This is an excerpt from NSCA's Essentials of Sport Science by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association, Duncan N. French & Lorena Torres-Ronda.

Similarities and overlaps exist between the realm of sport psychology and the profession of strength and conditioning coaching. This article provides a basic introduction to sport psychology and provides some guidance for preliminary directions; ideally, it will help strength and conditioning coaches find effective people and resources to help them in their coaching pursuits.

Colin Wilborn and Bret Contreras are elected to the NSCA Board of Directors. Joining the Nomination Committee are Shawn Arent and Jenevieve Roper.

In recent years, youth strength training and models of athletic development have become hot topics thanks in part to a shift in youth sports from leisure activities to year-round commitments. In order for strength and conditioning professionals to help the athletes of tomorrow achieve their performance and fitness goals, it’s imperative to develop safe, effective, and balanced programming for the youth of today.

This article addresses emerging research that both supports and refutes betaine’s capacity to promote muscular adaptations.

As performance staffs grow and develop, professional athletes today have a broad array of services and expertise available to them in the locker room and around competition. This episode features the Vice President of Health and Performance for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Phoenix Suns, Brady Howe. Howe tells Eric McMahon, the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, how humble beginnings as an NBA Developmental League athletic trainer contributed to his current performance-first mindset for leading a multifaceted health and performance department. Topics include often misunderstood developmental factors for training elite athletes and advice for how to serve your athletes at the highest level. Connect with Brady on Instagram: @bhowe6 or Twitter: @brady_howe | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs You can learn more about NBA strength and conditioning from the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association (NBSCA), an Official Sport Partner of the NSCA.

This NSCA Coach article examines the importance of hip-shoulder separation on performance in baseball pitching. Visit NSCA online to read more on athletic performance and sport science.

This infographic summarizes how varying sled-loads increase different characteristics of sprint performance in male high school athletes.

This excerpt briefly describes key aspects of this nonessential amino acid including its effect on the body, efficacy, and adverse effects.

Abstract submissions are open yearly from November to March (exact dates change annually). See the Abstract Submission and Presentation Guidelines for more information (below). Research abstract presentations are an opportunity to present current research findings to researchers and strength and conditioning professionals at the NSCA National Conference.