SPIDERfit Highlighted Coach
Name: DuWayne Behnke
Title: Physical Education Teacher
Organization: Stevens Point School District
Website: www.pointpe.net
- How long have you been working with kids? 27 Years
- What ages do you mostly work with? High School
- What motivates you to work with kids? My favorite time of the day is when class starts. I love my position as an educator and having the opportunity to change lives. When done right, we can mold and change future habits of youth through proper methods of education and motivation. Nothing is more rewarding than watching young men and women grow as hard working, polite and respectful adults. I have had many students make comments on their end of the year survey saying how my class has changed, in a positive way, how they look and feel about themselves. Nothing is more motivating than to hear those words, and push myself to be the best teacher I can be.
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4. How would you describe your philosophy of youth physical development? I believe our youth and societal demands have changed and so we have to change how we teach, coach and train. We have to assess and let that drive the programming. Knowing the developmental stages of youth, the latest science and what they respond to in regards to exercise can be motivating for the kids we train and fun for the adults that work with them.
5. What/who have been your major influencers as to how you educate, motivate, and inspire kids to a life of fitness, performance, and health (Books, coaches, other resources?) There have been so many people who have influenced the way I do my job. Brett and Craig with SPIDER Fit have taught me so much in the area of assessment, movement and nutrition and it has forever changed the way I program and teach. Todd Durkin, Ryan Burgess, John Baumann and Mike Boyle have motivated me to work hard and influence others to work hard at being more fit and lead a happy life. My colleagues and friends like Dave, Amy, Jason and Pete who have been supportive and influential about what gets done day to day and are always there for me. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
I saved the most important for last like my wife Renee and my kids Cooper, Emma and Maggie who are the people I love more than anything and are understanding when I am gone or working long hours and still love me unconditionally.
Books and websites I enjoy are Alex Slezaks book ”The Physical Education Revolution”, Websites I look at often are: Juggernaut , Mike Boyle, Spiderfit and IYCA with all their great informative articles.
6. What has surprised you physically, mentally, or emotionally about the kids you’ve worked with? I have been pleasantly surprised at how receptive my students have been to being pushed to their limits physically; they want to be successful and it is exciting being a part of their journey in learning about physical education. In addition, it astounds me at how athletes and non-athletes are truly interested in advancing themselves intellectually by knowing the whys.
7. What are the primary challenges you encounter when trying to develop kids physically? I believe all the outside forces like sports, lack of sports, video games, pressure and even lack of pressure to be successful are affecting our youth and their ability or lack of ability to move, exercise eat right and take care of their body, mind and spirit.
8. What are your go-to strategies to overcome these challenges? Knowledge of movement from SPIDER Fit, and correctives have helped my program. Finding what kids like to do and what motivates them like motivational videos, fun work outs and putting things in a way they understand so they continue to want to want to improve or just stay healthy are strategies I rely on.
9. What’s your “trick” to get kids excited about exercise and physical activity? Through education and motivation and my being excited about what I am teaching. I believe first and foremost the kids need to know “why” they need to exercise, eat right and how to do maintenance on their body. Secondly they need to be motivated day in and day out in a variety of positive ways. I use videos, quotes, empower them with knowledge on how to create their own work outs, and create workouts that may be hard but fun and have some meaning that gets them the results they desire.
10. How do you work with the community (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.) to get them involved? I have to make an effort to communicate in a variety of methods to sell what great things are happening in the gym, but one of the best, I believe, is through word of mouth from student to student and student to parent. I also make myself available to coaches and staff by being present in the fitness center and extend a willingness to work with coaches to develop programs for their sports teams. I even met with my superintendent and helped him create a fitness program,
Brett Klika CEO and co-founder of SPIDERfit is an international award- winning certified strength and conditioning coach, author, and motivational speaker with over 20 years experience motivating and inspiring youngsters to a life of health, fitness, and performance.
Brett consults with schools, athletic organizations, fitness professionals, and fortune 500 companies around the world.
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