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That’s why Horwitz is hosting the Maryland State National Strength and Conditioning Clinic, June 2 at Montgomery College-Rockville. It is open to anyone, but is aimed mostly towards middle- and high-school coaches.

The conference is a nine-hour crash course for the improvement of performance in sport, focusing on issues including stretching, body and weight training, nutrition, technique, balance, agility and speed development. As Maryland’s National Strength and Conditioning Association Director, Horwitz feels it is his duty not only to reach as many young athletes as possible, but to have proper training methods instilled in the people teaching them.

‘‘Everything is geared mostly towards kids,” said Horwitz. ‘‘The actual conference, though, is geared towards sports coaches. The reality is that unless it’s a private school, they don’t have a strength coach, and most private schools don’t even have one either, at least in Maryland. ... We want to give coaches the basic information for when you go practice with your team, you’re giving them the right preparation.”

Few people in the area have the breadth of both know-how and experience Horwitz has to draw from. He is a decorated bodybuilder, having won the 1986 AAU Collegiate Mr. America bodybuilding contest and the 2000 100% RAW Powerlifting meet in the 198-pound masters division. Professionally, he has worked with the most elite of athletes as the lone chiropractor for the 1996 United States Olympic team.

With that resumé comes plenty of information for people of all age groups, but particularly youngsters. One central issue Horwitz will tackle in the seminar is muscle development, and the common belief that children are too young to build it. It’s a myth, he says, that too many people need cleared up.

‘‘Why do parents think it’s okay to enroll their kids in pee wee football at eight to 10 years old, run full speed into each other, but it’s not okay to lift weights?” Horwitz said. ‘‘Did everyone fail physics? When you throw a baseball, the force generated on the shoulder far exceeds any movement in any kind of weight training. They can’t work out, yet they can throw 80 pitches a game? The same goes with collisions occurring heading a soccer ball. Why don’t coaches have training to strengthen neck muscles? Why not do yoga for body weight exercises, or doing tubing stretches for your core? These are all things we talk about.”

More than anything, Horwitz would like to see the state of Maryland take a more active role in the development of its young athletes. He’d like to see more schools take the approach of Douglass Freeman High in Richmond, Va., which has raised funds for not only a strength coach, but an actual strength and conditioning facility to mentor students on how to improve their athletic performance.

As he puts it, he wants coaches from around the state, and particularly Montgomery County, to know ‘‘it can be done.” Not only does he have the knowledge to help coaches better train their athletes, but also to keep them healthy and at a lesser risk of injury.

‘‘If high school coaches just became more knowledgeable — we need to develop basic athletic skills before we develop sport-specific skills,” Horwitz said. ‘‘Frankly, it’s really hard to get coaches to come to this stuff, but they could learn so much.”

Note: The 2007 Maryland State NSCA Clinic costs $50 for coaches and $30 for students. More information can be found at www.youcanbefit.com⁄marylandstrength.html.