Casey Kramer, Assistant Strength Coach for the Chicago Bears National Football League (NFL) team, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about working with tactical, Olympic sport, and professional football athletes. Topics under discussion include advice for young coaches, scheduling strength and conditioning sessions in the NFL calendar, and different qualities coaches should seek to have outside of the weight room. Find Casey on Instagram: @caseykramer12| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

What does a typical day look like for a sports performance coach? Nicole Shattuck shares her experience working with women’s lacrosse at Duke University, where ample resources fuel athlete outcomes. Start by examining her comprehensive approach to readiness that raises awareness for both athletes and coaches. Guided by data, Nicole uses insights to adapt workouts, manage physical and mental stress, and deepen the athlete-coach relationship. New to lacrosse? Nicole breaks down a detailed needs analysis, outlining workload management for different position groups. Plus, as the Chair of the NSCA Lacrosse Special Interest Group, Nicole provides opportunities for lacrosse professionals to connect. Follow her unique path from a background in business and the private sector to finding her calling in collegiate coaching. Driven by a desire to build a Duke University sport science department, Nicole also recently earned her Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®) credential and reveals how it empowers her relationships with allied health professionals. Connect with Nicole on Instagram at: @nicole_lilia or by email at: nicole.shattuck@duke.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA Lacrosse Special Interest Group (SIG) online on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram! Plus, get together in person at the Lacrosse SIG Meeting at the 2024 NSCA National Conference in Baltimore, MD. REGISTER NOW at NSCA.com/NSCACon

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.

After going to a conference, networking, and returning to your normal schedule and location with all the new ideas, tips, and tricks, what happens then? The purpose of this article is to show how using questions and reflecting can help turn professional development activities into actionable improvements in your coaching practice.

Matt Shaw, Director of Sports Performance at the University of Denver, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield. Topics under discussion include transitioning between jobs, separating yourself as an intern, building strategic relationships, working between departments, and how strength and conditioning coaches should be evaluated

Lindsey Kirschman sees her non-traditional educational background as her greatest asset, not a detriment. She still considers herself a teacher — just differently — as the Director of Sports Performance for University of Utah women’s basketball. Coming from a family of educators, Kirschman initially studied forestry and range science before pursuing strength and conditioning. Kirschman explains how her teaching experience provided a firm foundation for optimizing learning and creating a positive environment. Her approach promotes skill transfer from the weight room to sport and beyond, using exercises like sled pushes as analogies for life lessons about resilience. A former track athlete, Kirschman underscores that while the finish line is the same, every athlete’s starting point is unique. Kirschman also discusses culture building through her “GOAT Award” and the challenges of transitioning from a generalist to a specialist. She encourages aspiring professionals to reframe their mindset and fully engage with their working environment. Connect with Lindsey by email: lindsey.kirschman@utah.edu and Instagram: @authentically_strong | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Get involved with the NSCA! Don’t miss your chance to give back and fast-track your growth with volunteer roles. Many applications close December 15 — apply now at NSCA.com/Volunteer.

This article gives a firsthand account of working in a few of the United States Army’s earlier human performance and injury reduction programs as a strength coach and active-duty physical therapist.

Hear from the widely-respected, Rob Glass, Assistant AD for Athletic Performance at Oklahoma State University (OSU), an influential figure in the success of the OSU and University of Florida athletics programs over his four decades in the strength and conditioning profession. Coach Glass connects with the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on the importance of professionalism among strength and conditioning coaches, and specific qualities he looks for in strength and conditioning coaches joining the OSU staff. This episode highlights the importance of history and experience in developing effective training programs for your coaching environment, and how the student-athletes of today benefit more from our improved coaching practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear impactful lessons of character and leadership that can help push your career forward. You can connect with Coach Glass by email at rob.glass@okstate.edu| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs