m=5iRo9C  ~V}9 0Hn:^E4Cpo˕;sX~߆R4vo|ɥZ$%9X~(GZͧm LP J=k$dyZU!s޻.o#yZȧsDH]sfrh7v$xIK/Ҷ|G[[Di~S3."݀RS_,Tzֲ|Yg f(YYˁde}*di9[cT`IfM5LW)R?8MpPReUA [wj2;fBϓVCʷZm{ )tN+آ#bz~XifT\cn+?ioipL]ZUn\4!\dejƤR֔fЭ걷Ñ=+ĩ ;ۍǮIk 606 I*;ŴR˹I\bsFE P\xPh BF? +Z8Ht-tJz̄.(up5)`}oCQW_/2qϥ}q1kKyXfg!HerΥ4p!lc֪ކ]r؊䶆e"Hц;:Fxc8zW?56XTG^\ /-ZN }^68ݎqT5m]YZu糼0=ֳwZ$4eB$W }35>}KHJvL!LQv(ov% .ѓۯZmⴷ$QTP8SZƛ@\|n$!qHA۞uba>Gs0rx5G+ y+N;Cqa (Wvj>>^GwspHs?ڱo{nj~=ǿjQ{R2ǵ&3zR={Pm=iߏj?Ԭr6[5k3ZNmxi2z0!¹%9lkh5'y"ʼn+Jy-ٛoԦ}RX$KG2Mqf;GQ ZO-f>a>{Qz3ړ>$cgkZվf..D@@ '?zV{FtSw>>Wk&yw 2qFiBDE{5,8'Uœ H̝&zF7(8yVb-DNqь 77Dzx'Wv+[OV' S=t%{ȎWbĦr9Cꏂxr>gh$mۚX懧]y1̒4h-f]3s=]qgk389$=3ֹHNG!tOxu]"34#-ܯh 69tZE_S9ՏRZ{xaugFJjRv ˰0RTx.nϑzu]|f/ob{؄AϩJ 1 .Q VWI4_Tj)>ycyv\9Hc9x?_S\濨_/*+=|#8z_M>]2 -L?J.SNWk|cfdZh6ﾗTxS['87 :g^k(]jLȾt|5?4BRpxTaclQsM$e:۱VGu˨m =oHTY'sYǚƲi"V+w*/CJNʯ0n(KfyVkIrQ[U'program 100 percent, says Batson.  He wants us to feel a  sense of urgency in everything we do; he tells us,  We can t wait until tomorrow--we have to do it today!, and  if you don t feel it, then Clemson ain t the place for you.  <br><br>Not Just a Paper Tiger <br><br>If you get the sense that being a strength coach at Clemson is a demanding job, you re right. But Coach Batson is up to the challenge and has exceeded even Coach Bowden s demanding expectations.<br>A native of Georgia, Batson says he caught the lifting bug when he started pumping iron in a basement gym with his cousin.  We had a high school coach who gave us a strength program. Although we didn t quite know what we were doing, we enjoyed lifting. As his love for lifting eventually evolved into a desire to be a strength coach, after college, Batson accepted graduate-assistant jobs to perfect his skills. He took on greater responsibilities at smaller schools, and four years ago became the head strength coach at Clemson.<br>Batson says one of the biggest influences in his training philosophy has been Louie Simmons, arguably the most accomplished powerlifting coach in the world.  Several years ago I spent some time visiting Louie and I still talk to him about every two months--Louie has been a great help to me, says Batson.  His gym is pretty barbaric--there s not much there--but it just shows you that you can take some barbells and dumbbells, a glute-ham bench and a power rack and get just about as strong as anybody. <br>The Clemson strength program is well staffed with four full-time coaches, three graduate assistants, two student assistants and one volunteer. With that level of help, Batson is able to group his athletes under separate coaches, which allows for greater individuality. But Clemson s commitment to football doesn t stop with quality coaches.<br>Batson says Bowden is pushing hard to get a 10,000-square-foot weightroom completed as soon as possible, one that will cater primarily to football.  We ve got a brand new football complex in the works, says Batson.  When you add that accomplishment to our indoor-turf field, it s a program that you know is only going to get better. <br>Although Batson has made it to the top of his profession, he is realistic when encouraging others to follow in his footsteps.  If you really want to get involved in this profession, you need to sit down with someone who is established in the field and let them tell it to you straight. It s a long, hard road, and I think a lot of guys get into it and don t realize the amount of time they have to put in, says Batson, who often finds himself working 14-hour days.  It s pretty brutal--you have to have a love for it. That s for sure. <br>The advice Batson gives prospective college football players in regard to their strength program depends upon the high school and the strength program they are coming from.  Some guys come in cleaning and squatting with very good technique, and you always have pretty good bench pressers. What I generally see that needs the most work is overall conditioning, and we often have to elevate their work capacity so they can handle the amount of work they do on the field. <br><br>Training Grrrrrrrreat <br>Tigers!<br><br>Batson is convinced that conditioning was a significant factor in why the team finished strong last year.  We re always going to be a well-conditioned team, says Batson.  In Coach Bowden s philosophy, number one is conditioning, number two is speed, and number three is strength. This is not to diminish the importance of strength, because strength and speed go together, but Coach Bowden will never sacrifice one or the other for conditioning. This means we have to run our players extremely hard in the summer and do a lot of volume. We have a fast-paced offense, so we need to condition with repeated bouts of intense training with short rest intervals. <br>A strength{O өk~k?m浡7~HlE̜Bjx7|ZO7!m ӞBնז!c1 CY.hK:(ea sUKc?܏46NǗ^db$?xRDHlݤyU/Vk.{/alcT,%xahi qH}2ܖP.mm&"#u"