Training athletes at the high school level may be one of the most challenging sectors in strength and conditioning. Everything from the training age of the athlete, the influence of social media, the competition of the private sector, the maturity level of the athletes, the interference of parents, and the non-compliance of sport coaches can all make the high school strength coach an overwhelming endeavor.

When I was the host of the Elitefts Sports Performance Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview four of the best coaches at the High School level. Dan Stevens, Gary Schofield, Tobias Jacobi, and Fred Eaves were humble enough to be a guest and share their wisdom. Every situation is different at this level, but the parallels are uncanny and the underlying principles are evident.

The Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast

The Elitefts™ Sports Performance Podcast is the premier resource for strength & conditioning coaches, sports performance professionals, and athletes of all levels. Bringing you the best information from the scientific foundations to the practical application. Combining the latest cutting edge research, anecdotal evidence, and under the bar experience.

DAN STEVENS

Thomas Worthington/ Worthington Kilbourne

From the first time I met Dan Stevens, one thing was evident: he cares about the athletes he trains as much as he loves training. His professional life revolves around it. Stevens, who is the head strength and conditioning coach at Thomas Worthington High School and Worthington Kilbourne High School, has mastered the art of being two places at once…literally. His distinction and job title he earned via coin flip, of all things, after budget cuts in the Worthington, Ohio school district.

Stevens utilizes decades of under-the-bar experience and training athletes to consistently build his knowledge base. He is the epitome of a life-long learner, which is evident by his involvement with the elitefts™ Learn to Train seminars and the amount of correspondence he has with the best coaches in the profession.

I sat down with Dan in the weight room at Worthington Kilbourne High School. Like every other time I have interacted with Dan, I gained perspective about coaching on so many levels.

Dan Stevens is a rock in a sea of new methods and under-qualified coaches. Stevens has survived the storm of change and has stood by his principles and his unwavering integrity. Coach Stevens has one of the most important and influential jobs in the country.

1. Balancing training between two high schools
2. Training 5/3/1 in two days per week
3. Training high school softball players
4. What high school strength and conditioning programs really need
5. Why more volume is important at the high school level
6. Programming in 3-week waves
7. Differences between training freshman and seniors
8. Coach Steven's manifesto
9. Specialization in high school sports
10. Strength is the most important factor
11. Five exercises Coach Stevens couldn't do without

GARY SCHOFIELD

Greater Atlanta Christian School

In 2012, Gary Schofield won the NSCA High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year honor. Two years later, Greater Atlanta Christian School, where Schofield is the Director of Sports Performance, received the Strength of America Award from the same organization. Schofield is the first to admit those awards are not about him, but about the athletes he is able to interact with on a daily basis.

I have been privileged to see Gary present at multiple conferences and have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from our correspondence. Coach Schofield has the rare combination of humility and wisdom when sharing all his experiences and knowledge.

The common theme that has solidified our friendship over the years is a common vision to empower our athletes and other coaches. Selfless sharing of ideas, mistakes, and the clarity to identify a rationale are characteristics you will always find in Gary Schofield.

Schofield is one of the most well-rounded coaches I have ever been around. This well-roundness does not stop at his equally thorough understanding of training, programming, and performance — his ability to understand athletes, coaches, and administrators with an equitable amount of compassion and conviction is a quality rarely seen in the agenda-based constructs of the fitness industry.

Topics in this Podcast

1. How Gary Schofield Started
2. From D3 Baseball to the NBA
3. Think Different, Make A Difference
4. High School Strength and Conditioning in the Southeast
5. A Typical
6. Adapting the Training for In-Season Athletes
7. Monitoring Athletes at the High School Level
8. What Gets Measured Matters
9. The Role of an Educator in a Physical Education Setting
10. Five Premises for Every High School Strength Coach
11. What Does a High School Plan Look Like?
12. Three Factors When Developing A Plan
13. Speed and Agility Progressions for Athletes
14. Rest and Recovery: The Best Thing Added to the Program
15. Four phases of Agility Training
16. Four Phases of Linear Speed Development
17. Sports Are Not Played for Sports; Sports Are Played for Scholarships
18. The Criticism of CrossFit. Why?
19. Coaches Rock, Experts Rule
20. Can’t Have Impact Without Connection
21. Coach Schofield’s Biggest Influences

TOBIAS JACOBI

Strong Rock Christian School

The first few months Tobi Jacobi was on the job at Kent State University, he held a one-day strength clinic. That was the first time I met him and was impressed with his work-ethic, his demeanor, and his passion for helping his athletes reach their goals. Coach Jacobi was intense when presenting and displayed a genuine desire to educate everyone at the clinic. It was obvious how much he wanted to give back to the profession.

Fast forward to almost 10 years later and I start to really understand where Tobi gets his tenacity and humility. Not many coaches can balance the all necessary ego of a coach with the humility to give credit where credit is due. One thing is certain in that Tobi Jacobi is grateful for all of the lessons he has learned in the profession. Some from mentors and some from hardships; the combination of experience and knowledge helped him make wise choices to overcome the obstacles that strength coaches often face.

