Successful high school, collegiate and professional football players follow a strength and conditioning program to improve strength, speed, power and endurance for performance. To help guide the athletes during the workouts and training program, teams commonly hire a designated strength coach. A coach has the knowledge and expertise to guide the training programs along with a specific strength and conditioning certification.
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
The Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist -- CSCS -- from the National Strength and Conditioning Association is for strength coaches who are training athletes to improve performance. To earn the certification, you must possess knowledge for conducting sport-specific assessments, design safe and effective strength training and conditioning workouts along with guiding proper nutrition and injury prevention. Prerequisites for the certification include a bachelor's degree in an exercise-related field along with a current CPR certification.
CrossFit Football
Developed by John Welbourn, former NFL lineman, CrossFit Football utilizes CrossFit workout principles and supplementary movements designed specifically for the football player. During the CrossFit Football certification, you learn the basic principles of sport-specific training including sprinting, basic movements, warm-up techniques, agility drills and weightlifting exercises. Additional topics covered during the two-day certification include nutrition, film study and programming techniques.
Performance Enhancement Specialist
The National Academy of Sports Medicine -- NASM -- has numerous certifications with the Performance Enhancement Specialist -- PES -- certification being beneficial for football strength coaches. Training for the NASM PES certification, you learn rehabilitation, reconditioning and performance enhancement techniques that can be implemented into your team's training program. For example, an athlete who undergoes surgery to repair a knee requires specific rehabilitation exercises and the PES certification teaches the principles and techniques for a safe and effective rehabilitation program.
USA Weightlifting
Football strength and conditioning programs commonly use Olympic lifts and powerlifting exercises to build speed, strength, power, agility, flexibility and coordination. USA Weightlifting, however, offers a Sports Performance Coach certification that teaches the technical components to these exercises so your athletes can achieve maximal training results while reducing injury potential. The certification course covers the progression for effectively teaching exercises such as the snatch and clean and jerk along with the power snatch, power clean, power jerk and squat variations.
Member Comments