TSAC Practitioner of the Year Award - Retired
This award is given to a TSAC educator and practitioner who has made noteworthy contribution to the teaching and practical application in the field of tactical strength training and conditioning. Qualified nominees must be a certified member of the NSCA with a CSCS AND TSAC-F certification.
This award was retired in 2020. Please reference the current awards here: Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year award.
Congratulations to the 2020 winner!
Brent A. Alvar, PhD, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F, FNSCA
Alvar is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. He has been a Member of the NSCA since 1996 and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® with Distinction (CSCS,*D®), Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®), and NSCA Fellow (NSCAF). He began his career as a personal trainer/strength coach working with the general population and various clinical populations. Additionally, he developed programs for collegiate sports performance and tactical strength and conditioning. He has also been instrumental in developing many college and university academic programs in the area of sports and tactical strength and conditioning, including programs from associate’s to PhD levels. His research focus is in the area of dose-response of resistance training as well as the various components of exercise testing and prescription related to human performance and occupational preparedness. Alvar has over 50 published papers and book chapters, as well as over 75 invited research and professional presentations both nationally and internationally. He is also extremely involved in the tactical area of the NSCA, helping to develop the NSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning as well as the TSAC Strength and Conditioning Course. His teaching is centered on evidence-based practice, research methods, clinical exercise prescription, sport, and tactical strength and conditioning. He spends the majority of his time guiding young scholars in their professional and research pursuits, and feels this is the most important aspect of his career.
View Alvar's Press Release
Award Eligibility
| Current CSCS and TSAC-F Certifications |
| Current NSCA Member for 2 consecutive years |
| Has not won this award previously |
| Nominated by a current member |
Additionally, nominees must qualify using a criteria sheet (PDF) and submit a cover letter, resume/CV and supporting documents to nominations@nsca.com by the requested deadline. Qualifying nominees will be asked additionally for media/public relations/communication officer information, a high resolution head shot (1MB or larger), a short bio, Twitter handle (optional), and a signed media release.
Past Award Recipients Include:
| 2019 - Tyler Christiansen, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D, RSCC*D | 2018 - John Hofman, MS, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D |
| 2017 - Mark Stephenson, MS, ATC, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D | 2016 - Mark Abel, PhD, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D |
How is the recipient selected?
- All nominee criteria sheets are reviewed by the NSCA Awards Staff Liaison for minimum eligibility requirements.
- Any nominee not meeting the minimum eligibility requirements are notified by NSCA with the requirement not met.
- NSCA Awards Staff Liaison reviews, against NSCA records, the NSCA involvement sections of the nominee criteria sheets who have met the minimum eligibility requirements.
- Items not able to be verified through record or supporting documentation are noted.
- Nominee criteria sheet points are not changed to reflect any items unable to be verified.
- Once the review of all nominees are complete, an application packet containing the cover letter, CV/Resume, supporting documentation, and criteria sheet of each applicate are submitted to the Awards Task Force Liaison.
- The Awards Task Force Liaison reviews the packet and separates out the top three nominees bases on points.
- The nominees are submitted to the Awards Task Force for vote.
- Votes are collected by the Awards Task Force Liaison, who shall not vote.
- The Awards Task Force Liaison will tally the vote and submit it to the Awards Staff Liaison.
- The Awards Staff Liaison will send out regret and congratulation notifications.
