Book excerpt: This book takes a radically different approach to the challenge of coaching in strength and conditioning. In doing so, it addresses many of the paradoxes of strength and conditioning, providing new perspectives that shed light on to the many questions that challenge coaches. Rather than focusing on methods, it delves into the questions of what makes a coach effective. It examines the conditions that are necessary for training applications to become optimal, and the skills necessary to create these conditions. It provides coaches with a flexible pathway towards understanding the challenges of strength and conditioning and by which they can develop the craft of coaching to maximise their effectiveness and potential. The book is essential reading for anyone wishing to pursue a career as a strength and conditioning coach, acting essentially as a prequel to the many scientific and applied texts in the field. It will also appeal to more experienced coaches providing a wider perspective on the challenges they face and providing potential solutions not traditionally considered.