Author Archives: James Marshall

  1. Summer reading 2016

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    Book recommendations for reading this summer

    Summer reading

    My current Tsundoku

    I hope you get time for some summer reading (if we get a summer). I try to read more fiction or biographies of non work related people whilst on holiday, rather than technical manuals.

     

    Here are my Top 5  summer reading books for coaches I have read so far this year (in no particular order):

    1. You Win In The Locker Room First: Jon Gordon and Mike Smith
    2. The Female Brain:Louann Brizendine.
    3. Team of Teams: General Stanley McChrystal
    4. Top Performance: Zig Ziglar.
    5. Winners and How They Succeed: Alastair Campbell.

    (full list is below).

    The Japanese have a word for the pile of books that have yet to be read: Tsundoku. I seem to gather recommendations quicker than I can read (and I read pretty fast). I struggle to keep up with those given me to me for our monthly book club.

    summer reading

    Book club poster

    I have a list of books to read after attending GAIN  last month. It is great to spend time with coaches who read a lot, rather than the “book of the year bandwaggon” (See Bounce, Legacy, Mindset, Grit et al).

    Top 5  book recommendations from other coaches

    Here are the Top 5 gathered from GAIN, which I have yet to read:

    1. Just Mercy: Brian Stevenson
    2. You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden’s Teaching Principles and PracticesSwen Nater; Ronald Gallimore
    3. Physical Education for Children: Bette Logsdon, Kate Barrett
    4. The Gold Standard: Mike Kryzewski
    5. Win Forever: Pete Carroll

    (There were at least 25, but need to filter that down).

    Books I have read so far in 2016

    Here is the full list.

    1. best coaching books

      Must read

      Hellicona Spring: Brian Aldiss. Classic British SF novel.

    2. Leading: Alex Ferguson with Michael Moritz. Patchy book from the Manchester United Manager. Some great insights, but poorly written. Epilogue is excellent.
    3. The Dispossessed: Ursula Le Guin. More classic British SF. Thought provoking novel about benefits of true communist, meritocratic society.
    4. This Is Your Brain on Sports: R.E.M. Grand & A.D. Goldberg. Largely anecdotal look at sports trauma stress disorder (slumps, yips, etc.). Some practical exercises at the end.
    5. Anatomy Trains: T.Meyers. In depth look at fascial anatomy. Has many good points, although soft tissue work is outside of my remit.
    6. Canticle For Leibowitz: Walter Miller. SF novel set in post apocalyptic Earth with heavy Catholic bent. Very interesting and thought provoking.
    7. The Hungry Spirit: Charles Handy. Thought provoking book from 20 years ago about quest for meaning beyond capitalism. Much of which has come to pass.
    8. A Void: Georges Perec. Novel without the letter ‘e’. Tortuous in parts, an interesting concept, but hard to read.
    9. My Story: Louis Smith. Lightweight book with some nice pictures, reveals little about gymnastics or training.
    10. Culture And Society 1780-1950 : Raymond Williams. An insightful series of essays about different authors and how they have influenced our (British) culture. Extremely well written and informative.
    11. The Big Gold Dream: Chester Himes. Crime thriller set in Harlem. Punchy, colourful, atmospheric.
    12. The Uses Of Literacy: Richard Hoggart. In depth look at the Northern Working Class in 1957. What constitutes their culture, background and forms of reading. Thoughts on aspirations and constraints of every day folk.
    13. You Win In The Locker Room First: Jon Gordon and Mike Smith. Excellent short read about creating the right culture to help you win. Well broken down with good examples from the Atlanta Falcons.
    14. Hellicona Summer: Brian Aldiss. Sequel SF Novel, more royal drama than SF. Less enjoyable than first.
    15. Simple Rules: Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt. Excellent book on decision making, goal setting and doing what matters most. Very well written, clear examples, useful tips, humorous.
    16. Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness & Training. Michael Yellis and Richard Trubo. 1988 book which starts every paragraph with variation of “Soviet methods are better..” Poor.
    17. Pretty Girls in Little Boxes: Joan Ryan. Whistle blowing account of 1990s ice skating and gymnastics in the USA and its affects on the girls involved. Hopefully things have changed since.
    18. Soul On Ice: Eldridge Cleaver. Powerful, intelligent and very well written series of essays written from within Folsom prison in the 1950s-60s. Cleaver was one of the leading lights behind the Black Panthers.
    19. The Female Brain:Louann Brizendine. Excellent book about the developing female brain and how it changes with age. Well researched, good examples, funny.
    20. Hellicona Winter: Brian Aldiss. Concluding part of this SF trilogy. Poignant story about man and relationship with environment and others.
    21. The Modern Writer and His World: G.S. Fraser. Review of prose, poetry, praise and literary criticism from 1890-1960.
    22. Judas Unchained: Peter Hamilton. Overlong SF novel, high on action and scope, but low on dialogue or maintaining interest. Bloated in attempt to become “epic”.
    23. Team of Teams: General Stanley McChrystal. Very interesting book about working in complex, fast moving environments. Uses examples from the Iraq conflict. Must read for people in big organisations.
    24. Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: Sharkey Ward. Insightful book about the Commanding Officer of 801 Squadron and his combat experiences. Details the bureaucracy and inter-service rivalries even when lives are at stake.
    25. Best coaching books

      Excellent leadership book

      Turn This Ship Around: David Marquet. Excellent book about leadership from this USN submarine Captain. Tells the story of how the USS Santa Fe went from worst performing boat to best. Well laid out and written, with clear action points at the end of each chapter.

