Tag Archive: health

1. The oxymoronic Talent Pathway

   8th December 2022 11:03 am Leave a Comment

   How did people get good at sports before the existence of pathways and ‘talent’ academies?

   

   If you read biographies of a previous generation of sporting superstars there is usually a mention of a dedicated p.e. teacher or coach at a local sports club. Children discovered their love for the sport locally and affordably. They might have had a keen parent, like Tim Henman or Seb Coe, but most stumbled into the sport through normal p.e. and games or by going with a friend to a local club.

   The sport was fun, and well-coached and this lead to some successes and a desire to do a bit more training. There were no academies or pathways. ‘Sport for all’ was the Sport England motto.

   This changed with the introduction of the National Lottery and the mechanisation of sport in the UK, especially after the ‘failure’ of Team GB at the Atlanta Olympics. Medal tables and podium places took the place of ‘Sport for all.’

   Funding was dependent on National Governing Bodies (NGBs) meeting top-down objectives, including having a ‘pathway’ despite there being no evidence of such a thing working in reality. In his book, ‘The Talent Lab,’ Owen Slot summarises the report into Britain’s subsequent (and expensive) pursuit and attainment of medals thus,

   ‘There is no one single element of success, no one cap that fits all.’

   The goal of UK sport was to win more Olympic medals and that was achieved: between the Atlanta Games and Rio (2016), GB won 96 medals.

   However, just 12 people won or contributed to 49 of them.

   Over half the medals were won by just a dozen individuals.

   Or, to put it another way, is this a good use of public money?

   Where is the Olympic Legacy?

   In the ten years after the London Olympics, there has been a decrease in sporting participation. Part of that can be blamed on the Covid-pandemic and the various lockdowns. However, the pandemic may have hastened the decline rather than caused it.

   There are two stark facts that should be first and foremost on the minds of parents, teachers, coaches and public health figures:

   1. Only 1 in 5 adolescents and adults meet the current weekly recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises for health across 31 countries.
   2. The reported levels of anxiety and depression in adolescent athletes in the USA are higher now than they were pre-Covid.

   In other words, 80% of adolescents are not doing enough exercise to stay healthy.

   Those that do play sports have more mental health issues than they did prior to Covid even though they have returned to activity.

   And yet...

   There are more ‘talent pathway managers’ than coaches in NGBs nowadays. More ‘scholarships’ and ‘academies’ and ‘talent programmes’ than there are minibuses to ferry the kids around. As soon as a child shows an interest (or an early growth spurt or specialisation) then they are ‘identified’ and told they ‘must’ attend a training/ selection camp miles away from home.

   Those working within ‘Talent Pathways’ operate in an echo chamber where they attend conferences with other people in similar roles from different sports and share ‘best practice’ ideas! For those on an NGB salary, it is understandable that no one raises their hand and says,

   ‘Hold on! Shouldn’t we be focussed on helping young people get healthy and active and supporting them rather than cherry-picking from an ever-decreasing pool of participants?’

   They would risk losing their job and their salary, so they stick to the company line.

   Too much, too early

   NGBS are continuing to encourage young children to specialise, especially girls because they are afraid of losing ‘talent’ to another sport (see the Talent ID Bun Fight). They might not say so overtly, but when a child is told that they must attend weekly ‘talent’ sessions miles away and go to regular camps involving overnight stays, time and logistics prevent that child from doing anything else.

   When I worked with England Golf, the regional (under-16 coaches) were told to:

   1. Only select those girls who would definitely play for England at the senior level.

   2. Select them at under 13 so they would ‘be in the system for longer.’

   These young girls had barely started secondary school and they were put into the system. They were ill-equipped physically and emotionally for this intense training and expectation. Many of them quit the sport or just returned to their home coaches and courses.

   The perverseness of the NGB means that the child is in danger of dropping out of all sports: burnout, injury, or competing demands such as schoolwork are the major causes.

   The increased cost of fuel and a squeeze on family incomes means that even fewer children can afford to travel big distances, let alone afford overnight stays, to play sports.

   And, it is worth repeating, there is no evidence that early selection at a young age leads to representation at a senior level: in fact, the opposite is often the case.

   In German football, those playing in the National Team specialised later and played more ‘pick-up’ games with their friends than those just playing in the Bundesliga. The players who specialised earliest and had less ‘free-play’ ended up playing in semi-professional teams below the Bundesliga.

   At some point, specialisation and more investment in training will be necessary: but it is at a later age than you think and only when the child is ready.

