First, thanks to thousands of you who have taken the time to respond to periodic questions we’ve sent your way. Our goal in this process has been to use your feedback to make the NSCA a better organization. We have followed up on that feedback with phone calls to many of you in order to better understand your needs and challenges. We want to continue this process and provide routine updates on some of the changes we have made to better serve your needs.

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Brett Bartholomew, keynote speaker, performance coach and consultant, best-selling author, and Founder of Art of Coaching™, talks to the NSCA Coaching Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the importance of communication as a foundation of coaching, understanding the messy realities of leadership, and how reflection can help the profession grow. Find Brett on Instagram: @coach_brettb or Twitter: @Coach_BrettB | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This article is the seventh in 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.

This article shares various options for integrating mental skills training into existing strength and conditioning programs. Such simultaneous, dual-training approaches may better prepare officers for the realities of occupational performance.

This article addresses three main areas of resistance exercise that best prepares tactical personnel for load carriage.

Hear from Cristi Bartlett, Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Olympic Strength and Conditioning at North Carolina State University, about her path through the professional ranks from student to department head. Bartlett talks to NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about making moves in the field, seeking opportunities for growth, the current state of strength and conditioning coach salaries, and other areas that can be improved in the profession. Connect with Cristi on Instagram: @bartlettc42| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

In order to move patients, gear, and equipment properly, the first responder must be able to move well themselves. Both unloaded and loaded movement should be examined and trained. One way to achieve this is to train frequently and properly with a constant focus on both mobility and strength in the various positions that are commonly required of first responders.