Coaches can also benefit from understanding the concepts of positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment as they relate to motivation. Although coaches use a mixture of both reward and punishment, using rewards and a positive approach is arguably the best approach because it focuses on what athletes should do and what they did right.

Changing an Industry and Culture in Public Safety

High chronic workloads have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of non-contact, soft tissue injuries, while large spikes in acute training loads have been associated with an increased risk of these types of injury. Analyzing the acute:chronic workload ratio allows a coach to optimize training for the athlete and to continue in advancing fitness goals without overtraining.

The hip hinge and squat exercises, and their variations, are used in many strength and conditioning programs to develop athletes of many sports. The listed progressions are examples of practical implications used to develop athletes, but there may be additional practical and effective methods used by strength and conditioning coaches for similar purposes.

The NSCA is committed to providing its members with new resources. Here, NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Caulfield provides his review of the Volt© Athletics web-based platform.

The Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) is a practitioner with training and applied experiences across the scientific disciplines applicable to sport science and athletic performance (i.e., generalist) or predominantly within a select few (i.e., specialist). These scientific disciplines, as related to sports performance, include, but are not limited to: biomechanics, data science, nutrition, physiology, psychology, research methods, and strength and conditioning. A CPSS demonstrates competency in the application of scientific disciplines, assessment, training theory and process, needs analysis, monitoring, communication, and education with the primary goal of safely and effectively improving athletic performance.

The NSCA is proud to name 42 new strength and conditioning coaches who have earned the prestigious Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach® Emeritus (RSCC*E) designation in 2025

Part 2 of this series on allostatic load theory will focus on how monitoring personnel holistically can contribute to a well-rounded health and performance model supporting the tactical athletes.

This PTQ article shares a real-world story to give inspiration and practical advice on creating your own sport performance business. Visit NSCA online to read more on athletic performance and professional development.