In its first session, the Arrow Strength summer program was a huge success with 170 students participating!
The powerhouse behind this tremendously successful program is Aaron Jung, PLHS's new Strength & Conditioning Coach. Aaron joined the PLHS Sports Medicine team earlier this year and is based out of Watertown High School. He will spend the majority of his time working with various teams both at the high school and intermediary level to ensure proper strength and conditioning programs are being developed and followed in order to reduce injury and help student-athletes to reach their full potential.
As a student-athlete himself, here at Watertown High School where he graduated in 2008 and then went onto Augustana University where he was a starting defensive tackle, Aaron jumped at the opportunity to return to his hometown and create the Arrow Strength program. Aaron shared his vision and passion in the following remarks:
"The main reason the program was developed was to offer a well thought out and progressive strength and conditioning program specifically designed with the athlete in mind. The program is designed for all athletes, whether the athlete is new to training or has spent numerous years following a strength and conditioning program. The program focuses on preventing injuries in the weight room, reducing sport-related injuries, helping enhance athletic performance, and promoting confidence not only physically, but mentally as well. We also wanted to start a program that the community can trust and understand that an athlete's potential can be reached by services close to home. I have a unique passion for helping young people try and reach their goals. A lot of it stems from my time as a student-athlete myself previously in high school and college. I realized the value of a sound training program and what it can do for someone physically. However, it also instills a level of confidence that allows someone to go out and perform to their fullest potential regardless of the outcome. Now being in the strength and conditioning field for a decade, I think a community like this - one that I am very familiar with - has a lot of potential to grow and do something special."
In order to guage performance improvements, the student-athletes were offered an opportunity to participate in pre and post testing in the vertical jump, broad jump, pro-agility, and 20-yard dash. The results are listed below:
- Vertical Jump: 71% improvement
- Broad Jump: 76% improvement
- Pro-Agility (measures change of direction): 83% improvement
- 20-yard Dash: 73% improvement
We are lucky to have Aaron here, along with the entire Sports Medicine team, to provide a unique opportunity for Watertown student-athletes to improve their strength and performance.
