Speed training for youth athletes: Lessons from the national high school S&C coach of the year with John Garrish

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is National High School Strength Coach of the Year, John Garrish. He’s the Director of Athletic Development & Performance and Head Track and Field Coach at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. Following the receipt of his prestigious award from the NHSSCA, John is here to talk about coaching younger athletes at high school level, how he first broke into the industry, and some of his own tricks and tips for coaching speed with larger groups. First up, he explains how life works as a high school S&C coach, and how strength and conditioning fits in with the school curriculum in Florida. He moves on to his own strengths and weaknesses as a coach, and discusses how he overcomes any perceived flaws in his technique. On the same subject, John tells us how he coaches training sessions using minimal verbal communication, an area where many coaches may struggle to get instructions and messages across. This involves how to manage larger groups of athletes, as is the case for many high school coaches. John also gives us his expert insight into the drills and exercises he likes to use in larger groups, including the progressions and regressions to look out for when using banding and hopping. For all this and much more from an award-winning coach, hit the play button now. This week’s topics: How John became Head Track and Field coach at North Broward How strength and conditioning coaching fits in with a school curriculum Key differences in coaching adults and youth athletes John’s own strengths and weaknesses as a coach, and how he addresses them How to coach with minimal verbal communication but using constraints Tips and tricks for managing a large group of athletes Exercises and drills to use when coaching large groups Progressions and regressions when using banding and hopping