    26. CEO Strength Coach:Ron McKeefery. Surprisingly useful read about how to become a strength coach at a US college/ pro team. Quite short, but easy to follow. Useful for undergraduates and those aspiring to become S&C coaches.
    27. Enemy Coast Ahead: Guy Gibson. Enthralling book by the Dambusters leader. An account of his 174 sorties over enemy territory, culminating in his most famous mission.
    28. It’s Not About The Coach: Stuart Haden. Great title, but then goes down hill. Self indulgent waffle, badly written with lots of typos and ill constructed sentences.
    29. Nelson Brittania’s God of War: Andrew Lambert. Interesting biography of the great sailor, leader, diplomat and national hero. Inspiring and insightful.
    30. The Last Stand: Nathaniel Philbrick. Detailed account of Custer and Sitting Bull. Revealing story of the poor leadership from Custer, Benteen and Reno amongst others. Very well researched.
    31. Top Performance: Zig Ziglar. Excellent book about developing yourself and others. Written with sales people in mind, but applies well to coaching.
    32. Why We Get Fat and What To Do About it: Gary Taubes. Light weight read about diet and fat. Interesting look at insulin.
    33. Frankenstein Unbound: Brian Aldiss. Timeslip SF novel featuring, Shelley, Byron and Frankenstein. Clever and interesting.
    34. The Energy Bus: Jon Gordon. Interesting, easy to read fable about taking control of your own life.
    35. The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck. Re read after 25 years. Outstanding novel about the Depression struggles of economic migrants in 1930’s California. Resonates today.
    36. A Guide to the Good Life: William B. Irvine. Very useful guide to Stoicism in the 21st Century. Applicable, relevant and meaningful.
    37. Eagles at War: Ben Kane. Historical novel about massacre of 3 Legions by Germanic tribes.
    38. summer reading recommendations

      Much better than expected

      The Pressure Principle: Dave Alred. A look at performing under pressure by kicking coach/ psychologist. Some good points, but simplistic.

    39. Winners and How They Succeed: Alastair Campbell. Excellent book looking at strategy, vision, will to win and managing in a crisis from Blair’s spin doctor. No Campbell fan, but great use of case studies and interviews from many successful people.
    40. Born to Run: Christopher McDougall.  Interesting, but highly anecdotal tale of Long distance running in Mexico.
    41. 21st Century Guide to Individual Skill Development: Brian McCormick. Excellent short book for players who are looking for ways to improve their game. Well researched, transferable to other sports.
    42. The Silo Effect: Gillian Tett. Quite academic book about how silos have led to insularity and lack of oversight. Heavy on financial institutions, but also offers insight into Chicago PD, Facebook and the Cleveland Clinic. Interesting, but dry.

    Other book recommendations:

    If you have read any other worthwhile books, please leave a comment below. It is always great to hear what people have enjoyed, or where they have found a useful insight.

    Thanks as always to our Book Club members , Castle Books in Beaumaris, Devon Libraries, Pete Bunning, Chris Brown, Topsy Turner, Andy McCann and Abe books.

  2. District 13- Parkour, Gymnastics

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    The Benefits of Parkour

    I watched the French film District 13 a couple of weeks ago. There is some truly impressive athletic movement in this film. The freestyle attitude of Parkour, making use of the local environment, looking at everyday objects in a different light, is in total contrast to some sports environments where free expression is constrained.

    I have always thought young children especially would be better off developing this type of movement and awareness, rather than being taken to a class and put through highly disciplined and structured movement patterns.

    FreeG

    Parkour

    James practicing FreeG

    I am pleased to announce that from September we will be offering Freestyle Gymnastics (FreeG) sessions at our Gymnastics Club venues in Willand and Wellington.

    These will be aimed at teenagers who want to be able to learn and practice Freestyle moves in a safe (and dry) environment. Sessions will run on Tuesday evenings in Willand Village Hall and Wednesday afternoons at Court Fields school in Wellington.

    We have been able to do this is as a result of extensive fundraising activities by the Club and generous funding from British Gymnastics, local trusts, the local council and individuals.

    Please contact us if you are a teenager who would like the opportunity to practice Freestyle Gymnastics Moves. No experience is necessary.

    This video shows some of the moves that skilled FreeG performers can do.

     

  3. How can I stop my child getting injured?

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    “Injured young athletes are older, spend more time in organized sports, and specialize too early”

    injury prevention

    Could this be prevented?

    The evidence is quite stark if your child is spending too much time in organised activity rather than free play, if they have specialised in one sport and if they have gone through their growth spurt, then they are more likely to get injured (1).

