There is currently a major buzz going on in the strength and conditioning field centering on the concept of thoracic spine mobility. Coaches are actively seeking ways to build mobility in this anatomic region in order to reduce lumbar rotation and enhance scapular stability. The idea revolves around the concept of Kinetic Linkage where each joint is affected by the integrity of the joint above or below. The T-Spine is extremely important. A proximal to distal linkage of the thoracic spine, scapula and GH joint is critical in long-term shoulder health (as is ankle and hip mobility). The thoracic spine needs to be mobile to allow adequate translation of the scapula over its surface. This enhances the GH joint and prevents anterior/superior humeral head migration, which leads to impingement. Take a look at the picture below.

As a former competitive athlete, I enjoyed being pushed in the weight room and on the ice. Intense workouts, overnight bus rides, three games in three nights and a body the recovered faster than David Hasselhoff’s lifeguarding career.

Many Strength and Conditioning Coaches have high aspirations of one day opening their own facilities. The thought of a nice building, fancy equipment, and a loyal client base are all elements of the entrepreneurial spirit. However, before the doors swing open, your celebrity clientele arrive, and your first months rent payment is due, there are several things you need to consider. Below are five steps that I acted on and understood before the doors at Donskov Strength and Conditioning were ever opened. I hope these intangible elements can help you in your quest to one day open the doors of your own facility.

Building a strong “posterior dominant” shoulder has been shown to be of great value for the overhead athlete. Based on the demands of the sport (the fact that many great overhead athletes have acquired laxity) and the construct of the joint (the shoulder joint in and of itself sacrifices large amounts of stability for mobility) this anatomical landmark plays an important role in the athletes’ protocol. However many times direct cuff strengthening is overlooked in the practical programming for the contact athlete. Is this valid or do we need to look deeper into preparing our athletes for the demands of their sport? Lets take a look at the evidence regarding shoulder injuries in contact sports.

As Coaches, few of us are fortunate enough to work with college/professional athletes on a weekly basis. Genetically gifted individuals who are strong, skilled and relatively easy to coach. I refer to this population as ” auto pilot” athletes. Give them direction, demonstration and they can make a bad program look good! In contrast, a young, hyper-mobile teenager whose only experience in a gym was a dodge ball class in high school is quite another story. I am fortunate enough to work with both populations.  I train youth athletes (ages 13-18), and many of my Athletic Development Programs in the summer cater to the college and professional athlete (hockey players). Regardless of training experience, our clients represent our product!  Coaching is an art, and many times the best coaches can get the most accomplished with the least amount of verbal interaction. Below are five ways to enhance “technical proficiency” in the weight room without over coaching.

As Strength Coaches our job is three fold: prevent injuries in the weight room, reduce sport related injuries, and enhance performance. Unfortunately most coaches focus on the last two and ignore the MOST important! I don’t care if your athlete can back squat 400 lbs if he has a stress fracture and herniated disk and can’t participate in his sport. Bottom line: injuries in the weight room are the fault of the STRENGTH COACH….PERIOD! Coach Dan John, who has been coaching before I was born, most recently reinforced this concept in a lecture at MBSC in Boston. He emphasized, “DO NO HARM!” We need to reassess this concept, as exercise selection and protocol are the responsibility of the coach. It’s a simple concept, yet we make it inherently difficult. Below are four ways to assess/implement the “Do No Harm” philosophy.

As business owners and Strength Coaches, we each have our own philosophy, system(s) and operations procedures. Each business model is a system of unique parts that make up the whole. Without systems, chaos is inevitable. We are all in the business because we have a passion in helping others reach their true potential, but we also have to turn a profit to keep the doors open. I have always had the belief that a business plan/philosophy and strength and conditioning philosophy should be separate entities.   Don’t let your business plan run your training plan! What do I mean by this? I have provided several examples below.



Youth Training: I couldn’t count on my fingers and toes how many conversations I’ve had with parents saying, “My seven year old is an amazing athlete. We want to get him/her ready for next years hockey tryouts, do you offer any programs for this age group?” I could make a healthy living doing Athletic Development Programs for seven year olds, but it conflicts with my training philosophy. I believe in early generalization, late specialization. Let Tommy and Jane play multiple sports and come back to speak with me in five years. Putting adult values on childhood activities is dangerous. Unfortunately many times parents dream on behalf of their children.


