Keith Swift | College Coaching: Breaking It Down to Build It Back Up

For Keith Swift, coaching is completely effort based, but it starts with camaraderie and education. As Director of Strength and Conditioning at Wofford College, his philosophy is clear: educate, heal, and enhance. While playing collegiate football and studying exercise science, Swift learned early to question the “why” behind training and encourages his student-athletes to do the same. At an academically rigorous institution, his educational focus fits right in, fostering curiosity, technical precision, and peer coaching. Swift shares how his experiences across professional baseball, the private sector, and collegiate programs each shaped his foundation while making it his own. Amid collegiate challenges — from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer portal to the growing authority of student-athletes — Swift holds firm that “there is no substitute for hard work.” His goal is simple: help student-athletes leave with both a degree and a championship ring, setting them up for success in sport and life.

Reach out to Coach Swift on Instagram: @worqueowt and @wofford_strength, Twitter/X: @CoachSwift93, LinkedIn: @keithswift, or by email: swiftkd@wofford.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  

Discover how salaries have evolved across collegiate athletics and other work settings in strength and conditioning in the 2025 NSCA Salary Survey at NSCA.com/Salary.

“Building it [Stillman College] from the ground up was a challenge. I was the only one. I think I had 14 sports by myself. And that was a time. I definitely cut my teeth as a strength coach there. And a lot of people shy away from situations like that.” 8:40

“When they start to coach each other and they have a lot of peer coaching and they're using proper terms and they're doing things the right way, that's like the biggest pat on the back and the biggest reward…” 10:50

“The expectations in the weight room, having my own expectations. They know that Coach Swift is going to come with it and you can't come with anything less. All I want is all you got. And some guys, I let them know ahead of time, like, this is-- think about this being a renovation. There's no renovation without demolition. And in the weight room, this is the demo zone. We're literally breaking your body down, and we're going to teach you how to recoup and recover and build yourself back up.” 16:25

[00:00:00.00] [ROCK MUSIC]

[00:00:02.76] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, season 9, episode 14.

[00:00:08.08] The expectations in the weight room, having my own expectations, and they know that Coach Swift is going to come with it, and you can't come with anything less. All I want is all you got. And some guys, I'll let them know ahead of time, this is-- think about this being a renovation.

[00:00:24.62] There's no renovation without demolition. And in the weight room, this is the demo zone. We're literally breaking your body down and we're going to teach you how to recoup and recover and build yourself back up.

[00:00:37.08] This is the NSCA's Coaching Podcast, where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know, but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.

[00:00:47.52] This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon. Today, we're joined by Keith Swift, the Director of Strength and Conditioning, at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Coach Swift, great to have you on.

[00:01:00.52] Thanks for having me, Coach. It's great to be here.

[00:01:03.60] Yeah. You oversee strength and conditioning for all 20 varsity sports at Wofford. That's a huge responsibility. Can you walk us through what that looks like day-to-day, and how you and your staff manage training across the department?

[00:01:18.04] It's definitely an atypical experience. It's a unique task unto itself. So we pretty much, with it being a very academically rigorous school, we have to, of course, adhere to college first. Academics definitely comes first here at Wofford, and rightfully so.

[00:01:40.28] So typically our first group is going to be at 6:00 AM, like most places, and we'll go all the way up until our last group, starting at around 6:00 PM and finishing at 7:00.

[00:01:51.68] We have a staff of four, two full time and two paid interns. Myself, of course, and then my Associate Strength Coach, Coach Gavin Hopkins. And then we have two paid interns. And we are all pretty much managing anywhere from three to four sports each. And then that's how we tackle everything.

[00:02:13.84] And then there's basketball. They have their strength coach, men's and women's basketball. They have TJ Bell who also handles them. And yeah, that's how we handle it.

[00:02:25.06] Basically, from about 6:00 AM when we get here, at minimum we're required to be here any 30 minutes before any obligatory activities. And right about 5:30-- so from about 6:00 AM until, like I said, 7:00 PM, we're rolling. And we'll go from 6:00 AM to right around 10:00 10 every day is pretty much back-to-back. It's a blitz. So we're rolling.

[00:02:52.96] And then with the exception of Tuesdays and Thursdays-- Tuesday and Thursdays, you have that convocation hour, like a lot of colleges, from 11:00 to 1:00. And that hour, that block is humming. And then we'll pick right back up around 1:00 each day, where we're just going back to back to back to back.

