Insight into International Soccer Environments from Two National Programs
International soccer operates in a series of camps that take place all over the world ranging from approximately 10 days to 6 weeks or longer. With plenty of access to athletes and staff, there are numerous ways in which international soccer staff members function to provide high-performance support to their teams. I have had the privilege of working with the women’s soccer programs from two nations. I will share insight into some of the similarities and differences I experienced between the New Zealand Senior Women’s National Team (WNT) and Canada’s Senior and U20 WNT teams this past year through training [...]
CALL FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS
The CSCA AGM will take place on Sunday, November 20 at 6:30pm EST. We have 3 Board of Director openings we are looking to fill. If you are interested in playing a part in the growth of our association, please download the nomination form below. Nominations are due no later than October 29 at 11:59pm. For information email: info@canadianstrengthca.ca CSCA-Directors-Nomination-Form-and-Requirements-2021-1Download
CSCA Presentation: Programming Checklist
An excellent overview of how to create training programs and considerations related to programming. Perfect for strength coaches starting in the field. Complete handout available for download. CSCA-Programming-Checklist-HandoutDownload https://youtu.be/U2q0AnjjaNs
CSCA Presentation: Creating a High Performance Team
An overview of how to create a highly functional team and suggestions related to developing an appropriate culture, with former CSCA Board of Director and current Advisory Team Member Elliott Richardson. https://youtu.be/RFtWBifL4gY CSCA-Presentation-Creating-A-High-Performance-TeamDownload
CSCA Private Members Networking Forum #1
On July 21, 2022, the CSCA Executive hosted the first private members forum event. The purpose of these events is to provide an opportunity for CSCA members to meet virtually and interact, and get updates on activities across the nation. In this first forum the focus was on the CSCA certification plans and major association objectives for this year. Future events will have more of a business focus with discussions on business planning, marketing and branding. https://youtu.be/QFWz7d1F7kY
Advisory Team Spotlight: Belinda Cox – Guinness World Record Holder
Belinda Cox is a teacher and S&C coach living in Ontario. She is also humble and a World Record Holder for completing the most burpees in one hour. CSCA Please tell us about your teaching experience BC - I am going into my sixteenth year of high school teaching. I started my career in Shelburne, Ontario. When I first started teaching phys-ed, I taught the way I was mentored to teach and the way I experienced phys-ed when I was in class. It was all sport-skill based. One week of soccer, one week of basketball, one week of health…etc. It [...]
Psychosocial Stress and Strength & Conditioning
Hans Selye (1936) was the first to describe the adaptive nature of a living organism in response to stress. Selye’s theory focused on the role of the adrenal cortex response as critical to both the adaptive and maladaptive responses to stressors. Cortisol, a glucocorticoid, is a steroid hormone produced by the zona fasiculata of the adrenal cortex of the adrenal gland (Hackney and Walz, 2013). The glucocorticoids play a role in maintaining a euglycemic state of blood glucose by stimulating gluconeogenesis, the synthesis of glucose from non carbohydrate sources like amino acids in the liver, stimulating the expression of enzymes [...]
Multi-Role Practitioners: Should Strength and Conditioning Coaches “Stay in Their Lane”?
Introduction Due to the various demands of being a strength and conditioning coach (i.e., working with different types of athletes with different goals) and evolving training modalities, it is natural to learn new skills over time. Some practitioners specialize in a specific area, while others opt to learn a breadth of skills in many areas. Areas outside the classic scope of strength and conditioning include: nutrition, psychology, physiology, biomechanics, physical therapy, performance analysis, and sport coaching. As a practitioner, I bounced back and forth between strength and conditioning and nutrition early in my career, eventually landing a job as a [...]
Make Them Feel Special: 4 Tips to Building Relationships within your Athletic Department
When it comes to being a Strength & Conditioning Coach in an academic setting (University, College, High School), there are many challenges that come with the job that can include lack of space/funding, scheduling issues, as well as long hours with low pay. The biggest struggle I have encountered in my three years working full-time in this setting, is getting the buy-in of both the sport coaches and student-athletes. S&C professionals don’t have much say when it comes to playing time for athletes (unless you are a dual role S&C/Sport Coach). Due to this athlete engagement can be limited and [...]