    • 34% of middle school sports participants get injured each year with an estimated medical bill of $2billion (5).
    • Talented (or early developing) children get asked to play more sport and therefore have higher injury risk (2).
    • The cumulative workload increases injury risk e.g. Cricketers who do more than 75 throws a week (3).
    • Early specialisation in one sport leads to an increase in injury risk (4).
    • Young athletes participating in more sports hrs/wk than their age  and participating in>2 times organized sports:free play are more likely to have a serious overuse injury (1).
    • Injury risk increases in teenage girls from 12-13 years old and teenage boys from 14-15 years old: at their growth spurts (6).

    Injury Prevention is always better than cure

    Why wait until your player is injured? I prefer to have healthy athletes available all year round.

    A 2 pronged approach is necessary to greatly reduce the risk of your child or player getting injured.

    1. Plan your schedule of training and competing. Include free play time.
    2. Implement a strength/ co-ordination exercise regime and stick to it.

    how to prevent injuryPlanning: The best place to start is to look at the next 4 weeks. Use this free 4 weekly planner to help. Put in all the school p.e., games and matches, then club training and matches, plus other activities.

    You will probably see a lot of competing and travel, with very few rest days, and little planned physical preparation: running, speed or strength work.

    How much free play does your child do? That is “jumpers for goal posts” mucking about with friends in the local park or school playground? None? Then they are at greater risk of injury!

    Decisions will have to be made about what is a priority, what is “need to do” rather than “nice to do”. If you are playing more than one age group of a sport, then you should consider dropping the lower one.

    Coaches should look at the overall workload that their best players are undergoing: it is unsustainable! Can you afford to lose your best player mid-season?

    how to stop getting injuredStrength/co-ordination training: It is the ability to control your own body throughout the match and the season that is the key to avoid getting injured. Your exercise programme has to be specific for young athletes: time spent on crosstrainers, exercise bikes and lying down on a bench is time wasted.

    They need to lunge, squat, brace, rotate, push and pull: in combination with braking, landing, jumping and moving from 2 legs to 1 leg, up, down and side to side.

    I get athletes to implement daily routines, at first only 5 minutes, then building up from there. This summer I have designed specific warm up routines for team sports players based on the recent research and my experience.

    Members of the Athletic Development Club have all been given my newly designed protocol cards to help them through the season.

    injury prevention

    Leg strengthening work

    The 11-12 minute warm ups contains all the movements necessary to help reduce the likelihood of injury, as well as improve their sporting performance. If done before every training session and match, the cumulative positive effect will be huge.

    Coaches and teachers need to take responsibility

    “Quality does not just happen. People who believe so, are people who trust in miracles to make their way through life.  Quality excellence is an outcome of preparation and relentless practice. It is surely a given then, that there is time set aside routinely for this.” Frank Dick, Winning Matters.

    injury prevention

    Resisted running drills

    I often hear coaches and teachers bemoan the fact that they are struggling to field a team by December due to injuries.  Are they still practicing warm up routines that are ineffective and full of time fillers such as jogging, or encourage incorrect mechanics such as high knees and heel flicks?

    Do they have a strength programme that helps improve performance and prevent injury? Or do they just use generic exercises that require little co-ordination and involve a lot of sitting or lying down?

    A lot of coaches say they are doing the right thing, but how do they know?

    Badminton coach James Elkin, Volleyball coach Denise Austin and the Fencing coaches at the SWFencing Hub have shown a great Growth Mindset by looking at what we are doing with their athletes and then changing their practice.

    Summary

    injury prevention programme

    Technical drills

    Injuries are far from things “that just happen“. Chronic pain is abnormal in teenagers, it can be prevented.

    Parents, look at how much physical preparation and free play your child is involved in compared to organised camps, travel and competing.

    Coaches and teachers either come to one of our strength and conditioning coaching courses or I can run a workshop for your staff that will help all your players and teams.

    Let’s work together to help produce healthy, happy and thriving young sportspeople.

    This video discussion with Brian McCormick gives more of an overview and guide for parents.

    References

    1. Br J Sports Med 2014 48: 611
    2. Br J Sports Med 2014;48:1265–1267.
    3. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:805–8.
    4. Br J Sports Med 2013;47:503–7.
    5. The Physician and Sportsmedicine 42(2): p146-153 (2014).
    6. Acta Orthop. 80(5) p563–567 (2009).

  4. Middle distance running: science, myths & practice

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    “Why get obsessed with details if they don’t matter yet?”

    Steve Magness, at GAIN 2016 presenting on “Current concepts of endurance training“. I have been privileged to meet up with Steve for 3 GAIN conferences, and his thoughts have greatly shaped the work I do with our Middle Distance Running group.

    Here are some of the key principles that underpin the work we do. Steve has had considerable success with his athletes (he does have a better gene pool!) both at professional and collegiate level. But, success can be defined as knocking off 2 minutes from your 5km Park Run time at 53 years old like Martin Baxter has done.

