Author Archives: James Marshall

  1. True Grit

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    “Pentathlete Jenny McGeever overcomes adversity at French Open”

    Jenny McGeever Modern pentathlonOne of the most satisfying moments of my coaching career came 2 weekends ago, when one of our Excelsior athletes came 13th overall in Paris.

    Jenny had been on a training camp with Pentathlon Ireland in Italy. She caught budget airline Vueling to Paris, who kindly lost her bag.

    Now, here is what was in that bag:

    • Swimming costume and cap
    • Swords, breeches, helmet.
    • Riding boots.
    • Pistol.
    • Running shoes, shorts and vest.
    • Contact lenses.
    • Tolietries, underwear (girls get especially concerned about this stuff).

    It would be easy to quit at this point. I know many people who would. Not Jenny. She begged and borrowed kit so that she could compete.

    Swimming in a borrowed costume, fencing in borrowed kit and sword: she was in the overall lead after two events.

    (You may remember I wrote a post a while back as Jenny made her International debut for GB. This Mid Devon resident has since switched to Ireland.)

    2 down, 3 to go

    Riding next, and this was a bit more difficult in oversized borrowed boots: tricky to feel the horse, so she lost a couple of points here.

    Jenny McGeever pentathleteThe last event is the combined run/ shoot. This starts with the pentathletes using a laser pistol, aiming at a target 10m away. They have 50 seconds in which to hit the target 5 times, then run 800m and repeat.

    As you can see, Jenny uses contacts when shooting. However, she had to use her glasses for the shoot. She tried running, with them, but they kept falling off.

    So she ran without them and was getting dizzy due to her bad eyesight! She was also using a borrowed pistol.

    She set a personal best despite this.

    Jenny’s run is pretty good now, but the shooting is what drops her down to 13th from the overall lead. However, it is improving at every competition.

    Funding madness

    Now, when it comes to funding, do you want to give the money to someone in the “pathway” where in the words of the GB performance director a “culture of mediocrity” is being created?

    Or, do you want to give it to someone who can overcome adversity and is continuing to improve?

    I have been coaching Jenny for over 5 years now. From schoolgirl fencer to World Cup competitor and London 2012 hopeful to aspiring Modern Pentathlete.

    Someone said to me this week “she’s a talented girl“. I disagree. Jenny is a good overall athlete, who is very well organised, trains like a dog and makes sacrifices. 

    I have seen far more “talented” athletes squander their potential through being disorganised, lazy and wanting everything handed on a plate to them.

    This Modern Pentathlon competition was a big leap forward for Jenny. I will be supporting her throughout.

    Credit goes to Tiverton swimming club and Wellington Swords fencing club too for their support and coaching.

  2. 360° learning at GAIN in Houston

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    “You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable all the time”

    gain conferenceVern Gambetta from the GAIN Athletic Development Manual.

    I have just returned from spending a week at my 4th GAIN conference, at Rice University, Houston, Texas.

    My mind and body were pushed, pulled and stretched in many different directions. 

    The standard of people coaching and presenting and attending is very high. This is far from a conference of “confirmation bias” or “how brilliant I am” presentations.

    Instead it is an opportunity to immerse oneself into a learning and growing environment, ask challenging questions (apparently something I am good at) and have our beliefs and ideas challenged.

    This can only happen with the right people around. Get it wrong, and people get defensive, argumentative or withdraw.

    vern gambetta and jim radcliffeOne of the most impressive aspects is that the faculty members (with an inordinate amount of experience) are always taking notes and asking questions: maybe that explains their success?

    I shall be expanding further on each topic over the next few weeks as I get a chance to reflect and review upon my notes and thoughts.

    Coach education is more than ticking boxes.

    Having had to suffer some pretty dire compulsory “coach education” courses recently, I would like to share the different ways I had an opportunity to learn at GAIN.

    Remember: sharing an idea is a learning opportunity.

    Lectures: listening to some excellent presenters on a wide range of topics from leadership, coaching, data monitoring, disease prevention, Bondarchuk and 100m sprint development (to name a few).

    Discussions: We had 3 round table discussions with the returnees. Sal Marinello and I hosted one on strength with a particular focus on”Hypertrophy“. Got everyone in the room talking and sharing. Others were on endurance training and sports medicine.

    Getting coached: Every morning there were 3 practical sessions on the track. I think coaches need to be coached: you get to feel what it is like to “be on the receiving end”. I was privileged to have Gary Winckler take me through some reactive speed drills in the gym for his session. He kept telling me to move faster (I am a 44 year old recreational tennis player, not one of his Olympic medalists!).gary winckler hamstringGAIN talks: like Ted talks, some of us did 15 min presentations about what we did, or how we work. Mine was on motor learning (Wulf) using the micro practice (Lemov). It was good to see the faculty throw themselves into this and I hope it triggered some thinking.

    steve magness cole petersenInformal Learning: The meal times are a big highlight of GAIN. Not only is the food excellent (pancake deficit this year though), but the chance to ask, share, discuss and reflect with everyone from a huge range of backgrounds is invaluable. Really great snippets of wisdom or sparks of ideas to pursue.

