BFS Magazine

Justin O'Brien, BCPS Supervisor Physical Education, hosts this wide-ranging interview which covers many aspects of the BFS Total Program. From safety first and respect for budget constraints, to commitment to physical development as a lifelong tool and skill for all growing bodies and NOT just for athletes.

BFS is deeply saddened to hear of the loss of one of our most experienced and impactful clinicians. Bob Bozied spent decades with BFS and was one of the most thoughtful, loyal, and knowledgable clinicians we have had the pleasure of calling a colleague. 

BFS President John Rowbotham was inspired by Bob Bozied as a young man and clinician. Rowbotham says of Bozied “He was a huge personal mentor to me and his passing is a loss to BFS and to the coaching community at large”. 

Coach Bozied has positively
impacted literally thousands of
young people over his career
in teaching and coaching. 

Bozied had a successful career including Head Football Coach at W.C. Hinkley High School in Colorado.

Bozied was named “Coach of the Year” in Colorado at Adams City High School and at Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota. 

At the college level, Bozied was an assistant coach at Augustana College for seven years, a team that earned two Division II playoff appearances. 

Coach Bozied was a true believer in young athletes developing all around athletic skills through playing multiple sports and strength training in a safe and effective manner. Coach Bozied’s son Tagg Bozied, an All American baseball player at the University of San Francisco and Triple A player said of his father “My dad always stressed to play all sports to be a balanced athlete.” This ethic made Coach Bozied one of the most impactful clinicians BFS has ever had the honor to work with. 

Coach Bozied’s commitment to his athletes and students extended far beyond the field of play as exemplified by participation in the BFS Be An 11 program on character education. Bob Bozied will be missed at BFS as a coach, clinician, friend, and, colleague. He will be remembered for his loyalty, thoughtfulness of others, and, the example he has left us for a life well lived. 

Congratulations to Green Forest on installing their new weight room!

BFS clinician Jim Brown worked closely with the Green Forest administration/School Board and specifically Coach Gregg Tibbitt who jump started this entire project. 

Dead Lift Tips 

There is absolutely no question about the dead lift It is a misunderstood lift. The dead lift can be a coach's most valuable motivational tool. However, many coaches fear lower back pain. Many mistakes can be made which cause this problem. Starting with The Six Absolutes of Perfect Technique we have written several articles about spotting and our book, posters, and magazine describe how to spot to keep the weight back on the lifter's heels to prevent lower back pain. Here are three more tips which should prove valuable.

Strength and Conditioning for Women's Sports at Hunter High School

“Heather Sonne is a masterful teacher and attends to any task given to her with great determination and vigor,” says Maile Loo, the principal at Hunter. “She is an excellent instructor, coach and athletic director and works tirelessly to accomplish all tasks requested of her! Her skills and integrity lend to the success of our physical education program and Hunter High School.” 

Jogging or pedaling a stationary bike will raise your body temperature, get your blood pumping, and make you breathe hard, but does this sound like the type of warm-up an athlete should use? We have a different approach to warming up and agility training.

First, we prefer that athletes use the dot drill to warm up before all workouts. The dot drill is an ideal warm-up because not only does it fulfill all the requirements of a good warm-up, but it improves coordination, foot speed, and agility. It also strengthens the ankles, which could be considered a weak link in the body because they are frequently injured in athletics and can be frustrating to rehabilitate. And because an athlete who injures an ankle is five times more likely to injure it again, it makes sense to include exercises that will prevent the ankles from becoming injured in the first place.

When athletes first attempt the dot drill, they often feel clumsy and find it extremely tiring. These difficulties will pass, especially if the athlete commits to performing the drill six times a week. For most athletes, we’re asking for less than 10 minutes of work per week—an investment well worth the price. To further motivate athletes, here are the BFS standards for male and female athletes. 

