It will come as no surprise to any high school strength coach – or school district employee, for that matter – that administrators often make decisions using their business sense. While the concept of profitability may not be primary, certainly district leaders tend to focus on return-on-investment when making decisions.
Strength coaches need to bear this in mind as they endeavor to elevate both themselves and their profession. Being able to verbalize the holistic worth of a full-time strength coach is something every coach should be able to do.
Micah Kurtz is Assistant Athletics Director and Director of Sports Performance at Windermere Preparatory School (Fla.). Having devoted much contemplation to this notion, he possesses a deep understanding of the myriad ways strength and conditioning coaches can prove instrumental in bolstering their athletic programs. Yet, Kurtz emphasizes that, even more crucially, it is imperative to showcase these benefits to school administrators and the local community.
It can be a delicate balancing act to communicate all the positive aspects of your work without seeming overly self-promoting. However, during discussions with the administration or job interviews for the position, it is possible to convey the many advantages of having a strength coach on staff in a clear and concise manner. Doing so can help school officials better understand the value of hiring a strength coach and the benefits they can bring to the athletic program.
“Almost all administrators, when they think of strength coaches, they think their job is to improve sports performance and get our athletes bigger, faster, stronger and reduce injuries,” says Kurtz. “Yes, that’s what we do. But there’s so much more that brings a benefit to the overall school we’re working with.”
One of the key benefits of having a strength coach is the ability to enhance the overall well-being of students in a holistic manner, encompassing their physical, emotional and academic development. While a strength coach can certainly help students to get bigger, faster, and stronger and reduce the risk of injuries, the weight room also provides a unique opportunity to teach young people how to maximize their physical potential while fostering the confidence needed to pursue their passions in all aspects of life, whether it be in athletics, academics or their professional career.
“We talk all the time about embracing the process of becoming the best at getting better, and obviously, that’s what you do every time you come in the weight room,” he says. “But if you take that concept and learn that concept and take it to every other area of life, it’s going to set you up to be successful.”
The Business Case: Physical, Mental and Academic Benefits
The benefits of participating in a strength and conditioning program extend far beyond just the athletic arena. The lessons learned can be applied in various aspects of life, whether it be in becoming a better sibling, spouse, parent, boss or employee. Such lessons can serve to enhance one’s life in a meaningful way, providing tools for self-improvement that can be utilized long after an athletic career has ended.
Engaging in physical activity and maintaining physical fitness can also benefit one’s health and well-being for the next several decades of their life, extending well beyond their time spent as a high school athlete or student.
“So, No. 1 is physical, but then No. 2 is the emotional benefits,” says Kurtz. “I talk about the benefits that we bring students by improving their overall emotional well-being. There’s overwhelming evidence that strength training improves brain function and has a profound positive impact on mental health.”
In his weightlifting classes, Kurtz often asks students to reflect on how they feel after class, similar to written assignments. The majority of students report feeling more energetic and focused, or experiencing a positive shift in their mood after class. Some students have reported entering class feeling anxious or depressed, only to leave feeling better and more centered. These experiences demonstrate that weightlifting not only benefits physical health but can also have a positive impact on mental and emotional well-being.
“When the students put that down on paper, it shows the administration that what we do down here is not just throwing weights around; it’s improving mental health and mental health awareness,” says Kurtz.
In addition to physical and emotional benefits, participating in a weightlifting program can also have a positive impact on academic performance. Research has shown that physical activity during the school day can enhance students’ cognitive abilities and academic achievement. As such, weightlifting can play an important role in supporting students in achieving their academic goals, further highlighting the importance of including such programs in school curriculums.
“Showing that physical activity and physical fitness is going to improve their GPA and their test scores is huge,” he says. “In the book Spark, there’s a study in which researchers found that students learn vocabulary words 20 percent faster immediately following exercise. That’s just an easy research-based statistic to tell your administrations. By incorporating these programs in the school day, it’s going to enhance learning. It goes a long way when trying to sell the importance of your position, whether it’s a school that’s trying to create the position or trying to figure out the budget to pay for the position.”
It’s important to communicate these benefits, as the reality often becomes what people perceive it to be. If we want to elevate the profession as a whole, everyone needs to take intentional steps to showcase the value of strength coaching in order to combat any negative perceptions. By emphasizing the benefits of strength coaching, we can shift the narrative and demonstrate the integral role that strength coaches play in promoting physical, mental and academic well-being.
“Strength coaches are not just about getting our athletes to perform better on the field,” says Kurtz. “We’re preparing them for life. We’re preparing them for better mental health and we’re preparing them to learn better at school all day.”
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE SUPPLIERS WHO CAN HELP
