Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

While I was at the USATF Level 2 Coaches Education School 2 weeks ago in Houston, I had several conversations with students about what certifications were important and beneficial. Some heated discussion came up regarding the National Strength & Conditioning Association’s CSCS certification and whether it was beneficial and worthwhile. A couple of my fellow instructors were pretty passionately op
 
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That’s interesting.  Good for him (really).  The CSCS has been nothing but a money pit lately…paying for CEUs and membership fees.  I used to respect it because it was possibly the most difficult certification test I have taken.  I felt like it meant something because as Rippetoe mentioned, the pass rates were fairly low.  Now it seems like everyone and their mother is CSCS plus I get all these emails telling me to vote YES for certain amendments then later emails telling me to vote NO meaning that it seems like their leadership is currently a mess.

Then there’s the NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American awards.  I enjoy (sarcasm) watching schools successfully nominate athletes by adding 150lbs to their real squat, 6” to their vertical, and subtracting .3 from their 40y dash time.  I would give specifics but I wish not to get fired.

I wish there was some sort of course that would prove one’s worth.  Even a PhD doesn’t seem to matter that much to some places.  I’d really like to know who is actually getting brought on board for sports coaching positions(even for volunteer HS positions).

Longing for a credential that is actually meaningful,
Ashley Mort
CSCS
USAWL Sports Performance Coach
USATF II Sprints
USATF II Jumps
Massage Practitioner
ART lower extremity
ART spine

In January, after 15 years of membership, I decided against renewing my NSCA membership.  A lot of the same reasons; the association has seriously lost its focus and relevance, it’s a little too obviously concerned with making money, the quality of the journals has been deteriorating, too much dogma/too little genuine contribution to athletic conditioning, selling out to the equipment/supplement companies, lack of transparancy, conflicts of interest, etc.

John Cissik

I agree with Mort that this was the most difficult of the certification tests…it reminded me of the SAT’s.

I was recommended to get the certification from professors at my University and since I didn’t really have a coach in college I listened.  I haven’t noticed or gotten anything special because of it and I didn’t renew my membership 2 years ago because I couldn’t justify the large cost and very very small benefit.

My other gripe is that they won’t except USATF Level 3’s or the podium sessions to count as CEU’s and the cost (at least for me) for their approved clinics, again, does not appear to be worth it.