   Playing a variety of sports, locally, with friends still works at a young age. If they are still sleeping with a teddy bear they should not be specialising.

   

   Questions for parents to ask

   Parents are bombarded with information from NGBs and often told that their child ‘has’ to be on the pathway in order to become successful. I suggest that parents ask the NGB the following questions:

   1. Why?

   2. Is there evidence that these ‘pathways’ work?

   3. Can my child be successful without attending this academy?

   4. Did any of the elite performers in your sport use a different route?

   5. How much will it cost?

   6. What happens if they are de-selected: will you help support them back at their club?

   The answers that could be given are:

   1. To show that the NGB is ‘doing something.’

   2. Yes: for some people but not for all (as does every method). And there is a recency bias.

   3. Yes: if given the right support and encouragement locally.

   4. Yes, of course, they did. Some didn’t even start the sport until their late teens.

   5. A lot: fuel, time, accommodation. Money that could be best spent elsewhere (unless you are wealthy).

   6. No. The risk of dropping out entirely is high because the child perceives themselves as ‘a failure’ if they do not make the next set of teams.

   Excelsior Athletic Development Club

   

   Our club philosophy is to help every athlete get better. It is not to produce champions nor is it to be part of a ‘pathway.’ Every person has different motivations for training including:

   · Goal/success driven

   · Feeling fit and good about themselves.

   · Looking good

   · Hanging out with friends

   · Learning a new skill.

   All of these are valid and worthwhile. The problems only occur when there is a mismatch between their motivations for training and their willingness to train enough or if the coach’s expectations don’t match the athlete’s.

   A goal-driven athlete who doesn’t want to train frequently will be frustrated when they don’t succeed.

   The athlete who wants to feel fit and hang out with friends will be frustrated/ upset if the coach (me) tries to make them compete.

   This comes down to communication and education. If our athletes can meet their expectations at our club they will continue to participate and see the benefits. This is led by them and facilitated by the coach.

   It is not driven by an NGB setting targets.

   We coach people at our club, not statistics. It is worthwhile remembering the old motto,

   ‘Sport for All,’ and helping the young generation along their journeys of discovery rather than forcing them into someone else’s pathway.

2. Choosing the right equipment for your local park

   30th November 2020 10:26 am 1 Comment

   Regular readers will know of the work I have done with Willand Parish Council to improve our village parks. This is an ongoing process that started five years ago. We are gradually upgrading or adding play equipment and facilities in our village.

   Having a vision

   Willand is a large village in Devon with a population of about 4,000 people. It has nine parks, four tennis courts, a football club, a Primary School with its own field and playgrounds and a large village hall.

   My observations of the park equipment a few years ago was that the under- 5s were well serviced, but there was not much if anything for 6-11-year-olds and nothing for teenagers and adults except 4 sets of football goalposts. The design of the park equipment was at the mercy of housing developers who would always opt for the bare minimum.

   Knowing that children (and adults) like to climb, explore, hang, jump and generally get into scrapes if given the opportunity I approached the Parish Council about upgrading its equipment. What I didn’t want them to do was invest in a set of ‘outdoor gym equipment’ the type of thing that sounds like a good idea, but ends up being an expensive plastic eyesore that is a repository for bird droppings.

   

   The ‘one purpose only’ equipment such as a leg press or shoulder press machines, leave no opportunity for creativity or play. They are horrible inside gyms so why try to replicate them outdoors?

   (N.B. the machine-driven craze was started in the 1970s by bodybuilders looking to isolate individual muscles. This then was deemed ‘safe’ by gym owners because there was little skill involved. Little skill= little fun+ boredom. By encouraging gym users to sit and lie down on equipment, the machines removed any need to balance or retain ‘core-strength’. )

   And yet, many councils invest in this.

   Not Willand.

   I was well received by our Parish Council, who are hard-working, prudent and thorough in liaising with other authorities and companies that think they can fleece the public sector.

   Vibrant, living spaces

   Fast forward a few years and the two parks that our PC now own are well equipped with equipment and very well used. The addition of picnic table and extra benches came to my mind after reading Christopher Alexander’s ‘A pattern language’ and my observations that parents were getting tired of standing before their children were tired of playing.

   The parents and elderly residents now have somewhere to rest and chat, read their paper or even have a picnic.

   During the lockdown, our nine parks were even more important for the physical and mental well being of all our residents.

   Everything is within walking distance and is free to use. Young, old, rich, poor, working, furloughed, sacked or retired: by investing in our community facilities with our local tax, everyone benefits.