    What actually matters?

    middle distance running

    Focus on what matters & is controllable

    This is very important to understand. It is easy to get caught up in the latest fad, or copying someone elses’s workout they posted on facebook. This applies at all levels!

    That could be “stuff” like  Garmin watches, altitude masks, compression socks, beetroot tablets. Or it could be training plans: High Intensity Interval Training (HITT), Training Zones, High Volume or Cross Training.

    It is perhaps the biggest reason to get a decent coach. Too many athletes (speaking from experience) come to me from other clubs without any idea of why they do sessions.

    Steve emphasised the importance of “Developing your why.”

    It is important to listen to people who “Have skin in the game” rather than “some Professor telling you to do it“. This means learning from coaches who are producing athletes with results regularly.

    Developing a Middle Distance Running Philosophy

    Percy wells cerutty

    Learn from the past

    However, Steve is far from being a “Luddite flat-earther”. His coaching his based around 3 areas:

    • Art (Coaching, trial, error, experience)
    • Science (Research, results)
    • History (Learning from previous coaches such as Fred Wilt, Herb Elliott, Percy Wells Cerutty)

    Note the breadth and depth of these areas. This has helped ground Steve and be less resistant to fads or “folklore“(Ken Doherty phrase) than some other endurance coaches.

    For example one of the Middle Distance Running tenets is “Mileage wins medals“. It is common to hear runners at all levels talking about how many miles they have run. Steve gave the example of coaching one runner recovering from illness who had no idea how many miles she was running , but still managed to train effectively (for her).

    Steve had to adapt his coaching (science and art) to this runner, despite being unable to get so called essential information (mileage). All her runs were based on time and effort.

    If your only coaching plan is run (X miles +1) every week, then you are only working on one aspect of middle distance running: Volume. The same thoughts apply to those who only do “intervals” or any other single parameter of training.

    Middle Distance Running Myths

    middle distance running

    Sharing ideas with Steve

    Here are some key points I picked up from Steve this year and previously.

    • If your results are continuing to improve, there is no need to change for change sake. “Don’t go somewhere until you need to go somewhere.“

    If your 1 mile time is continuing to drop on your current plan, keep going. When it plateaus it is time to adjust.

    • Don’t do workouts to prove something to yourself: do them to create an adaptation. Sometimes you will have “see God days” (lying down on the track exhausted) but that is part of a process, rather than the goal.
    • There is a time to train and a time to rest. No such thing as half way rest. Don’t force yourself if its not in the plan.
    • It’s not about recovery, it’s about adaptation. You are trying to get fitter, your recovery should be helping you to adapt to your training session.
    • Performance is a consequence of good training. Therefore make the training good and relevant to performance: take away the watches and split times and train like you race. Change your usual environment.
    • There is a big difference between creating workouts for newcomers (anything is a stimulus, so easy to make improvements) versus runners with 10 years+ of experience. So beginners trying to copy experienced runners is often unnecessary, and experienced runners need specific direction.
    • High Intensity vs Low Intensity: this should be a redundant discussion. You have EVERY intensity at your disposal, so use them. There is a continuum between sprinting to slow steady running (even hill walking); finding the right mix depends on your event and your athlete, and the stage they are at.

    Important points for our athletes

    middle distance running myths

    Excelsior athletes training

    One of the key things that has come up is consistency of training. It is more important that you have a lot of good, average days than you trying to thrash yourself all the time. Your training has to be sustainable over 3-4 months.

    The next thing is to find out what stimulus you are trying to create to adapt in the direction you want. About half of Steve’s athletes need more fitness to race at the next level. Other athletes may need more speed, more endurance, or more pacing strategy. Each workout should then be planned around this.

    You plan training above and below what is necessary for your race. For example 3 sessions may look like this:

    1. 1 mile at 4:22 (3 mins rest) 4 sets total
    2. 20 minutes at 5 min pace, then a 3 minute jog
    3. 400m at 60 second pace (1 min rest) 6 sets total. (Steve’s sessions, our athletes run slower than that!)

    Steve said that whilst many average runners can do a good workout, or run a good part of a race, the best runners can put the whole plan together and execute it on race day.

    One way I facilitate this is to make the training resemble the race. We do run times/ splits, but we also race in training and we definitely create adverse situations for our runners to overcome. They have to think and adapt to what is being thrown at them.

    Summary

    middle distance running book

    Steve’s excellent coaching book

    I have briefly touched on what has been hours of listening to Steve, then talking with him, plus reading his book. What I like is that Steve has studied the history, science and art of coaching middle distance running, plus applied it in his own training and with his athletes.

    I have managed to apply many of these lessons into our running sessions, alongside the technique work gained from Frans Bosch/ Gary Winckler and it is great to see the improvement (and reduced injuries) of our club runners in Willand.

    Further reading:

    Steve Magness on the Volume Trap

  5. Plyometrics and Agility: Jim Radcliffe

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     “Try to be more like a super ball, not a tomato”

    plyometrics radcliffe

    Coach Radcliffe and me 2014

    Jim Radcliffe’s advice on plyometric training rang true as he went through a series of progressions for plyometrics at GAIN 2016.