After the dot drill, we encourage athletes to perform agility drills to help with cutting and changing direction. To this end, we have developed a free download, 25 Agility Drills for Every Athlete. This practical guidebook gives you 25 simple drills using cones to simulate all the basic movements that occur on the field and the court. 

At BFS, we’ve found that if you’re really serious about improving performance in any aspect of strength and conditioning, you have to test it. Whether it’s by how much you lift, how high you jump, or how fast you run, you have to find a way to accurately measure performance so you can set personal records and then break those records. This is also true with the dot drill and agility drills, and we recommend that athletes test themselves twice a month and record the results. 

BFS Cones for PE or Athletics 

THE BFS DOT DRILL PAD

The BFS Dot Drill Pad is the warm up foundation to all the work we do in the BFS Total Program. The BFS Dot Drill gives athletes a perfect start to get their muscles firing before a work out while building the agility and foot speed to compete on the field of play. We recommend two Dot Drill pads for every work out station.

Isaiah Lamb is and exceptional young man who has worked hard - step by step - to carve out a life setting, reaching and crushing his goals! 

A committed BFS Athlete since his high school career Lamb credits his success to discipline learned in early morning BFS workouts. Bringing his best every day to strength and conditioning led to outstanding achievement on the court at Dulaney High School. So much so Lamb went on to play D1 and Professional basketball. 

Learn from Coach Justin Berenson's 23 years of coaching experience. HIs book is a wealth of knowledge no matter what stage your program is at.

"Building An Exceptional Football Program"

By Coach Berenson

Learn how this 23 year football coach took initiative to deal with this challenging school year!

"When the pandemic hit, we were at a loss, trying to figure out what to do. Thankfully, BFS put out the free Home Workout From BFS series. I immediately did the workouts to determine the pace I wanted to use with my athletes."

Coach Berenson

I can’t say enough about the positive impact Bigger Faster Stronger had on my college athletic career and the respect I have for this company.  I first became familiar with BFS as a college sophomore.  Having just transferred to Maryville College in Tennessee as a member of the Fighting Scots football team, we were blessed to have a new head coach and coaching staff who understood and embraced the importance of a sound strength and conditioning program.  

BFS WRSC Certification Online. Improve your coaching career and improve your team's prospects by becoming a BFS Certified coach and teacher this holiday weekend! Sign up for at home, online certification this week and SAVE $50.

Learn how Jake took his baseball to the max with strength training from a BFS Certified coach!

In the past, baseball coaches were reluctant to have their athletes lift weights, unless it was light dumbbells to rehabilitate a shoulder or elbow injury. Now the sport has embraced the weight room, and one athlete who has benefitted from this paradigm shift in coaching is Jake Guggenheimer. 

Why BFS considers this lift a must for serious athletes

By Kim Goss

For many years this BFS core exercise has been attacked by those who thought it had little value for an athlete, by those who thought it was dangerous and by those who thought it was too difficult to teach. They were wrong, and the survival of the exercise has benefited those who want to run faster, jump higher and be overall more powerful.

After 45 years in the business, we know what to look for. We’ll start by helping you identify your specific needs. Then we’ll show you how to decide on a bar that has the proper combination of price, strength and function.

Beware of False Advertising

Tom Lincir, president of Ivanko Barbell Company, warns, “Some manufacturers throw around impressive-sounding measurements of a bar’s strength that are either irrelevant or misleading. Ratings like “1,000-pound test” or “2,000-pound test” may sound impressive because the numbers are big. However, there is no such thing as “1,000-pound test”-it is all a fantasy created in an attempt to satisfy buyers.

One of the greatest marketing ideas in the fitness industry was the invention of the term “energy drink.” The word “energy” sounds much more positive than “sugary sweet,” the primary characteristic of those liquid formulas, which often cost several dollars and often have exactly the same content as soft drinks (with perhaps a bit more caffeine). Let’s take a closer look at the problematic ingredients of most energy drinks, and some healthy alternatives.