Under the previous weight coach and the current, I witnessed several modest injuries (myself included) and numerous serious near misses due to poor technique and body types not suited for these Olympic lifts.
The Olympic lift obsession came from the 1990's D1 power houses in OH-MI-FL schools with top tier athletes and TOP tier weight COACHES. Now that Olympic lifts have migrated to the laughable cross fit crowd, it's clear that the strength coach needs to reevaluate his program and its effectiveness. Different position and body type athletes benefit most from a blend of Powerlifting, Olympic and Strongman.
The team RECORD back squat on the wall was done by a Canadian D lineman trained in powerlifting. He wore a full squat suit (which will add 50-100lbs to a max squat) due to its full body compression, a 6" belt for back protection and knee wraps for preventing knee injury.
Before setting my position's record, I calmly asked the current "strength" coach if I could wear a belt and wrap my knees when going over 600 lbs for protection. He yells back, "NOPE, NOT ON MY WATCH". I then explained that the current record holder was allowed to wear a suit AND protective gear while this "coach" stared in the opposite direction. Not wanting to suffer another injury, I began to wrap my knees. This small man syndrome "coach" yells at the top of his lungs: "DISQUALIFIED".
Bubba best get rid of these TRASH "coaches" around him or he won't be around long.
