The purpose of this article is to justify the importance and advantage to properly incorporate upper body power (UBP) training in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes.

Bone tissue is “alive” and is a dynamic tissue that can respond to resistance training. In addition to the obvious effects of resistance training on muscle mass and strength, resistance training may lead to decreased risk for osteoporosis, fractures, and falls in later life.

In this episode, we hear from Kerry Harbor, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Winston-Salem State University, on his experience at the 2023 NSCA Coaches Conference. Coach Harbor shares with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, unique aspects of serving student-athletes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II level. The discussion includes Coach Harbor’s early aspiration to become a physical therapist, to how a college football injury introduced him to the coaching profession. From teaching physical education classes to coaching in both high school and college, Coach Harbor reflects on recent growth and areas of opportunity in the strength and conditioning profession. As mentioned during the episode, you can learn more about the results from the 2022 NSCA Strength and Conditioning Salary Survey. Connect with Kerry on Instagram: @harborkerry or Twitter @CoachHarbor | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

This excerpt from Developing the Core briefly defines closed- and open-chain exercises and their respective roles in training.

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 excerpt from Developing Speed looks at how a fundamental understanding of the biomechanical principles that affect speed can assist coaches and athletes in developing running speed.

Neural adaptations help mediate growth-related processes and the early increase in strength is attributable mainly to improved neural function. Along with neural changes, various aspects of the protein metabolism in the muscle are changing in the early phases of training.

Interest is growing in warm-up procedures that involve dynamic activities and sport-specific movements that maximize active ranges of motion at different movement-specific speeds while preparing the body for the demands of sport training and competition.

The exercises and progressions provided in this article can be used as a basic guideline for rehabilitation of common shoulder injuries, as well as a way to strengthen areas that are commonly affected by injury.

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.