With coursework from SCN, strength coaches and athletic trainers can learn together, collaborate, and better serve their athletes and coaches — while earning CEUs along the way. Learn together. Earn CEUs together. Recertify together. And we're making it even easier. Our new platform will include staff tools to track course progress and access CEU certificates in one place. More coming October 1...

"Arm position was not controlled throughout the jumping and landing movements because we wanted to keep the plyometric activity as close as possible to that experienced in the training environment" -Flanagan et al (2008) from Reliability of the Reactive Strength Index and Time to Stabilization During Depth Jumps. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · October 2008 DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318182034b · Source: PubMed Those words, plus seeing athletes do things like this is why CMJ can (and should be) measured with arm swing. Standardization can be as easy as the above statement. The same coaches who make CMJ on plates have to be hands on hip usually don't make athletes dip down to the same height when jumping. They let it be self selected. Do the same with arms. Approach jumps added in are a fun variation for athletes. Let them do them and put force into the ground. Do this and standard CMJs. Put it all into a proper periodized plan. Same thing with curve running. This has become more popular, and should keep becoming more popular as all team sport athletes run curves in addition to accel and max velo linear, or change direction/agility with hard stop and starts.

The data matters. The training plan matters. The technology matters. But context matters more. Matt Aldred talks about why last year’s data can’t simply be copied and pasted onto a different team, how one of his players helped shape his own in-season training schedule, and why some of the most important coaching happens in the little conversations before and after a lift. This is also why data without context can be scary. Your data is what matters. Not another coach’s data, another team’s norms, or numbers pulled from a completely different environment. They run a different system. Their athletes are asked to do different things. Their practices are different. Their players are different. Stop worrying so much about normative data and start learning what your data means for your players. Ask questions. Listen to your athletes. Learn what works for them. Get to know them as people. As Matt says, we don’t work with robots or AI. We work with human beings. Coming off a National Championship season with Michigan Men’s Basketball, there’s a lot for S&C coaches to take from how Matt continues to evolve his approach while keeping the athlete at the center of it. Coach your players. Not someone else’s data. open.spotify.com/episode/75i…

Be sure to register for this event! Some great people on this call.

18 games in the NFL has a strong chance of becoming a reality.  But how can it work?  In @Dr_JustinLima updated blog he shares how an 18 game season can happen all while maximizing player health, having consistent training, and even allowing players to have better time off to be with family.  This is a win for everyone: players, coaches, support staff, ownership, management, and fans. To read the full blog click down below: strengthcoachnetwork.com/blo…

Coach @ChrisMartinLSU is one of the best S&C coaches working in baseball. He keeps the main thing the main thing - on field improvement and performance. Lift heavy? Yup Lift fast? Yup Sprint? Yup BFR? Yup He uses the all the tools to get the job done. This is how it should be done. S&C is not a one size fits all approach. He works with baseball players. They do not get runs on the board for big lifts, or fast sprints. Those skills help create robust players - but they are not the single reason for success. Inside this episode Chris and Justin talk all things baseball X's and O's including what it was like winning a national championship, difference in training pitchers and field players, travel, etc... Full convo out on all platforms. Click below to watch: youtube.com/watch?v=epkgui9F…

Coaches cannot always say yes, sometimes they need to say no. When you say no to something, you say yes to other things. In this blog article hear from @Dr_JustinLima comment on an original blog from @coach_Doyle on the topic. Free yourself up to say yes to things, by saying no to things that are not a priority. Full article here: strengthcoachnetwork.com/blo…

Banded drop landings, are they worth it? The hypothesis was no they are not. Simply increase the height or go SL was the thought. Conducted research on drop conditions off 24, 30, and 36 inches with 1/2", 1", and 1 1/2" bands, as well as single leg onto @HawkinDynamics force plates. Full 55 minute video showing methods and results. youtube.com/watch?v=3lgjRZz3… Watch and learn to see how you can apply this to your setting.

SPRINTember week 3 starts now! Full program with warm up on our YouTube: youtu.be/hT_j87212xA Short version: Sept 14th - Max Velocity Speed Drills: Boom Boom Double 4 reps x 10 yards | Dribble - Ankle, Calf, Knee, Bleed, Bleed plus 10 yard accel Speed Reps: Fly 15 - build 5 x1, build 10 x1, build 15 x1, build 20 x4 Jumps: DB Box Jump 4x2 MB Throw: Vertical throw 4x2 Sept 16th - Accel Speed Drills: Wall Drill Triple 3x5ea | Sled March Medium Weight 4 reps 15 yard Speed Reps: Sled Sprint 8 reps 10 yards Medium Weight Jumps: DB Broad Jump 4x2 MB Throw: 3 point throw 4x2 Sept 18th - Max Velocity Speed Drills: Boom Boom Triple 4 reps x 10 yards | Dribble - Ankle, Calf, Knee, Bleed, Bleed plus 10 yard accel Speed Reps: Fly 15 - build 5 x1, build 10 x1, build 15 x1, build 20 x5 Jumps: DB Box Jump 4x2 MB Throw: Vertical throw 4x2

Let athletes lift heavy weight. In-season. Off-season. Pre-season. Post-season. All the time in a periodized training program there should be a dose of heavy training. It is ok to push weight, create an atmosphere like the one you see, and let the fellas get after it. If you aren't you are doing the athletes, coaches, support staff, c-suite, and fans a disservice. PS. How great is that spot by Rob??

This product will be incredible based on the timing gates and jump devices from @DashrMPS Can't wait to use it!

Strength and conditioning needs to come together. First, we need to unite around what we call ourselves. We have talked about this through multiple blogs over the last several years. Titles can come before or after it, but at the center should be one consistent profession: Strength and Conditioning Coach. That matters when we talk about the STRONG Act and establishing a designated SOC code. Accurate data on salaries, employment, scope of work and our profession starts with being properly recognized. There was a ton of support when the STRONG Act was introduced. But where is that support now? As Rachel Newman from @teambuildr discusses these bills need volume. We can't rally around something for a week and then forget about it. Watch the podcast here: youtu.be/VRO7eyaOGZM Click below to learn more about the STRONG Act strengthcoachnetwork.com/STR…

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Remember, SPRINTember isn't just for you the coach. Get your athletes hitting max velocity work in-season! PS - get @PlayerData for your athletes so you can get great tech, save yourself time on upload/download, and work with great people. W2&3 SPRINTember Program: youtube.com/watch?v=hT_j8721…