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In Strong Hands: Meet the Strength and Conditioning Coaches at Scottish Rite for Children

In Strong Hands: Meet the Strength and Conditioning Coaches at Scottish Rite for Children

by | Mar 4, 2022 | Sports Medicine

Meet the coaches of our Bridge Program. This program is designed to improve movement quality, strength, speed, and other measures in young athletes to simultaneously boost performance while reducing the risk of injury.

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists® (CSCS®) are professionals with special training and expertise. Standards set by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA®) are designed to ensure that these coaches have the proper training and skills to promote safe participation in these activities.

As the Bridge Program coordinator, Matt Schiotz, M.S., CSCS, brings experience as an elite-level sports performance coach with more than 20 years of experience coaching diverse groups of athletes. Schiotz’s coaching journey began with the Kansas City Chiefs before moving to the head strength and conditioning coach role at the University of Southern California. He then returned to the NFL as a strength and conditioning coach for more than a decade.

Schiotz’s most recent coaching role was at Baylor Scott and White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco, where he was also the Director of Performance. He has also worked as a performance coach, providing virtual training sessions using app-based programming and data analysis. Schiotz received his Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from the University of Kansas.

“I am very excited to join the team at Scottish Rite,” Schiotz says. “I believe the continuum from physical therapy to performance training is a model balancing safety and maximum outcomes. Though I have worked with athletes of all ages, my true passion is working with young athletes to help them achieve their sport and performance goals. Seeing them return to a sport or activity they love is my reward, especially as a parent myself. Combined with an athlete’s hard work, I am confident that lessons learned in this program will help each participant optimally develop and be set up for a future of athletic success.”

Justin Haser, M.S., CSCS, is an elite-level sports performance coach with experience working with athletes across all sports. Haser began his coaching career at Ohio University before moving on to the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with the football team.

Before joining the team at Scottish Rite, he was a sports performance coach at Baylor Scott and White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco. He has coached athletes of all backgrounds, from 8-year-olds to professionals in the NFL and NBA. He led the Return to Play Program, designed to serve athletes as they transitioned out of therapy and back to a full return to their sport.

“I am excited to keep things rolling here at Scottish Rite,” Haser says. “I believe the transition period between finishing physical therapy and returning full time to sport can often be overlooked. Having gone through this process twice myself, I know firsthand the challenges an athlete will face. I played Division I football for Ohio University. During my career, I had a shoulder injury that required two surgeries, the second of which ultimately ended my athletic career. After my career ended, I spoke with my strength coach at the time and explained the situation. He invited me to assist in the weight room for my final year and a half prior to my graduation. Ultimately, this experience showed me what I wanted to do professionally and launched my coaching career. I am looking forward to helping these young athletes by providing guidance and support on their journey back to their field of play!”

Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco is offering training classes for young athletes. Sessions begin the first week of each month. Contact our Therapy Services team at 469-515-7150 or bridgeprogram@tsrh.org to learn more.

What is a Bridge Program?

What is a Bridge Program?

by | Dec 22, 2021 | General News, Sports Medicine

Getting back to sports after an injury or surgery can be a long road. From the beginning of rehabilitation, the team is actively considering the best path for the athlete to get back to play safely with the lowest risk of re-injury. Depending on the condition and treatment, the natural course of recovery may take as long as 12 months. Formal physical therapy may last three to six months, but when that is over, what’s next? There are several options to “bridge” the gap between discharge from therapy and safe return to sports. The idea is to continue training in an environment where the instructor is familiar with young athletes and aware of the challenges associated to returning to sports after an injury. For some, a high school athletic trainer may be well-suited to collaborate with the athletic program’s strength and conditioning coach. The best option is to stay with a program that understands your child’s history and goals. One that is led by a qualified professional familiar with post-injury and post-surgical recovery timeframes. We are pleased to introduce this option to our current and former patients. Keep reading to learn more about this program at Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and  Center.

Sports Medicine 

Top Things to Know About the Bridge Program 

What is it?    The Bridge Program is specially designed for the young athlete who has completed their physical therapy sessions but is still needing focused training to help them return safely to their sport. Why was the program created?  When therapy ends, patients are often not ready to return to sport, but do not know where to turn. The purpose of the program is to offer additional resources to the patient who completes therapy and is in search of continued training with returning to sports as their main goal. Our team is well-equipped to direct the program development and care in this stage of recovery. What is the difference between physical therapy and performance training?  In therapy, physical and occupational therapists are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care and patient education. Once the patient is pain free and exhibits quality movement, performance training is the natural next stage.  Performance training can be offered in a small class setting under the direction of a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). It is not covered by insurance, but some guarantors have HSA/FSA funds that may qualify for this program. Learn more about this kind of coach in an earlier blog [here]. Who can participate in the Bridge Program?  This program is open to athletes that do not have an injury or have been cleared from all restrictions except the final clearance by their physical therapist or doctor to return to sport and to be considered for this program. How will the program help an athlete in their sport?  With an overall focus on where your child is in his growth pattern, our coaches can address each athlete individually and customize programs that work on weaknesses which may protect him from injuries in the future. We look to provide a starting baseline, progress and discharge summary for the athlete and family to view results throughout our eight-week programs. How do you sign-up?   Call 469-515-7150 or email BridgeProgram@tsrh.org to request more information. Classes are offered with rolling admission.
A Bridge Back to the Game

