In the 1999 hit film, “Any Given Sunday,” Al Pacino’s character gives a classic pre-game motivational talk about how success is achieved “inch by inch.”

“When we add up all those inches, we know that’s gonna make the [bleeping] difference between winning and losing.”

Extolling the virtues of personal sacrifice, determination, commitment, teamwork and extra effort, it’s a stirring speech, for sure. It makes for great theater, but as you reflect on the 2016 season and start thinking about the 2017 campaign, is this notion of “inch by inch” relevant to your athletes?

The sport coaches at Holmen High School (WI) are all in.

The coaching staff has bought into one strength and conditioning program for their athletes regardless of sport or season because Holmen’s athletes are just that, they’re athletes.

They’ve bought in to the fact that being powerful, strong, and explosive are relevant attributes for athletes in all sports, from football to swimming.

Summer is offically here and chances are you've kicked off your summer conditioning program. The next eight weeks is the most grueling part of any off-season training program. 

You'll start this summer with a roster of returning athletes and an incoming batch of freshman. Things are looking pretty good on Day 1.

But what happens when the grind gets unbearable and your team starts to lose interest?

When an organization is failing, no matter if it's a Fortune 500 corporation, a local church or the evening shift at the local Applebee’s, a turnaround typically dictates a change at the top.