   Ideas on how to use the equipment

   I have filmed five videos that show some simple ways to use various pieces of equipment. My friend Alex Grinter who is an expert Parkour coach guest stars and shows much more interesting and advanced ways to use the equipment.

   Because the equipment reflects the natural explorative ideas of human beings, there are multiple ways to use each piece. It is hard to get bored. People of all ages can use them (N.B. I am 51 years-old in these videos and Alex is 28.): if they are tall enough to reach them. They can just adjust the type of exercise they perform.

   Here are the five videos:

   Summary

   The message to councils and local authorities is: choose your equipment wisely.

   Don’t follow the latest fads, make it accessible to all, including rest areas and do a little in each space. Don’t buy what the playground suppliers tell you is ‘popular’: consult someone who knows about exercise and play for the different age groups.

   Children are micromanaged for much of their lives, putting simple but robust and varied equipment into playgrounds allows them to explore, play and be creative. As well as improving their health.

   It’s a lot cheaper than trying to fix them once they are old, obese or have chronic health problems.

3. Do a Health Diagnostic in 2020

   31st December 2019 9:38 am Leave a Comment

   Are you healthy? How do you know?

   

   There is more to measuring health than being able to squeeze into your summer jeans. (Although, if they are from the summer of ’87 that might be as accurate as anything else).

   If you check the tyres, water and oil in your car this winter, or you get your boiler serviced, how about doing it for the most important thing in your life: yourself?

   (I know the carers amongst us say our dependents are more important, but if we are unhealthy we risk becoming a dependent ourselves).

   Rather than launch into some short- lived exercise or diet fad, try doing a health self-diagnostic and make 2020 the year you look after your wellbeing.

   

   Some people spend hours researching the best tyres to put onto their new car, meanwhile neglecting the spare one around their midriff.

   Some people spend hours watching sport on TV, but pull a rotator cuff reaching for the last mince pie in the cupboard.

   I am no body fascist, but I think that you should be able to negotiate the stairs in your house without wheezing and puffing. The problem is that in our auto mechanised society, there is no standard of health, except the absence of disease. We can avoid any accountability until it is too late.

   We have now the extremes of narcissistic 6- pack or bubble butt selfie takers on the one hand, and the mouth-breathing, thigh- rubbing, takeaway junkies on the other.

   What should your health diagnostic include?

   The four pillars of health are:

   • Movement
   • Nutrition
   • Rest
   • Rejuvenation

   I have put movement in there rather than exercise. Dancing, climbing and playing frisbee are all active, without being a competition. Better yet, do a little of all three.

   Thomas Cureton had a battery of exercises that he used to assess an adult’s physical well being. In the video below I am demonstrating three of them. These can be practised at home and are designed for normal active adults. Step 1 of your diagnostic is to try these. If you can do them, well done. If you find them hard, practise.

   Nutrition is simple and can be sustainable. Yet, people try to make it complicated. In yesterday’s Twitter poll, those people going on Vegan diets are the most annoying to share an office with, mainly because they insist on telling everyone about it.

   Years ago, P.G. Wodehouse wrote an article for Vanity Fair about people doing fad exercises.

   “A man who does anything regularly is practically certain to become a bore. Man is by nature so irregular that, if he takes a cold bath every day or keeps a diary every day or does physical exercises every day, he is sure to be too proud of himself to keep quiet about it. He cannot help gloating over the weaker vessels who turn on the hot tap, forget to enter anything after January the fifth, and shirk the matutinal development of their sinews. He will drag the subject into any conversation in which he happens to be engaged. And especially is this so as regards physical culture.”

   Or as Mike Tomlin said in simpler terms,

   ’Don’t tell people about your problems, because they’re either glad you got ’em or don’t want to hear ’em’

   Rest and rejuvenation are not synonymous  

   Rest is sleep and the absence of work. When working with athletes, I concentrate on relaxing activities that help them get a good night’s sleep. That includes, eating well, getting off the screen and doing something that takes your mind off your sport.

   Rejuvenation is adding something to your life that enhances your spirit, soul or emotional state. The little things that help you get out of bed in the morning.

   Tip: Getting a fist bump on Strava, or cycling with pretend friends on a computer screen are different from doing a shared activity, that requires no boasting

   

   Instead, think about: learning, fun, having a purpose, and creativity. It might be baking cookies, singing, trying a cartwheel or fixing old bicycles.

