Excelsior

Follow us on

excelsiorathletic@gmail.com

07976 306 494

Main Menu

Latest Blog Entry

Reflections from a Gymnastics assistant coaching course
1st June 2023
A guest post from Kath Maguire. Kath is the parent of one of our club’s gymnasts. She asked about doing some volunteering a couple of months ago and whether there was a course she could do. Here are her reflections from the day. “I’ve been thinking about volunteering for a while now but as it’s […]
More

User login

Lost password?

Blog

Welcome to the Excelsior blog. It is a mix of current research and thoughts on Athlete and Coach Development, Strength and Conditioning and personal reflections.

Comments are welcome (please leave your name) and you can subscribe by clicking on the RSS feed.

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

James Marshall

  1. The importance of peer role models when creating a club culture

    Over the past 22 months, our club was shut down three times by the government. Each time we reopened fewer members came back. We had a large influx of new members who were unaccustomed to our club philosophy and expectations. Establishing our training culture was made a lot easier when we had role models who […]

    0 Comments | Read More |
  2. Walking for fitness

    Walking for fitness is an underrated (except for those who know) way of staying healthy. Not the pottering around the mall, staring at a screen, type of walking. Nor the frantic accumulation of ‘steps’ in a desperate effort to meet a nonsensical ’10,000’ number. I am talking about brisk walking that takes you out of […]

    0 Comments | Read More |
  3. Coaching the coaching continuum

    I had the pleasure of coaching sports coaches at the Heinrich-Heine Gymnasium in Kaiserslautern, Germany this weekend. The focus was on the coaching continuum. Many of us rely on just a few methods of coaching, according to our personal bias or habit but there are many ways that range from Direct, controlling to free play. […]

    0 Comments | Read More | ,
  4. A Movement Manifesto

    A personal movement manifesto for all Humans have evolved through adaptation to moving in their environments. My goal is to help people learn to enjoy movement and make it part of their physical and mental selves. Physical activity is often reduced to a number: “10,000 steps”, “walk a mile a day,” or ’100 reps’. By […]

    0 Comments | Read More | ,
  5. Summer Reading Ideas 2021

    If you are looking for a good book to read this summer on your staycation or as a break from the sport then here are some ideas. These are selected from the books that I have read so far this year (full list below). I have read some lengthy, stimulating books, especially in the early […]

    0 Comments | Read More |
  6. Don’t be cruel to kittens…or children

    An experiment involving two kittens took place in a lab in the early 1960s (1). The kittens were put on a small carousel that rotated with a view of the lab. Kitten A could move its feet and the carousel spun as it walked. Kitten B was suspended in a box that rotated to give […]

    2 Comments | Read More |
  7. The importance of a network: exchanging information and ideas

    I don’t know the answer to every question an athlete has but I know a man (or woman) who does. I have had reason to call on my network of coaches, medical professionals, p.e. teachers and athletic trainers over the last fortnight (that’s two weeks you American readers). Athletes, or their parents, have asked me […]

    0 Comments | Read More |
  8. The Marshall Plan: Staying fit in my 50s

    If I had £1 for every time someone said to me, ‘I need to get fit,’ I would have enough money to pay for a month’s food shopping. If I had a £1 for every time someone told me about their ‘steps’ or ‘Strava’, I would have enough money to pay the Council Tax too. […]

    0 Comments | Read More |
  9. Is there such a thing as sport specific training?

    The (insert sport here) specific agility programme

    Or, endurance, or power or speed and so on.This is what is advertised, and it is what sports people want. Basketball specific, tennis specific and so on. But the question I always have is.

    Is it Athlete specific?

    Whether you are running after a rugby ball, basketball or tennis ball, the initial start is the same. Recently working on some fundamental movements with athletes from different sports has been interesting. Not only are some sports more open minded, but also athletes within those sports.

    1 Comment | Read More | ,






Client Testimonials

Paul Mitchell Golf Academy
With twenty plus years golf coaching experience working with all levels of golfer, I have sought after specific physical training for my more elite players.  In this quest, I have worked alongside trainers who have worked with the very best golfers in the world.    I can hand on heart say that James is the […]
 
More

Upcoming Courses