For this weeks education session, Dan Boothby spoke to us about the importance of “buy in” for a strength and conditioning coach and program, knowing when to refer to a source other than yourself, and establishing rapport with colleagues. Having an understanding of what these things mean to you as a strength coach and how they will help you in the future can make the strength coaching experience an easier and more enjoyable one. These things can also make or break the success of a strength and conditioning program, depending on the outcome in each area.
When referring to “buy in”, it usually means the amount of support from surrounding areas of the university that affect how much you can accomplish as a strength coach. This buy in can come from the athletes themselves, which has an obvious affect on the effectiveness of your program, from the athlete’s parents, athletic trainers, team coaches, and the school administration. Being able to correspond with athletic trainers about an athlete, what they may be able or not able to do and the addition of certain corrective exercises for the team as a whole can be a very impactful tool, especially when the issue of injury prevention and reduction is in play. It is important to be on the same page as the team coaches because, as frustrating as it may be, they essentially decide how much you are able to work with the team they coach. From what we have been told several times before here at Northeastern, strength coaches are often the last to get credit and the first to get blame. Establishing rapport with coaches can be a factor in reducing the frequency of this, as well as ensure athlete adherence. Lastly, having the support of the school administration is, in a sense, most important. This is where the funding for the strength and conditioning department comes from, therefore, establishing the rapport and reputation with them is just as important as with the athletes and coaches.
Having a reason for everything that you do, and understanding why you are doing it, is very important. Not only does it gain you respect as a professional, but knowing why you include things in your programs and how they can help may eventually be useful if a situation arises where your methods are being questioned. Knowing when to refer an athlete out to a better qualified professional is a useful tool to have, as well. Practicing outside of your scope as a strength and conditioning coach could cause problems, potentially career threatening ones, to an athlete or yourself. This kind of situation can be avoided if you know the things you should and should not attempt to fix, improve, correct, etc.