    I have read his book on the subject, and seen him at 4 previous GAIN seminars. This is an updated post reflecting his latest cues, and my ability to coach these exercises better having been working with our athletes weekly on them.

    Jumping in place

    Coach Radcliffe looked at starting from the basics and working on the correct mechanics from the start. The key is to work on the vertical displacement of the hips. He used these cues to help:

    • Thumbs up with 2 hands- links to sprinting
    • Toes up: ankles locked and loaded
    • Head to ceiling: just do it and land quietly.
    • Land ready to take off again.

    We did these barefoot on grass to start with: it helps correct faulty foot mechanics and get a better “feel” for what is needed.

    Jump Progressions

    plyometric

    Plyometric training

    Once the players can do this he uses multiple responses with a pause, so 3 jumps with 2 seconds rest in between. Landing ready to go again. Then do 4-6 in a row.

    Then squat jumps with hands behind the head, with a pause, and bending the knees to get more of a positive shin angle. Repeating these in a pogo fashion with the thumbs up again.

    Rocket jump– reach up and down, could reach side to side too.

    Tuck jumps-like slide kicks in sprint drills where the heel strikes the butt like sliding up a wall. Or knee tuck with heels in front of the body, hands by chest, knees to hands. Then multiple responses with hands moving up and down.

    Spatial jumps– use split jumps, then split jumps switching legs.

    Depth jumps– makes sure you land in position correctly. Use “shock” to react and spring back up by not looking at the landing.

    Travelling Forward

    We then looked at linear progressions of bounding with a horizontal displacement of the hips.

    Prance: both feet land and take off at the same time: not skipping. You should hear 1 sound at a time (note to coaches who have music blasting out: you are eliminating one of your key senses).

    Gallop: 1 foot forward, keeping the front foot under the body though. The cue “driving like a piston” helped me more this time around.

    Skipping: extended skips forward with a step high, projecting the hips forward.

    Bounding: 1 leg to the other like a prancing activity “Load and fire”, “Load and fire”.

    Bounding with more knees drive, working on distance. Bounding with zig zags concentrate on landing.

    Hopping: more like top speed work. Over small hurdles “cycling the legs” landing with a pause, then multiple responses. Multiple double leg hops, then with single legs. Then start from a sprinters position and do diagonal hops, again cycling the legs.

    Advanced plyometric drills

    These drills are getting quite advanced now. He then worked up to what he did on the 2nd year of training with the guys. Posture is the determining factor for progression. Can you do a single leg squat with the rear knee touching the floor? if not, then “err on the side of doing too little.”

    Hopping over obstacles and immediately changing direction on one foot, with gradually more acute angles of turning was the start place. When landing, make sure you avoid doing a split step to move. Just push from the hips.

    Coach Radcliffe emphasised the need for minimal ground contact time. What are labelled “plyometric” on the Internet are often just slow jump drills. I discussed with Jim the fact that I find working more on lower level jumps with our athletes and trying to improve the timing and coordination seems to be effective. He said, “me too“.

    (An example of how to introduce jumping is in the video below. This is where I have found best to start).

    Agility work

    As if the above plyometric drills weren’t going to help your agility! We have previously looked at on the field type work.

    • Turn and Run Mechanics (simple)
    • Speed cuts: moving off the inside foot, like a pivot action. (Temporal)
    • Power cuts: moving off the outside foot. “Sit , dip and drive.” (Temporal)
    • Reactionary movement skills.(spatial)
    • Games and skills drills (open)

    Much discussion has taken place on the “false step” what is known in the USA as a “plio step”. (Radcliffe and Gambetta were quite vehement in coaching this out of players who are doing it. This year, Ken Clark brought another perspective on this, so this discussion will continue).

    Instead, work on the plant foot under the hip, then power the hips away. Not plant the foot outside of the body and push.  The idea was to eliminate lots of foot movements that may look fancy, but don’t actually get you moving anywhere.

    (All the time Radcliffe was demonstrating drills he talked about hips, but it was actually his head that lead every action he was doing. That is something I learnt from Steve Morris and I incorporate into the agility work I do with every athlete).

    The Sway Drill

    A sort of trademark feature from Radcliffe is his Oregon Sway drill and it is a great idea for lateral agility. Using 2 small cones or plastic cups, the athlete works on a series of movements that start small and then work up bigger. It requires the ability to squat properly, and to turn, pivot, sway and push hips laterally.

    Next up was working on lateral starts, using a crossover step, or the same side leg, but opening up the hips. Then backwards turns. Radcliffe also recommended working in a sandpit sometimes to create an external load and level of difficulty.

     Summary

    plyometrics

    Coach Radcliffe and me

    Great presentations and demonstrations, with ample time this year to practice. I like “having a go” and feeling it.  Radcliffe is superb, and there was more time to open things up for discussion: like the “false step” or “hip projection”.

    I have revisited what I do, and taken away the sway drill and Gambetta’s foot dot drill as simple closed drills that athletes can do away from me with easy progressions. We use these on a weekly basis.

