This week’s guest is Ron McKeefery, vice president of performance and education at PLAE. Ron is also the author of “CEO Strength Coach”, a bestselling manual for coaches on the art of being a technician, manager and entrepreneur in the field.
Ron has been a part of Just Fly Sports through a text interview in the past, where he answered questions on all facets of the career track of strength and conditioning, such as aspects of the profession not learned in school and the personal qualities required for success in the field.
Ron’s background in the field is extensive and covers all facets of the industry, from the NFL and MLB, to training special forces, as well as several long stints in the NCAA. One thing I’m learning more and more is that long-time strength and conditioning coaches are some of the wisest human beings I know, and Ron’s answers in this particular show are a testament to that.
Today we are chatting on topics of the career track of sports performance, ideas on team culture, perspectives and reflections on Ron’s own career, and much more.
I’m excited to bring you this episode, since I believe that it builds on another fantastic show we did a few months back with Mark Watts, which was about the professional aspects of the field we know as strength and conditioning/sports performance. Lots (and I mean lots) of people want to get into this profession, but do they know what it takes, not only to get a job, but to make a career out of it, and actually “retire as a strength coach”? (not many people do)
Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.
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Key Points:
- Ron’s background in the coaching industry
- Advice for coaches in terms of work-life balance
- Qualities of someone who can make it in the sports performance progression
- What the sports performance profession needs for better job stability
- The role of the modern strength coach in conditioning and “mental” toughness
- Approaching the balance of utilizing corrective exercise and sport science into the performance program
- Creating buy-in and optimizing team culture
- The hardest thing Ron has been through in his S&C career
- One piece of advice Ron would give to his younger self
“As a young coach, you end up having to make a decision at some point, as to what you are willing to sacrifice to attain your goals”
“Do you have both feet in? If you just have a toe or a foot, you’re not going to make it (as a coach)”
“You’re going to have these periods of transition, and the fact of the profession is that it’s not “if” but “when” you’re going to get fired in this field. You have to be able to support your family and do all those things, and if you don’t have skill sets to be able to sustain that, or multiple streams of income, that’s where entrepreneurship comes in to be able to sustain those things in other ways”
“There’s a big difference between being credentialed and being qualified (for a strength and conditioning job”
“I ask people what is their unique selling proposition, their USB (to get in the industry)”
“If we make (the weightroom) laboratory like, come in, here is your workout card, you are expected to know why this is important, and then leave… we lose the passion and the energy and the why of what we are doing”
“(The term corrective exercise) I don’t like because it implies that the rest of the exercise we are doing is not corrective”
“It takes a certain type of person to be of any merit in this profession”
“You can be passionate without being emotional. As young coaches, we want to show how passionate we are, so we give an emotional response.”
About Ron McKeefery
Ron McKeefery is the vice president of performance and education for PLAE.
Nationally recognized as a leader in the area of sports development, Ron McKeefery has twice been named Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. In 2013 Coach McKeefery was honored as a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Prior to his work at PLAE McKeefery served as a strength and conditioning coach for professional programs such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Berlin Thunder. Collegiately, he has served at Eastern Michigan University, University of Tennessee, and the University of South Florida.
McKeefery has lectured for the NSCA, CSCCA and numerous major universities. He is the author of the best selling book, “CEO Strength Coach”, and has been published in the NSCA journal, American Football Monthly, and STACK magazine.
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