Strength and conditioning coaches necessary in high school

I am an 80-year-old man at heart.

Get off my lawn. I have exact change for that. Music was better in my day. Young people are on their phones too much. I need four naps a day.

These are all things that I have thought, done, or said.

In fact, I’m starting to wonder if my college friends were correct when they used to say I was the old man from Disney/Pixar’s “Up.” Why am I saying this? Because I have that alltoo-common fear of change that older people seem to have — particularly when it comes to sports.

I hate the way baseball now has stats that make no sense. Give me the basics and an eye test and I’m happy.

While I get why football is changing, I have to admit that I miss seeing sledgehammer hits week in and week out (Disclaimer: No, I don’t enjoy watching people get injured. I’m talking hard hits where both players get up and keep going).

And don’t get me started on soccer and how it seems the players flop all the time nowadays. And feel free to use basketball interchangeably with soccer for this one. And, up until recently, I’ve really hated that high schools are hiring strength and conditioning coaches.

It’s not that I didn’t see the inherent benefits of strength and conditioning coaches. Rather, I just viewed them as an unnecessary expense for schools when money could be used in a better manner.

When I was in high school, there were no coaches for that type of thing. The individual teams had their own training programs and you followed them.

If the coach told you it was bleachers, you did bleachers. If it was the weight room, that’s where you went.

That changed earlier this month when I had the opportunity to chat with the newly hired strength and conditioning coach for Lutheran West, Dave Krieger, at a social outing.

After our conversations, I now view these types of coaches and positions as an invaluable source of information for young athletes.

That’s because Krieger made me realize the intricacies that come with the job.

He is not simply planning workouts for teams — he’s catering to the individuals on each team and making customized workouts for the players.

Sure, the coaches get their input, but that general plan can be tweaked to fit what will help each athlete maximize his or her potential.

But I think the one thing Krieger said that truly won me over was this:

“Sometimes it’s not about pushing the players, but letting them know when to ease up.”

I had never viewed training in that manner before.

When I was in high school, my training mindset was always to get better. If I deadlifted 300 pounds for five reps, I had to do more reps and more weight the next time. I was constantly trying to one-up myself.

That mindset is probably what led to a number of my injuries that still linger today.

I was overtraining and didn’t realize it. And neither did my coaches because, honestly, they were trying to monitor so much.

And therein lies my change of heart on strength and conditioning coaches.

One of their key jobs is to save young athletes — and to dive into my 80-year-old mind once more — from being the kids who think they are indestructible and have no limits.

They are not a waste of money.

They are a valuable asset to helping young athletes achieve their peak abilities without being a danger to themselves.

And, if an 80-year-old at heart like myself can figure that out, it must be the case.