This time of year, strength training consumes the focus of fall athletes.
To improve the programs, the sports administration hired Athletic Lab, a sports science research and consultant company, to evaluate the strength training of Hillsdale’s teams.
“It’s something we want to do better,” Athletic Director Don Brubacher said. “We thought it was worthwhile to bring a consultant in to determine there are improvements that can be made.”
The recommendations were positive overall. Smaller details suggested improvements to stretching, form, and safety.
“It did give us an expert to confirm what we’re already doing and make a couple of safety recommendations,” head softball coach Joseph Abraham said. “That’s critical because we have no way to supervise all our girls. That’s important to teach proper form because they’re lifting on their own.”
Head volleyball coach Chris Gravel said his players had “exceptional” form for college athletes according to the report.
“You wonder if you’re doing the best thing, and it told us to keep doing what we’re doing,” Gravel said.
The report’s suggestions are already being implemented as junior tennis player Sydney Delp said her team is focusing more on dynamic stretching and using correct form.
“Our coach took it seriously,” Delp said. “It’s helpful because there’s no point in doing hard work if you do it incorrectly.”
Brubacher said Athletic Lab will return once or twice before the end of the school year to track progress.
“We are excited to work with Hillsdale,” said Athletic Lab director of training Michael Young, who has a doctorate in biomechanics. “We’re pleased how open minded the coaches and administrators were to our feedback. Those are hallmarks of a program doing what it takes to get ahead.”
Softball has already looked to outside help for strength training as the team hired Volt Athletics to create unique weightlifting schedules for each player, according to Abraham.
“I have seen great results, and I am able to lift more weight than I ever thought I could,” senior softball player Jessica Day said.
Due to renovations in the sports complex, strength training has altered, according to head football coach Keith Otterbein.
“Last winter, we were restricted in how our groups fit into the room,” Otterbein said. “We have the ability to be in the weight room more together. More concentration on how we’re breaking upper/lower body down and some footwork that we didn’t have the means [to do before]. The base philosophy hasn’t changed, but the chance to tweak it with the new setup.”
Young said for a mid-level athletics college, Hillsdale’s facilities are world class and some of the best he’s seen.
Offseason workouts focus on building skills over simply maintaining them.
“It’s important for us to get bigger, stronger, and faster,” Otterbein said. “In football, size is important. In the fall, we lift twice [for] maintenance. Now, we’re lifting four days a week. For speed, one thing that is challenging is matching up on the field. Offenses are spreading and creating space. You have to match up athletically.”
“Our offseason is harder than our in-season physically and mentally,” Gravel said. “We can push harder and not have to recover for any games.”
This change of focus is reflected in workouts. Due to limited time, teams have to practice on courts and coaches must be creative in practices.
Volleyball incorporates cross training including cycling, swimming and even sledding.
“I like to mix things up,” Gravel said. “There’s on-call hours. They have to keep on their studies because any time I can call them, ‘See you on the field at 5:45.’ The snowier, the colder, the better. We’ll start running up the hill. They might have to sled down it so many times.”
The offseason addresses challenges to correct mistakes and start on a better foot for the next season too.
“We’re going to the Biermann Center to get space,” Otterbein said. “We looked at last year’s numbers when we had the new setup, and our overall speed took a step back. This is the way we’re addressing it. We’ll work on flexibility, form running, and with the track coaches to open the throttle.”
Volleyball works out more than just their bodies, but also conflict between two players who may have a problem, according to Gravel.
“We’ll focus on it, and we’ll deal with that as a team, or I’ll ask them to evaluate each other, and it’s not anonymous,” Gravel said. “If the critique is not correct, I’ll call them out on being too nice. You learn about each other. It causes bruises, but you come back stronger.”
Likewise, the teams strengthen more than their bodies, but their relationships too.
“You have to have fun playing football,” Otterbein said. “It should be because they love the game, because there’s a level of excellence they expect. If they’re dreading to work, we’re missing the boat. Part of enjoying that is the enthusiasm you get by being around your team. We just started, so it’s upbeat, and we want to maintain that atmosphere.”
Fostering that chemistry comes from encouraging and challenging teammates.
“We push each other in the weight room,” junior volleyball player Marissa Owens said. “They’ll grab a 45 plate, and I’m like, ‘I wanted to grab a 30. Dang it!’ So I’ll grab a 45 because I don’t want to spot lower.”