    Coaching: I got asked by Gary Winckler to help him coach one of his morning sessions! That was a highlight “don’t screw it up” was my main aim.

    Workout before the workout:  My roomate is Wrestling coach and p.e. teacher Andy Stone. Every morning we hit the track at 0550 to get a workout in before the workout (Vern calls this Naked crossfit), Each year we share ideas about what we have been working on. Here is a small sample:

    Where else do you have an opportunity to do all that?

    Big thanks to Vern Gambetta for creating this network, he has done an excellent job of evolving GAIN each year. Big thanks to everyone who was there and helped me learn.

    If you have any questions, or thoughts, please share below.

  3. 3 keys to Knee health

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    There are 3 key things to help keep your knees healthy:

    knee health

    To look after your knees, you need to

    1. Strengthen
    2. Stabilise
    3. Stretch

    This week’s module of the Sports Training System includes more details on how to prevent knee injuries.

    Sarah Marshall knee expert Physiotherapist elaborates further in this podcast.

  4. World Cup Fever: Top 5 football fitness blog posts

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    World Cup Fever is upon us

    football world cup fitnessLove it or hate it, there is no getting around it (although I am going to Houston for GAIN next week and that is probably a football desert!).

    I thought this would be a good time to highlight the top 5 football related blog posts since the last World Cup:

    1. Speed endurance for football: theory and practice. Guest post by ex-Oxford United player Darren Watts.
    2. Breaking the jaw alignment myth: why Ronaldo should save his money. Fran’s myth busting blog on the footballer’s fad.
    3. Fitness testing for football. Q&A discussion with Mladen Jovanović.
    4. How to get faster for football. Speed training tips for footballers by Matt Durber.
    5. Are you fit enough to play in the Champions League Final? The complete low down on the fitness demands of playing top level football by Matt Durber.

    England football fitnessHonourable mention goes to “What does Jack Wilshere have in common with a Dinosaur?” by Physiotherapist Sarah Marshall which helps explain why he is always injured!

    Whilst England are taking a young, inexperienced team to Brasil, no doubt the expectations will rise and fall over the next few weeks.

    I shall be shouting at the T.V. as much as the next man “Come on England“.

  5. Martial Arts- enhance or inhibit natural movement?

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    I was recently asked about using Martial Arts training to help a sports academy with their movement patterns. This is ironic because a lot of M.A. training actually inhibits natural movement patterns.

    In fact, these artificial movements become more and more exaggerated, and then become the object of the training, rather than an aid to being a better fighter.

    Bruce Lee called this “Organised Despair“.

    This is common in other sports where a training aid or practice becomes the focus, rather than thinking “does this help us play our sport better?” For example in practising agility drills with equipment, coaches can focus on the drill, rather than on the movement patterns underneath (see our agility guide)

    One natural fighter who used me a lot as a sparring partner (or moving target) was Elwyn Hall; this clip shows some of his movement quite well

    Training with Steve Morris opened my eyes further to this, and I stopped doing the Karate immediately. This was after spending thousands of hours training, plus thousands of pounds spent on Karate: I was a 4th Dan and was on the England squad for 3 years, so had a big investment and “expertise“. (Read about my Karate training).

    I stopped because I realised that it was becoming an end in itself. How many other coaches are prepared to make that type of paradigm shift?

    Are you running drills that are self -serving, or do they make improvements in your sporting performance?

  6. How to get faster for football

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    How to get faster for football

    With the football season finally over (for barely a few weeks!), we take a look at how you can use the off season to give you or your team the best preparation for the season to come.

    Football is an increasingly high intensity and high tempo game, often decided by the smallest of margins. Having the fastest players then gives your team the best chance of success.

    Speed training for football

    There are two main aspects of fitness which relate to speed for football:

    1. Maximum speed– needed when chasing a long pass or an opponent.
    2. Changing direction at speed (agility)– needed to beat an opponent in a small space or to track an opponent who is trying to move into space off the ball. 

    Both aspects are vital for performance in different scenarios in the game; however they require different physical abilities and should therefore be coached as separate skills.

    This article will focus on improving running technique and speed. For more information on agility, see our pre-season guide to agility training

    Maximum Speed

    football speed trainingThe ability to run fast in a straight line can be broken down into two components:

    1) Acceleration– the ability to get to top speed quickly.

    The key to acceleration is horizontal displacement of body weight. Although this requires force which can be achieved through strength training, what is more important is how the force is applied and how quickly.

