I saw the Mother of one of my young football playing members on Saturday, which reminded me of when they used to come to my gym.
I would usually wrestle with whether I wanted to do group lessons or not. Most of the groups that I trained were hockey teams, and without fail, the coach would force these training sessions on them. Problem was, without fail, at least 70% of the players didn't want to be there. It was ultimately a waste of their time and money.
But for some reason the stars must have been aligned properly one day. The President of the local football association was really interested in seeing if there was any interest in off-season training. These kids ranged from 9 to 13 years- old, and when all was said and done, I had a group of 11-13 kids.
The first night I met these young guys, I was looking at them and thinking that I should just do an evaluation, and maybe even try to scare some of them, because I didn't want anyone there who didn't want to be. I was at the end of my road with the team training situation. If the kids didn't want to come back, that was just fine. I really only wanted the guys who wanted to learn, concentrate, put forth an effort, and then see the results.
As mentioned earlier, the stars must have been aligned that day.
I couldn't get rid of these guys. It went from a once/week situation, to twice/week. But I never said a word. It was all them.
The amazing thing was that the range of physical capabilities in the group didn't stop anyone. I would always tell them not to worry about what everyone else was doing. Do what you can do, as hard as you can.
Once a month we would do our quantitative testing. The 20 yd. shuttle, the standing long jump, the vertical jump, and the deadlift. By month three, the numbers started indicating huge positive changes. Not only that. Some extra, unwanted bodyweight was disappearing, and strength levels and self esteem were going through the roof. The boys were starting to wear proper shoes now, with the laces tightened up. Properly fitted sweat shirts, and shorts were replacing baggy rags. Heck, they were asking to use my rosin bag for their deadlift grip. This was now serious.
They lasted a full seven months, and then it repeated the following year. I had no idea who these young men were when they first walked into my gym. But they were exactly how I envisioned my gym to be, and how I know that I was when I was their age. When can you ever hear a pin drop between sets, in a 1000 square foot room? When can you go into a team training session, and hear a radio playing quietly? When can you go into a team training room and see everyone going to failure, and grunting and groaning through each set.
WOW.
These guys were doing exactly what I knew had to be done. These guys were the most dedicated group of young men that I have ever worked with. By the end of year 2, I was treating them like 22-year-old pro hockey players. These guys probably don't know it, but they were my pride and joy members.
The day that I told them that my gym was closing, most of them started to tear up, then I followed. I'm just sorry that I couldn't have found 50 more people out there like them. These guys made my life crazy, hectic for 3 hours a week: trying to spot five guys at once, and barking out orders to the other six. But these guys made me feel proud about what I was doing, and I wouldn't change that craziness for a second.
I know that some of you guys are reading this. Please don't ever be afraid to contact me, ask me for help, or just say hello when you see me. I will never forget our time together.
You guys were great.
Until next time.
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