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The "Pro Athlete Trainer Myth"

The Pro Athlete Trainer Myth

                I wanted to start this blog the same way I started my youtube video on this topic. I want to start by saying I am not trying to offend anyone who trains pro athletes. I have many close friends who have worked with pros and trained pro teams as head S&C Coaches. The video and blog are meant to educate parents and youth coaches on the “Myth of Pro Athlete Trainers”.

                To often people who train “Pros” come to a town and charge outrageous prices to work with youth, in the hopes that the youth will gain some insight on how to make it to the pros.  There is no short cuts to being a Pro Athlete. It takes hard work and proper genetics. There is no way around it. No coach will come to your town for a weekend and transform your child from Joe to Pro. There are just too many variables involved.

                The analogy I used in the video is as follows: If I am driving a Lamborghini and Dale Enhart is driving a 84” Corolla, I will be able to beat him in a race. Does this mean I am a better driver than he is? No Way! I just had the better tools to beat him.  In this example, the Lamborghini is the pro athlete and the Corolla is the youth athlete.  Just because someone works with the pros does not make them a better trainer, they may just train a genetically gifted person.  I again want to stress that there are some Amazing Trainers in the pros. However as in all professions there are those who are great and those who are not so good. My issue here is the, not so good, trainers coming to a town an ripping people off by promising to deliver “Pro” level training to youth.

                My other big issue is that, what works for a 30 year old pro may not work for a 15 year old child. Just because they play the same sport does not mean they should do the same exact programs. There are many developmental skills youth need to work on before they can progress to “Pro” Level training. One example of this is running with resistance bands or weighted vest. These may be great for pros but for a youth who has bad running form, this exercise should not be used. They must learn basic movement patterns before they could be progressed.  There is no cookie cutter way to train youth or pros. Programs must be altered when dealing with younger athletes.

                This is a very touchy subject for many trainers. The purpose of this blog is not to bash anyone who works with pros. It is to educate parents and youth coaches on the manner. Be careful what you pay for. Do your research and find out if what you’re paying for is worth the training you are getting.  This blog could be many pages long but we will cut it off here. This is just food for thought. Hope you enjoyed.

-FLO

Here is the video link for our youtube video on the subject.  http://youtu.be/kLdRt_JkP9Q

               

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