Welcome to the official www.PssAthletics.com

Newsletter!!! 
It is once again time for another cutting edge training newsletter

from Progressive Sporting Systems, Inc. 

It has been an interesting few months here in Northern Iowa! The 

Caucasus's aside, I have spent the last two months working with Waldorf

College athletics. It has been about 6 years since I formally worked with

team athletics so I admittedly had some adjustments to make.

The biggest adjustment has been dea1ing with coaches. In the past, I have

had some heated "discussions" with "hard headed old school" coaches that

are unwilling to join the "new age of strength and conditioning."

Dea1ing with these coaches was a huge problem that I simply did not want

to bother with. It was therefore one of the big reasons I decided to leave

team athletics and work in the private sector.

However, something happened over the last 6 years. I don't know if I have

gotten older, wiser, smarter, or more perceptive, but something has

changed.

For now I will just call it a realization!

What did I realize? Well, I realized that I Was The Problem…not the old

school hard headed coaches. It was me, me, me.

Here is the dea1…It is an unfortunate reality that coaches are put into a

very tough position. It is cut and dry. They either produce good seasons,

or they lose their jobs. Fair or not it's a fact 99 percent of the time.

For these reason, I can understand why coaches may be somewhat shy to the

concepts of change. After all, as a head coach, you are constantly dealing

with delicate balances.

Being approached with unknown (to them) variables of change could

significantly upset those balances on several levels. Therefore, the

thought of change without easily foreseeable and concrete proof of a

positive outcome is simply unfathomable.

They are not strength and conditioning specia1ists.

They have not invested the volume of time that someone like you or myself

has invested in learning this craft.

They have not spent the same number of hours (if any) in the trenches

logging experience.

After all, that is not their job.

I have learned to take a new approach when "se1ling" to coaches. So far,

it has been effective 100 percent of the time.

Very Important!

When we first meet, I do not discuss my plan.

Instead I try to lead them to my way of thinking.

*Begin with "The Set-Up”

The Set Up is three simple questions:

1. I ask them to tell me where and why they feel they were deficient from

an athleticism (not skill) standpoint.

2. I ask them what they had done in the past to address these deficiencies.

3. I ask them if their efforts were satisfactorily successful. This is a

backhanded way of saying, "If it's a problem now, something (your efforts)

did not work as you planned.

This is a nice way for them to develop the self-realization that their

previous solutions to their acknowledged problems did not work.

*Display Acknowledgement and Dig Deeper

I then reiterate their deficiencies in my own words. This allows me to

elaborate on what they have told me and try to lead them to uncover more

issues that they may not have considered.

*Show the Why

I then outline some logical cause for these deficiencies. In many cases I

simply hit on a couple major issues that underlie several of the previous

deficiencies we had discussed.

*Provide Solutions

Then I provide them some potential solutions and insight into how these

solutions would resolve their problems and improve performance.

This helps to demonstrate a working knowledge, insight, and ability to

providing an effective solution. In essence, I become the expert who can

save the day.

*Propose to help them!

And here is the closer. Offer to provide my solutions.

Here is what I like about this approach. It works with parents, general

clients, high school coaches, athletic directors, and so on.

It works because you not cold selling yourself. It works because you are

allowing them to evolve into a state of recognition through learning and

understanding.

It works because you are not making it about you or your program. Rather

you are making it about the coaches, the athletes, and their needs.