[00:03:10.88] So it's definitely-- of course, we're alternating, and each coach is responsible for their sport directly. I don't hover or micromanage or my staff. I step in when needed. I think this is a great-- we have a great machine rolling, to where young coaches can develop themselves and I can help develop them, impart my expertise on them. But for the most part, yeah, we're rocking and rolling pretty much all day, every day.

[00:03:38.96] So you have football in the mix there too. Does that take up a lot of the time in the weight room, having such a big team in addition to all those sports?

[00:03:49.36] Of course. We are all hands on deck for football. So all four strength coaches, with the exception of basketball because they have their needs separately. So we're pretty much all hands on deck, unless we have to share the weight room, for example. So if we have a smaller team that can fit in, we go with small groups for football.

[00:04:11.44] So we're typically going three groups a day, with the exception of summer. Right now, we go in two groups. So we'll go three groups on a day-to-day the days that they lift, and we rock it out like that. And so yeah, we make it work. We make it work. And luckily, we're on the cusp of renovation, finally.

[00:04:31.41] Nice.

[00:04:31.78] So we're about to expand our area and get some more working stations to where we can, meet the needs of our athletic departments, which is going to be-- we're really excited about that. It's going to be a great thing. We're really excited.

[00:04:45.16] Yeah, facilities are a big part of what we do, obviously having the right equipment to train your teams. Let's get into that a little bit. Where are you at as you're planning a new facility or renovating? What are the main needs you're looking out for?

[00:05:02.00] Well, of course, the nuts and bolts. We don't get too specific, dare I say. Of course, we have to on this level, on the FCS level or mid-major level, we want to make sure that we address the needs of every sport. You have your rotational sports, that we want to make sure that we address those needs as well. So we've done that.

[00:05:20.90] We've outfitted a room with some Keiser equipment. On our upcoming renovation, there'll be some more equipment that we'll have, to make sure we address that concern as well. But for the most part, we're going to hit our nuts and bolts. You're going to have your standard rack, your dumbbells and bars and your regular rigs that you would normally have.

[00:05:44.40] But we're more so increasing our capacity. We are going to add on some neck machines, for our contact sports so we can really actually address that in a better manner. So that I am excited about, as well.

[00:06:00.58]

[00:06:01.08] I think we're doing-- as modestly and humbly as I can say, I think we're doing a really good job of taking care of our athletes. And I'm excited to be able to do an even better job, which is always the goal. Just keep getting better as a coach and get better as a program.

[00:06:15.32] Yeah. Digging into your bio, you've been at several college programs. I see South Carolina State, Purdue, University of South Alabama, and Stillman College.

[00:06:24.10] Heck yeah.

[00:06:24.80] How have those different experiences and environments shaped your coaching philosophy at Wofford?

[00:06:32.28] Well, generally, my coaching philosophy has always stayed the same, which is educate, heal, and enhance. Generally speaking, educate, because we want the athlete to know the why behind it.

[00:06:44.90] And quick story behind that, when I played at play football at Tennessee Tech we didn't have a strength coach set so permanently. Well, when I first got there, my freshman year, Zach Reid, who's at-- shout out to Zach Reid, who's at University of Arkansas right now. And he was a GA who was the full-time strength coach. Which is weird dynamic at the time, but it was what it was.

[00:07:09.73] And then he left, and then our football coaches ran our strength program. And then we got-- my senior year, we got a full-time strength coach who was solely for strength and conditioning, Chip Hugh. I don't think he's coaching anymore.

[00:07:24.17] But nonetheless, during that time, during that period, we had-- our football coaches didn't really-- especially as an exercise science major, I started to learn, we're doing some stuff that we don't necessarily need to do as football players. Yeah, it's tough. But, this ain't helping me. So we want to make sure--

[00:07:44.73] And we would ask, hey, why are we doing this? And, they were like, just shut up and do it. So that was pretty much the answer we got. So I always, as aspiring strength coach, made sure that when I'm in charge or when I have that control, I want to make sure my athletes know the why so they can put forth a little bit more effort. It's not an aim-- we're not aimlessly doing activity. So education is the number one.

[00:08:08.85] Healing, and of course, we can't eliminate injuries. Injuries are going to happen. But our goal as a coach, as a program, is to reduce the occurrence of and of course, that the return to play time, the time that they are out for that injury. So we want to try to decrease the amount of time that they're out.

[00:08:24.63] And enhance is basically what everybody thinks strength coaches do. Get them bigger, faster, and stronger, and enhance performance. So all those stops that you name, Stillman being my first collegiate stop, fortunate to create that program. I was the first strength coach there.

[00:08:40.65] Building it from the ground up was a challenge. I was the only one. I think I had 14 sports, I believe, by myself. And that was a time. I definitely cut my teeth as a strength coach there. And a lot of people shy away from situations like that.

[00:08:56.59] It wasn't paying a whole lot, but at the time it was decent. I think I was making around 30 to 35, and this was 2011. I was able to live off of it. And definitely inflation hadn't kicked in as much as it has now. So definitely couldn't make that work now, in my opinion.

[00:09:11.71] But nonetheless, that was always the crux of my philosophy. So I carried that everywhere. Only from Stillman to South Alabama to anywhere I was an assistant, that changed, of course, because I was an assistant versus being the head guy. So I adapted to the head guys philosophy and we rolled in.

[00:09:32.55] But it's always my passion to make sure we educate, do things that are going to help reduce injuries, and make our athletes better. Same thing at South Carolina State, and go on and on, to Purdue, where I'm back being an assistant and falling in line, being another cog in the machine. But staying true to my philosophy and working within the machine, if that makes sense?

[00:09:55.71] So I always carried it with me. Only thing is that we got a little bit more, I guess you can say specified. To each position and each unique situation that we were in. So we adapted to where we were, where our feet were, and we've taken it taken it basically-- even here at Wofford, we're still educating.

[00:10:16.97] We want to make sure that they understand why. And we do. And as aforementioned, we got some smart kids. This is an academic school. Academics come first. And so, us speaking in actual terms, teaching them actual terms, versus hey, they know what a-b-duction, a-d-duction is.

[00:10:34.43] We want to make sure that we say that. Hey, don't just raise your leg like this. We can call things the proper term. We don't have to dumb it down. And I think that speaks to our ability to coach, and putting our finger on the pulse of education.

[00:10:48.43] Because the biggest reward in that is that, when they start to coach each other and they have a lot of peer coaching and they're using proper terms and they're doing things the right way, that's like the biggest pat on the back and the biggest reward, especially being a coach. So, yeah. So our philosophy has developed, but it's pretty much stayed the same. It varies from assignment to assignment.

[00:11:09.97] Yeah, that's huge. You talk about strength and conditioning as an education environment, teaching the why to your players, especially the inquisitive ones. And you talk about being at an academic school, where you probably have quite a few inquisitive players that they want to make themselves better and aren't afraid to ask that why for themselves.

[00:11:30.97] I saw you also had some experience in professional baseball and the private sector. Were those significantly different experiences for you than the strength and conditioning you're doing today, or what was that like for you?

[00:11:46.61] Working with the Mariners, and working in the private sector, were very similar, in the fact that you have to not necessarily individualize some things, but almost semi-individualizing things. Because as someone might assume, in professional baseball you got money so there's egos involved. And then you got guys who are trying to make money. So they want things that are going to speak to them and address their needs.

[00:12:13.41] So, I'm very grateful for my experience and my time under James Clifford, who was the head strength coach at the time-- or Head of Sports Performance, Sports Performance Coordinator at the time. And helping me develop that, what we did was really monumental. I still use a lot of those things that we did back then now, to this day. As far as developing things, that was my first introduction, my first experience with post-activation potentiation. So we do a lot of testing and retesting, and you saw the effects thereof in season. So it was great to be able to do that.

[00:12:49.49] And then with Parisi, more of the same where I've taken a lot of things, as far as my speed program, and made it my own. But that was my foundation for many years. And of course, over the years, and that was 2000-- I guess that was 2010, 2009. Oh, wow, That. Was a long time ago. 2009 when I had that experience. But that was my foundation.

[00:13:17.93] But you're dealing with personalities, that's how they're similar. And the politics, of course, with professional sports that you deal with, those experiences. And it's kind of like, again, we focus on education. Because one place you're definitely going to get questions is with professional athletes and with young kids or in the private sector. So that's-- a lot of them are the same. And some of the professional athletes act like kids so then there's that. So one prepares you for another, if that makes any sense at all?

[00:13:48.37] It was a great experience, especially working with the Mariners. Growing up a '90s kid, I got to see Ken Griffey, Jr. in 2010, when he was on his last hurrah. That's probably the biggest starstruck moment of my life, walking beside and seeing Ken Griffey, Jr. in the weight room, and then seeing Ichiro in there. And the actual absolute--

[00:14:11.83] You want to talk about defying physics, defying things that don't make sense. It's definitely Ichiro and how he would come in the weight room and literally just stretch, and use a body blade. I don't know if that's still a thing anymore, if people still use those, and would go out and absolutely be a Hall of Famer. And you would try to wrap your mind, as a scientist, trying to-- man, this doesn't make any sense. How is he able to do this?

