The rise and fall of continuing education for coaches

Quality education is key to becoming a successful instructor, whether it is in physical education, personal training or strength coaching.

The rise and fall of continuing education for coaches If you ever have the good fortune to meet Glenn A. Morris or to take one of his weight training classes, you will find that he is one of the most knowledgeable authorities on weight training in this country. An instructor at Metro State College in Denver, Colorado, Morris has a master’s degree in recreational therapy, has trained athletes at all levels of ability and has even traveled to Russia and China to learn from the best in his profession. However, 21 years ago he became annoyed when his colleagues strongly encouraged him to become a certified strength coach.

“At the time, I did not feel that a strength training certification was an adequate evaluation of my formal and practical experience,” says Morris. He figured that anyone should be able to see that his many years of studying the physical education sciences in accredited institutions were far more valuable than attending a weekend seminar. Nevertheless, after many years Morris relented, paid his fees and passed the multiple-choice exam from one of the major strength coaching organizations so he could receive a piece of paper – suitable for framing – that acknowledged him as a “Certified Strength Coach.” But was all this necessary? Dr.

Marc Rabinoff, a sports and fitness liability consultant who writes our “Dark Side of Sports” feature in BFS, doesn’t think so. “When I went to college about 40 years ago, physical education teachers were taught to teach movement skills and had a very strong science base,” says Rabinoff. “Students preparing to become PE teachers would be required to take not just basic biomechanics but also advanced biomechanics – and I’m talking about at the undergraduate level. That’s what I did. That’s what Glenn Morris did. Now we’ve watered NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 Glenn A. Morris is a weight training instructor who has paid his dues from an educational standpoint to become one of the best in his field.

Morris currently teaches at Metro State College in Denver, Colorado. down our physical education curricula because students don’t want to be required to pass the sciences. And as a result, we are graduating physical education instructors who may not be as qualified to do what their diplomas say they have supposedly been taught to do.” To resolve the problem of inadequately educated PE teachers, Rabinoff believes coaches need to go back to their roots with a strong science-based curriculum for PE teachers, especially in biomechanics.

“And we have to test coaches to make certain they understand the human body and can teach movement, because that’s what PE instructors are supposed to be able to teach. If you are a PE teacher, you need to know this material, and you need to know it whether you are working with kindergartners, high school athletes or Olympians.” “Further,” continues Rabinoff, “we need to get rid of the garbage that they are teaching now, such as the socalled “Integrated PE.” This approach Morris and Dr. Marc Rabinoff discuss their programs between classes in the outstanding weightroom they helped design at Metro State College.

BFS PROGRAM to do to get an A is dress and participate – we’ve got to stop this. Today, our PE teachers are scared to push kids physically, and I think they feel inadequate because they didn’t study enough sciences.” is where you have the PE students using more math than is needed in a PE class, such as for calculating baseball averages. The fact is, the real purpose of integrated PE is so the other teachers can feel good about PE – but does this mean that math teachers should also teach some PE skills in their math classes?

And in the classroom we have to go back to what PE originally was when I took it, not this nonsense where no one is evaluated on their skills and where all students have Rabinoff believes the inadequacies in the U.S. college educational system have left the door open for many organizations to establish certification programs to teach what should have been video and the total Program video.

C. Have available to review a BFS Set Rep Log Book - Men’s or Women’s D. Have a copy of the Be An 11 Guide Book to Success E. Have access to the online Supplementary study materials (website archives)

F. Review the information contained within the Total Program Study Guide PRACTICAL COURSE A. Be at least 18 years of age B. Attend and participate as a coach at a BFS Certification Clinic. 1. Coach athletes during the breakout session of the certification Clinic. 2. Demonstrate correctly the BFS Coaching techniques during the break out session.

C. Purchase, or have available to review 7:30 REGISTRATION, 8-12 CLINIC, 12-12:30 LUNCH, 12:30-5 CLINIC A. Study the BFS “Total Program” Book B. View the Clinic Exercise Instruction BFS INTRO SAFETY & LIABILITY THE SECRET TOTAL PROGRAM BE AN 11 INFORMATION DIFFERENT GAMES PARADIGM SHIFT 6 ABSOLUTES BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS BFS GOALS DOT DRILL FLEXIBILITY BOX SQUAT PARALLEL SQUAT LUNCH BREAK NUTRITION WEIGHTROOM SAFETY BENCH PRESS TOWEL BENCH HEX BAR DEADLIFT PROGRAM OPTIONS the following materials:

2. The Set Rep Log Book - Men’s or Women’s 3. The Total Program Video or the Clinic Exercise Instruction Video 4. The Safety and Liability Manual CERTIFICATION RENEWAL AUX. LIFTS - RULES CLOSING The BFS certification program consists of both theory and practical portions, shown at left. On the right is a typical class schedule used during the day-long certification program. BFS offers both regional and in-service certifications. taught in formal education programs at colleges.

Unfortunately, Rabinoff says, many of these programs are poorly designed and poorly taught, are not taught by qualified instructors and do not require any formal education to attend; as a result many of these certified instructors are not qualified to work in this profession. “However, many of the large health clubs in this country are against demanding higher educational standards among their trainers. Why? Because so few of their trainers have a formal education – in fact, some of these clubs would be forced to fire 90 percent of their staff – and because they would be forced to hire educated professionals who will demand a living wage for their expertise.”

The cumulative effect of this problem is that those being instructed by trainers and coaches not only fail to achieve the results they are capable of but frequently end up causing injury. Dr. Rabinoff, who has been an expert witness in more than 300 litigations in the sports and fitness industry, is keenly aware of this. “When I see these trainers in lawsuits, the first thing I ask is, ‘What is your background?’ Often the only response is that they have taken a weekend certification course, sometimes offered by the health club they work for; usually they have nothing.”

Rabinoff is not against certifications, but he does not like the idea that they can be used as a substitute for formal education. “Certifications by some organizations have evolved and are better than they were 20 years ago. If the certification carries with it continuing education requirements that force the certificated professional to take workshops and seminars to update their education over the course of their entire career, then these NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 types of certifications are a benefit. Certifications can also serve a valuable function in that after attending them, the participants are encouraged to go back to school and get more formal education.

So yes, certifications can have their place in the education of our physical education teachers, coaches and personal trainers.”

At BFS, we take the approach that certification will not only help “fill the gaps” when formal education fails but also help take a coach’s knowledge to a higher level. Certification should not be considered an end in itself but rather a supplement to other forms of education. And to ensure the highest quality of our graduates, our program goes beyond offering a self-paced theory course: BFS certifications include hands-on instruction to ensure that coaches not only can demonstrate what they are taught but also can teach it. That’s the way it was, and that’s the way it should be.

A BFS certification program includes hands-on training that ensures that coaches can demonstrate and teach what they’ve learned in the theory section.

BFS is coming to a city near you! Join other coaches in your area to learn the best ways to train your athletes u Improve Weightroom Safety! with the proven BFS program. Not only will this certification ensure that u Understand Liability! you know how to improve athletic performance, you will learn techniques u Perfect Your Technique! that will significantly improve the safety of every sports program. THIS IS A HANDS ON – LEARN-BY-DOING CERTIFICATION u Coaches Helping Coaches!

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From BFS Magazine — November/December 2008. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).