This article provides a personal perspective on the art of coaching that stems from acquired knowledge, education, and real-world application through professional sports experience from working in human performance.

Part 2 of this series on allostatic load theory will focus on how monitoring personnel holistically can contribute to a well-rounded health and performance model supporting the tactical athletes.

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

Matthew Van Dyke, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Denver, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about professional development, working as part of a comprehensive sports performance team, and developing additional knowledge in the field.

Integrating unbalanced load training into a strength or hypertrophy phase, or any workout program, can add a tremendous amount of demand on the lateral aspects of the core to help the athlete develop a strong core. Using unbalanced load training may help produce increases in athleticism, balance, and motor coordination without sacrificing strength or explosiveness.

Several obstacles can derail women from reaching or succeeding in the elite combat schools and will need to be mediated. The main obstacles this article focuses on are the current standard fitness requirements for attending an advanced combat school, the high absolute strength and power demands required by these combat schools, and the unique physiology of women compared to men.

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 NSCA is proud to recognize the outstanding work of our professionals around the world. Please take time to nominate your peers when you see excellence that deserves recognition.

This article explains Fartlek training as well as how it can be programmed and individualized for different clients.

The path to actual integration of mental and physical training for the tactical athlete is paved with growing empiricism. The current challenge is to sustain creative development of functional approaches and demonstrate that integration can deliver potential benefits.