Are you struggling to create buy-in with your high school athletes and sport coaches?
Do you find yourself overwhelmed trying to manage multiple teams with limited time and resources?
These are common challenges faced by high school strength coaches across the country.
But what if you could transform your program by focusing on one key element that many coaches overlook—authentic relationships?
The high school strength and conditioning landscape presents unique challenges that differ significantly from college or professional settings. With minimal dedicated training time, multiple sports to coordinate, and varying levels of coach buy-in, it's easy to feel like you're fighting an uphill battle.
Many coaches burn out trying to implement complex programs while neglecting the fundamental human connections that drive real success. Without addressing this relationship gap, you risk running a technically sound but emotionally disconnected program that fails to maximize athlete potential or personal fulfillment.
In my conversation with Coach Andrew Rafferty, Mississippi's Coach of the Year and Southeast Regional Coach of the Year, he shared how meaningful relationships have been the cornerstone of his success. After starting as a baseball coach and realizing he wasn't the best fit for that role, Andrew pursued his master's in strength and conditioning and spent three years advocating to his school board about the importance of having a dedicated strength coach. His persistence paid off, and he's now in his fourth year as a full-time strength coach, making a tremendous impact on his athletes and community.
The key insight Andrew shared was about authenticity: "People don't give kids enough credit. They know if someone's genuine, they know if someone's authentic. And if you really want kids to buy into your program, you have to be who you are." Rather than trying to emulate other coaching styles, Andrew embraces his natural approach—building relationships with athletes so he understands when they're having a bad day or facing challenges outside the weight room. This allows him to adapt his coaching to each athlete's needs while maintaining high standards.
Andrew's relationship-focused approach has created remarkable results. Rather than fighting with sport coaches over training time, he collaborates with them—providing sprint programming they can implement during practice when he can't see athletes as frequently as he'd like. He builds relationships with administrators by finding ways to be helpful beyond his job description, which earns him the flexibility to support his athletes at important games and events.
If you want to implement Andrew's relationship-centered approach in your high school strength program, here are the key steps to take:
Do you find yourself overwhelmed trying to manage multiple teams with limited time and resources?
These are common challenges faced by high school strength coaches across the country.
But what if you could transform your program by focusing on one key element that many coaches overlook—authentic relationships?
The high school strength and conditioning landscape presents unique challenges that differ significantly from college or professional settings. With minimal dedicated training time, multiple sports to coordinate, and varying levels of coach buy-in, it's easy to feel like you're fighting an uphill battle.
Many coaches burn out trying to implement complex programs while neglecting the fundamental human connections that drive real success. Without addressing this relationship gap, you risk running a technically sound but emotionally disconnected program that fails to maximize athlete potential or personal fulfillment.
In my conversation with Coach Andrew Rafferty, Mississippi's Coach of the Year and Southeast Regional Coach of the Year, he shared how meaningful relationships have been the cornerstone of his success. After starting as a baseball coach and realizing he wasn't the best fit for that role, Andrew pursued his master's in strength and conditioning and spent three years advocating to his school board about the importance of having a dedicated strength coach. His persistence paid off, and he's now in his fourth year as a full-time strength coach, making a tremendous impact on his athletes and community.
The key insight Andrew shared was about authenticity: "People don't give kids enough credit. They know if someone's genuine, they know if someone's authentic. And if you really want kids to buy into your program, you have to be who you are." Rather than trying to emulate other coaching styles, Andrew embraces his natural approach—building relationships with athletes so he understands when they're having a bad day or facing challenges outside the weight room. This allows him to adapt his coaching to each athlete's needs while maintaining high standards.
Andrew's relationship-focused approach has created remarkable results. Rather than fighting with sport coaches over training time, he collaborates with them—providing sprint programming they can implement during practice when he can't see athletes as frequently as he'd like. He builds relationships with administrators by finding ways to be helpful beyond his job description, which earns him the flexibility to support his athletes at important games and events.
If you want to implement Andrew's relationship-centered approach in your high school strength program, here are the key steps to take:
- Be authentically yourself: Andrew emphasizes that not everyone is an "in your face" coach, and that's okay. Find your authentic coaching style.
- Build relationships beyond sports: Show athletes you care about them as people, not just athletes, by checking in about their lives outside the weight room.
- Collaborate with sport coaches: Instead of competing for time, provide resources and plans they can implement during practice.
- Provide value beyond your job description: Look for ways to help administrators and show your value to the school community.
- Keep perspective on priorities: Remember that family comes first, and maintaining this balance actually improves your coaching effectiveness.
