A System of Periodization as Adapted for the American Strength Coach
This presentation will address a soviet system of periodization that has been adapted for utilization in the American professional and collegiate athletic team training setting. Three USA Hall of Fame Coaches will present how to adapt this periodization model in the collegiate team training environment. Included in this presentation will be the selection of exercises as well the manipulation of both exercise volume and intensity over prolonged periods of training, for the enhancement of athletic performance while the avoiding physical overuse (over training) type symptom’s. These coaches have utilized this system of periodization for the past 4 decades resulting in multiple professional world, league and collegiate conference championships.
Johnny Parker was honored as a Legend in the Field at the 2009 CSCCa National Conference for his long and impressive career as a pioneering strength and conditioning coach. He began his career on the collegiate level in 1974 when he was hired as a strength and conditioning coach by the University of South Carolina. After just one season of working with Parker, the Gamecocks made it to the Tangerine Bowl in 1975. Three years later, Parker moved on to Indiana University, where he was the first strength and conditioning coach in the Big-10. After two seasons of working with the Hoosiers, Parker was hired as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at LSU. This was followed by a stint at Ole Miss, where he helped the Rebels make it to the 1983 Independence Bowl, their first bowl appearance in 8 years.
Twice during the 1980s, Parker traveled to Russia to study under Russian gold medal winning Olympic weight lifting coaches. He applied what he learned to his football players. In 1984, Johnny began his NFL coaching career, working with the New York Giants for 9 years. In his first year as the team’s strength and conditioning coach, he dropped the number of athletes on the injured list to 7, compared to 25 on the list just the year before. The Giants won their first Super Bowl in 1986. Four years later, in 1990, the Giants again won the Super Bowl, playing against the Buffalo Bills and setting an all-time Super Bowl record of 40 minutes and 33 seconds for ball control possession. Parker’s role as strength and conditioning coach contributed significantly to the Giants’ tradition of excellence, for which they are still known today.
Parker also coached the New England Patriots, who won the AFC Championship in 1996, making it to the Super Bowl in 1997 for just the second time in team history. The Patriots won back-to-back division titles and qualified for the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. In 2002, Parker became the strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped the team to a victory in the 2003 Super Bowl, the first Super Bowl in the team’s history. This was followed by a final coaching stint in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
Parker retired from coaching in 2007. In his impressive 34-year coaching career, Parker succeeded in taking 3 different teams to 4 Super Bowls. In 1994, he was honored by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society with the Super Bowl achievement award. Coach Parker is here today to share many of his insights and experiences with us.
