AIS workshops help strength and conditioning coaches enhance their skills

The Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) specialised professional development workshops are helping to develop and enhance the skills of strength and conditioning coaches to enable Australia’s top athletes perform at their best.

In the last seven months, more than 100 strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches from across Australia’s high performance system have attended a variety of workshops to upskill their knowledge and expertise in areas such as program design and the use of force plates.

In addition to technical skill development, AIS National S&C Lead Kieran Young said a key component of the workshops is to establish a professional network of support and learning.

Young noted “our high performance S&C coaches are spread out across the country and have predominantly operated independently due to the lack of opportunities to cultivate connections beyond their immediate colleagues.

“The AIS designed these workshops to allow the coaches to come together and create a greater sense of belonging and connection.”

Paddle Australia S&C coach Sam Everard attended the Coaching Collective workshop at the AIS in Canberra and said it helped challenge her current ways of working.

Everard shared "The workshop was a great opportunity for connection, reflection and action. I widened my network, reassessed how I want to work within my role and team, and learnt effective communication tools which I will continue to look back on.”

Three additional S&C workshops will take place across the country in 2024, with topics such as advanced conditioning practices, innovation in S&C, and planning for Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games to be explored.

Learn more about the AIS Strength and Conditioning Performance Support.

Image top: AIS specialised professional development workshops; Image centre: AIS facilitated four Force Plate Masterclasses around Australia for over 80 S&C coaches; Image above:14 S&C coaches attended the Coaching Collective workshop at the AIS. Credit: AIS