A philosophical approach to aligning strength and conditioning support to a coaches' performance model: A case study from a national rowing performance programme.

This article focuses on the importance of aligning strength and conditioning (S&C) support to a sports coach's specific performance model rather than relying on generic needs analyses. Drawing on experience with national rowing programs preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, it emphasizes understanding the coach's performance principles and collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to tailor S&C interventions that develop biomotor qualities supporting key technical and physiological determinants of performance. The authors present a technical framework that integrates S&C objectives with the coach's model, highlighting how targeted development of force production, tissue tolerance, and range of movement can enhance rowing stroke efficiency and reduce injury risk. This approach advocates for a flexible, evidence-informed framework to optimize S&C impact through close coach-practitioner collaboration and sport-specific programming.