Join us to hear from leading experts in the field of sports science and network with sports scientists and practitioners from around the world. JULY 7 GSSI Sports Nutrition Award Presentations 12:00–13:15 CEST Location: SwissTech Convention Center,  Auditorium B GSSI Symposium 15:15–17:45 CEST Location: SwissTech Convention Center,  Auditorium A Cycling Science: Exploring Performance, Health and Innovation This Cycling Science symposium brings together leading experts to discuss the latest research and practical applications shaping the future of cycling performance and athlete health. As cycling disciplines evolve, research takes on increasing importance to understand the interplay between physiology, nutrition, and technology for optimizing performance and safeguarding long-term health. Session 1: Science of Successful Cycling Performance Prof. Iñigo Mujika, University of the Basque Country, Spain Session 2: Sports Nutrition: Energy Requirements for Successful Cycling Prof. Louise Burke, Australian Catholic University, Australia Session 3: Beyond the Lab: Can Real-World Evidence from Wearable-Devices Inform Cycling Performance Dr. Eric Freese, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, USA Session 4: Q&A Panel Moderator: Dr. Ian Rollo Panelists: Prof. Iñigo Mujika, Prof. Louise Burke, Dr. Eric Freese GSSI Awards & ECSS Opening Ceremony 18:00- 19:00 CEST Location: SwissTech Convention Center, Auditorium A JULY 9 Sports Nutrition Interest Group (SNIG) Meeting 18:30 - 20:30 CEST Location: SwissTech Convention Center, Room 1 ABC The Sports Nutrition Interest Group (SNIG) is open to any individual with an academic or professional interest in sports nutrition, hydration, and/or dietetics. The aims of this group are to provide an informal forum for discussion, collaboration, and problem solving within these and other related fields.

On 5/5/2026 at 3:34 PM, jpedulla said: One of the things we have been doing is using overcoming isometrics as seen here These keep neural activation high with little to no cost at the level of the muscle. The muscle produces maximal tension but does so without changing length, sparing the tissue of any potential delayed onset muscle soreness. We also use CAT (compensatory acceleration training), which is the lifting of external loads with maximal intent and speed throughout the entirety of the range of motion. Several studies have shown the shifting of type IIx fibers towards type IIa fibers after straining under heavy loads for extended periods. We use near maximal loads very sparingly, and 90 or more of our training is performed with moderate/submaximal loads. Since using this strategy, our peak propulsive power, propulsive impulse, jump height, and acceleration times have all noticeably improved. I like that a lot. What sport are you training? Or, would this be your protocol for all sports?

Scott, If you had to choose another field to excel in other than sports performance, what would it be? What lessons and/or concepts would transfer to succeed in that field? All the best, AJ Mealing ATL

How have you applied this from a motor learning standpoint within the skill (if you have)? I'm mainly in the baseball/softball space, but a major emphasis of throwing and hitting development is swinging underload/overload bat, throwing overload/underload balls, throwing implements other than just baseballs and softballs, etc.

Our athletes eat decent pre game meals 3-4 hours before competition, but many of them struggle with being hungry or needing something to help with substantial energy during competition. I've used different gels and gummy bear type of snacks. Curious on what you incorporate for this situation. Thank you for your time

Join us in Philadelphia for the opportunity to gain insights and speak with leading experts in the athletic training industry. JUNE 30 Expo Hours 9:00 AM–5:00 PM EDT Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center NATA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & National Awards Ceremony 1:00–2:30 PM EDT Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Hall B The Hall of Fame Induction and National Awards Ceremony is a prestigious event that celebrates excellence in athletic training, honoring Hall of Fame inductees who have shaped the profession through their service, leadership, and professionalism, as well as recipients of the association's national honors and awards. Exclusive SSATC Gatorade Fieldhouse Event 2:30–3:30 PM EDT Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room #103 ABC Join Gatorade at the Exclusive SSATC Gatorade Fieldhouse Event, where secondary school athletic trainers can learn about the Gatorade Fieldhouse, an online community where sports performance professionals go to connect, learn, and grow. By joining the Gatorade Fieldhouse, attendees will receive an AT Toolkit, a valuable tool for athletic trainers to use with their youth athletes. This one-of-a-kind giveaway is only at NATA for attendees attending this exclusive event ahead of the Secondary School Athletic Trainers' Committee Town Hall. NATA SSATC Committee Town Hall 3:30–5:00 PM EDT Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room #103 ABC JULY 1 Expo Hours 9:00 AM–5:00 PM EDT Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center

