Research into sports coaches has identified the valuable role they play concerning social support provided to athletes together with their contribution to social and cultural interactions within both the participation and performance domains. The purpose of the present study was to qualitatively extract and examine the knowledge and on-task cognitions of high-level coaches (HLCs) within strength and conditioning (S and C). Applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA) was used to examine ten HLCs, each purposefully sampled to reflect over eight years of work in full time environments. The analysis of responses demonstrated HLCs engage in a pattern of innovative and diverse thinking, together with adaptability and multilevel planning, designed to promote an inclusive approach from performers, coaches and management. Commonality was demonstrated within the decision making of HLCs during the design of training programs. Communication was another important consideration when connecting with athletes, observing athletes, speaking to the head coach and integrating their approach with others. A confident, flexible approach to adapting to situational demands was evident and supported by the ability to recall and select from a wide range of previously learnt and tested strategies. Evidence is offered for the importance of interpersonal and social factors in HLCs’ relationships with athletes and coaches. The incorporation of strategies to support versatile, dynamic decision making within future S and C coach development materials will support more impactful performances by coaches at all stages of the coaching process.

The role of Strength and Conditioning coaches within sporting environments is growing in importance and more attention is being directed towards acknowledging the characteristics and decision making processes of these coaches.  To date, most of the research has been with experienced coaches thus created a need to better understand those coaches at the early stages of their career.  The present study utilised Applied Cognitive Task Analysis to elicit knowledge from eight strength and conditioning coaches with less than three years full time experience.  Methods applied identified that less experienced strength and conditioning coaches operate in predominately stable conditions and feel comfortable delivering within this stability. Interviews revealed early career coaches to prioritise movement qualities and rely on previously acquired theoretical knowledge to make predetermined decisions on training content and responses within environments.  A final theme generated demonstrated that connections with athletes were important for coaches to feel confident within their role.  Implications for future coach development materials exploring the use of metacognition and its associated components of planning, monitoring and evaluation discussed.

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Traditionally Strength and Conditioning Coaches have been prepared for their roles through development of a strong theoretical knowledge base and demonstrating proficiency across a range of technical frameworks. Importantly, however, recent research within Strength and Conditioning (S & C) has argued for a focus on cognitive skills and processes to support the comprehensive and established bio-physical educational materials available to learners. Accordingly, an area of growing interest within S & C is how to most appropriately prepare coaches for the authentic demands of the workplace. In other professional domains, Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA) methods have been researched and adopted to enhance the effectiveness of workers.This article provides an overview of the characteristics of CA and how these pedagogical tools could be applied across different S & C learning environments. The approaches discussed, and conceptually modelled, offer a practical and feasible solution for future coach preparation methods. Such an approach would focus on developing more contextually aware and impactful coaches and improve the services provided to an organisation. Implications for Practitioners• This article highlights the principles of Cognitive Apprenticeship methods to support future design and delivery of situational learning experiences in the workplace.• Applications of Cognitive Apprenticeship methods in various learning environments are presented offering application in both face-to-face and simulated contexts.• The importance of teachers providing authentic, workplace situations to learners to develop their contextual decision making is emphasised.

Building from recent studies on cognitive and meta-cognitive skills in experienced and early career Strength and Conditioning Coaches (SCCs), the current study employed a focus group methodology to compare and contrast these earlier findings. Focus groups (n = 8), reflecting the opinions of 29 participants, were conducted with purposefully recruited international groups of experienced high-performance SCCs. Participants considered two previously developed models, reflected on the associated themes, and these were then defined or combined. Within this process, the data also yielded new themes. Reflexive thematic analysis generated five themes surrounding the decision-making process of SCCs and the design of training programs: input from environmental lead, observe the athlete(s) with the head coach, connect with the athlete(s), integrate with others and consider logistics. Moreover, context, collaboration and communication were identified as providing depth and breadth to the perceived impact possible at each stage. With consideration of managing difficult situations within Strength and Conditioning domains, three themes were generated as being most impactful on SSCs' decision-making: situational awareness, improvisation and metacognition. We discuss the fit of these results with earlier studies, together with the implications for training and accreditation of SCCs.

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