“At the end of the day, it’s just about paying it forward…none of this is mine, it doesn’t belong to me, I’m just a vehicle in which information is passing that might help somebody.”
Peter Noonan, Head Powerlifting Coach and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas joins Coach Crochran for Episode 6 of The Croc Show. Balancing his dual roles as a coach for the powerlifting program and as the strength coach for the football team, Coach Noonan discusses key distinctions he makes in order to ensure he is providing the best training to athletes in each discipline.
“You cannot say that powerlifting is football off-season,” Coach Noonan says. “They are two separate entities. Strength and conditioning, as it pertains to athletic development, is strictly that. I am preparing you for the demands of practice of your sport. When we go to powerlifting, we are strictly preparing for the meet.”
While keeping the roles separate, Coach Noonan and Coach Croc also talk about ways that communication in a powerlifting meet or team training—from spotters to those offering encouragement to technical coaches—ultimately mirrors the same types of communication necessary in dynamic team sports and can translate as a skill. Beyond teaching skills for sport and life to their athletes, both coaches demonstrate a commitment to providing education and examples to their peers in the performance coaching field.
“When it comes to the prescription of sets and reps, everyone’s logistics are different,” Noonan says, elaborating on his open-door policy for fellow coaches to shadow sessions in his weight room and ask for advice. “There’s too many variables to make it fit in a perfect box for everyone. But if I can give you an idea of how we function with these parameters and it helps you? Great. And if I don’t know how to help, I’m pretty sure I can find someone who can.”
Video 1. Episode 6 of The Croc Show featuring Coach Peter Noonan.
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