Strength Training is led by Qualified Professionals, not your kids Baseball Coach.
Strength Coaches don't instruct your kids on how to throw or hit a ball, so why is it OK for Sport Coaches to be leading workouts in the weightroom? The short answer is it isn't but coaches will always tell you they can handle "development" and that their program includes things like speed, agility and strength training.Strength and Conditioning is a term that gets thrown around by anyone looking to make quick money off athletes.  The program will always be discounted and is usually a workout put together by an unqualified individual.  You would think more parents would want a professional instructing their child in the weightroom but a local baseball or softball person sounds like a good idea.  Even at the high school level we see coaches putting children in charge of off-season workouts.What we do won't stunt a child's growth and it isn't going to hurt them in any way.  Having kids go through grueling workouts where they are possibly puking or can't move the next day is what really harms youth development.  A qualified coach also understands the energy systems of the body, anatomy, how to build speed and sprint qualities, what to do when an athlete is injured, and so much more.  Does the travel ball coach understand all of that or did they pull your kids workout off the internet? It's a great idea as a parent to ask these questions, don't just sign up your kid somewhere because it's cheaper and someone you know goes there.  You aren't setting them up for success, you are building a disaster.Just because someone uses the same terminology as we do doesn't make the program equal, it couldn't be further from our programs at APL. Strength Training Plans are properly programmed to help an athlete progress overtime, there is no short term plan which most of these programs are chasing.  We coach pitchers differently than how we work with position players, every athlete is going to move differently so they all will require adjustments to the movements they are doing.  This isn't a one move fits all or a crowded group workout where kids are fighting for space while doing the same pointless drills each week with absolutely no carry over to the sport they play.Athletes today are going to do what is comfortable and usually what everyone else is doing and that's OK, I don't need to coach athletes that aren't 100% invested.  These are the kids who jump from one team to the next and want the hottest gimmick available, and they are also the ones who will never fully complete a training program.  Hard to keep consistent results when you aren't consistent in the weightroom.Athletes that desire results will invest in themselves at a young age and never look back.  We need to do better for our student athletes and that begins with sport coaches and strength coaches working together to help and develop athletes for years and years to come.  Any other way is criminal.