Multi Sport Athlete

Strength Training For the Multi-Sport Athlete

This article was originally published by Coach Mike Shibinski of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Coach Shibinski runs a class, top-notch strength and conditioning program for the Princeton High School athletes. We use his essay with permission and any comments of our own are in blue text.

Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, Charlie Ward, Quinn Buckner, Michael Jordan- they all are great athletes. All are multi-sport athletes. They are the exception rather than the rule for major college and professional sports. But for the high school coach, having the multi-sport athlete on your teem is the rule rather than the exception. On most athletic teams, 65-88% of high school athletes play to or more sports during the school calendar year. And then when you throw in summer leagues, recreational leagues and select teams, it becomes very common for the high school athlete to be going from a fall sport to a winter sport, to a spring sport.

Hopefully at your school, your entire athletic program works together and encourages every athlete to participate on as many athletic teams as possible, and also be involved in other extra curricular events. Hopefully, you do not have to work with coaches who try to keep “their” athletes involved only in their sport. The high school athlete should not level by college coaches, where they will naturally weed themselves out due to size, strength, speed and ability restraints.

Problems do arise for most multi-sport athletes when it comes time to be involved in a strength training program, as most coaches still do not do their teams justice in terms of strength training. It’s hard for a multi-sport athlete to juggle a strength training program with the team’s practice time, which is so precious and limited to begin with, as well as film review, new plays, old play review, special team situations, drills and study table. Usually one of the first areas to be thrown out is commitment to a strength training program. Or the multi-sport athlete who plays football and basketball hears from his football coach… “You need to lift weights and gain 10-15 lbs. of muscle so you can play varsity next year.” Then he hears the basketball coach tell him… “You should not lift anything heavier than the basketball this summer, anything heavier will throw your shot off.” [This is not an issue with the Pembroke Hill Coaching Staff.]

What is the athlete to do? Naturally he or she wants to please each coach the he or she plays for. The following are some suggestions that might help your athlete reach their true potential:

1. Persuade your school to hire a strength coach - someone who likes and wants to work with athletes in your weight room, not just the football players. Hire someone who believes in what he or she is doing for your athletic department and it's athletes.

2. Convince your athletic department and coaching staff that your school should be using just one strength training program for the entire athletic department. This way your athletes will only have to learn one system or method of training, not two or three.

3. Your strength training program should promote injury prevention, slow and steady increase in strength, improvement in deficient strength areas, and an emphasis on safety. To many of your athletes will get hurt or injured during the competitive season - you do not want or need anyone to get hurt in the weight room.

4. Increase the training time availability of your school's weight room. Furthermore, you should set training times aside for teams to use the weight room during the season as well as during the off-season. The weight can and should be accessible during physical education classes, before school hour (early bird hours), lunchtime, and after practice.

5. In-season strength training should be a priority with your coaches. The majority of your injuries are going to occur during the season, not the off-season. This is when you also lose games - YOUR ATHLETES NEED TO BE STRONG DURING THE SEASON! As a coach you also have complete control over your athletes time during the season.

6. If you are training a multi-sport athlete who cannot get into the weight room on a regular basis, teach the athlete to strength train with manual resistance strength training exercises. These can be done anywhere and anytime with no equipment involved.

7. Most athletes will have some type of barbell set at home. With proper instruction this could be another training site for your athletes when they cannot get to the school weight room. Legendary Cincinnati high school football coach Gerry Faust started Moeller High School's first weight room in the basement of a house belonging to one of his assistant coaches. They would come to the coach's house after practice and on weekends to train.

8. It is best to train three days per week rather than zero. It is still better to train two days per week rather than zero. And if you have to it is still better to train one day per week rather than zero. "Seven days without strength training makes one weak".

9. A leg press done for a football player will have the same training effect as one done for a basketball player. Remember that strength training exercises are a general application to the sport. Strength training exercises are just that - exercises, and not skills used during play. Therefore, it is up to the athlete and the coach to take the strength developed in the weight room and develop it into skill through daily use of drills and practice on the playing field, court, and pool.