Strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches work hard behind the scenes to help Australia’s top athletes perform at their best, and now, thanks to a series of workshops being run by the AIS, it's the coaches turn to strengthen their skills.

In the last seven months, more than 100 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.

“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,” Young said.

“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.

"The workshop was a great opportunity for connection, reflection and action,” Everard said.

“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.

Follow this link to learn more about the AIS Strength and Conditioning Performance Support.