Despite an incidence of approximately 3.8 million sports-related concussions per year, prevention of this injury remains quite challenging. Neck strengthening may limit transmitted forces to the head and mitigate trauma to the brain. In this session from the 2015 NSCA Coaches Conference, Tad Seifert reviews current evidence-based data in neck strength and its association with concussions.

Squash demands speed, strength, and control at the edge of human range — but still suffers from a massive stigma around heavy lifting and underuse of strength and conditioning. Brigita Roemer is leading the shift as Director of Strength and Conditioning for U.S. Squash, where she oversees all off-court physical development. After suffering a devastating injury as a track and field athlete, she discovered strength and conditioning when a biomechanics team “put [her] back together,” setting her on a linear path in the profession. Assigned to a sport she had never heard of before, Roemer began by emphasizing injury risk reduction, full range of motion, and “strength at length” to meet squash’s extreme movement and deceleration demands. With frequent connective tissue injuries like sprains and strains, athlete availability remains a top concern. By prioritizing continuing education and building relationships, Roemer has helped U.S. Squash make history — on the path to LA 2028. Connect with Brigita on Instagram: @brigey_lux | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs Elite strength and conditioning pros like Brigita Roemer rely on NSCA events to stay sharp, grounded, and connected. Join them at the 2025 NSCA National Conference (NSCACon) this July 16–19 in Kansas City, MO.

This session from the 2015 NSCA Coaches Conference is designed for the strength and conditioning coach who deals with a wide variety of sports. Scott Charland highlights how the needs of athletes in different sports are similar and shows how it is possible to operate an effective, consistent, and comprehensive strength and conditioning program with minimal staff.

Specialist law enforcement resources are under constant strain to maintain operational and organizational outcomes. The high operational tempo disturbs many functions including skill enhancement, personal development, work/life balance, and time for physical conditioning.

There is growing evidence that polarized endurance training is a promising method for optimizing a tactical athlete’s cardiovascular system, preparing for physical performance tests, allowing for a more full recovery during deployment, and allowing for safer return to duty after injury or deployment.

This article will focus on the management of the physical training process of US Air Force Special Warfare candidates, with relevant information geared toward the specific demands seen within the first phases of a Special Warfare Operator’s development.

This article uses relevant research and literature to provide suggestions for optimal recovery in tactical operators.

This article examines how training the core and performance are connected. This article seeks to help propose how to best use the literature to maximize understanding and use of the current concepts.

The purpose of this article is to identify and discuss the difficulties that can arise when performing physiological-based research with firefighters.