Brian Sabo, CSCS
Eastwood High School
 

3. What certifications do you have?

C.S.C.S.

4. What training methods do you implement in your programs or what it's your coaching philosophy?

I believe just about every middle and high school athlete foundationally needs the same program(s) or exercises with a couple of smaller variances depending on their sport. Coaching at a smaller school like Eastwood we have many 2-3 sport athletes so we need some basic consistent movement patterns. We may change some lifts at times to meet movement patterns throughout the school year. I typically have at least one strength-based exercise, power exercise, and unilateral movements in each program. We also primarily emphasize the first two days, mainly because kids may miss the next day or two because life happens, so we know they have received quality coaching and any other days are a bonus. We primarily emphasize speed and power through improving basic human movement then loading those movement patterns. Those are my program and numbers based philosophy.

Another major part of my philosophy is to create the most positive, energetic, inclusive, failure embracing family-type environment where kids enjoy training. I believe athletes will want to show up, be consistent, and work hard in that environment and the indirect result will be strength, speed, and better coordination. I love when our athletes stay after they're done to just hang out with one another and former athletes come back to see us. This is a great way to build relationships and has been equally as exciting and rewarding as watching athletes achieve their goals. As matter of fact, it makes it more meaningful when they succeed because of the relationships coaches build with their athletes.

5. What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?

1. Thinking and chasing the perfect program design while believing this will flourish and you rarely have to do much.

What I have learned is that just about any program can be successful if you continue to dive into your athletes and care about them personally, encourage, teach them to embrace failure, and be present in their training success.

2. Thinking that simply getting stronger makes you faster or a better athlete. I used to believe you simply made somebody's squat 10 lbs better, you immediately got faster or better.

Getting stronger provides a tremendous opportunity to become faster or a better athlete if it is paired with sprinting, deceleration and landing movements, simple plyos, etc. I do believe getting stronger and better numbers (lifts, times, distances) improves athletes' confidence in what they and you are doing and the indirect result will be the potential for improved speed and movement.

 6. Do you have anything new or unique to your program that you would be willing to share? (Motivation techniques,  assessments, training programs,  technology,  surveys,  communication methods,  fundraising,  etc).

1. RPR - Reflexive Performance Reset I can't encourage any coach enough, especially strength coaches, to look into and use RPR. I am only about a year into it and have seen tremendous personal results as well as improvements in our athletes for performance and especially recovery. It is a neuro based wake up drills for performance and recovery for every human regardless of age. Cal Dietz, Chris Korfist, and J.L. Holdsworth are founders and have some seminars going on, several are in Columbus.

  2. I recently purchased a VmaxPro mainly to experiment and use myself and my daughter. However I brought into the weight to try with some of our athletes and they loved it. It will measure velocity of bar speed, show bar path, and several other things but we mainly use it for bar speed. It has a number for the athletes to see if they are applying great force through the ground to improve bar speed no matter how many times we tried to explain and encourage force. It has also provided feedback to kids to see their bar path and realize if their technique was fairly sound. Another part I like about the VmaxPro is it has focused kids to use it for force through the ground and technique versus just chasing weight, however an indirect result I have seen is our lifts and kids Prs have improved. I don't plan on completely chasing a VBT program but this has been interesting technology that athletes have really enjoyed and indirectly I have seen positive results.

3. We use a lot of videos on social media, and post athletes' successes celebrating. Lastly, we try to say hello and goodbye to virtually every athlete that comes into the weight room. This seems to help motivation and create a positive environment.