The strength and conditioning profession involves combined competencies for the application of sport/exercise science, administration, management, teaching, and coaching. Its professionals must also comply with various laws and regulations while responding to instances of potential injury, and related claims and suits. This creates remarkable challenges, and requires substantial experience, expertise, and other resources to effectively address them, especially in multi-sport (e.g., collegiate and scholastic) settings.

Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is proud to announce that Coach Joel Raether has been selected as the NSCA’s Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for 2020. Coach Raether becomes the sixth recipient of the award, which has been handed out since 2014. Award winners are selected by a volunteer committee, the NSCA’s Coaching Task Force, who determine the winner based on their contributions to the NSCA, their community, and the coaching profession.

Firefighting is a profession that has the potential to be extremely demanding, both physically and mentally. More specifically, these tactical personnel must be physically fit to perform their occupational requirements, all while they are exposed to daily stressors. This is likely to include everything from physical strain and shift work to interrupted sleep and witnessing potentially traumatizing events. Failure to prepare and mitigate these occupational demands can have long-lasting implications to overall performance as well as health and wellness. Unfortunately, many of these elements often go unaddressed. As such, considerations for collaborative and overarching cross-disciplinary allied health teams should be made. Human performance optimization (HPO) is a model that has been successfully adopted by the U.S. military to enhance the overarching health, wellness, and performance of soldiers. This article proposes the utilization of a similar HPO model by providing a rationale for how it can be used to reduce premature morbidity and mortality, as well as increasing overall readiness and resilience within the firefighting profession.

Take part in the NSCA Women's Committee Mentorship program and become a mentor by filling out this application. Mentor Qualification Criteria: ● Identify as female ● Three plus years of relevant work experience ● NSCA Certified o CSCS required for coaching mentor o TSAC-F or CSCS required for tactical mentor o NSCA-CPT or CSPS required for personal training mentor o CPSS required for sport science mentor ● Masters degree or higher required for research or academic career mentor

Get NSCA CEU credits as you continue to expand your knowledge of strength and conditioning.

The NSCA Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Coaching Advancement Grant, Nicholas Cuthrell, and Eleiko Equipment Grant, North High School.

Explore why Dr. Jay Dawes has been selected as the 2026 NSCA Foundation Legacy Scholarship Honoree for his lasting impact on tactical strength and conditioning.