Jan 28, 2017How to Create and Grow Your High School Athletic Performance Program
For many high school athletic performance coaches developing a high functioning “school day” course presents obstacles; such as student-athlete class schedule requirements, meeting state standards, developing a comprehensive curriculum, and juggling coaching philosophies amongst various school head coaches. Consideration must be given to all factors and educating yourself on the “how’s and why’s” of these factors is non negotiable.
When I arrived at Noblesville High School (Noblesville, IN) I was fortunate that there was a strength training class in place. This class had previously been instructed and shared by high school teachers and sport coaches. The class had a total enrollment of less than 100 student-athletes and operated out of a facility of approximately 1,000 sqft. Through collaborative efforts by many stakeholders over 8 years we were able to develop the program to 6 classes of 115 student-athletes per class (690 overall). In addition, we were fortunate to move into a near 10,000 sqft state of the art strength training facility furnished with the best equipment and flooring in the industry by Life Fitness Hammer Strength, and Plae Performance.
The PROCESS and blue print for this student driven program explosion is not that intricate. The key is to stay the course, know adversity will come your way, keep moving forward, and create OWNERSHIP with your administration, colleagues, athletes, and parents. By doing so you will have an established CULTURE that through relentless and intentional accountability of expectations and tolerance, will drive itself.
Big Ticket Items:
Big Five
1. Superintendent and/or Central Office Personnel
2. Building Principal
3. Athletic Director(s)
4. Guidance Department Chair
5. Wellness Department Chair
When the Big Five are in professional alignment and work together with you to provide and create a highly effective performance curriculum for student needs there is no limit! At Noblesville High School our Big 5 is tremendous, hence, how we have grown TOGETHER to provide our students the best programming and curriculum available.
Ownership vs Buy In Ownership is “when you own or share the ownership of an idea, a decision, or an action plan; it means that
you have participated in its development, that you chose on your own accord to endorse it. It means that you understand it and believe in it. It means that you are both willing and ready to implement it.” – Henri Lipmanowitz
Buy-in is the opposite: someone else or some group of people has done the development