Student/Instructor Ratio: I train large groups of athletes. Regardless of coaching education/experience, two sets of eyes are ALWAYS better than one. I have set a training philosophy for a student/instructor ratio of 9:1. This is an area that I need to improve. I hired an intern last November and it has been an amazing experience to say the least. My goal is to build a reputable internship program and hire a full time coach in the immediate future. Our goal as business owners is to expand the business and reach multiple populations, but we shouldn’t do so at the expense/quality of our product and the safety of our athletes. My grandfather always said: “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.”


Competing Programs: I have been approached several times in the past by multi-sport athletes wanting to participate both in a DSC Athletic Development Program while simultaneously participating in a strength and conditioning program at their respective high school. I don’t like this for several reasons:



Training volume
Not enough adequate recovery
Control: I can’t control the coaching OR lack of coaching, and the protocol performed in a facility away from me (technical proficiency, Olympic Lifts, heavy back squatting ect).   I don’t want this mixed with my program…. PERIOD!
Results: I want tangible results for my clients/athletes. I want them to look at their 12-week program and see how strong, powerful they have gotten. I can’t guarantee results in a program being performed (in conjunction with mine) that I have NO control over.

Parents: At DSC, parents are not permitted to view workouts. It is my training philosophy. Most parents I deal with are awesome, but on occasion I am confronted with a situation where parents want to watch their kids train! I will make this analogy: “Mr. Johnson what do you do for a living? Oh you are a dentist? Would you mind if I sat over your shoulder and watched you pull teeth all day? Would your clients mind?”  The problem with parents watching workouts is that coaches are competing for attention. A Coach needs FULL attention. I have never had to do this, but if a parent still had a problem with this, I would suggest another facility for their son/daughter to train in.



I have always had the belief that a business philosophy should not dictate a training philosophy. If you don’t have a passion for what you do, you will be exposed sometime in the future. Passionate people are contagious! We all want to build a profitable, reputable business, but we can’t sacrifice quality in order to attain it! Systems rule in business, just make sure your business system and training system remain separate entities.


Anthony Donskov, MS, CSCS, PES is a former collegiate and professional hockey player, founder of Donskov Strength and Conditioning, Inc., (www.donskovsc.com) and Head Instructor/Director of Strength and Conditioning for Donskov Hockey Development (www.donskovhockey.com). He can be reached at info@donskovsc.com .


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The glenohumeral joint is a complex joint affected by the entire Kinetic Chain. It thrives on large amounts of mobility with a sacrifice in stability. At any given time, only 25%-30% of the humeral head is in contact with the gelnoid fossa (1). Sub acromial Impingement (bursal sided) also known as Compressive Cuff disease or external impingement can affect more than just the elderly and working class, it can affect the athletic population as well. Athletes play hard, train hard and push their bodies to the limit on a daily basis. Contact athletes can sustain shoulder injuries through both macro traumatic and micro traumatic events. Shoulder injuries remain the most common site of injury in hockey (1). As strength coaches, programming can also play an important role in preventing cuff issues. A sound knowledge of functional anatomy and appropriate exercise selection can aid in preventing possible pathology.

I don’t speak Italian fluently but with the help of technology I can understand each and every line of The Godfather. Foreign language is unfortunately foreign to me. Different countries speak different languages’ that their respective “tribes” understand. Seth Godin in his book “Tribes” explains that a tribe is a group of people (large or small), who are connected to one anther by an idea, common interest, principal or leader. Strength and Conditioning Coaches, we are a tribe! Our themes, connections and leaders unite us in the strength game. However, one of our biggest problems is this: We don’t speak the same language! No Habla Strength and Conditioning! Travel to France, people speak French, travel to Spain, people speak Spanish, travel to any weight room in the country and coaches simply don’t speak the same language. I can’t tell you how many programs I’ve looked at where I had NO idea what the coach was asking for from his/her athletes. If this is confusing to us, how do you think the athletes feel?