    Sport requires speed and power, the training should reflect that. It is easy to get caught on what you can do on a platform or lying down on a bench. At no point did we use an agility ladder!

    Next: How to develop speed

    We use these principles in our Jump Higher programme and at our Athletics Club 

  6. Top Broscience Myths

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    Broscience is overrated

    broscience

    Broscience

    I am privileged to work with many good athletes, and I interact with many excellent coaches. I last worked in the Health and Fitness industry  15 years ago (pre Internet boom). It therefore came as a shock to me the other day when I assessed some Personal Trainers in their fitness studio with their clients.

    What I had thought was common sense and sound coaching principles was absent from these young men. I had stumbled into the world of Broscience (Yes, they were wearing tights, had baseball cap turned backwards, did say Bro and referred to water as “H2O”).

    Whilst well-meaning, the levels of misinformation were astounding. Rather than mocking, I shall layout some of the key points of differentiation between that world and mine.

    Broscience myths

    1. broscience biceps

      Tuesday is biceps day

      Today is chest/ back /legs day. Whilst this may be appropriate for bodybuilding, it is inappropriate for athletes. We “Train movements not muscles” (Gambetta). Our resistance training must be whole body and enhance coordination. Rather than supersetting pull ups with curls, think pulls and throws or squats and jumps.

    2. YouTube is the fount of all knowledge. There are some good videos and explanations on YouTube. However, watching videos without understanding the context leads to random exercise generation. I have an MSc in Sports Coaching, four post grad certifications, read hundreds of journal articles and scores of books every year and I still question what I do.
    3. “But real athletes do this“. I train real athletes. Watching someone famous do something on the internet and copying it rarely succeeds (unless you try to emulate their actual sport technique). If you think that Rory McIlroy is brilliant at golf because he runs on a treadmill wearing an altitude mask, think again. Cristiano Ronaldo has an underwater bike in his home pool: but rich athletes are suckers for gimmicks and fads like the rest of us! Instead, look to see what coaches who train many successful athletes are doing.
    4. Wearing tights / gloves makes me look like a pro. Compression tights are for recovery. If you wear them during training, you are making them looser, and potentially overheating. How can you train and recover at the same time? Why are you wearing them if you are doing “chest day“? Gloves can be worn if you are cold outside. Inside the gym there is no need to wear them. Use chalk if you sweat.
    5. battle ropes

      Battle ropes at altitude!

      Sleds, ropes, parachutes and other paraphanalia are essential for top level training. Quality of movement is essential in top level sport. If you have bad movement mechanics, and then you load that movement, you will have bad, slow movement. Dragging a sled backwards to “work on your VMOs” has minimal correlation with top speed running forward. Battle ropes may get your arms tired, but what sport uses that movement?

    6. “Activate and engage muscle X” . The body is a self organising system. The P.T. world is full of internal coaching cues that actually inhibit learning. Every child has learnt to walk, sit and roll without knowing what their transversus abdominus, gluteus medius or multifidus was. Work on tasks such as sitting, jumping, running and throwing, rather than trying to isolate individual muscles.
    7. If someone looks good naked, they must be a good coach. If you are taking advice on how to train for sport from someone who has their top off in every selfie, good luck. if you are looking on body composition advice, then fair enough.

    What is the antidote to Broscience?

    broscience

    Wearing gloves won’t help bad technique

    Apart from nuking the Internet? Look to get advice from someone who has helped other people get better. Ex athletes may be a good source of advice, but only if they have helped others. What worked for them once, may well be unsuitable for you.

    Read more books from coaches. Yes, read books. Broscience rarely makes it into print.

    Get qualified yourself. A weekend spent on a strength and conditioning course  wil be a worthwhile investment for someone who wants to spend their next 40 years training.

    Here is an example of me coaching dumbbell exercises for golfers using some of the principles above:

    (Thanks to Cole Peterson for introducing me to the term).

  7. Movement and People: GAIN 2016

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    Coach education at its best

    coach development

    Vern briefing the coaches

    “Movement and people” is how Andy Stone summed up his approach to coaching. That matches my philosophy too. Care about the people and teach them to move well; good things happen as a result.

    At Vern Gambetta’s GAIN conference in Houston, Texas, there were many good coaches (as well as MDs, Phds, Athletic Trainers, Physiotherapists, Strength & Conditioning Coaches, Track & Field Coaches , physical education teachers and football coaches) all of whom had different approaches to helping the athletes with whom they work.

    Some were data gurus, some were researchers and delved into papers, some were experience based, some were young (many were old), some were ex-athletes, all had their own strengths and bias. They came from Spain, Bulgaria, UK, Hungary, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and of course, the USA.

    This meant that every problem or idea that was presented was seen through many different prisms, rather than a myopic view from one background. This led to many healthy, lively and sometimes uncomfortable discussions. But, no acrimony because this group of people left their egos at home!

    World Class Presenters

    Vern talking about department silos

    Vern talking about department silos

    This was my 5th time attending GAIN, and there are always some new excellent presenters sharing their ideas, together with previous presenters showing how their ideas have developed. Here are a selection (apologies if I have left you out).