[00:14:36.71] And some things defy common sense or logic. But nonetheless, yeah, both of those experiences, working in Parisi and with the Mariners, definitely prepared me for my future assignments. And I'm definitely grateful for those experiences.

[00:14:52.33] Yeah, that's huge. Performance looks different for everyone. One thing you alluded to is a hot topic today, players making money with their sport. Is that something-- NIL, transfer portal, all the different topics that are in the media right now. Is that something you're seeing at Wofford? Has it changed your weight room at all?

[00:15:14.33] Fortunately, not. The portal, yes. But the NIL, we haven't had those problems, as a lot of my colleagues, and I thank the good Lord for that. But I will say, the transfer portal, it hit us pretty hard, hit our football team pretty hard, and after last season. But the good thing, the portal giveth and the portal taketh away. So, we read up. We got a lot of good talent. We got a good foundation.

[00:15:46.93] I think the hardest thing is from a training perspective, would probably-- actually, let me go back. I'd probably say the biggest thing from a coaching perspective, because coaching is an art form, would be reaching the guys and building that camaraderie, those interpersonal relationships. Getting those new guys to buy in, understanding the standard, knowing, hey, what's acceptable and what is not, especially in the world of football.

[00:16:09.19] I mean, it's effort-based. A lot of it is effort-based. All of it is effort based. Let me take that back. And then helping Coach carry out the vision, helping Coach Watson carry out the vision and the mission. And the standard being what it is, here at Wofford, the expectations in the weight room, having my own expectations.

[00:16:27.07] They know that Coach Swift is going to come with it and you can't come with anything less. All I want is all you got. And some guys, I let them know ahead of time, like, this is-- think about this being a renovation. There's no renovation without demolition. And in the weight room, this is the demo zone. We're literally breaking your body down, and we're going to teach you how to recoup and recover and build yourself back up. And that part is on you.

[00:16:51.13] And so guys, it's great to see those light bulbs turning on. But we get those new guys in. We're doing a great job. I think this is year three, actually as of Tuesday, it'll be three. I've been here three years now. And it's very rewarding to see the guys who've been with me this whole time pass it along, pass that expectation down to the new guys, and it's great to hear what guys-- or really, all think athletes think of me, and what the rumor is circling around on campus.

[00:17:28.91] Some of it is definitely wrong, but it's great for them to see that, at the end of the day, when that clock strikes and it's time to work, that we're going to work. You're going to get some calluses on your hands and some sweat on your brow. And that's the expectation because we're trying to win.

[00:17:44.95] And Coach Swift is going to do his part to try to help you have get a ring, a championship ring, on one hand. And whatever it is, if I can help at all, which not so much here at Wofford, a degree in your other hand. So, yeah. So for the most part, yeah, unfortunately, the portal has probably been our biggest hurdle in regards to that question.

[00:18:07.65] OK, yeah. That's sort of what I've been hearing from other coaches. Some schools, these are huge topics, while other colleges and universities, maybe not so much.

[00:18:19.51] Yeah.

[00:18:19.89] Everybody's aware of what's going on.

[00:18:22.00] Absolutely.

[00:18:22.57] And I think the sentiment you shared of, you seem happy that maybe it hasn't changed your entire approach or philosophy and you haven't had to adapt too much, just yet, with all the changes going on. With that said, what are the biggest challenges you see for collegiate athletes that strength and conditioning coaches can help their universities with?

[00:18:52.09] Oof. I think the biggest thing is-- first thing that comes to mind would be my experience when I was working in Major League Baseball. It's similar to that. With money comes some power. And I think that our college athletes nowadays have-- they're the most powerful that they've ever been, in regards to authority.

[00:19:13.17] And some of the horror stories that I've heard, what do you do with a kid who's making more than you, decides to say, nah, I'm good, or I don't want to do this today. Versus hey, back in the day-- I say back in the day with a smile on my face. I don't even know what back in the day means anymore.

[00:19:34.15] But [INAUDIBLE] hey, all right. Well, if you don't want to work then, all right, see you. Clock out, we'll try it again another day, maybe. Or we'll run this up the flagpole to the coach, you know what I mean? So having those loopholes and those hurdles, very glad that I don't have to deal with that to a certain extent.

[00:19:52.53] But honestly, I'm wary. I don't really know how we regulate that, as the NCAA, or even as strength coaches. I think more so, coming out with being an authority figure, saying, hey, you're going to do it or whatever. I think I've heard of coaches having to compromise, which I think some things, there's no compromise for hard work. So maybe I'm an old fogey in that aspect. But I think, I'm all for making things relative, as long as we're both getting the same thing.

