elitefts™ Sunday edition
“It’s a Shame…”
A good friend of mine used to be the strength and conditioning coach for a successful high school program. He ran the whole show there for a long time, the team won a lot of games, and lots of his kids played college football. Some even made the NFL.
A couple of years ago, the school made a coaching change. The new coach brought in his own strength and conditioning guy. The new strength and conditioning guy has no idea what he’s doing. The kids report back to my friend to tell them what they did in the weight room that day. It’s invariably something very illogical and strange, but that’s the way it is. His response?
“It’s a shame.”
But it has to be that way, because that’s the way the coach wants it.
The same situation has applied to several college strength and conditioning guys I know whose players left in January to go train for the combine.
“Why didn’t he stay and train with you?”
“Because his agent wants it that way.”
“Wow, but (insert Combine training guy) really fucked him up. He got weaker, and slower, and he got hurt.”
“It’s a shame.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “It’s a shame” when it comes to the training of athletes — especially football players, because it’s so popular now to say you’re a “strength coach” who specializes in it. You start up a big time facility, you hire a bunch of guys, you give them all matching polo shirts, and suddenly you’re capable of brainwashing athletes into thinking you’re doing something for them. Meanwhile, I know a dozen guys who could get better results with a five pound dumbbell teaching the drills on my driveway.
I know I’m just rambling and firing off shots all over the place here, but how long is it going to be until we don’t have to hear people talk about what a “shame” it is that an athlete got all f–ked up by some half-assed trainer who has no idea what he’s doing?
It’s great that the fitness industry has blown up to the point where people can actually make a living online. I don’t begrudge anyone the ability to do that. That’s great. If you can go out and market yourself and make a shit ton of money, more power to you. Problems arise, however, when the guys who make the most noise are now considered the experts in the field. I’d have a very difficult time sending an athlete to some dude with a Web site domain that’s his name (dot) com and has a shirtless photo of himself on the front, along with a bio that’s written in the third person.
I don’t even know where I’m going with this shit. I’ll just be very, very happy to see the day where we no longer say, “It’s a shame,” with regard to an athlete that was shortchanged on his training, but I honestly don’t think we’ll ever see it.
PDF 
The Angry Coach is the strength coach, and also a positional coach, for a successful high school football program. Since 2001, an impressive number of his players have gone on to play college football, including several at the Division I and I-AA levels and two who have played professionally in the NFL. The Angry Coach has also worked with athletes at the college and professional levels in a variety of disciplines, including football, track and field, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, rowing and mixed martial arts (MMA). For professional reasons, the Angry Coach will not be using his real identity.
View The Angry Coach’s Training Log 
Lose th attitude, dude. I’m pretty sure the trainers who are prepping guys for the NFL combine know a little about what they are doing, well atleast a little more than a high school trainer hack.
Little Dougie, if the truth bothers you, put daddy’s computer away and wack yourself to sleep. BOY.
Love your articles coach.
Why so angry? Yeah I understand your point but everyone has their own techniques to coaching. Thank God there’s not just one style of coaching and training. The so-called “half-a@$” trainers you refer to will earn the reputation they deserve in the long run and the cream will rise to the top and make it big and become better known to the athletes. In time, the best trainers are training the best athletes (NFL players, etc) and the not-so-good trainers, well….
^ its a shame.
Yeah, I really can’t get with you on this one coach. I’m sorry that your friend lost his job when the head coach was replaced, but that’s life in the coaching arena. Go find a new job at another school and show them why your program is better.
As far as the NFL agents hiring private sector trainers goes, I don’t believe for a second that an agent would risk that kind of cash to some “internet trainer” without doing some research. I just personally went through this process with an agent, and I can assure you that they are VERY picky about who they trust with their kids. He chose me because he didn’t agree with the training philosophy of the college S & C coach.
This whole situation reminds me of those kids who think they deserve more playing time than so and so, and aren’t getting it because the coach “doesn’t like them”. When, in reality, they just weren’t that good.
Don’t hate. Just hustle more.
The Angry Coach is always…….well……ANGRY! I’m just wondering if he’s got anything good to say about any other trainers besides himself. I agree that it’s a pretty safe bet that most strength and conditioning coaches get to a high level because they know what they are doing. Their templates and systems may not be exactly the way ours is but maybe we can learn a little something from everyone.
Cheer up, Angry Coach. Make it your goal to become The Happy Coach in 2012.
^ read article, click link hahaha
Hey doug I agree, angry coach need to calm down, and stop being so self centered.
This article is more for a rant and him crying about “his good friend”
It’s a shame that some people can get over themselves and have the poor me syndrome
Ps. Mr. smarter than dougie, I think it’s time you grow up, clearly you were picked on as a kid, that’s a “shame”
Hey doug I agree, angry coach need to calm down, and stop being so self centered.
This article is more OF a rant and him crying about “his good friend”
It’s a shame that some people CANT get over themselves and have the poor me syndrome
Ps. Mr. smarter than dougie, I think it’s time you grow up, clearly you were picked on as a kid, that’s a “shame”
? was my post tampered with ?
