From the 2021 NSCA’s Coaches Conference, Adam Feit, Coordinator of Physical and Mental Performance at Springfield College, discusses the benefits of satisfying athletes’ and coaches’ basic psychological needs. He also explains how behaviors can help or hinder performance and how to create an autonomy-supportive training and coaching environment.

Duncan French, Vice President of Performance at UFC Performance Institute, and Bo Sandoval, Director of Strength and Conditioning, talk to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about how they holistically support around 570 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) athletes and push the boundaries of the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Topics under discussion include staying open to new ideas and perspectives, being adaptable as a coach, and the different ways they support their athletes. Find Duncan on Twitter: @DuncanFrench or Instagram: @dr_duncan_french | Find Bo on Twitter: @olystrength or Instagram: @bo.sandoval | Find Scott on Instagram: @coachcaulfield

This article explains the connections between the upper and lower body and their influence on performance and recovery strategies in sprinting.

Planning and designing training programs for a new group of athletes (e.g., a new recruiting class or a new coaching job) can be problematic without a base level understanding of the athletes’ current skill levels. This article describes one system that can be used to determine an athlete's self-confidence on different exercises.

Vernon Griffith, co-owner of Virginia High Performance and high school strength and conditioning coach, talks to the NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about opening Virginia High Performance, transitioning from the military to strength and conditioning, and impacting youth athletics.

This article seeks to provide personal trainers with eight brief modifications that clients can benefit from if they suffer from both acute and chronic lower back pain (LBP).

Dave Terry, Associate Director of Sports Performance at Georgetown University, discusses simplifying the process of programming for coaches to optimize their team’s potential. Terry also talks about fostering a culture that his athletes can take beyond the weight room and implement into their lives after college.

This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science briefly explains workload and injury risk factors.

Almost all functional movements of the trunk are combinations or variations of four basic movement patterns: trunk flexion, trunk extension, trunk rotation, and trunk lateral flexion. This article lists exercises to address each of these movement patterns.

Injury Prevention Strategies for MMA