At the end of the day, strength coaches are (or at least should be) judged by the positive impact they have and the meaningful relationships they build. Tobi Jacobi makes certain he lives and coaches by that mantra and his athletes benefit from it. Being confident enough to live unapologetically by your values is a character trait that not all coaches have the luxury to live by. For Coach Jacobi, it's the only way.

Topics Covered in This Podcast

1. The Journey
2. The Family Sacrifice
3. Gong from a Head Position
4. Dealing with Being Let Go
5. Humility
6. You Cannot Be Successful without an Ego
7. Becoming A Better Coach by Fitting in with Other Coaches
8. The Transition from College to High School
9. Training Multi-Sport Athletes
10. Parents vs Sport Coaches
11. Getting Kids Strong in Limited Time
12. As Little Specialization As Possible
13. Consistency is King
14. Box Squats for All Athletes
15. Chris Doyle and Programming
16. Assessments for Athletes
17. Coach Jacobi's 5 Specific Assessments
18. A Typical Training Week
19. Why Coach Jacobi Wants All His Athletes to Talk with Him
20. Taking Pride in Your Last Name
21. Implementing A Leadership Program
22. Communicating with Sport Coaches and Parents
23. Face-Time Is Vitally Important
24. Have the Best Interest of the Athlete in Mind
25. E-Mail Is the Devil
26. Get Out of the Weight Room
27. Advice for Young Coaches
28. Figure Out What You Don't Know and Learn It
29. Call or Visit the Best Coaches in the Industry

FRED EAVES

Battle Ground Academy

Not every high school's strength and conditioning program is the same. The differences between facilities, staffing, and especially the culture can be night and day across the country. These differences can be attributed to geography, funding, community support, and hiring the right people in the right positions. Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee figured that last part out by hiring Fred Eaves three years ago.

Coach Eaves will be the first to admit he is fortunate to be in the situation he is in at Battle Ground. Nonetheless, Eaves has developed a system and a culture that not only develops young people physically, but as young men and women as well. Eaves admits and relishes in the fact that the most important part of his job is the growth of his students and athletes off the field or court.

After following and interacting with Fred over the last few years, I finally got to meet him in person at the NSCA National Conference where he was a presenter and received the NSCA High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award. After talking with him in Orlando and conducting this interview, it was easy to see why he is one of the most respected coaches in our industry. Eaves has developed a very creative system of training athletes at the high school level my adapting the Tier System and adjusting to the school curriculum and schedule. Fred Eaves has dedicated his life to getting others better. This interview will relate to anyone wanting to do the same.

Topics Covered in this Podcast

How Coach Eaves Got Started in the Profession

Taking Over a New Program

1. Assessing the Situation 
2. Identifying Roadblocks
3. Exceed Expectations
4. Under-Promise, Over-Deliver

The Multi-Sport Athlete

1. Over-Specialized and Under-Generalized
2. The Correlation Between the Number of Sports Played and Injury Rates 
3. The Throwback Kid: Physicality, Mentality, and Resiliency
4. The Benefits of Competing in Other Sports Year Round

Assessments

1. Block Zero (Wildcat) Assessments
2. The Dynamic Movement Screen
3. Relative Strength
4. Movement Quality

Scheduling

1. Eight-period Rotating Schedule
2. Tier System for Everyone
3. Regressing Non-Athletes in Class
4. Wildcat, White, Grey, Gold, Blue Programs
5. Technique, Velocity, Load
6. Counter-Culture What the World Tells Us 
7. Do More of What They Are Not Getting 

In-Season Adjustments with the Tier System

1. Manipulating Sessions, Volume, and Intensity
2. In-Season: Keep High Intensity and Control the Volume
3. Empowering Older Athletes
4. RPE Scales and HS Athletes

Programming

1. Rotating Schedules for Athletes
2. 30-Minute Sessions During School Hours
3. MWF = Strength training, TH = Movement and Restoration
4. Complex for the Strength Coach = Simple for the Kids and Coaches
5. Mixed Gender Versus Boys and Girls Only

Go-To Exercises/ Drills

1. Trap Bar DL
2. OlympicLifts
3. Overhead Squat
4. Swiss Bar Presses
5. Exercise Selection for Stress Management
6. Baseline with 3 Regressions and 3 Progressions

Monitoring/Feedback

1. Why Monitor If We Can't Do the Basics
2.  Be the Best You Can Be 
3. APRE Numbers for Tracking 
4. Can't Be Numbers-Driven 
5. If You Only Look at the End Number, You Miss the Big Picture 
6. Fighting against the Culture

Mentoring/Character Development

1. The Most Important Aspect of the Job 
2. Model the Behavior
3. Be Accessible
4. Transactional Versus Transformational
5. All You Leave Behind is How You Effect, Trickle Down, Cyclical 
6. Set the Legacy
7. Perception is Reality
8. Put Accountability Back on the Player

Advice for Young Coaches

1. Differentiate Yourself
2. Humility
3. It Is A Unique Field: Sacrifice
4. Bringing Others Down to Build You Up 
5. Stay in the Eye of the Storm

How to Contact Coach Eaves

I know how tough these situations can be so check out these articles on training high school athletes and let me know what you think.

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