This article provides a proposed holistic solution to increase functional, quality movement among Marines, thereby increasing physical performance, reducing injuries, and developing more effective warfighters.

Vernon Griffith teaches how to identify compensation patterns associated with tactical populations and how to design proactive movement protocols for tactical athletes, in this session from the NSCA’s 2018 TSAC Annual Training.

This article details the rationale for making the eight main movements the foundation of tactical strength and conditioning.

In this hands-on lecture from the NSCA's 2014 Movement Performance Clinic, Jay Dawes demonstrates stretches and mobility work that are designed to emphasize good postural control and good postural stability.

Jason Masek talks about how to implement and properly execute push, pull, and propulsion movement patterns and variations into athlete programming.

Some research has found that static stretching can have detrimental effects on subsequent performance. This is not to say that static stretching should be eliminated from an athlete’s program, but it should be sensibly incorporated into the daily training regimen since chronic stretching can enhance the range of motion around a joint and potentially improve strength and power performance.

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In the final part of this four-part series on proper movement, the author recommends that the US Marine Corps screen the movement quality of each Marine and educate them on how to move correctly in order to reduce the risk of injury.

This article provides the first academic history of the barbell back squat and its evolution from a bodyweight exercise in the 19th century to a loaded exercise used for a variety of purposes in the present age. In doing so, the article highlights three key drivers in the evolution of the back squat—changes in equipment, the diversification of strength sports, and scientific communication concerning the safety and efficacy of the movement. The goal of this article was not to provide a dry and irrelevant history but rather to stress the complexity of the squat’s prominence within fitness programs and the need to hold a nuanced view toward the “optimal” way to approach this movement. It examines how the movement evolved from being primarily done on the tips of one’s toes, to a loaded movement on tippy toes, to a flat-footed movement. By contextualizing the back squat’s history, this article challenges rigid notions of “correct” squatting technique and encourages a more nuanced understanding of exercise selection in strength and conditioning practice. It concludes by highlighting the importance of critically examining the social construction of knowledge in fitness and sport, and the value of historical perspective in informing contemporary training practices