The catecholamines—primarily epinephrine, but also norepinephrine and dopamine—are secreted by the adrenal medulla and are important for the acute expression of strength and power because the hormones act as central motor stimulators and peripheral vascular dilators to enhance enzyme systems and calcium release in muscle.

In this NSCA 2018 Coaches Conference video, Chris Bellon discusses integrating periodization for speed, power, and strength development for collegiate athletes.

This excerpt from Developing Agility and Quickness provides a needs analysis for field hockey and possible program design options for optimal performance outcomes.

In this session from the NSCA’s 2017 TSAC Annual Training, Rob Hartman identifies areas of focus for programming conditioning, and provides insight into how to utilize percent-based programming for conditioning both aerobic and anaerobic efforts.

Emily Zaler, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the National Football League (NFL) Denver Broncos, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about the benefits of being persistent and proactively seeking out opportunities in the field. Topics under discussion include working with professional athletes, facing adversity head on, and how no task is too small to show how you can add value to a program. Find Emily on Instagram: @ezaler or Twitter: @EZaler | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

From the 2019 Tactical Annual Training, Matt Thompson, explains the principles that have helped guide his program design process and how coaches can utilize similar principles to help filter systems and methods to create a more effective training program.

Exercises performed in the water that improve swimming skills and simultaneously work the core can be beneficial for swimmers. One particularly useful core exercise that is specifically designed for swimmers is a kickboard progression, such as the one described in this article.

Ground-based free weight lifts, especially the explosive Olympic-style lifts, are highly recommended for athletic conditioning for the core muscles. They can provide a moderately unstable stimulus to augment activation of the core and limb muscles, while still providing maximal or near maximal strength, velocity, and power output.

Once strength and conditioning coaches have a better understanding of some of the differences between coaching and training philosophy, they can build their coaching philosophy and ensure it is a combination of both the “why” and “how.”

In this NSCA 2018 TSAC Annual Training video, Stew Smith explains the differences and similarities of the preparation in the training for a special operations candidate and an active student.