Psychological, physiological and training program considerations when working with amateur teams and coaches

Working at the amateur level of competition can often present unique challenges that require a strength and conditioning (S&C) coach to alter the way in which they would normally work with coaches or athletes. Although some considerations have been mentioned in previous literature, there has not been an article discussing recommendations on dealing with amateur coaches and athletes in Australian sport. There are a number of factors that commonly occur at the amateur level that can cause these aforementioned issues such as time and financial restrictions and a lack of education in the coaches and players in understanding the role of the S&C coach in sport. It is recommended that S&C coaches attempt to educate coaches and players on the importance of S&C and ensure they have contingency plans for all sessions such as alternative exercises or locations. Thus, this paper aims to provide young or new S&C coaches both a discussion and potential solutions to the common issues that may arise when working with amateur coaches and players.