Aug 15, 2017A Unified Approach to Training
Unification is the concept that all athletes in the public school system should adhere to the same basic training philosophy.
We at BFS believe young athletes, from football players to basketball players to swimmers to golfers, should perform the same core weight training exercises. They should also perform the same speed, flexibility, and plyometric exercises. Not just because it’s easier to administer such a program, but because it’s a better program.
We believe that all high schools, middle schools, and many colleges should be unified. Such organization reduces teaching time, prevents many administrative hassles and personality conflicts, and improves athletic performance. In today’s world of budget cuts and reduced coaching and physical education staffs, having all athletes use the same workout program year-round reduces the amount of time needed for teaching new exercises and workouts.
It used to be that the interests of many PE and athletic departments of high schools would often clash, with neither wanting anything to do with the other. Today we live in a different world, where high school budgets are tight, staff sizes are smaller, and compromises are inevitable. PE and athletic departments have to work together, and the best way to do that is by implementing a unified program.
One of the worst problems for the multisport athlete is having each coach prescribe a different strength and conditioning program. We’ve visited countless high schools where the football coach did intense free weight workouts and the girls’ basketball coach did little strength training and only used machines. The girls’ coach would say, “My girls are intimidated by free weights!” and would therefore limit their strength training to inferior exercises. We’ve also met old school baseball coaches who would warn their players, “Weights will make you muscle bound!
When coaches adopt the BFS system
