What's behind enduring success at the highest level of college athletics? Kate Smith, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Michigan, shares insights from nearly 14 years of experience coaching multiple sports in a competitive collegiate environment. Smith emphasizes sustained excellence through adaptability, genuine curiosity, and openness to opportunities — even outside of athletics. Drawing on her private-sector experiences, she explains how diverse roles helped shape her flexible, athlete-centered philosophy. Smith candidly addresses current collegiate challenges, including navigating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) distractions and adjusting motivational strategies across team cultures and generations. As a Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®), Smith highlights how integrating data-driven insights helps her create a more effective training environment. This expertise uniquely positions her to bridge athletics with academics, deepening collaboration on campus-wide performance initiatives. Learn how to implement practical strategies for keeping athletes engaged amidst external pressures, leverage performance data meaningfully, and continually refresh your coaching approach. Connect with Kate via email at kannehay@umich.edu and on Instagram: @katehaycock | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

The purpose of this article is to propose a training model for the aging firefighter to improve the athletic qualities of aerobic fitness and muscular strength so that they may remain healthier longer into their careers.

In this hands-on session from the 2020 NSCA Coaches Conference, Allison Skufca, from Landow Performance, demonstrates progressions from their four pillars of speed and agility training with soccer athletes.

Former President of the NSCA Greg Haff talks about how views on periodization have changed, and the importance of periodization for coaches and athletes to see consistent performance, in this 2018 National Conference video.

Duncan French explains the strength and conditioning work with MMA fighters in both their aerobic and anaerobic capacities at the UFC Performance Institute in this 2018 National Conference video.

This 2018 Coaches Conference video features rugby Strength and Conditioning Coach Ashley Jones discussing how his training and coaching philosophies have changed over time based on experience and science based principles.

In this 2018 National Conference Video Bill Parisi describes the opportunity in youth sport development, as well as how to expand your personal business and revenue in a fast growing market.

Courteney Benjamin discusses the importance and warning signs a strength and conditioning coach should know to help prevent sudden death in their athletes.

Andy Gillham goes over how to develop and prioritize goal setting for both athletes and coaches, in this session from the NSCA 2018 Coaches Conference. Creating systematic goal setting can help achieve team, performance, and personal goals.

Learn about the role of sports science in athletics. In this session from the NSCA’s 2016 National Conference, Patrick Ward provides an overview of monitoring strategies and discusses the use of technology within a sports science setting.