ABSTRACT
Given the dynamics of sporting organisations, this chapter acknowledges that strength and conditioning coaches are often situated within highly competitive workplaces, with pressures coming from multiple directions. As a consequence, strength and conditioning coaches often find themselves in precarious and vulnerable employment, with short-term contracts, and where the line between one’s work and one’s life often become blurred. The pedagogical case for this chapter leads into discussion of personal and professional wellness in the workplace. The signature pedagogies of strength and conditioning rarely prepares strength and conditioning coaches for the challenges of organisational micro-politics. We posit that competition for work opportunities within sport allows for coercion and the individual’s compulsion to contribute to potentially unhealthy work practices. This chapter suggests strategies to help strength and conditioning coaches to preemptively prepare for workplace issues, for example by clarifying scope of practice, schedule of expected duties and expectations around hours of work, and by conducting due diligence on the prospective work environment. We also contend that strength and conditioning coaches should adopt personal protection strategies by striving for a growth mindset, developing a supportive network of trusted colleagues and possibly by organising for professional supervision.