    • Vern Gambetta: athletic development coach, founder of GAIN. Talked about “Winning the workout” and “creating change.”
    • Wade Gilbert: Researcher and editor of International Journal of Sports Coaching. “Building a culture of competitive excellence”. This included how to transform “moments of excellence into cultures of excellence“.
    • Steve Magness: Endurance running coach. Always excellent, presents information clearly, practically and is only interested in showing what works with real life athletes (but says what he has tried and failed at too)! Of all the data he has collected, the most important differential between his best and worst athletes was attendance.
    • Brian McCormick: Basketball coach, author and lecturer. Skill acquisition, dynamic systems theory and Long Term Athlete Development Models. Brian did a memorable practical session where he tried to teach me how to shoot! Very clear LTAD thoughts and ideas, right up there with Finn Gundersen and Paula Jardine.  (Video inset shows a discussion on LTAD for parents).
    • dean benton jim radcliffe

      Dean and Jim sharing ideas

      Jim Radcliffe: Strength Coach Orgeon Ducks, author of “High Powered Plyometrics“. 3 fantastic practical sessions on warm ups and advanced plyometrics. A regular at GAIN, this really helped me refine my coaching cues.

    • Bill Knowles: Athletic Trainer. Reconditioning and Return to Practice. Bill rehabilitates many professional players, but also works with the Philadelphia Union soccer team. His thoughts on reconditioning are cutting edge and he integrates athletic development, p.e and gymnastics into his rehab.
    • Dean Benton and Grant Duthie: Two Aussies who are strength coaches/lecturers/ performance coaches. Dean has been before and utilises work from GAIN and Australia. They talked about Tactical Periodisation and how they use it with the Melbourne Storm Rugby League team.
    • Ken Clark: Researcher, speed coach. A young, passionate guy talking about science of speed and then science of agility. Great mix of mechanics and then practical cues. “There is no substitute for going all out with intent.”
    • Randy Ballard: Athletic Trainer, Associate Athletics Director, University of Illinois. GAIN regular, talked about integrating different support staff and the human dynamics within that. Very insightful.
    • Ed Ryan: Previous Director of Medical services with US Olympic Association. Looked at Hot Topics in sports medicine, including Light Therapy and Stem Cell research.
    • Greg Thompson: Physical Education Teacher. Always good theory and practical on proper p.e. (not sports/referees) pedagogy and development. I use a lot of his ideas daily.

    Practical ideas

    Movement madness

    Movement madness

    Rather than just being a series of lectures, what I like about GAIN is the amount of practical work we do too. This transforms theory into practice, and shows us what and how to coach (the Why is in the lectures). The official day starts at 0630 on the track for an hour of “Movement Madness“, split into 2-3 stations. Most of the attendees get stuck into this with gusto.

    There is another more observational practical session in the afternoon, where the coaches show work in the gym or in a hall. This included “velocity based training” with Nick Garcia and 2 good practicals from Joe Prytzula on core conditioning/ structural integrity.

    However, the unofficial day starts at 0545 when my roommate Andy Stone and I hit the track and field to share ideas and practice our movements. This is probably the best part for me, as it allows us to explore and fail unobserved! An example is here:

    Informal Knowledge Bombs

    Nick Folker, Vern, Bill at breakfast

    Nick Folker, Vern, Bill at breakfast

    Another highlight is the amount of time that Vern has now cemented into the meal times, recognising that the interaction between all these excellent people occurs naturally when time is allowed. The food is always excellent, and 3 times a day we get to sit and share.

    There is never a “faculty table“; everyone mixes together. The nuggets of information and discussions that come up are simply priceless and as the years go on, I learn as much from these as I do the formal sessions.

    Over the next few weeks, I shall be posting some more in depth reflections and link from this page. In the mean time, I shall try my best to apply these new thoughts with the athletes at our club.

    Thanks to Vern and everyone at GAIN for another great experience.

  8. Coach development

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    Annual Conference on Athletic Development

    coaching conference

    James in practical session

    In the early hours of tomorrow morning I fly to Houston to attend the GAIN conference for 5 days. This will be my 5th visit to Vern Gambetta’s athletic development masterclass.

    There is no other conference like it: containing a mixture of practical sessions, lectures, talks and discussions. The diverse range of backgrounds of people includes:

    • p.e. teachers
    • physiotherapists
    • athletic trainers
    • athletics coaches
    • football coaches
    • strength and conditioning coaches
    • wrestling coaches
    • and me.

    This means that any discussion about athletes is benefits from many different perspectives, with all of the people having one goal: getting their athletes better.

    The sessions start at 0630 (although me and my roomate Andy Stone start at 0545) and run through until 2200.

    This is a chance for me to learn, discuss and share ideas that will translate into practical sessions for all our athletes when I return. It also helps me run the coach education workshops as I get a very detailed look at coaching processes and latest ideas from World Class coaches who are leading their fields.

    Watch this space for updates.

  9. Giving our youth roots to grow and wings to fly

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    Three of these athletes have International honours now

    Foundations are key

    The headline is a quote from Frank Dick. It is brought to mind because last week a young athlete said she wasn’t good enough to get to the Olympics.

