As strength and conditioning coaches, we all need programming strategies that deliver both safety and predictable results in the most efficient manner possible.

As we're rolling into a new year, it can be tempting to jump on the latest training bandwagon and buy into the narrative that coaches need to keep their athletes engaged by constantly changing things up.

While there’s nothing wrong with some variety to keep things interesting and overcome plateaus, change for its own sake is directionless and most of the latest gimmicks are nothing more than flashes in the pan that will be out of fashion by this time in 2019, if not before.

As high school strength and conditioning coaches, it’s essential for us to make great use of our time. But in a room that may have 8 to 10 young men or women at each work station (50-60 in total) and sessions ranging anywhere from 15 to 70 minutes long, sometimes that’s easier said than done.

To enhance session density and improve session quality in my programming, we use the many tools our room has to offer to keep our students moving. These tools include the more traditional barbells, racks, platforms, dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, PVC pipe, and more.

One of the less "conventional” tools we place a great emphasis on has gotten some recent well-deserved exploration: the landmine.

The ability to manipulate and master movements in all planes of movement makes the landmine perhaps the most efficient tool we have.

In this article we will explore six functional exercises that can be used for nearly EVERY athlete to increase joint mobility, stability, and core strength... and to build serious injury resistance.

We can no longer think and train linearly. Humans were built to move - and that means move in all directions. Sports are becoming more competitive by the day, and I do not want my athletes getting blown by and ending up on the sidelines.

I get asked a fair amount of questions at parties. If you train people, party go-ers want you to sum up 52 years of experience in one sentence…then, they argue with you using something they read on the internet.

Are we right to think that full-range “up-and-down” lifts against resistance are the only way to train for athletic speed, power, and even muscle endurance?

When looking at faulty overhead stability and strength in the snatch and/or overhead squat, we typically see a wide array of issues. Sometimes it may be due to mobility (the immediate reference of everyone). But it can often be from lack of barbell awareness and placement, overhead strength, timing, and/or lack of general preparation and experience.

One tendency in athletics today is to assume every mistake is the short coming of physical qualities. 

When coaches review film and look at a game situation where a player failed to execute, they often attempt to find a perceived shortcoming that can be “fixed” with more strength, speed, or power work. 

As the saying goes, "if the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail."

For the last 9 months you have trained hard and heavy getting ready for the season. You don’t want to piss away that progress, do you?