   Maybe dog walkers and gardeners have got it right? Regular moderate exercise, in the fresh air and purposeful. Repair Cafes and pantomime groups seem to have the group rejuvenation thing down.

   Maybe it is their connection with other human beings.

   So, if in 2020 you can move well, eat sensibly, get some quality sleep and try something that collaborates with others, your health diagnostic will score higher than in 2019.

   Just don’t tell everyone about it.

   Join us

   If you want to get healthy and learn some new skills alongside other people then join our club. You could do the adult gymnastics or weight lifting. No heroes, just ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things.

   I am currently working on a project that will help adults like you enjoy movement in the comfort of your own home. Watch this space, or get in touch if you would like to take part.

4. An athlete’s guide to avoiding the flu.

   15th November 2017 4:28 pm 2 Comments

   Intro

     Getting ill sucks! We’ve all been there, tucked up in bed shivering and feeling sorry for ourselves. Here is my guide to avoiding the flu.

   Nobody enjoys being ill and it can have a terrible effect on an athlete’s fitness, training and performance. Not only does having a blocked nose reduce performance, it can also affect teammates, who catch the illness off you.

   If you want to avoid getting the flu, read on.

   (N.B. the advice below applies to many viruses, including the Coronavirus).

   How is infection spread?

   The main ways that infections are spread is through touch, food that is not cooked properly (or shared with an infected person) and aerial dispersal.

   The major problem is that people do not need to be showing symptoms of illness to be infectious – they can just be carrying the disease on their skin without becoming ill with it! Think about that when you next shake hands with someone (I’m not saying ‘don’t shake hands; that’s rude, what I do suggest is that you follow the tips down below to reduce your chances of getting ill).

   Additionally, when people cough and sneeze, droplets that can contain contaminants are released into the air. The larger the droplet, the more infection it can contain. However, larger droplets are not airborne for as long as smaller droplets from the sneeze. All of this infection containing moisture can be inhaled by a person nearby or it can land on surfaces that other people touch. (as seen in this NHS advert)

       Viruses can live on surfaces for very long periods of time. This means that you can contract an infection from somebody by touching the area where their sneeze landed hours after they coughed! Think of how many things you touch daily without thinking about it. If you’re reading this on a computer, do you know who touched the keyboard and mouse before you and how clean they were?

   Once the infection is on your hands it has to travel to a place in the body where it can gain entry such as the mouth, nose, eyes or an open wound in the skin. A bad habit such as biting nails makes this transfer of infection almost guaranteed.

   How to reduce the likelihood of infection

   There are some basic things that everyone can do to reduce the likelihood of catching an illness or from passing one onto others.

   • Check that your vaccinations are up to date and get the annual flu vaccination. If your immune system in primed to fight the disease it is much less likely that you will become ill. Some supermarkets and pharmacies now offer flu vaccinations in autumn. I recently had mine done in Boots.
   • Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly with soap. Then use a paper towel, your elbows or, if necessary, your sleeves to turn off the tap. Try to avoid touching your face if you haven’t washed your hands first. Use antibacterial alcohol hand wash gel when soap and water are not available. This video shows how to was your hands properly.
   • When in a public place, try not to use your hands to push doors open and instead, open the door with a foot or by leaning gently against it with your shoulder. If you have to pull a door open or turn a handle, try and grasp it at the periphery to avoid making contact with the surface in the same place that everyone else does.
   • If you have to cough or sneeze, catch it in a tissue or direct it towards the crook of your elbow, avoid your hands.
   • After making physical contact with a person or object with which you do not know how clean they are, stop yourself from touching your face until you get the chance to wash your hands.
   • Get a healthy amount of sleep each night and ensure that you are including plenty of vitamins and minerals in your diet to help your immune system.

   • 

     Nasty virus

     Avoid sharing things such as pens, food and towels with other people, especially if you know they, or someone close to them, are ill.

   • If someone is sneezing on public transport or in a public area, try and stay behind them so you are out of the direction of their cough mist.
   • In a hotel, ensure that your room has been thoroughly cleaned and that new bedding and towels have been provided.
   • If somebody you know is ill. Stay clear of anything they have touched.
   • Check any medication that you plan to take does not contain prohibited substances. This can easily be done on Global Dro for most products purchased in the UK. That really effective cough medicine is not worth taking to get better if you commit a doping violation in the process.  

   Additional personal tips.

   I find that having a ‘health pack’ in my rucksack that I take everywhere with me. This contains:

   • toothbrush and toothpaste,
   • alcohol based mouthwash,
   • Vicks first defence nasal spray (which is not prohibited at the time of writing this article if the product is from the UK),
   • alcoholic hand wash gel,
   • tissues
   • tub of Vaseline.

