“It’s not the traditional setup most people have, but it also works because I see my kids for 11 weeks, then I can say ‘go be kids for two weeks.’”
Based on the modified year-round schedule at Cienega High School, Steve Schween—Head of Strength and Conditioning—has multiple gaps to adjust for with a school schedule that begins at the end of July with 9 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 11 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 10 weeks on, 2 more weeks off, and then 9 final weeks on before breaking for a 7-week summer. Joining host Justin Ochoa on Episode 5 of Rapid Fire, Schween breaks down how he adapts the conjugate method and uses tools such as Perch VBT, Rock Daisy AMS, and Catapult GPS to keep his athletes on track even with those recurring breaks in the academic year when kids are off being kids.
“This summer we were lucky enough to install a Perch unit on every one of our racks, so everything we’re doing now is based off the bar speed we wanted,” Schween says. “We’ve really had to kick it back and teach them to stop worrying about the weight on the bar and worry about the (speed) number on the bar.”
We’ve really had to kick it back and teach them to stop worrying about the weight on the bar and worry about the (speed) number on the bar, says @SteveSchween. Share on XFrom helping fix technique in their Olympic lifts to providing live objective feedback to prove to athletes they may not always lifting as fast as they think they are, Schween lays out the range of benefits he’s found from incorporating velocity-based training in his system.
Rapid Fire Episode 5. Watch the full episode with Coach Steve Schween and Coach Justin Ochoa.
Beyond his job at Cienega, Schween also details his involvement in the NHSSCA, where he is the Regional Director for the Rocky Mountain Region, covering Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. In addition to nailing down NHSSCA’s high school certification, at the board level they have been busy taking educational materials to go beyond sets and reps and include other important skills like applying for grant funding and communicating with key stakeholders.
Rapid Fire Excerpt. Coach Schween on body tempering and recovery days.
With the range of technology already at his disposal, when asked what he would add next to his wish list, Schween turns to the analog and suggests that he would love to expand their inventory of body tempering tools to use along with other methods on recovery days.
“We do RPR and 3D Mapping mobility stuff,” Schween says. “But we also get them down and sometimes turn the lights out on them and let them listen to some rain, and it’d be good to have some extra body tempering tools.”
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