Program, People, Product
You have just received funds to improve your athletic facility, now what?
Abridged, Read the Full Article Here: Before taking any action, ask yourself, “How can this money improve our facility to optimize the performance of our athletes and enhance the health and wellness of our students?” Unless we first address potential problem areas – in the equipment, the space, the level of instruction or the ages of the students and athletes – we’re sure to face unnecessary financial and physical costs later.
Here is the most effective and efficient process I have found as an athlete, educator and parent for building a safe and fiscally responsible program for the highest level of athletic performance: The 3 P’s: Program, People, Product.
Program
Although it’s not possible to predict every bump in the road, we can prepare for human error in the interest of minimizing it. For instance, as tempting as it is to fill our facilities with expensive new equipment, doing so will not guarantee that our students will make amazing gains in performance. The determining factor here is the program. We can all agree that for athletes to reach their performance goals, they must be taught to use the new facility and new equipment in a safe and effective manner. The BFS Total Program is designed to deliver appropriate instruction and practice to all students in a safe and effective manner.
The BFS Total Program provides the most solid foundation possible for highly competitive interscholastic programs as well as physical education programs for the student body.
People
Although many institutions produce outstanding teachers and coaches, they commonly neglect to address methods of conducting safe, efficient and effective teaching in the weight room for large numbers of students and athletes.
Over my career of 50 years, I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of schools and colleges around the country. It disturbs me to see weight-rooms in which the lifting instruction is poor, technically incorrect or completely nonexistent. Inadequate supervision leads to injury and the potential for litigation.
Among other requirements, teachers and coaches must be present in the weight training facility and must provide appropriate instruction in both lifting and spotting skills.
Safety concerns have led to the recent mandate by the NCAA requiring that weight rooms in their institutions be supervised by certified coaches. Although there is no specific certification required, the BFS Weight Room Safety Certification is clearly the best because only BFS addresses the class organization and progression of instruction necessary to train large numbers of students and athletes in the weight room.
Administrators must provide for the professional development of their staff. The best way to ensure they are qualified to deliver safe, efficient and effective programs is through intensive hands-on practical instruction, evaluation of their teaching skills and testing of their knowledge. This in fact describes the curriculum of the BFS Weight room Safety Certification.
Product
Tools are important in just about any endeavor. In interscholastic and intercollegiate sports, or physical education, there never seems to be enough money, time or space for the tools of our trade. Therefore, it is imperative that we unify our program and unify our people. Together, we can select great equipment that satisfies program requirements and fulfills learning objectives for the greatest number of students, athletes and stakeholders.
Let’s make this simple: Just as the architect creates a physical structure, the administrator is the creative “architect” of the educational structures that will provide for the needs of many stakeholders. By following the model of the 3P’s we create the structure necessary to support the functions agreed upon by the stake-holders.