Leveraging data as a secret weapon in Strength and Conditioning

UKSCA Coach Considerations

Shaun McLaren’s presentation at the UKSCA 2024 conference explored the increasing importance of data in S&C. He discusses how we are on the verge of the fourth industrial revolution, where AI and data are becoming integral to the profession. He highlighted that by 2030, data literacy will be critical across industries. McLaren emphasises that modern S&C coaches need to move beyond traditional methods, becoming both sport and data scientists. He shared how handling data effectively, including wrangling, analysing, and visualising it, can unlock hidden insights that significantly impact training and performance. McLaren argued that data should be seen as an additional tool to complement intuition, experience, and craft. He also shared his personal journey from using basic tools like Excel to mastering coding languages like R to automate data processes. By embracing new ways of thinking and using data, S&C professionals can work more efficiently and achieve better outcomes. This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference. Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.