Logan Neff is in his first 12 months because the Power and Conditioning Coach at Indian Hill Excessive College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Earlier than becoming a member of Indian Hill this previous summer season, Coach Neff was at Beechwood Excessive College, having fun with a number of state titles throughout a number of sports activities. His expertise within the efficiency world started on the College of Cincinnati, the place he was on workers below Luke Fickell and Brady Collins, helping with the soccer efficiency program.
Freelap USA: Having been on the College of Cincinnati and Beechwood, each extremely profitable packages, what are among the fingerprints current in profitable athletic packages?
Logan Neff: Essentially the most important side of what we do as power coaches is convey an power the athletes need to be part of. We’re chargeable for setting the tone of the whole athletic program. This doesn’t imply some tacky, pretend power the place all we do is yell, however an genuine pleasure for our athletes the place we share in celebrating their successes—and never simply the PRs that come within the weight room. When that occurs, and youngsters start to get excited to come back to the load room, the connection between coach and athlete begins to flourish.
The most critical aspect of what we do as strength coaches is bring an energy the athletes want to be a part of. We’re responsible for setting the tone of the entire athletic program, says @CoachNeff_. Click To Tweet
As soon as that relationship is established and youngsters consider you’ll do something to assist them attain their targets, they are going to run by a wall for you! When that occurs, the cultural tone of this system begins to alter, and extraordinary issues begin to develop. Bringing that power on daily basis, making classes enjoyable, and celebrating one another’s wins begins to construct a collective edge that interprets to competitors that may’t be matched.
Exterior of the relationships constructed with athletes, if coaches aren’t aligned from prime to backside, it doesn’t matter who’s in place; success shall be arduous to come back by. There was a way of collective unity in every place I’ve been. Even the coaches who had aspirations of being a head coach and operating their very own program understood that probably the most essential function they may play is one which echoes the top coach’s imaginative and prescient and builds a spirit of unity. Lastly, this performs off coach alignment, however having the ability to talk impacts how gamers and coaches hear all the pieces, from expectations, imaginative and prescient, and directions to play calling and obligations. Clear communication is the bedrock of a unified crew.
Freelap USA: S&C tendencies are sometimes simply recycled ideas rebranded with a contemporary contact. How do you proceed to develop professionally whereas understanding the historical past of S&C?
Logan Neff: Efficiency coaches typically have giant egos when, in actuality, they haven’t contributed new materials or a game-changing innovation to programming. I believe we’ve to comprehend that we aren’t creating new techniques or ideas. Expertise and the implementation of GPS, VBT, drive plates, and such are methods for us to quantify what we already know, they usually enable us to make the efficiency preparation course of extra optimum. Nonetheless, it isn’t revolutionizing what we do however permitting us to tweak our apply.
I like the historical past of power and conditioning. The “old-fashioned” Soviet strategies, the Westside strategies, the Bulgarian strategies, and the ideas behind every. Whenever you look again at every of those strategies in mild of as we speak’s frequent information, the pioneers of these packages have been true innovators and carried out strategies that also maintain true as we speak, and I like that.
As coaches, we often forget that the kids we have right now may not have the same needs as those we will see in five years, says @CoachNeff_. Click To Tweet
As for a way I proceed to develop my apply, I like speaking to coaches, particularly these exterior my “regular” mind-set. As coaches, we are likely to observe a sample of how we do issues primarily based on the configuration of our room, our packages, our youngsters, our time constraints, and the wants that sport coaches specific from their present athletes. We overlook that the youngsters we’ve proper now might not have the identical wants as these we’ll see in 5 years.
We should have a various information base to fulfill the wants of any child who walks by our door. If I can diversify my information base to adapt to what the wants shall be sooner or later, I can be certain that I’m ready to offer my athletes what they want no matter what the sports activities coach will ask of them.
Freelap USA: When establishing a efficiency tradition at a brand new college, how do you identify your values?
Logan Neff: As an expert getting into a brand new program, I have to step again and consider the present tradition. What tradition is being communicated to the gamers by the top coach, administration, and management? Does it match the wants communicated by the coaches? Do adjustments really have to be made?
