Anybody find the compass?

“Nevertheless, the field of strength and conditioning still remains susceptible to fads, misconceptions and zealous philosophies that have little to do with sound scientific based knowledge and careful exercise prescription for enhanced sport performance for the athlete.”

-From Strength Training for Sport but William Kraemer and Keijo Hakkinen (2001)

This was written seventeen years ago; it is just as applicable today as it was then. Somewhere along the way someone lost the compass and is navigating with an outdated map.  Has anything changed? It makes me wonder where the field (I hesitate to call it a profession) is going? Are we going the way of the dinosaur and working our way to extinction because it takes too long for the message to get from the small brain to the rest of the body? Or are we like a bunch of lemmings following the leader off the cliff? We all need to wake up and take a close look at what we are doing.

We must get beyond the weight room and become professionals that are capable of serving all sports in a manner that that is applicable to each specific sport.

There is a plethora of certifications, but who is producing real coaches? Coaches who can adapt, who can think and design and implement sensible appropriate training programs that address all elements of physical preparation. As a field in order to become a profession we need to orient the compass to true north, get an updated map that reflects current reality in sport and gets on a path to relevance or we will be rendered obsolete.