   This means that I can keep my hands and mouth clean on the go.

   

   Carry tissues

   I use the nasal spray as a prevention tool in public places and the Vaseline to cover cracked lips. The tissues can be used both to catch sneezes and to dry my hands whilst I find the nasal spray is very useful on public transport when I cannot get away from someone sneezing near me. If you purchase travel versions of these products they will be small enough to be taken on a flight in hand luggage as part of your liquid allowance.

   People’s hands are normally the main cause of infection. If you have the discipline to wash yours thoroughly and regularly then you are much less likely to catch a cold this winter.

   Chris Hay 

   Fencer and aspiring Modern Pentathlete. Biology graduate. Excelsior athlete since 2009.

   Further reading:

   • How to prevent illness by boosting your immune system
   • The best fruit and veg to eat for health

5. How to Prevent Illness by Boosting Your Immune System

   6th April 2015 3:10 pm 4 Comments

   Are you constantly suffering from colds and sniffles? Feeling run down and lethargic? Then it could be that your immune system is depressed. Matt has done some research and come up with some ideas on how to to help you.

   What is the Immune System?

   

   Anthrax bacteria being swallowed by immune system

   It is a complicated defence system, made up of biological structures that protect against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. The biological structures, more specifically are made up of many types of proteins, cells, organs and tissues. These all interact in an elaborate and dynamic network. The immune system is considered vitally important because it distinguishes between its own healthy cells and tissues to allow the body to function properly.

   It is the proteins mentioned above that provide immunity to certain pathogens. This immunological memory is created from a primary response to a specific pathogen and thus when the same pathogen is encountered again it is over powered. This immunity can also be acquired due to vaccinations, which is the way many children will perceive immunity.

   What can go wrong? 

   However there is potential for disorders of the immune system, these include autoimmune, inflammatory diseases and cancer. These diseases can be caused by the immune system either being over or inactive, and it attacks itself, it can also be caused by genetic disorders. These can lead to diseases, for example AIDS.

    How Does the Immune System Work?

   Research has been said to show that it works reciprocally with the central nervous system (CNS). These work together to sense danger in various forms and provide the most adequate form of response. In accordance with the CNS, of which a brain is a part, the brain actually is said to act as a regulator, participating in immune response.

   There has also been much research in to the ‘crosstalk’ between the immune system and the endocrine system. This basically means that at a molecular level there is much more interaction between cells, that was previously unknown. In terms of what this means for athletes, it means that the immune system can be affected at a very minute level and thus what you eat, exercise and the amount of sleep you get has even more effect than previously thought.

   

   Greek Soldier

   (This has been common knowledge for thousands of years, Plato describes it in the Republic: When considering the training of warriors (or Guardians of the Republic) Plato didn’t want them to train like athletes because;

   “It’s a sluggish condition, and makes health precarious. Can’t you see how these athletes spend their lives sleeping and only need to deviate a tiny bit from their prescribed regimen to come down with serious and severe illness?”

   Of little use to combat troops who could be asked to fight at a moment’s notice. Interesting that Plato spotted that athletes had depressed immune systems and were vulnerable to illness.

    Diet and Sleep are key to being healthy.

   Sleep is considered very important for athletes, thus the more sleep an athlete gets the more immune to disease they are, according to research. However it must be stated that if you slept all day every day, not that students would even consider this, it can have the adverse effect. A mix of between six and eight hours a night and a good training regime and diet will all help.

   It is very often in the run up to a big event that an athlete can get stressed and thus cause an illness because they cannot sleep or in some instances eat. This is where an immune system boast may be important. Instead of carrying on with daily activities it may be of benefit to wrap up warmer when going outside, maintaining vitamin intake by eating fresh fruit and vegetables and going to bed earlier, in order to get rest, even if you are not sleeping for as long.

   There has been research into the taking of vitamins and this is said to help but even with the ‘all in ones’ there are still limitations. By increasing your vitamin C intake and vegetable eating your immune system will improve and allow your normal daily routines to continue.

   Overall it is important to maintain immunity and thus allow your body to prepare in the best way for an event. If there are any problems regarding getting ill before an event it is best to consult a doctor.

   I hope this has been useful and any comments or feedback are greatly appreciated.

   Read more

   •  Free ebook “The Athletes Guide to Overtraining“
   • An athlete’s guide to avoiding the ‘flu