Lots of the “cultural pillars” {that a} program implements are similar to one another and certain don’t want to alter to be efficient. If I can are available and talk help for the already-established tradition, it additional provides credibility to the sports activities coaches and will increase buy-in for them.
Subsequent, I attempt to construct relationships with as many individuals as potential. In the highschool setting, you inevitably are requested to do far more past the load room. I make it a degree to know the custodians, the receptionists, the keeper of the toner cartridges, and anybody else I can as a result of there shall be occasions I shall be requested to cowl lessons when academics are out or have lunch obligation, work the gate for a basketball sport, no matter it’s. The extra help I present for different packages, and I might be seen supporting the student-athletes who come by our weight room, the extra I consider the tradition of our faculty and group shall be tied to our efficiency program.
One factor that I work to guage is how the services are cared for. What adjustments have to be made to enhance how we look after our tools and facility? The higher we look after our facility, the decrease the maintenance value of the room. When conversations are had for sources in our program, I now have a tangible technique of exhibiting how we’re taking good care of what we’ve already been given, which improves the probability that I can present the necessity for the tools I’m asking for.
This step additionally speaks volumes concerning the youngsters and coaches in this system when the administration and the group see our facility. Responsibly utilizing the sources we’re given exhibits how a lot we care about our program. A tradition of affection for this system and the group begins with caring effectively for the services and sources of that program.
Freelap USA: In the highschool setting, why is it important for the power coach to be probably the most constant particular person within the constructing?
Logan Neff: In most highschool settings, the power coach welcomes extra college students by their classroom than anybody else. Consider your common math or science class. The scholar-to-teacher ratio is never over 20:1 or 25:1. Within the weight room, we’re persistently at 30, 35, and even upward of 40:1. Multiply that over the day, and the load room has 200, 300, and in some instances, 400+ all through the college day. Now, add on any before-school or after-school classes we run, the center college packages, and the summer season classes, and no different worker instructs extra college students than the power coach.
At any cut-off date, our administration, our superintendent, any mother or father, faculty coaches, head sports activities coaches, and, clearly, our college students come by our room. Now we have to offer an expert, constant product as a result of each particular person who comes by our room has circumstances of their lives that they create by the door with them. The 14- to 18-year-olds coming by our program should be given a constant construction and expectations they’ll belief shall be delivered.
Giving energy to the hallways between classes or at events can further the relationships with our community and simultaneously build value in the admin’s eyes, says @CoachNeff_. Click To Tweet
Now we have to have the ability to be the Swiss Military Knife that may fill gaps when wanted. The phrase “that’s not in my job description” can’t be in our vocabulary. Now we have to have the ability to present worth to the administration by giving them one particular person who is ready and keen to do a mess of jobs and do them with delight. Giving power to the hallways between lessons or at occasions can additional the relationships with our group and concurrently construct worth within the admin’s eyes.
Freelap USA: What’s one factor you want you possibly can inform your 22-year-old self?
Logan Neff: I’d inform myself to hunt endurance. Once I was at Cincinnati, there was an edge to our coaching, an power that was palpable on daily basis; in my view, this immediately contributed to this system that Coach Fickell constructed with the Bearcats. I noticed tangible technique of development and improvement in a short time in our athletes. Once I transitioned to the highschool setting, I struggled with the depth and the dedication to what we do from the sports activities coaches. I struggled to understand the idea that, usually, nobody else in our constructing cares about what we do as a lot as we do.
I need success for our youngsters proper now. I need our athletes to succeed in each purpose they set for themselves proper now, and I understand how essential the load room is to their bodily and emotional improvement. Generally, I battle to grasp how others don’t love the load room like I do. As soon as I discovered to be constant in my expectations and the power I offered to our packages, the extra enjoyable the surroundings grew to become and the quicker they embraced what we did.
Additionally, I’d add that whereas depth or power might be essential for constructing a constructive surroundings, crucial variable for the highschool athlete is consistency. Work to create a program that invitations athletes in and rewards them for attendance and energy.
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