    At 13 years old, no she isn’t. What was disappointing was it appeared that any flame of ambition had been doused.

    Nurturing ambition, giving the tools to help the athlete, and keeping them grounded enough to work towards their goals is a tricky balancing act.

    • Too much hype and reward at an early age can lead to overinflated egos and a harsh bite of reality when coming up against senior competition.
    • Too little praise and reward can lead to disappointment, burnout and stopping playing altogether.

    This is why experienced coaches should be working with the junior athletes, it is at this age where the good (or bad) work is done. This has a lasting effect into the senior arena.

    To all young athletes out there: “If not you, then who?” Make sure you try your best and it can be you.

    weightlifting for women

    Sophie training

    Recent success for Excelsior athletes

    Sophie Jefferson gained her first International caps earliers this month. She started for the England Hockey Under 18s against Scotland, and again against England Under-21s.

    Sophie has trained with us for 4 1/2 years now, and is an example of what happens with consistent training, and attending to the little details.

    The selectors omitted her from the England Under-16s squad 2 years ago, but Sophie carried on training hard despite that.

    Anna Johannson competed in the Nations cup pony team for GB in Saumur, France and finished a repsectable 16th overall against Senior competition.

    anna johannson

    Anna Johannson

    Anna has only recently started training with us, so we can’t take too much credit!

    But, she does her homework consistently and has improved her structural integrity as a result.

    Two ex Excelsior athletes became National Champions earlier this month!

    Steve Turnock won the BUCS Javelin championships and Caitlin Evans Brand won the England Schools golf

    Caitlin Evans Brand

    Caitlin running

    championship. Both trained with us quite a bit before going away to University/ College.

    You can see Steve warming up here (one of the reasons he succeeds now is his underpinning athletic development):

    “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”  is one of the mottos of the Excelsior Athletic Development Club  come and join us.

  10. What should I eat for breakfast?

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    “Fill me up with sugar and watch me crash”

    Parents and coaches often ask me “What should my child eat for breakfast?” 

    unhealthy breakfast cereals

    Diabetes starter packs

    Eating the a healthy breakfast will aid concentration and help overall health and performance. The recent study on Primary School children in Wales showed that eating breakfast was associated with better SATS scores.

    Unfortunately they asserted that breakfast cereals constituted a “healthy breakfast“. Read on and see why this is a big error...

    If you are anything like I was, you probably eat the same thing for breakfast 6 days out of 7, and it probably hasn’t changed for the last 5 years. It will most likely involve reaching for a bowl of breakfast cereal.

    It is important to eat properly before competing and before studying: breakfast is the best start.

    However, eating the wrong thing will lead to rapid increases in blood sugar, followed shortly by an insulin rush and onset of lethargy. This then leads to further cravings throughout the day.

    Looking at the Which! report on breakfast cereals, you may as well just eat handfuls of sugar.

    3 of the worst offenders for sugar content (or Diabetes starter packs)

    All apparently healthy, and 2 of the guys I was training last week (Jess and Kurtis) said they had these every day with the assumption they were healthy.

    Excelsior athletes can see some alternatives for a nutritional breakfast

    Otherwise you might like to look at this excellent guide from the NHS on 5 healthy breakfasts.  

    It is important to know that porridge and muesli were omitted from this report because they are outside of the best sellers. “Is porridge a good breakfast?” is something I get asked every time I do a workshop on healthy breakfasts.

    Whilst it is hot and has slow releasing energy, it is low on protein and vitamins. I would add nuts for protein and some fruit too. Wholewheat museli with no added sugar has a good balance. Avoid Alpen which is very high in added sugar.

    Making the change to a healthy breakfast

    4 years ago when I first read this report I made a determined effort to change what I ate.   Four mornings a week involved a mad rush of nappy changing, kids dressing, tidying up and general herding of cats- so it was unrealistic to get a cooked breakfast.

    But, I did manage to have Porridge or wholewheat muesli (with no added sugar) using nuts for protein.

    healthy breakfast

    Omelette with peppers, onion, tomatoes, chives, parpika and parsley

    The other 3 days a week I had a bit more time and changed what I ate:  This included eggs, grilled bacon or peanut butter on toast.

    We  also deliberately changed the cereals we bought and the nutritional value of the bread to make toast. The whiter the bread, the more refined the flour, the quicker the release of the energy and the less nutritional value it has.

    • Switching to wholemeal toast instead of white toast will immediately improve your breakfast.
    • Adding some protein/ fat and reducing cereal/ bread content will make it healthier still.

    This will require some planning and alternative aisles visited in the supermarket- (a worthwhile investment on my part for me and family). I want to avoid a diabetes endemic in our house.

    Now I only eat wholemeal muesli or porridge 1-2 times a week, the rest of the time I include fresh fruit and protein. More recently I have started eating eggs 3-4 times each week. This reflects guidelines on returning to a more early twentieth century diet, low in sugar and refined carbohydrates.

    Thanks to Hayley Bond for her research.