The second in a planned series to review essential considerations of each Functional Movement Screen (FMS) pattern, this article will examine the FMS hurdle step pattern in finer detail.

The path to the top is not always linear. For Jill Costanza, it included returning to school and stops in collegiate and military performance before becoming Director of Sport Science and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the National Football League (NFL) Detroit Lions. Costanza describes today’s sport science landscape as a “Wild West,” where definitions differ by perspective. Her focus centers on assessing the athlete and program effectiveness against the demands of the game to identify holistic interventions. She outlines how intentional systems, a clear communication funnel, and data visualizations help athletes and stakeholders understand the “why,” build buy-in, and tap into competitiveness. Addressing common misconceptions, Costanza clarifies that elite athletes can still have foundational qualities that need rewiring. She emphasizes movement quality, proprioception, and breathing while adapting for individual needs and neurological fatigue. Learn how to build sport science systems, turn insights into action, and keep progressing on your professional path. Reach out to Jill by email at: jill.costanza@lions.nfl.net | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Join the NSCA Football Special Interest Group (SIG) and explore 24 other specialized communities designed to support your development on the Special Interest Groups page.

This article from Developing Agility briefly discusses the importance of age-appropriate speed and agility drills.

This excerpt from Developing Speed aims to develop athletes’ ability to accelerate quickly through stride modification.

All stressors affect training, Dr. Bryan Mann says in this lecture from Coaches Conference 2015. No matter the source of the stress - strength training, conditioning, classes, relationship or family - stress is systemic within the body. As a result, it is critical to monitor the stress load on your athletes to ensure maximal results, and it's easy to do - all you need is a pencil and paper.

Joe Kenn, MA, CSCS,*D, RSCC, spoke at the NSCA's 2012 National Conference on using movement screen to identify weakness in athletes.

Strength and conditioning coaches who systematically progress specific training variables, including games, can help youth improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

The NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines is intended to help identify areas of risk exposure, increase safety and decrease the likelihood of injuries that might lead to claims, and ultimately improve the standard of care being offered. This is a valuable resource for every strength and conditioning coach.

This article sheds some knowledge on shoulder exercise modifications and progressions that can help reduce the risk of re-injury and maximize performance for clients.

Rob Orr, co-lead of Bond University’s Tactical Research Unit, explains the differences in load carriage requirements and contexts between different tactical forces, and how to prepare tactical personnel for load-carriage tasks. This session from the NSCA’s 2018 Tactical Annual Training also looks at how to employ fitness assessments to determine future load carriage requirements.