It is no secret that showing up to every training session, workout, practice, or game full of energy and ready to go, is a difficult feat; and this is especially difficult to ask of younger athletes or clients. Most kids these days have multiple sporting committments, on top of a full week of school and other extra-curriculars. In addition to all that, they maintain a very busy social life as well. Such a lifestyle is a lot to handle, especially for a young body that is still maturing, growing and undergoing hormonal changes, etc. What some stregnth coaches (and sport coaches, and parents, for that matter) do not realize is that RECOVERY is what kids need more than anything. They need to turn their phones off at night and sleep for more hours. They need to make (and need to be educated on) better nutrition choices. Sometimes they just need to sit down and relax for 30 minutes, or take a nap. Unfortunately, most parents and many coaches are under the false impression that more tournaments, practices, games, and training sessions will make their child the best athletes.

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Since it is unlikely that there will be any drastic changes in the status quo anytime soon, it is impereative that as coaches, and strength coaches, parents, (and even personal trainers, etc.) we understand how to help athletes, kids and clients get the most out of each and every session that they have. I am not talking about pushing them to complete exhaustion at every workout, though that has a time and place and can help them succeed nd teach them multiple valuable lessons. In fact, it may be what we, as coahces, do outside the training session that has the biggest, and most positive impact on our athletes.

As an STT staff we all send “morning mindset messages” to our athletes for the day. This could be something as simple as “Hey I’m excited to train with you today” or “Make sure you get your mind right” 30 minutes before their scheduled session. Sometimes even a quick reminder of “make sure you eat, sleep, and hydrate well today” might be the best option. Setting the tone for the workout, and also for the day, is a great way to have a positive connection and build rapport with your clients and athletes. That way they know that you want to be involved and help them more than just the short couple of hours a week you may train them. Additionally, if you are a coach or parent that spends a lot of time with the athlete, short text messages can break the monotony of car rides to practices or countless practices and games throughout the week. When an athlete gets an extra message that lets you know that you are thinking about them, and also helping them achieve something more outside of working out or playign their sport, that carries a lot of weight and will stay with them a long time.

We call them “morning mindset messages” because they are meant to set the tone. They do not have to be in the morning, and there are other types of messages as well, that can be sent any time, or communicated in any way you prefer. To learn more about STT’s “morning mindset messages” check out this clip of a presentation by Coach Taylor.

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