Social Media…It is ingrained into the fabric of our society & a part of our everyday lives. No matter how you feel about it, it is here & here to stay.
You have two choices: You can either become an angry grandpa on your porch talking about “the good ol’ days” or you can choose to embrace it. For those that choose not to embrace it, they can still find success but old-school networking tactics (clinics, conferences) may only get them so far in obtaining information.
Social media, if used correctly, can bridge the gap and take connecting with others to the next level. For those that embrace it, you have the world at your fingertips. You will get the good, bad, & the ugly of our industry. It is up to you to decide how to digest what you see into what can make a positive impact on your program & your professional life.
We are going to break down 10 coaches that represent the “good” of social media. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I've selected these coaches for their meaningful, thought-provoking content that could provide beneficial change to you & your program.
John Martin | @qbystrength |Queensbury High School, NHSSCA NY State Director
Coach John Martin is the Head Strength Coach at Queensbury High School in Queensbury, New York. He also serves as the NHSSCA State Director for the state of New York.
Coach Martin does an amazing job taking you inside his program weekly showcasing how he trains multiple teams in single sessions, exercise selection, & how integrates technology such as Dashr & Output into his program flawlessly.
Travis Mash | @masheliteperformance |@coachtravismash|Mash Elite Performance (Bermuda Run, NC)
With almost 3 decades worth of experience & expertise, Coach Travis Mash is a go-to for content ranging from youth athlete development, VBT integration with devices such as FLEX & Gymaware, & powerlifting/weightlifting. Coach Mash does a great job also with the content & products he provides through “Mash Elite Performance”, Gymaware, & through his podcast “The Barbell Life”.
Joe Kenn | @bighousepower | Owner of Big House Power Competitive Athletic Training (Clemmons, NC) | Vice President of Performance Education with Dynamic Fitness
With over 30 years of experience in all levels of athletic performance (high school, college, & professional), Coach Joe Kenn is one of the standard bearers in our industry. Coach Kenn has developed systems such as the “Tier System” & “Block 0” that have become common language within our industry. With his wealth of knowledge, he provides content that reflects his years & years of experience. He also provides content of his continuing chase for knowledge such as strongman training with Brian Shaw, head & neck training/reinforcement, & the continuing evolution of his training.
Mark Hoover|@hoover_performance | Director of Athletic Performance at Metrolina Christian (Monroe, NC) | Simplifaster
With a very unconventional path to where he is now, Coach Mark Hoover has developed unique skill sets that make him a must-follow on all your social media platforms. With over 20 years as a football coach before making his transition to full-time strength in 2015, Coach Hoover provides unique perspectives on training team settings & is a go-to for all things technology in our industry through his role at Simplifaster.
Cody Hughes | @clh_strength | Assistant AD/Head Strength Coach at Madison Academy (Madison, AL)
With close to a decade's worth of knowledge from major D1 universities to one of the premier private schools in the South, he provides content ranging from how he utilizes VBT in his setting, his online “cultivate” mentorship, to how he currently is training NFL draft prospects. Coach Hughes is also one who isn’t afraid to challenge norms within our industry & provides meaningful/thought-provoking conversation that will assist anyone looking to expand their minds.
Richard Burnett | @rich_triplef |President of Triple F Elite Sports Training (Knoxville, TN) | CEO/Co-Founder of Plyomat
Coach Burnett has coached every level within our industry. From college, and high school to now running his private facility, he is an encyclopedia of knowledge of what has & has not worked for him during his coaching career. He is a solutions-based practitioner who has tons of resources that puts out to help others. From products he’s founded such as Plyomat to Google sheet products that make analyzing VBT data easy & simple, Coach Burnett is one of the gold standards.
Adam Vogel |@coachavogel | @HFAPT | Director of Athletic Performance Training at Homewood-Flossmoor High School (Flossmoor, IL)
With an amazing facility up at his school in Illinois (Homewood-Flossmoor), Coach Vogel shares valuable & meaningful content almost daily on what he is doing within his program. Coach Vogel is always on the cutting edge in terms of technology integration with devices such as Perch & SkyHook jump mat & his implementation of different COD modalities.
Dr. Aaron Horschig | @squat_university | WSJ Bestselling Author “The Squat Bible”/ Founder of SquatUniversity.com
With over 3.1 million followers on Instagram, Dr. Horschig is a well of knowledge when it comes to exercise correction/cueing & providing easy-to-understand solutions to common problems you may be having with your athletes. Dr. Horschig is constantly putting out new content with over 5,000 posts all devoted to decreasing pain, moving better & optimizing performance.
Joe Aratari | @JoeAratari | @nextlevelrochester | Private Sector S&C at Next Level S&C (Rochester, NY) | Rochester Knighthawks S&C Coach
Coach Joe Aratari trains athletes from middle school up to the professional ranks ranging from volleyball, lacrosse, & ice hockey. Coach Aratari provides no-nonsense content demonstrating that you don’t need fancy technology & gadgets to get athletes to perform at their absolute best.
Brad Dixon | @coachbdixon | Head Football Coach, Boys Track Coach, S&C Coordinator at Central HS (Camp Point, IL)
There are not many situations where you can find a coach who can do both S&C & coach his or her sport at a high school. But Coach Brad Dixon is one of the exceptions. Coach Dixon is a prime example of a coach squeezing every ounce out of his situation & he benefits from this greatly. He is a current practitioner in Spring Based Football & has tons of resources on how to implement such a system with a football program such as practice structure, game-planning, & in-season programming.
These coaches listed above do an amazing job in not only coaching their programs at high levels but also putting out content that all coaches can benefit from.