What is a Strength & Conditioning Coach and how do I become one?
A Strength & Conditioning (aka Strength Coach or S&C Coach) is the coach responsible for the athletic development of an athlete or a team that takes place outside of organized sport practice. In most cases S&C includes work done in the weight room, speed, agility & change of direction training, and off-season development.
Your responsibilities as a strength coach will vary based on the level you work at, the size and budget of the school/program, and the needs of the athletes. In all cases, the first goal of a strength coach should be to reduce injuries during the year, and the second is to increase performance.
At the high school level, you might work with every team on campus, and based on the size/budget of the school you could be the only S&C coach. In college, it is commonplace to have a head S&C coach that manages a staff of 3–5 coaches who oversee the different teams. So, in this case, you might be a head coach that takes care of 1–2 teams while your staff all have 2–3 teams as well. The job of a strength coach in college is extremely demanding, so it would be impossible for one person to coach the entire sports program.
The professional level of Strength & Conditioning is a totally different beast. Most people think of NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB positions; the problem is that those are extremely competitive, provide very little job security, require travel throughout the year, and there aren’t even that many jobs when you think about it. While the payoff is great, the sacrifices that need to be made are even greater.
So how do I become a Strength & Conditioning coach?
1. Go to college and major in a related field (i.e., Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, Sport Science, Athletic Training). You don’t necessarily have to major in one of these fields, but you will need a college degree. And to be a great coach you have to eat, sleep, and breath training; it doesn’t make sense to go study a different field if you know you want to be a coach.
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2. Get your personal training certification, preferably in your freshman year of college, and start training people at the school’s rec center or the local gym. Don’t try to just train athletes either, you are still so new, and just need experience coaching anyone. I know it can feel underwhelming at first, but to be an elite specialist in this field you must start as a great generalist. There is nowhere else you’ll get the same volume of clients as a new trainer. Plus, you probably need a job anyway, and would you rather work in the gym or at Target?
3. Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer. I know how that sounds at first, “why would I work for free?” Listen, I get where you’re coming from, but think about it like this: you haven’t really trained anyone at this point. S&C is a competitive field, and I promise you, you’re not ready for it just yet. Take some time to build you value as a coach and really show people what you can do. Go coach youth teams or offer to run weight room sessions for an understaffed high school team. Volunteer over spring break at a kid’s sports camp. Right now, the goal is to exchange valuable experience for time. Simultaneously, you’ll be building your network of people that have something good to say about you (if you do a good job). These are invaluable assets to us young coaches trying to get some skin in the game. The key is to remember that you are doing this to help people, never expect anything more than a thank in return.
4. If you’ve followed the steps until now, you’ve got an impressive resume for a young coach! Now, you are ready to apply for your first internship. Personally, I missed the boat on this and did my first one relatively late, but I would urge you to try to do 1–2 internships your junior year of college. One part-time internship in the fall semester followed by a full-time internship in the following summer is a great balance that still will allow you to relax a bit during that spring semester. In most Exercise Science programs, the last semester of your senior year is reserved just for a full-time internship. At this point, you have the resume, you’ve built the skills, and you’ve invested the time to make you a highly competitive candidate for some of the best internship opportunities out there. Find the places you really want to go, and the people you really want to learn from and apply. Cast a wide net. Once you get there, be a sponge. Write everything down, study every word they tell you, ask insightful questions, take every opportunity to help, and work 200% harder than you need to. This is the most important thing part of the journey so far. This experience as an intern will set the foundation for the kind of coach you will be, and if you want to be great in the future you have to practice greatness now.
5. Take and pass the CSCS exam. To get hired as a Strength & Conditioning coach you have to be a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. There are other certifications that will get you hired, but the CSCS is the gold standard in the United States. It’s a tough test, so take it seriously. If you’ve followed the steps up to this point and took school seriously then it shouldn’t be impossible. Still, I would advise you to take about a month or two to study. If you skipped the school part, stretch that out to about 8–12 months of studying; you have to learn the foundations first.
6. Go apply for jobs! Congratulations! You’ve amassed a significant amount of experience, graduated college, and you are officially a Strength & Conditioning coach. You can start applying for jobs at the high school level and even DIII & DII college programs. You could also go the private route and try to open your own facility or work in someone else’s. If you wanted to go into Division 1 or professional programs, you’d need to do a master’s degree as well.
If you followed those steps, you’re on your way to becoming a great coach! You’ve done a lot to this point, but it’s a drop in a bucket compared to where you’ll be in 5, 10, 15 years and so on. Continue to commit yourself to learning and growing as a coach and always keep the best interest of your athletes. Do the best you can with the information you have!
Good luck Coach!
