Michael Richards
ISSA Certified Strength Coach
Owner Elite Athletic Performance LLC
16 years of experience training athletes
Author:
Your Student Athlete; Should Do, Must Do, and Don’t
1. Muscle soreness and fatigue are poor indicators of whether or not a kid is working hard.
2. It is incredibly difficult to train for increased Performance(E.G. Volleyball trying to increase vert jump, baseball training for increased throwing velocity) during an athletes competitive season. Doing so without a very carefully planned program or in large doses that leave the athlete exhausted is reckless.
3. Athletes “earn” the right to “sports specific“ training by completing general Strength training. Skipping that step is as reckless as #2
4. If your kid can’t skip, or do jumping jacks you are wasting your time and money getting them private Hitting or pitching
lessons.
5. In-season, General Strength workouts are vital for maintaining health in an athlete. Particularly once they hit about 8th grade. It’s kind of like routine maintenance on your vehicle. Just don’t over do it. Even one workout every other week will make a huge difference.
6. Look at your kids butt and legs. If you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins then that “Vertical Jump Max 2000” gadget or workout is a waste of time and money as well.
7. Intent. If you have to force your kid to workout every time you bring them to me you are wasting all of our time and your money. *Exception: If your kid seems to enjoy it once he or she gets to the gym they are just being a kid so bring them on.
8. If your kid is normally a hard worker but has gotten lazy lately, there is a good chance they are exhausted. Give them a week or so and see if they perk up.
9. If your athlete is highly flexible, PLEASE stop making them stretch.
10. If your athlete is stiff as a board please stop worrying about extra workouts and Youtubeva couple yoga videos
11. Yelling out technical/mechanical, verbal instruction during a game is making the situation worse.
12. Your child’s athletic ability is not a reflection of you. Their attitude and coach-ability is.
13. If they don’t want to play a second sport that’s ok. A good training program is a fantastic “second sport”.
14. Buy your kid a foam roller and YouTube “Foam Rolling Routine”. Have them do that before bed each night. It will “unlock” all kinds of Athletic ability your child already possesses.
15. If they are struggling for playing time for their HS team they don’t need to play more of that sport in the off-season. They need to train their bodies to perform at a higher level. If your truck goes 80MPH but you desperately want it to go 100mph, driving it 80mph everyday will NEVER get you to 100.....Ya dig??
Pick up a copy of my book today! Click the link below for Kindle Version and Paperback available on Amazon!
#Multisportathlete #SecondSport #Highschoolathlete #Verticaljump #Volleyball #Baseball #Football #Athlete #Scholarship
