How Are We Judged As Strength Coaches?

Being in this business for quite some time now, I am often asked the same question from various strength coaches, graduate assistants, and interns I come across: How are we judged as strength coaches? 

I think it is a legitimate question...but one that really has no answer. I know great strength coaches who have never had a winning season, and I know terrible strength coaches who win consistently. In turn, I have heard countless reasons for us to justify our jobs, and it is nauseating. There are strength coaches at all levels who receive no attention; however, once they suddenly catch a break, they become overnight sensations.

I remember being a high school strength coach and trying as hard as I could to speak at all of the various clinics so that I could learn more and “network” with other coaches (bullshit...I really needed the money), but it was usually to no avail. However, one day I was lucky enough to get a college job, and I was immediately asked to speak at three clinics within my very first month—clinics that had turned me down just days before. Did I become a genius overnight? Did I know everything all of a sudden? No! But that was when I started to take everything we do with a grain of salt.

In my career, I have been involved in every scenario you can think of. I have been part of good teams, and I have been a part of great teams. I have also been a part of teams so bad that they could not even spell the word "win." Let me instill a simple truth in all of you young guys who are getting involved in this business: perception is reality. No matter how good or bad you are, it really doesn't matter. Yes, it is insane, but it's true. Therefore, you must have a strong sense of self-confidence, or your ego will get shattered along the way. The curse of social media has made it all the worse—every clown in the world has to have his say, logic or knowledge be damned! “I give ten dollars a year to this program, and I have a voice! I am a booster!” It really has gone too far.

Below I am going to list some of the most bizarre things I have seen or heard in this wacky business (by either myself or from some of my closest friends). You judge what is perception, reality, or just plain nuts.

Injury Prevention

I knew a young college football strength coach who was getting crucified by his head coach over a player getting injured. He reached out to me for advice, so I asked him some questions in order to get to the bottom of the situation. The first question was whether the player injured himself in the weight room or by running agility or conditioning drills. It turned out that it was the only question I had to ask. His answer, word for word was, “No, it was during a game. He got clipped on a play and really messed up his ankle.” Really? And that was the strength coach’s fault? I know a huge part of our jobs is to decrease injuries, but come on! Time to find another head coach to work for.

The Ever-Present Fourth Quarter Guy

I know some strength coaches who keep statistics about their fourth quarter prowess. Some don’t even care if their team wins! As long as they outscore their opponents in the fourth quarter, then they are happy. I have known college strength coaches who were losing by 40 points in the fourth quarter, but when the other team put in their backups, they still had their starters in. Well, when they finally scored on the other team's backups with two minutes to go, you would think these cats won the Super Bowl! It is only because of this that they won the fourth quarter. Remember that. It is one thing to embrace the concept of owning the fourth quarter, especially if it is a team-wide thing. I just read an excellent article on how Auburn really stresses the fourth quarter—from the head coach all the way down to the equipment manager. But lose and be happy? Come on. What happens when you lose the fourth quarter? You'll be the first ones disappearing into the locker room.

Billy Bad Asses

If there is one thing that irks me, it's these guys. They drive me nuts! I understand how bad you want to win and get your players fired up, but there is no reason (other than some personal vendettas against the opposing team) that you cannot come out and shake hands with the other team's strength coach during warm ups. Head football coaches, head athletic trainers, head equipment managers all do it...but we can’t? I think it is so unprofessional when an opposing strength coach won’t even look our way during warm-ups. How do you know that I don’t have an assistant job open for one of your interns? What if you might need a GA from me? If we do not band together and look out for each other, then it's the profession that suffers. We get a bad enough reputation from all of the crazy things some of us do, at least we can try to help change people's perception of this profession. There are enough examples of the opposite. It really is too much...and you do not need to wear sunglasses at night.

As you can see, these are just a few examples of what you have to look forward to. I am not trying to discourage you—I am just warning you to go in with both eyes open. Be professional.  I am no closer to answering the question of how we are judged...instead I just got carried away with the many ways we should not be. Some of my biggest rivals from other schools have turned out to be the most respected people/strength coaches that I get to call my friends. There is nothing better than trading war stories with your biggest rivals at a strength coach convection. It just makes all the hours, blood, sweat, and tears mean all that much more. Making a difference in a young person’s life, staying determined, and trying to be your best day-in and day-out—that is how I want to be judged. It will make the wins that much sweeter and the losses sting a little less.