The TSAC Report is the NSCA’s quarterly, online-only publication designed for the training of tactical professionals, operators, and facilitators. You must be a member of the NSCA to access the TSAC Report.

Strength and Conditioning Coaches who are NSCA-Certified are preparing youth for training, using proven strategies that improve their safety and competitiveness.

NSCA-CPT Exam Prep LIVE Massachusetts | May

Each NSCA SIG has an executive council composed of a chair and at least two members. Applications are accepted from October 1 to December or January 15 annually. Check back during the application window for information on open positions.

The top concern of strength coaches should always be athlete safety. For this reason, the NSCA has compiled a list of resources to raise the standard of care when working as a strength coach at any level. By reading and sharing these examples of standards and guidelines, policies and procedures, position statements on vital topics, mental health best practices, and more, strength coaches can push to increase the safety of athletes around the world.

The Tactical Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year Award is awarded to the coach, researcher, tactical professional, educator, or administrator whose influential contributions to the field measurably result in its advancement in a way that exceeds the outcomes achieved by others.

Accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) can be combined with lower-body power-based movements to acutely enhance them; however, currently, there are limited recommendations for this training method. AEL can enhance force and power metrics during its utilization with lower-body power based exercises. When using AEL, exercises should consist of jump squats and countermovement jumps with loading methods consisting of weight releasors or dumbbell hand release. Elastic bands can be used; however, more research is needed in this area. External loads ranging from 10–30% of body mass can be used. Future research needs to investigate increased eccentric and concentric loads when using AEL with power based movements.

This is Season 9 of the NSCA’s Coaching Podcast, where strength and conditioning coaches share their experience, lessons learned, and advice about how to thrive in a highly competitive profession.

Sprinting is a key component for many individual and team sports. Therefore, to enhance sprint performance, various training methods are widely used by coaches and practitioners, including maximum sprint speed and resisted sprint training. Resisted sprinting with sled towing is a method that has recently received considerable attention from the sport science community. However, to date, no consensus exists regarding its acute and chronic effects in team sport athletes. This narrative review aimed to (a) review and analyze the mechanics of sprinting under unresisted and resisted conditions with a specific focus on team sport disciplines; (b) provide a thorough and applied discussion on the importance of considering acute and chronic effects of sled loading on technique, electromyographic activity, and force production, as well as on the role of muscle architecture and neural factors in sled training; (c) analyze the effects of increasing sled loads during acceleration and maximum velocity phases on contact and flight phases, while concomitantly examining kinetic, kinematic, and neuromuscular aspects, because all these factors affect each other and cannot be properly understood in isolation.

NSCA has a network of volunteer leaders who direct NSCA’s efforts at the state and provincial level. NSCA’s Northwest Regional Coordinator provides oversight and training to local state and provincial directors. Members in the Northwest Region can connect at local and regional events as well as on Facebook to others in this area.