FSHP Academy
Strength & Conditioning — all lessons

Coaching and Assessment

Fundamentals of coaching in strength and conditioningAthlete assessment and evaluation

Planning and Periodisation

Periodisation and long-term athlete development (LTAD)Macro-, meso- and microcycle planningPlan, prepare and deliver S&C for sportDeloading and fatigue management

Programme Design

Progressive overload and programming variables (sets, reps, tempo)Program design for resistance trainingCompound lifts: squat, deadlift and bench variationsPlyometrics and explosive power trainingSpeed and agility program designAerobic endurance trainingAgility, speed and endurance protocolsDesigning individual S&C sessionsPosition-specific drills: team vs individual sports

Recovery

Nutrition, sleep and regeneration strategiesOvertraining: recognition and load monitoring

Fundamentals of coaching in strength and conditioning

The coaching skills that turn good programmes into results — communication, motor learning, cueing, demonstration, feedback, athlete relationships and coaching philosophy.

Intermediate Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of an S&C coach
  • Apply motor-learning principles to teaching lifts and drills
  • Use external-focus cues, demonstrations and feedback effectively
  • Develop a coaching philosophy and athlete-centred practice

Before this lesson

Why this matters

The best programme fails if athletes do not understand it, believe in it or execute it well. Coaching is where science meets people.

Roles of the S&C coach

Plan and deliver physical preparation, monitor athletes, collaborate with sport coaches and medical staff, educate athletes, and create a safe, motivating environment [haff2016] [jeffreys2016].

Teaching movement

  1. Name and purpose — brief and relevant.
  2. Demonstrate — clear, from a useful angle, repeated.
  3. Practise — early and often.
  4. Cue — one point at a time, preferably external focus (“drive the floor away”) [wulf2013].
  5. Feedback — specific and positive, then fade.

Meta-analyses show external-focus instructions improve performance and learning compared with internal focus [chua2021].

Athlete-centred practice

  • Build relationships; know athletes’ goals and lives.
  • Explain the “why” behind training.
  • Offer choices where possible (supports autonomy).
  • Adapt sessions to readiness.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A university rowing squad struggles with deadlift technique. The coach replaces long technical briefings with one external cue per session and short video feedback. Technique scores improve and athletes report better understanding.

Further learning: video lessons

Video links are only marked “verified” after a human has watched them. Unverified entries open a YouTube search for that channel and topic rather than a guessed link.

Practical demo needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Coaching cues that work

evidence-based S&C coaches (search)

You will understand: external-focus cueing

Why: Practical coaching.
Introductory needs verification — opens a YouTube search

What makes a great S&C coach

UKSCA / NSCA (search)

You will understand: roles and competencies

Why: Professional bodies.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. Which is an external-focus cue for a sprint start?

Answer B. Focus on movement effect on the environment.

2. Chua et al. (2021) meta-analyses found external focus…

Answer B. Benefits across skill levels.

3. Feedback frequency should generally…

Answer B. Promotes self-correction.

4. A coaching philosophy is useful because it…

Answer B. Clarifies values and methods.

5. The S&C coach’s primary aim is to…

Answer B. Physical preparation within the support team.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Write your coaching philosophy in 150 words.
  2. Plan how you would teach a hang power clean to novices in three sessions.
  3. Describe how you would build trust with a new team.

Key takeaways

  • Effective S&C combines sound programming with excellent coaching and relationships.
  • External-focus cues generally improve performance and learning more than internal-focus cues.
  • Feedback should be specific, timely and gradually reduced to build athlete independence.
  • An explicit coaching philosophy guides consistent decisions.

Connected topics

functional training

Science behind functional and constructive training

strength conditioning

Designing individual S&C sessions

assessment

Athlete assessment and evaluation

References

  1. Haff GG, Triplett NT (eds) (2016). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.). Human Kinetics / NSCA. Textbook check pending
  2. Chua LK, Jimenez-Diaz J, Lewthwaite R, Kim T, Wulf G (2021). Superiority of external attentional focus for motor performance and learning: systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 147(6):618–645. Meta-analysis check pending
  3. Wulf G (2013). Attentional focus and motor learning: a review of 15 years. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 6(1):77–104. Narrative review check pending
  4. Jeffreys I, Moody J (eds) (2016). Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance. Routledge. Textbook check pending

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.