McMaster University – Performance and Wellness Workshop August 5-7
McMaster Performance, the Marauders' elite-athlete training program, in partnership with McMaster University's Department of Kinesiology, are hosting a three-day Performance and Wellness workshop to engage leading industry professionals and those exploring a career in strength & conditioning or human kinetics. The event, hosted at the Marauders' new, state-of-the-art High Performance Area from August 5-7, 2022, will feature guest speakers, panelists and interactive workshops covering a range of topics on biomechanics, coaching strategies, clinical integration, motivation, career paths, and more. "Here at McMaster, we understand the importance of seeing things from a holistic perspective when it comes to training and performance with [...]
Creating Effective Resumes
The resume is an important tool for getting you onto the "short list" for a job interview, no more, no less. It is critical for very quickly and efficiently highlighting your skillsets and experience in a manner that displays professionalism and attention to detail. A poorly designed resume can easily find its way into the "no" pile and with employers only having 30 seconds to review each resume you need to make sure yours will strongly display your qualifications. In this webinar you will have the opportunity to learn how to effectively design and organize your resume, and review samples [...]
Facility Planning and Design
This webinar covers the general processes involved in designing your own facility. Whether small or large scale, there are important steps in the process to consider. This webinar also provides some tips and tricks for finding the best deals on equipment and a few shortcuts on affordable facility design. https://youtu.be/DcbxlvGCWzM
Equipment Vendors Guide
To support our members, we have partnered with our preferred equipment vendor Dotmar Fitness Inc to provide you with a vendor guide for equipment sales. The vendors on this list are both national and local, and represent major vendors with the capacity to bid on large projects and manage purchase orders. CSCA-Vendors-List-4-29-22Download
A High School Model for Strength Training Certification
Safe-LIFT-Certified-curriulum-package-1-30-22Download Performance training in Canadian high schools is very limited in scope and varies tremendously between, and within, school districts in both public and private settings. Access to decently equipped weight rooms is often a major barrier and there is no standard for delivery of strength training education in these settings. Resources to hire individuals who specialize in the training of athletes are rare, thus the onus falls upon the high school teacher to deliver this type of service, often with minimal background in this area. In order to increase access to effective performance training services, some schools are looking [...]
Finding a Career Using Social Media
Social media is an important resource for finding companies that may be ideal employers for a strength and conditioning coach. Learn the functionality of the different social media platforms that can be used in your job search and how to set up your online network. https://youtu.be/eMJ6TWjCP-8
CSCA Members Welcome
Thank you for registering for your CSCA General Membership. Membership has its benefits and they continue to grow. The CSCA is entirely run by volunteers and we are in the process of building out our membership portal to include: Important job postingsProfessional development webinars and articlesContinuing education webinars and articlesFacility design resourcesProfessional liability insurance accessAccess to professionals in your area Be sure to join our Facebook private members page for regular updates of our upcoming forums and events.
Becoming a Strength and Conditioning Professional
Learn what is involved in being a strength and conditioning professional and the traditional pathways you can follow to enter the profession. https://youtu.be/EbQ-fT9jLfA
S&C Job Opportunity in Saskatoon
Craven SPORT services is actively recruiting a part-time Strength & Conditioning Coach to join our professional, evidence-based, and upbeat team in Saskatoon. Craven SPORT services specializes in the holistic treatment of a range of health concerns and injuries by incorporating physiotherapy alongside strength & conditioning, dietitian services, massage, and sports medicine. An ideal candidate will fully support an integrative and active approach to injury management, in addition to carrying these same principles forward in their work with athletes and teams at any level. CSS Strength & Conditioning Coaches work alongside a diverse range of clientele, at all ages and stages. [...]
Reflection on a Year as an Interim – Challenges, Lessons, Tips, and Takeaways
After five games into the 2021-22 NFL season the Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach John Gruden. In relief, Coach Rich Bisaccia, then the special team’s coordinator, was elevated into the interim head coach role for the remainder of the season. With over 40 years of experience as a coach, Bisaccia had never been a head coach at any level. He inherited a team that was going through several challenges and a storm of internal distractions including the coaching change and players being arrested. With determination, arduous work, and straight-out luck, Bisaccia did what few NFL interim head coaches have [...]
The View from the Bench: From S&C Coach to Assistant Coach
Brock University Women's Hockey Team OUA Champions 2022 It is likely that S&C coaches are familiar with the four coactive model of athletic performance made popular by Fergus Connolly: Physical, Psychological, Technical, and Tactical. In general, the S&C coach lives in the physical pillar and the sport coaches live in the technical and tactical pillars. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, during the final month of our women’s hockey season at Brock University, I was asked to be an interim assistant coach by our head coach Margot Page. That meant for two regular season games and five playoff games I spent [...]
