Strong Starts: Building the Foundation for a Winning School Year
#57 - Strength & Speed Coaching - Pursuing Your Best ⚡️
When the first bell rings, every student who walks through your door is starting from a different place.
Some had a summer filled with travel, training, and confidence-building wins.
Some spent their break barely moving the needle—by choice or by circumstance.
Some are stepping in ready to prove themselves.
Others are stepping in hoping no one notices them.
In Mustang Strength & Speed, that mix is the norm. Our job on Day One isn’t just to hand out a syllabus or run through safety rules—it’s to set the tone for the entire year.
The message has to be clear from the first interaction: This is a place where effort matters, improvement is possible, and you’re part of something bigger than yourself.
How you greet them, how you start the session, and how you handle the first set of the first workout will tell them more than any speech ever could. If Day One feels intentional, safe, and challenging, they’ll believe the rest of the year can be, too.
Let’s dive in.
Why Day One Is a Culture Multiplier
The first day is more than a schedule, a roll call, and a quick safety talk. It’s the first “rep” of your year. And just like in the weight room, the quality of the first rep can set the standard for everything that follows.
When students feel connected, confident, and clear on expectations, they engage faster and buy in deeper. When they feel overlooked, confused, or disconnected, they disengage—and it’s much harder to win them back.
→ Read more on building athlete buy-in here.
The Day One Playbook
1. Greet with Purpose
Be at the door. Make eye contact. Use names if you know them; if not, learn a few before the period ends. The tone you set here will echo the rest of the semester. Show them you’re glad they’re here.
→ See how effective communication shapes culture.
2. Connect Before Content
Instead of diving straight into schedules and rules, run a quick activity that gets athletes talking and interacting. Pair them up for a short “get to know you” exchange, mix small groups for a problem-solving task, or do a low-pressure game that sparks conversation. The goal: smiles, energy, and names learned before the bell rings.
3. Share Your Why
Before you explain what the class will do, explain why it matters. Tell them why this program exists, how it’s impacted past athletes, and how it can help them. Keep it personal, short, and real.
4. Set Clear, Simple Expectations
Don’t drown them in rules. Start with your 3–5 non-negotiables (safety, respect, attitude, effort, discipline, etc.). You can layer in specifics as routines take shape in the first week.
5. Create a Quick Win
Give them something measurable or memorable on Day One. Even without training on Day One, you can give them a win. This might be successfully completing the connection activity, setting their goals for the semester, or some other task. Let them leave feeling they’ve already accomplished something here.
6. Close with Belonging
Close by reinforcing that they matter here. Be explicit: This program is for every single student—regardless of where they’re starting. Whether they’re a varsity star or brand new to training. You belong here, and we’re in this together.
→ Here’s how to build long-term success.
The ‘You Matter. We Need You.’ Check
At our Middle School, the staff has done a great job of standing behind this phrase. It’s a great thing to keep top of mind as we get started with a new school year.
At the end of Day One, ask yourself:
Did every student hear their name at least once?
Did they leave knowing why this class matters?
Did they experience a small success?
Did they leave believing they can contribute?
If the answer isn’t “yes” across the board, adjust your approach for Day Two. It’s never too late to re-establish belonging—but it’s much easier when you do it from the start.
Why This Matters for the Whole Year
You can adjust programming any time. You can swap exercises, tweak volume, or shift the training split in October.
But you only get one first impression.
Day One is your shot to plant the seeds of belonging, trust, and accountability that will grow all year long. When athletes feel seen, valued, and capable on that first day, they’re more likely to buy in when things get hard, stick with it when progress feels slow, and push themselves when it counts.
So walk into Day One ready—not just with your plan, but with your presence.
Be the coach who makes every athlete believe: I matter here. I can do this. And I want to come back tomorrow.
Keep pursuing excellence,
Preston ⚡️
Pursuit PE is built for coaches who care about doing it right.
If you’re looking for more practical tools to start the year strong—including sample warm-ups, quick-win activities, and day-one checklists—make sure you’re on the paid subscriber list.
I’ll be sharing a Week One Starter Kit in the next post.