The United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) is a unique high school with a mission to prepare, motivate, and inspire potential cadets for admission to West Point. The school provides intensive academic, military, and physical instruction in a moral-ethical environment.
USMAPS instructors provide a rigorous education designed to meet the needs of each individual student while preparing them for entry into West Point. The academic program, closely coordinated with the West Point syllabus, offers a dynamic curriculum tailored to the diverse educational backgrounds of the cadet candidates.
USMAPS prioritizes four areas in their physical fitness development strategy:
- Functional Fitness
- Military Movement
- Strength Training
- Mental Resilience
These areas aim to provide comprehensive physical training to the cadet candidates.
Reaching Student-Athletes With Words
Chris Nichols serves as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at USMAPS and the Offensive Coordinator for its football program. He is a former Army fullback who graduated from West Point in 2008. With six seasons under his belt, Coach Nichols has extensive experience coaching all offensive skill positions.
In addition to his coaching career, Coach Nichols has a rich military background. He graduated from West Point with a degree in Civil Engineering and served as a Combat Engineer platoon leader in Echo Company, 3-69 Armor Battalion. He attended Airborne and Ranger School and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during his time at Fort Stewart, GA.
Coach Nichols believes that effective communication with kids involves finding the right balance between intimacy and assertiveness, which depends on the individual being taught. The traditional image of a bootcamp drill instructor, characterized by loud yelling, constant criticism, and the use of colloquial expressions, is not always the most effective approach.
“If you can’t hang with the big dog, stay on the porch.”
However, the modern Army is about more than just the individuals involved in a mission. It is about effective leadership and taking care of those under an officer’s watch.
“While there’s yelling sometimes – that’s one tool for certain situations – a lot of it depends on the kid, whoever I’m coaching,” says Nichols. “Some kids respond to being a loud, animated coach. That works for some kids. Other kids, you just need to explain some things to them. As a coach, I think you have to tailor yourself to your audience. Not everybody responds the same way to the same things.”
Reaching Student-Athletes With Injuries
Coach Nichols is no stranger to adversity, having faced the harsh reality of nearly losing his leg to an improvised explosive device while on duty in Iraq. He recognizes that many student-athletes will also face challenges while training. Each student’s mindset toward adversity is unique, and the coach’s ability to connect with the student is crucial to athletic success in the long term.
“A lot of young athletes, they have one minor injury and they’re either 100% or they’re 0%,” he says. “Not everybody, but a lot of them. I always tell them at the beginning of the year, that first day of football practice, ‘Guys, this is the last time in the next five years that you’re going feel good.”
In the coming year, many of Coach Nichol’s cadet candidates will move “up the hill” to continue playing football at West Point for up to four more years.
“Playing college football does that to you,” he says. “These kids are going to have to figure out ways to get the job done. One of your legs might have an injury to it. OK. The other one’s just fine. So let’s see what we can work around there. We can do pistol squats, or insert whatever regression-type workout you want.”
In the military, athletes are often already motivated and do not require additional motivation. USMAPS only enrolls motivated students. Coach Nichols’ focus is on redirecting overconfidence and teaching them the proper approach to training with injuries. The notion of playing at 100% is a fallacy, as no one is ever fully healthy. Athletes who have achieved success are used to playing through pain, but this is not a wise approach.
Coach Nichol’s own experiences with injuries have instilled in him his “No Excuses Mentality.” As an engineer, he realized that as long as the fundamentals are in place, work can still be accomplished, but it must be done in a responsible manner.
“The human body – physically and mentally – is capable of way more than we give it credit for,” says Nichols. “There’s always something you can do.”
Staying practical and level-headed is crucial. Maintaining a positive attitude of taking control and asking oneself “what can I do?” is essential to making progress while injured. This mindset will benefit athletes in their future endeavors.
“That attitude can carry over – whether you’re in the military or not – into the way you live,” says Nichols. “The way you hold yourself, the way you perform in the weight room, the lessons you learn in there, they will help you later, mentally and physically.”
