Congratulations to the NSCA's 2026 awardees for their dedication and contributions to the NSCA and the field of strength and conditioning.

The Tactical Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach whose influence within his or her assigned tactical (military, law enforcement, fire and rescue) setting exceeds that of peers. Achieving this influence can be the result of one or multiple coaching related accomplishments such as but not limited to measurable performance improvements or injury reduction, program creation, advancement through innovation, and other initiatives that enhance wellness, health, and performance at the local level.

This article considers some of the main differences between the training of Olympic weightlifters and the use of Olympic weightlifting exercises in strength training for sport.

Competence, autonomy, and relatedness are three keys to promoting a more intrinsically motivated athlete. These components can be combined in nearly limitless ways, which is especially important for the long basketball season.

This article provides a first-hand account of the usage and benefits of dumbbell training programs with athletes.

It is important for strength and conditioning coaches, sport coaches, athletic trainers, and administrators to recognize and address the evidence of stress within student-athletes in order to avoid chronic stress-related anxiety and injury.

Brice Long, Director of Human Performance Experience at O2X, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about O2X’s holistic approach for fire, police, military, and federal agencies. Topics under discussion include the value of training as a firefighter, physical tests and assessments in the National Guard, and being diverse in your skill sets as a coach. Find Brice on Instagram: @o2xhumanperformance or Twitter: @o2xhp | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This article aims to share practical application strategies that strength and conditioning coaches can use in fostering a positive change in their athlete’s performance by understanding intrinsic and extrinsic performance motivation and how to adopt an autonomy-supportive coaching style.