The Importance of Strength & Conditioning Coaches at Small Universities Pt. II

           Last week we spoke about the rules the apply to strength coaches at the division 1, 2, & 3 level of intercollegiate athletics. Seeing that D1 and D2 have rules that go very well with each other, and require certifications for coaches to be full time strength coaches. I’ve also spoken about how D3 requires no certification or full time strength coach to be on staff. Not only is this an injustice to the athletes at the D3 level, but it can prove to be a safety issue. 1

        When a D3 school is lucky enough to have a full time strength and conditioning coach, very they often have multiple rolls. They are in charge of all varsity sports, are an assistant coach for one of the sports teams, have to teach a class, and coordinate internships 2. The athletes at D3 are not allowed to be given any athletic scholarships whatsoever. So with this there are no mandatory workouts over the summer, and offseason training sessions can only be deemed mandatory if there is a full time certified strength coach on staff. The issue with this is, often you have athletes getting injured or not making any progress in their athletic abilities. Strength coaches play an important role in all sport teams. Especially in the off season training period. Athletes spend more time with strength coaches over the course of a year than they do with their respected sport coach. So, why would anyone want someone that is not 100% focused on that position to fill it?

        More and more, small schools are starting to implement positions for full time strength and conditioning coaches, but there is still no legislations that are leading to a requirement for D3 universities to have a certified full time coach on staff. The rules are coming, but the process is slow. The most important reasoning for having a full time coach is the the ability for injury reduction to occur. As we move on the small schools will see this, but how many injuries are too many?  The NCAA needs to make this a regulation for all small schools.

        As a former D3 athlete, now working as a strength coach at the D2 level I can see the importance a strength coach has on a program overall. When coaches can not put full concentration into the programs being written, or are trying to focus on their respected sport as well something will lack. Having a full time strength coach in my playing career could have benefited and possibly prolonged my playing career as it was cut short due to injury. Strength coaches are a must at all levels of competition, and must start becoming prevalent at the small schools too.

Reference:

1- SIEVERT, J. (2011). NCAA Division III: Athletically Related Activities and Certified Strength and Conditioning Personnel. Retrieved May 22, 2016, from https://bucknersportslaw.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/ncaa-division-iii-athletically-related-activities-and-certified-strength-and-conditioning-personnel/

2- Watts, M. (2016). The Sad State of DIII Strength and Conditioning. Retrieved May 22, 2016, from http://www.elitefts.com/education/the-sad-state-of-diii-strength-and-conditioning/