Coach,
I am 110% with you. Don’t mind the rambling minions above.
At Texas Tech, we had an absolutely badass Strength and Conditioning coach. This coach thought Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys was such an idiot asshole that he considered leaving the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Mike Leach got wind of this an hired him IN A HEARTBEAT! Under this coach’s guidance, the Red Raider Football team was one of the strongest and fastest times in all of NCAA football.
We fired Leach (I’m still pissed about it) because of some political, money driven bulls***. The new coach Tuberville (Flubberville as we call him) hired some new idiot SC Coach and we had TWENTY STARTERS on injury reserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are 110% accurate! What is a real shame, is that the Bluechip All-American recruits we are stealing from other schools may not hang around…..
To me this article is about how there are strength coaches out there who don’t know what they are doing and screwing up the future of young athletes. There seems to be some implication that some of these strength coaches are just good at marketing themselves but really have no idea how to train people. But mostly it is lamenting the fact that peoples futures are getting screwed up.
It seems to me the title says it all, that it is a shame that the future of these athletes is getting messed up because of these idiots. Which I don’t understand how anybody could perceive as being self centered, because he is concerned about the well being of others here.
There is some anger here, but he’s angry because he cares about these athletes and about having the right people for the job, well at least that’s what I took from it.
Preach on Coach. I’m never disappointed when I read one of your articles.
Bros,
Give the angry coach a break. From the sound of it, I have the strong impression that he’s not criticizing any legit top level coaches but dudes like Greg G. Greg G is a very famous and prestigious “coach” and yet I assure you no athlete would improve under his tutelage. There’s a few coaches out there that have exposure levels that rival those of Eric Cressey or Joe D and yet they have never produced an athlete of note nor lifted any noteworthy weight themselves. You have skinnyfat dudes who bench 185 (and have never trained any accomplished athlete in anything) publishing articles alongside Mike Tuchscherer and Glenn Pendlay, and that’s a shame.
The best thing to do is start your on combine. That way you know they will be trained right. That’s my long term goal is to build champions the right way with steep hills and sandbags and other barbaric crap. Let your results speak for themselves.
Later,Uncle Boo
There are good coaches and great coaches and then there are coaches that have been extremely misinformed…it’s unfortunate but nonetheless, if anyone on here thinks Great Coaching=Great Jobs I am sorry for your ignorance. I personally know of D3 Strength Coaches and former high school strength coaches (one that used to write on this site) with more knowledge and experience than I can fathom. I am a D1 Head S&C Coach and like to think that I put in a ton of time and effort and research on what and why I do things the way I do and yet can still admit that I have so much to learn in this diverse and complex field. When you stop learning you stop growing! While Angry Coach may come across bitter, I’d say rightfully so, but it is the nature of this beast when dealing with Collegiate or Professional S&C. It is not what you know but who you know. Period!… Keep fighting the good fight and hope for better days to come.
Part of life as an assistant is you get fired if the head man gets canned. Gurus exist in all industries, not just S&C, and it’s the responsibility of the individual to choose wisely.
Coach…how much can the players influence this situation? It’s almost like they don’t have a mind of their own. Why would they listen to their agent on training – who didn’t get them to that level of athletic ability – and not make a decision for themselves? It sounds to similar to my professional environment – NOT S&C. It’s hard to think for yourself. It’s much easier to just surround yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear. $.02
He speaks the truth. Many ‘strength’ coaches are merely self proclaimed and aren’t strong themselves. They don’t know how to make anyone else strong or prepared for their event because they haven’t been through it themselves. This is a bad problem on the high school & college level. When you’ve got to get through a know it all coach/athletic director who plays politics rather than results, it seems there’s nothing you can do about changing a program or even offering help.
Amen!
Unfortunately anyone can say they are an S&C coach or facility and train Athletes in a manner they see fit. You have C-fit trolls on here nowadays thinking they train and are Athletes… They throw around Strength & Conditioning as part of what they do, but is so far from reality!
True Coach’s who live S&C are trying to make Athletes better. Like Angry Coach said “problems arise, however, when the guys who make the most noise are now considered the experts in the field”.
Those who don’t understand this thread, aren’t making Athletes BETTER!
If a player is getting good results, why would they change S&C coach? But you’re right, some don’t know any better because they have never had a good coach to begin with. It’s a shame… but it’s a shame across pretty much any occupation.
Well stated! Appreciate you expressing your concerns and frustrations and you are not alone. Thank you! And continued success.
“I don’t even know where I’m going with this shit. I’ll just be very, very happy to see the day where we no longer say, “It’s a shame,” with regard to an athlete that was shortchanged on his training, but I honestly don’t think we’ll ever see it.”
We’ll see that the day we see the extinction of entitled pukes thinking the world owes something. Or the day the majority of people are willing to stand on their principles. Or the day logic trumps emotion. Or the day WHAT you know is actually more important that WHO you know. Or the day…