Kelly Dormandy, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance at Loyola Marymount University and Head Strength Coach for the Los Angeles Sparks Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about championship culture. Topics under discussion include constantly seeking new challenges, training WNBA athletes, and being proactive about networking in the field. Find Kelly on Instagram: @kdormandy | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

How much of the athlete data you collect changes what you do next? Conor Cantwell, Associate Director for Sports Performance at William & Mary, explains how he chooses assessments based on the physical qualities athletes need and available resources. That includes accommodating sport coaches’ testing preferences while still getting data he can use to guide training. Drawing on Irish rugby experience, he discusses the big “S,” little “c” debate about balancing strength with conditioning. He explains how heart rate data helps him decide how much conditioning athletes need and considers how to keep players fit when playing time is limited. Cantwell discusses his PhD research into how submaximal tests can track fitness during the season without an all-out effort. He also explains how to match recovery strategies to the season. Hear how to use assessments to guide your programming and help athletes understand the choices behind their training and recovery.

This article is part of a continuing series of tactical strength and conditioning (TSAC) research reviews. It is designed to bring awareness to new research findings of relevance to tactical strength and conditioning communities.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Research, Coaching Advancement, and Equipment Grants.

Mandy Nice explains the benefits and need of expanding health and fitness programs into military and law enforcement agencies, and offers strategies for the common obstacles preventing implementation of these programs.

This excerpt from Developing Power discusses implementing plyometric training in a program to develop lower body power.

A major goal of the Foundation is to maximize assets to increase grants and scholarships for NSCA members. Donations come from contributors and selected sponsors who are also dedicated to science and research. With the growth of the Foundation, the NSCA has the ability to give back to its membership, affirming its mission of being the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, supporting and disseminating research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness.

The exerciser with 8 to 12 months of training experience can begin to include exercise complexes that combine trunk movement patterns with multijoint movements. Single-plane and multiplane movements can be performed using both open- and closed-chain exercises.

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.