Training in the college setting

As a strength coach, it's actually very easy to write programs and get results for someone who is the "ideal" client. You know, no injury history, clear-cut goals, no overbearing parent trying to do your job for you, does everything perfectly the first time you describe it to them. However, in the real world, this client is the exception rather than the rule (if not a figment of our imagination). There are many obstacles that you encounter depending on your situation. I think one of the toughest jobs in this industry is on the college campus. It is possible to be responsible for hundreds of kids who all have different issues and have come from different backgrounds of training for 10+ years prior to you getting your hands on them. How would you handle it?

Here's an interview with RPI strength coach, and good friend, Kyle Sottung.

Enjoy.

JH: Standard first open-ended question, tell us a little about yourself…What do you do now and how did you get to this point? So basically give us your entire auto-biography in 3-4 sentences.

KS: I grew up playing all types of sports, and I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. When I went to Ithaca College to play baseball, I was undecided on a major. Ithaca had an excellent exercise science department, so it was a natural fit for me considering my love of sports. I wanted to continue to be around athletes even after my playing days were finished. After undergraduate and graduate school at Ithaca, I joined Lee Taft in Queensbury for the opening of his new business. I learned from Lee, who I consider my mentor, for two years before taking the strength and conditioning at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

JH: I know some strength coaches at big schools are assigned to individual teams…so the football, or hockey team, may have their own coach. How is RPI set up? What is your situation?

KS: When I first arrived at RPI, they were in a transition period. There was a new Athletic Director, the two previous full-time strength and conditioning coaches had just taken jobs at Division I schools, and Athletics was moving into an amazing new facility. RPI has 21 Division III Varsity sports, and 2 Division I Varsity sports (Men’s and Women’s Hockey). I was put in charge of all of them as the only full-time strength and conditioning coach. Needless to say, I was busy. It has taken a lot of work and creativity to make sure that athletes are not falling through the cracks. I hope to build the program up enough that we have a steady supply of interns and assistants who want to be a part of a really dynamic strength and conditioning program.

JH: You were a great college pitcher at Ithaca, and one of the best overall athletes I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Honestly, other than me owning you at darts I think I’m intimidated to play sports on Playstation against you (not to mention, with your competitiveness, I’m sure you’d be “that guy” to turn off the system if you were going to lose anyway-but I digress). How has your athleticism helped you establish yourself in your setting today?

KS: Wow, that’s a loaded question. First off, I would never turn off the Playstation. But that’s only because I would never turn it on in the first place. My video game skills end at Tetris and Big Buck Hunter Arcade. Second, I feel like I owe the athleticism that I have to my parents unknowingly providing me with the tools to be a good athlete. They took me to gymnastics when I was too young for organized sports, they encouraged me to be outside playing, swimming, and playing all sorts of sports. They put in countless hours driving me to practice and games, and were very supportive. And as we know, it’s those critical younger years where we pick up a lot of our coordination, movement skills, and love for physical activity. As far as how it has helped me in my profession, I think it makes the coaches and athletes more comfortable knowing that I understand the training needs of their sport. The term “Sport Specific” makes coaches and athletes think they need to train a different way than other sports, which is true only to a point. They still need strength, stability, flexibility, and power. If I can physically demonstrate to them how to do an exercise properly, and then demonstrate how this is going to help them perform better on the field, they are more likely to buy in and commit to the program. In addition to that, I think it’s important on some level to practice what you preach. If I tell the athletes to do something, you can guarantee that I’ve done it and understand it. I don’t have to be able to outdo them in everything, but they should know that I’m still an athlete.

JH: You know it’s funny, the first question I often get asked, especially from the high school athletes, is “how much ya bench?” I feel like I’m stuck in a combination twilight zone/Saturday night live skit from the ‘80’s. I’ve always been a poor bencher, but once I am able to demonstrate more complicated lifts a couple times they start to listen a little closer.

That’s a great that you did gymnastics. Coupled with baseball, where you really learn to excel with hand-eye coordination, overhead throwing, and rotational power, you can really see how it would all come together for you down the road. I think it really goes to show the value in an all-encompassing “training program” as a kid. Essentially it’s organized fun that works strength, power, mobility, and coordination and everything in between.

Moving on, What would you say is the biggest challenge you’ve faced at RPI? Is it programming for so many kids, long hours, dealing with demanding coaches, or anything in between?

KS: I think the biggest challenge has implementing a different philosophy of training. When I came into the program, there was an established way of doing things, and it’s hard for an athlete to change something after 3 years of training. So I had certain ideas that I waited to implement, just because I didn’t want to overhaul everything at once. I slowly started to implement my style, and as the athletes saw results, they wanted more. The questions started to come, they started to pay closer attention, and in the second year I hope to build on that, especially with a new progression aimed at incoming freshman. I can start to mold them right from the start, with 4 years of development in mind. The second biggest challenge is balancing the work schedule with my personal life. I love what I do, so it’s easy for me to work for very long hours. But I also need to take care of myself. It’s a balance I’m still working on.

JH: I know when we get together we sometimes like to vent…mostly about other peoples’ training techniques or programs, especially with athletes that think they already know it all. How tough is it to overcome that mindset of the college stud who doesn’t need any help from you? Do you chalk it up to a lost cause or try a different approach to bring him over from the dark side?

KS: It’s funny when you start to compare the ideas about strength and conditioning from the general public and the top-tier strength and conditioning coaches. A good example was the other day, when you and I were looking at a video on YouTube of an elite athlete doing a core exercise. The video was posted on YouTube and on StrengthCoach.com. The YouTube comments consisted of “awesome stuff”, “can’t wait to try it”, “what a great exercise”, etc. and the StrengthCoach.com comments were more along the lines of “I would never do this with my athletes because of the risk involved”. There’s so much bad information out there bombarding the public (I have included a picture below), and they are confused.




That being said, it’s certainly our job to get good information in the hands of the misinformed and educate them. If someone asks for my help and won’t follow my advice, then they really didn’t want my help in the first place. If I have an older athlete who is stuck in their ways, I’ll make them explain to me why their way is better. When they are put on the spot, it’s usually “well, this is how my trainer from home told me to do it” or “that’s what I read in a magazine”. Then I’ll explain the physiological or anatomical reason why it should be done a certain way. It’s a gentle way of saying “I know more about this stuff than you do, so why don’t you be quiet and do it my way” without forcing them to do it with no explanation. If you open up a dialogue, you can get a lot more accomplished. By doing this, I’ve actually learned some things from my athletes. Really, the way to get them to come over to your side is with results. If my programs are good and the athletes are increasing their performance, are avoiding injuries, and look and feel great, I don’t have to sell anything.

Thanks for your time and very thorough answers, Kyle, I'm sure we'll be hearing from you soon!