A Bridge Back to the Game

by | Nov 18, 2021 | Sports Medicine

Specially designed for young athletes, Scottish Rite’s training classes help build strength, conditioning and confidence for both patients following rehabilitation after an injury and participants interested in overall athletic performance improvement.
Program coordinator Ian Wright, P.T., D.P.T., CSCS, USAW, TSAC-F, O.C.S., and additional Physical Therapy team members certified in strength training provide focused, intense instruction so sports medicine patients like Lillian, who has recently recovered from an ACL reconstruction surgery, can return to playing soccer.
“Physical therapy sessions may end long before the body is back to sportready,” Wright says. And that’s where this program comes in. Ninety percent of training class attendees are Scottish Rite patients, and the others are athletes looking for performance coaching and movement training that may help reduce injury risk.
Three individuals performing resistance band exercises in a gym, all wearing masks.
“Even though I’m training as hard as I can, the class is still so enjoyable because you do it with so many different kids who have come through so many different injuries. It’s very inspiring,” Lillian says.

Poor movement patterns are associated with growth and increased injury risk, so an ongoing or periodic conditioning program can be important to young athletes. Training participants attend from one to three classes a week and are categorized based on any activity restrictions and individual skill level coupled with the specific demands of the individual’s sporting position.

“If I could give parents advice, I would say there’s something really remarkable when your child is doing therapy in an environment around other children,” Lillian’s mother, Debbie, says. “To do it around other kids is super, super important. Lillian realized she was not the only one.”

Wright and the team care for the unique challenges of busy student athletes and take external stressors participants face on a daily basis into consideration. “Maybe it’s a stressful midterm week or it’s out-of-season or maybe it’s a hectic game schedule coming up, our therapy staff can adapt and change the classes to fit whatever our participants are going through on and off the court,” Wright says.

The benefits to Lillian are clear to her parents and teammates. “These training classes have actually made Lillian stronger, faster and given her more confidence,” Lillian’s dad, Sergio, says. “It’s created such a good habit, and she’s able to break away with the ball so easily now.”

For information about attending the training classes, contact Therapy Services at bridgeprogram@tsrh.org

It’s a Whole New Game: Bridge Program Helps Young Baseball Players

It’s a Whole New Game: Bridge Program Helps Young Baseball Players

by | Feb 5, 2021 | Sports Medicine

When a child or adolescent baseball player completes physical therapy for an elbow or other injury, his needs still look different from those of their peers. Bridge Program Coordinator Ian Wright, P.T., D.P.T., CSCS, USAW, answered the five “W’s” about what a bridge program can do for these athletes.

Who should participate in a bridge program?
Growing muscles, joints, and bones in boys and girls are at an increased risk of injuries from improper training and repetitive activities that occur in baseball and other sports. After recovery from an injury and discharge from physical therapy, all athletes would benefit from a strength and conditioning program to balance sport-specific training sessions. An athlete with a current injury should not start a bridge program without activity clearance from the medical provider.

What is a bridge program?
A bridge program is a series of group training classes led by a certified strength and conditioning coach. The coach evaluates the athlete’s movement patterns and provides instruction while supervising specific exercises with proper repetitions, resistance, and rest. Activities range from general strength and conditioning to sport simulation activities that are age- and task appropriate for each athletes. Education to complement the physical activities includes nutrition and hydration information for young athletes.

When is a bridge program appropriate?
A bridge program is most effective when it closely follows rehabilitation closely. Because poor movement patterns are associated with growth and increased injury risk, an ongoing or periodic conditioning program provides value to the young athlete at any point. The instructor must have a solid understanding and commitment to off-season periodization. Periodization is selecting the appropriate type of intensity of training based on the sports season.

For example, for baseball players, three seasons are considered:

  1. Off-Season: August – November
  2. Pre-Season: December – February
  3. In-Season: March – July

Periodization becomes more difficult when athletes participate in a single sport year-round which is also associated with an increased risk of injury.

Where can an athlete participate in a bridge program? 
The program should be implemented in a setting where there is access to equipment for the young athlete to train in a safe environment. For example, an at-home exercise program may have limitations for the athlete because they do not have enough space to perform their activities with the needed equipment. Additionally, proper supervision is important, both the ratio of participants to instructors and the qualifications of the instructors must be considered.

Why should young baseball players participate in a strength and conditioning program?
Physical therapy typically focuses on the specific impairment or limitations caused by the injury or condition. Though sports-focused therapists integrate total body treatment throughout, the sessions may end long before the body is back to normal. Most home exercise programs revolve around continued, supervised resistance training. Young athletes have limited access to well-trained instructors that consider total body conditioning, growth and development, skill acquisition, seasonal periodization, and individualized effective strengthening prescription. When left on their own, athletes are at an increased risk of a new injury or re-injury when they return to sport specific regimens of practice, games, tournaments, coaching clinics, and self-guided training.

Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco is offering training classes to former patients, Contact our Therapy Services team at 469-515-7150 or bridgeprogram@tsrh.org.

Learn more about Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) in the Elbow.