[00:20:24.64] Maybe a guy doesn't put a whole lot of weight on the bar. Maybe he just moves weight for speed, and that's perfectly fine. But I think that there's a time and a place for a little grit and a little strain. And honestly, to narrow it down, if we're getting to the offseason, that's the time to do it.

[00:20:41.84] So we're going to-- it's time to get tough. And I think that when you get somebody who's maybe a little bit more reluctant to do that, I don't really know how you handle that. But I have to thank the Lord above, I don't have to deal with that, as of right now.

[00:20:55.20] Yeah. Well, not every athlete's going to be as motivated in the weight room as we are to coach them in the weight room. And that's one of the inherent challenges of being a strength and conditioning coach. I know a lot of our listeners can connect with that.

[00:21:09.00] I saw in your bio. You've had the opportunity to coach over 30 NFL athletes.

[00:21:14.08] Mhm.

[00:21:14.70] When you have athletes that are exceptionally talented, what are the key principles you key in on to prepare them for that next level of pressure and performance?

[00:21:28.30] I think it alludes to more so of, you haven't made it yet. So we get past the entitlement that one might have when they're on the cusp of achieving a lifelong dream. So I'm an old country guy so I'm all about the hard work. I'm all about good, smart, hard, smart work, dare I say.

[00:21:52.26] What we did before, I think that we-- I run a tier system. Shout out to Joe Kenn. And so I'm all about developing athleticism, training in multiple planes of motion, and pushing the envelope. I'm really a big progression and regression guy. And also, I just developed it. I believe in developing athleticism and where that comes out.

[00:22:18.08] And we kind of semi-individualize it, as far as our philosophy. And those who can will, and those who can't won't. So we'll keep them where they are until they're able to get there and safely. But we're not afraid to push you at your absolute limit, of course being safe. So fortunately, we've gotten really great results.

[00:22:41.34] And like you said, it's been over 30 guys, with Purdue being my only power four stop. I think, a lot in my situation, my blessing is unique. So I'm glad to be able to watch that. And by all means, I am not saying I am the reason why these guys went to the NFL, for any and everybody out there listening. I'm glad to be a part of their process and glad to watch them and still be able to say, hey, I know that guy, on Sundays, Thursdays, and Mondays.

[00:23:13.86] Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome to have an impact from Wofford, from the different institutions you've been a part of, and then see athletes go on to do great things.

[00:23:25.34] Yeah.

[00:23:25.82] And you know one thing, especially at a school like that, there's student athletes going on to do great things in other areas, outside of sport as well.

[00:23:34.16] Absolutely.

[00:23:34.18] And that's something to celebrate in our field. Lots of great insight from you today and I really appreciate everything you shared. I know some of our listeners are going to want to reach out, talk to you, get to know you even more. What's the best way for them to do that?

[00:23:50.66] Well, I'm across all platforms, I guess you can say. On Twitter, or X, I'm on CoachSwift93. Swift, like Taylor. I joke around and say Taylor is my niece, but she's not. So CoachSwift93 on X. On Instagram, worqueowt. That's W-O-R-Q-U-E-O-W-T on Instagram. And of course, Keith Swift on LinkedIn. So if you want to email me, you can email my-- at Wofford, It'll be swiftkd-- Swift K and D as in dog-- @wofford.edu And yeah, wherever you can find me, I'm always willing, first and foremost, to learn from other colleagues, no matter what age or expertise level. And of course just be able to share my own. So, we all-- iron sharpens iron, as the old adage says. So please, by all means, please reach out.

[00:24:47.82] Coach Swift, thanks again for joining us today, sharing your journey, your insights, and athlete development in adapting to the evolving college sports landscape are incredibly valuable for everyone. To our listeners, thanks for tuning in to another episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. If you'd like to connect with Coach Swift, be sure to check out the episode notes for his contact info. We'll put those in there.

[00:25:12.66] Thanks to our sponsor, Sorinex Exercise Equipment. We appreciate their support. And until next time, keep leading, keep learning, and keep making an impact in the field. Thanks, everyone.

[00:25:23.42] Thanks for listening to another episode of the NSCA Coaching Podcast. We value you as a listener, just as we value your input as a member of the NSCA community. To take action and get involved, check out volunteer leadership opportunities under membership@nsca.com

[00:25:39.51] [ROCK MUSIC]

[00:25:42.62] This was the NSCA's Coaching Podcast. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978, by strength and conditioning coaches, to share information, resources, and help advance the profession. Serving coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

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