Up to this point, the University of Tampa Athletic Department was devoid of a full-time strength and conditioning coach. Due to the growing need for a physical specialist, the Athletic Department decided to take precautionary measures and bring in Justin Thiel, a veteran trainer formerly with West Point (U.S. Military Academy) to head up a new Strength & Conditioning program for athletes at UT.
Thiel, a native of Princeton, Minn., has a bevy of experience in the field of exercise science, including stints as a coaching assistant with USF and as a strength and conditioning coach at the Toronto Blue Jays spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla.
Thiel says that the new position is “absolutely mandatory.” He believes it is crucial to the success and performance of teams on campus to keep up with their opponents.
“By not having a full time strength coach we’re behind the eight ball with our competitors,” Thiel said.
The intent of a strength and conditioning program is not to be a panacea for all wounds and afflictions, but rather a prevention method so that pre-existing conditions are not extenuated during real game situations. Because of the brittle nature of the human body, muscles must constantly be trained and exercised to avoid pulling or tearing of vital areas.
“That’s the enigma of this job. Nothing can be absolutely solved by my position. My job is to get athlete bodies physically ready to prevent injuries from happening in the first place,” Thiel said.
Unfortunately, a large number of college athletes come in with pre-existing injuries or conditions that have hampered them throughout high school, according to Thiel.
“A lot of these kids come in with physical [ailments].Women’s soccer players often come in with ACL injuries,” he said. “Half of our baseball pitchers have already had UCL or Tommy John surgeries.”
Statistics certainly fortify Thiel’s assessments. According to the NCAA, “The overall injury rate in NCAA women’s soccer is 7.3 per 1,000 athlete exposures (games and practices combined).” “Ligament sprains of the lateral ankle (12.8 percent), concussions (9.2 percent), quadriceps (thigh) muscle strains (7.0 percent) and hamstring muscle strains (4.8 percent) are the most common specific types of injury in women’s soccer.”
To combat these figures, Thiel aims to simulate the same range of motions that are used in games while athletes train in the weight room. Each team has slightly different modifications on training regiments due to the way their sport is played.
“For instance, baseball requires intense training of the frontal plane, whereas jumping sports (such as basketball) incorporate more plyometrics or squatting” Thiel said.
Young college athletes looking to preserve their bodies for the rest of their lives will be stronger and better equipped against potential injuries now that UT has a resident Strength & Conditioning Department.
Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@theminaretonline.com.