Working with Coaches and Specialists to Optimise Athlete Performance

Question 1

• Understand the role of the S&C coach within a multidisciplinary team

Answer 1

Role of the S&C coach
S&C coaches can work in a variety of settings
- Professional/amateur sport teams
- National/state sport institutes
- Private high-performance facilities
- High schools
The role of the S&C may depend on the setting
- Specialist e.g. strength coach, conditioning coach, rehab specialist
- Generalist e.g. all of the above
The team in which the S&C coach works may depend on the setting

Question 2

• Describe the interaction between the S&C coach and the members of the multi-disciplinary team

Answer 2

• In almost all settings, S&C coaches assist sport coaches to meet the overall goal
• S&C coaches responsible for preparing athletes to execute ‘game plan’
• S&C coaches take sport demands into consideration for athlete preparation
• S&C coach work alongside medical staff to reduce injury risk
• S&C + medical staff responsible for return-to-play (RTP) processes
• S&C coaches + medical staff may be involved in initial athlete screening
• S&C coach works w/ other perf staff to assist coaching + medical staff (i.e. dietician, head coach etc)
• Depending on resources, S&C coach may cover all perf roles e.g. sports science, rehab, S&C