By Kim J. Harmon

Coach Bobby Knight once reflected that it wasn’t the will to win that helped make a successful athlete but that it was the will to prepare to win.

And preparation begins out on the track and in the weight room … before the athlete gets his or her uniform, equipment or playbook. Cody Foss has spent the better part of the past six months making that points to dozens of Newtown High School student-athletes.

It’s all about strength and conditioning.

Mr Foss has the degrees and certifications – MS, LATC, CSCS, PES – and for the past 10 years has worked with Olympic athletes, champion Tae Kwon Do athletes, the Knick City Dancers, professional boxers, the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association and Manhattan College basketball.

A fall strength and conditioning pilot program was introduced, through the Parks and Recreation Department, at Newtown High School last September and it was so well received that a winter program – now entering its final testing stages – was offered.

More than 30 athletes accepted the challenge to address injury prevention and to work on their base strength, agility and power.

Ninety minutes a day, three days a week, they gather in and around the training room at Newtown High to do their warm-ups and dynamic stretches, a little speed work, and their strength training with things like dead lifts, squats, pull-ups and bench presses.

And has it worked?

Well, pre- and post-testing has revealed sharp improvement across the board – from the bench press test (measuring upper body strength), horizontal pull up (upper body strength) and squat (lower body strength/power) to the dead lift (lower body strength/power), broad jump (lower body power) and Pro Agility test (measuring speed).

What was even more incredible than the marked improvement (161% in the horizontal pull-up alone), said Mr Foss, has been the success of the female athletes. Don’t be surprised if the Newtown girls’ lacrosse team is unusually successful this spring; many of the players are in the strength and conditioning program.

“To come out and see the highest participation from the girls is amazing,” he said. “These girls did absolutely awesome this winter.”

Addressing the aspect of the female athlete is particularly important, said Mr Foss, since they are 38% more likely to have an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear than a male athlete. Sometimes it’s as simple as improving flexibility and learning how to land when they jump.

“Non-contact injuries have a lot to do with balance,” said Mr Foss, “and we’re doing drills to teach kids how to control their center of gravity. A lot of this is about teaching so the kids can understand the reasons for these things.”

In regards to sport specific training, Mr Foss worked with the Newtown High volleyball team last fall (which finished 14-3 with an 11-match winning streak) and will likely be working with the boys’ basketball team in the future to work on the overall conditioning of the younger players that were thrust into their spotlight roles.

If the girls’ lacrosse team performs especially well this spring (remember – it is the defending South-West Conference champion) and if the boys’ basketball team rebounds off a tough 4-16 campaign, it could be quite a testament to a strength and conditioning program.

“If I was fortunate to be responsible for one-half of one percent of their success,” said Mr Foss, “that would be awesome.”

With the amazing popularity of the winter strength and conditioning program, a spring program will now be offered. Starting on March 27, it will run for 27 sessions (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 pm) through May 25.

Offered through the Parks and Recreation Department and exclusively to Newtown High student-athletes, the program will deal with the same issues as the fall and winter programs – nutrition (learn all about carbohydrates, optimal protein sources, and energy balance), sport specific testing, flexibility, injury prevention exercises, base strength, sport specific strength and advanced power training.

The cost is $100 per athlete and the deadline to register (at the Park and Rec Department) is March 22. Only the first 40 applicants will be accepted. Call 270-4340 for further information.

Future Newtown High School athletes can get a taste of the strength and conditioning program, as well. Foss will offer a similar program to Newtown Middle School students starting the week of April 24 and meeting Mondays and Wednesdays, 5 to 6 pm, in the A gym.

It will be a demanding program, but fun, and the basis for success of the program will be improving body control or “neurological efficiency.” The initial phase of the program will involve using biomechanical techniques and implementing drills and exercises to improve body control. Once body control is established focus will turn to strength, power and speed.

The majority of the exercises will be movement based using cones, hurdles, and open space. Strength training will utilize resistance bands, medicine balls and body weight.

The fee is $115 for seven sessions and $175 for 14 sessions. Call the Parks and Rec Department at 270-4340, Mr Foss at 917-667-9280 or visit www.silverspringtraining.com for an even closer look at the program.