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.

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.

Learn the basics of conducting a needs analysis for tactical athletes based on the athlete’s goals and desired outcomes, assessments, limitations on workout frequency and duration, equipment availability, health and injury status, and occupational physiological demands.

Field tests have become popular in applied exercise science and sport performance enhancement programs because of their simplicity and ability to generalize results. However, numerous confounding factors may influence the validity of test data from such evaluations.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Research, Coaching Advancement, and Equipment Grants.

The NSCA Foundation (NSCAF) awards hundreds of thousands in research grant dollars each year to outstanding individuals within the strength and conditioning community. The NSCAF is one of the few foundations that fund research for master’s degree students and across all levels of education and experience up to senior investigators, as well as one of the few sources that funds work in the strength and conditioning field

Explore the applied sport science research process in college baseball, and how academic research can be optimized to benefit player programming. This episode features Dr. David Szymanski, the Director of Baseball Performance at Louisiana Tech University, and co-editor of the recently published book NSCA’s Strength Training for Baseball. Hear about Szymanski’s career path, from college baseball player to coach and sport scientist. This episode covers a wide range of relevant topics, including exercise selection, performance technology, student pathways, and the emergence of performance director roles across Major League Baseball (MLB). Find David on Instagram: @drdavidszymanski or at his program website: LA Tech Sport Science| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

From the 2021 NSCA’s Coaches Conference, Matthew Ibrahim, Co-Owner, Director of Strength and Conditioning, and Internship Coordinator at TD Athletes Edge, discusses how to help athletes develop the skills necessary to build the brakes in the athletic development process. Other topics covered include how to create a better understanding of the transfer from training in the weight room to sport performance.

The aim of this article is to highlight the functional importance of the foot, and to provide recommendations for foot conditioning.