Understanding Expert Knowledge

The strength and conditioning coach has been identified as a key individual responsible for training and preparing athletes for the physical and mental demands of various sports. However, despite their acknowledged importance in athlete development, little is known about the knowledge possessed by these specialist coaches and the ways in which they have developed this knowledge allowing them to coach at the elite level. The central aim of this study was to identify the ways in which a group of elite, National level Rugby League strength and conditioning coaches acquired and developed their coaching knowledge throughout their careers. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Rugby League strength and conditioning coaches currently coaching at the elite level. The results revealed that these coaches developed their knowledge through a range of formal, non-formal and informal learning situations including tertiary education, coaching clinics/seminars/conferences, workplace learning, practical experience, previous athletic experiences, reading and researching, constant observations and mentoring. These findings not only re-enforce the importance of knowledge in effectively coaching strength and conditioning at the elite level of Rugby League, but also highlight the necessity for strength and conditioning coaches to immerse themselves in numerous learning situations to continually develop and expand on their knowledge.