Having a great off season is what sets a solid foundation of strength development, movement quality, and tissue resilience to endure a full season.  During a peak season push the goal shifts from focusing on adaptation to finding the balance between maintaining strength/power and managing fatigue. Here are some of the things I focus on for maintaining strength. - Training with moderate to high intensities – Main lifts are performed with moderate to submaximal loads of 70-85% while keeping volume low. The goal is to drive intent, preserve strength and power while avoiding neuromuscular fatigue. - High vs. low minute athletes – High minute players require maintenance and recovery.  Due to the density of the NBA schedule, training frequency can be limited 1 to 3 lifts per week. This is where micro-dosing can be effective in season.  Having short 10 – 15 minute sessions spread throughout the week ensures consistent loading, fatigue management, and compliance.  Depending on the schedule or the athlete’s fatigue level, sessions may focus on either heavy strength lifts, speed/power, or mobility/injury prevention.  On the other hand, low minute players require more frequency, intensity, and volume.  We typically shoot for 3 – 4 lifts per week.  The focus is to continue to build and maintain the physical qualities gained through the offseason. - Maintaining tissue health – Different methods can be used to maintain tissue health and resilience.  Heavy yielding isometrics can be used to elicit healthy tissue adaptation.  If athletes tend to feel sore due to the stress on field/court, yielding isometrics with light to moderate load for long durations can also be beneficial to help manage pain/soreness.  Yielding Isometrics is a good method for tissue adaptation, pain management, while minimizing muscle soreness.  Utilizing machine-based exercises for accessories is another way to promote healthy tissue surrounding the joints.  These exercises are less taxing on the nervous system and serve as a safe alternate in providing load to the athlete. - Managing Recovery - Continue to stress the importance of sleep, nutrition, and hydration as the primary tools for recovery. Utilizing passive modalities and active recovery methods can be just as beneficial. Our active recovery sessions consisted of yoga, light pool workouts and team mobility sessions to maintain movement quality and readiness.  Throughout the season the athletes go through a continuous cycle of feeling fresh and fatigue from the demands of the sport. It's important to understand when to implement stress and when to pull back. The peak season is where athlete availability takes priority. Balancing all aspects of performance, recovery, and injury prevention is key. What we do in the weight room should supplement readiness and resilience rather than accumulating fatigue. Elbert Denina - Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach - Dallas Mavericks

Hey all, Recently I have been having several conversations with Chris Martin, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of LSU Baseball. One of the things that we have been talking about which I found to be of particular importance is how well certain athletes can handle workload. Every team has high milage athletes as it relates to high speed running. A perfect example of this is both Chris and I seeing our outfielders accumulate sometimes 2-4x the amount of HSR than our infielders do. But a mistake we can make is looking at one day of workload and making incorrect inferences based on that data. We were both able to find several instances within our season's worth of data where our outfielders had a much, much greater HSR volume than others on a single day of practice (or a game day), but when we looked deeper at just those individuals over the course of several days, these numbers were actually sometimes within or even below their average ranges. This begs the question, can you think of any improper inferences you've made based on workload data? How are you guys making sure that your interpretation of the data is accurate?

This is a great question, and I'll answer this looking at 2 different forms of technology: With force plates, something I put way too much stock in was RSI. Looking at some of the recent research from Lance Brooks on a new metric called DRI (Dynamic Rebound Index), he has proposed that RSI is really cloudy since it favors short contact times too heavily. What I look at now is Force @0V (force at zero velocity) and also peak and average relative braking forces which clue me into how much force the nervous system is willing to accept. Reductions in these metrics are signs of either neuromuscular or peripheral fatigue, and when paired with lopsided eccentric or braking RFD asymmetries can suggest soft tissue issues as well. With GPS, I'm looking into the number of accelerations and decelerations much more now, mostly in efforts to better construct our pre-season programs to prepare for those. As a basketball S&C, number of decelerations can indicate the potential reductions in tissue quality/readiness you might see. As for workload monitoring, density of HSR (high speed running) will suggest a lot about metabolic stress as well.

Hey everyone! My name is Joe Pedulla, strength & conditioning coach at the University of Oklahoma for softball and women's golf. This is my third year at OU, and I also own Pedulla Performance LLC (you can find me @pedullaperformance on instagram) where I mentor over 180 other strength & conditioning coaches in a community of my own. I also train professional athletes 1-1, mainly within baseball and softball. My areas of expertise are within speed development for team sports, periodization and training strategies (especially within sports involving almost constant practice and/or competition like softball), and technologies such as Hawkin and VALD force plates, Catapult GPS, motorized resisted sprint training devices, and velocity based training devices. Over the years I have built several frameworks and holistic approaches to athlete profiling, archetyping, individualization and progression. I invite you to ask questions pertaining to the aforementioned topics, and anything else that may be on your mind relating to team sport athlete development. Some of the issues I see within high performance are inappropriate training volumes, misguided belief systems relating to power development, and a surface level understanding of how to integrate technology in a way that both seamlessly integrates with our workflows, and also results in actionable decisions that yield high impact; we want to make good use of our data. I look forward to having some great conversations here!