    Training sessions (gym and field based) should include work on applying force in the right direction and as fast as possible to improve acceleration.

    2) Running technique– the coordination of the body to maintain horizontal velocity with minimum energy expenditure.

    Running is a skill, with key technical points to be coached. These points can be worked on in specific running sessions (see below), but can also be included in warm ups and worked on during skill sessions too.

    How to apply this to football training

    football speed trainingPre-season training is the optimal time to begin working on speed and running technique as players are generally fresh after a few weeks off post-season.

    Speed sessions could be scheduled as standalone sessions, or at the start of a team session followed by technical skills training.

    Try our speed guide with 6 sessions each designed to work on a different aspect of running technique. With 2 sessions a week, you have a ready made 3 week speed block to greatly enhance the athleticism of your players.

    It is important to remember that these sessions should focus on quality, rather than quantity. Running is a technical skill and once players begin to get tired, their running mechanics will decline.

    Players should have adequate recovery between efforts in order to perform the exercises well and reinforce good technique. Think of the 4 Rs:

    • Run Well
    • Run Fast
    • Rest
    • Repeat

    Once players have developed their running technique and speed, sessions can then be designed to increase speed endurance and conditioning. Now your players will be able to run further, faster and then repeat that speed.

    Without speed training, what will they be able to endure?

    Matt Durber 

    We are currently running weekly “speed training for team sports” sessions in Willand, Devon. Contact James for details.

  7. Get the dumbbells moving

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    “Move the dumbbells as far away from your body as possible”

    when doing reverse flyes. Or “lower and retract shoulder blades whilst body is at a 30 degree angle and work in the transverse and horizontal planes with maximal extension“.

    Which is better for motor learning?

    This proved an interesting sidebar on the level 1 strength and conditioning for sport assessment on Saturday in Wellington.

    Giving instruction and feedback used to be mainstays of coaching practice: in fact they are still prevalent.

    “Your knee is dropping, lift it higher” would be an example. The coaches on the assessment day at a pretty good eye for spotting errors, and then giving an instruction. This may see an immediate improvement in that practice session.

    However, motor learning research has developed over the last 15 years, and we now understand that getting the athlete to solve problems aids learning. This then transfers beyond the practice into competition itself (This could be called athlete centred learning, although I see that misinterpreted into just playing games at every opportunity).

    Think outside of the body

    strength and conditioning qualification“The task determines the muscle’s activation pattern, and not the other way round.” Eyal Lederman.  If you try and touch a point on the wall as high as you can, your body will extend itself.

    Terms like “engage” or “activate” may get the muscle to work, but who cares if there is no transfer to the movement we want?

    “We train movements not muscles” Vern Gambetta. This was reinforced time and time again on the course. Train the movement and the muscles look after themselves.

    Strength and conditioning can often default to a sets/reps recital from a spreadsheet: but I am a coach, and so were the people on the assessment day.

    If you want any of these exercises to transfer beyond the gym, we have to get the athletes solving the problems themselves (which we as coaches set) and making decisions.

    John Brierley covered this well “How to acquire skill in strength and conditioning”

    Well done to all the candidates, they passed the theory and practical. We finished up with a look at continuing professional development: a discussion around different ways to learn and develop as coaches.

    Thanks to Princess Royal Sports Complex for hosting.

  8. The Challenge to coaches and coaching: Kevin Bowring

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    “The modern player adopts a ‘pick and mix’ loyalty rather than a long-term allegiance.”

    He is becoming increasingly preoccupied with self and is more independent and less submissive to authority.  He finds difficulty in accepting criticism and is more liable to conflict.   

    How do coaches adapt to this?

    I believe in player development and I believe in the impact that coaches can have on that development. The continual professional development of coaches is important and the words of Dave Whittaker, the 1984 gold medal Olympics hockey team coach, still ring true today.

     “You owe it to your players to be the best coach you can possibly be.”

     That doesn’t mean that we want to develop coaches who are all the same.  There is, I believe, opportunity to develop individuality in our coaches.  I do not believe in developing a group of homogeneous coaches – points of difference are vitally important. 

    ‘Big picture’ coaches with a real sense of purpose and a clear understanding of how the principles of play can transform learning and performance are vital for the future development of coaching. 

    rugby coach educationOur challenge in coach development is to help to develop innovative and creative coaches who can maximise player and team potential.  Even at the elite end of the game where the media’s microscopic analysis and interest have placed incredible stresses on coaches there is scope for development. 

    The challenge of elite coach development is to develop coaches who can deal with the most intense coaching environment of world cups, international matches and the premiership.

     (Full article can be found here)

     Kevin Bowring: Head of RFU elite coach development.

    Further reading:

  9. Men In Tights! Lessons to be learnt from training for the performing arts.

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    Nick Allen is the clinical director of the Jerwood Centre, and looks after the dancers of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.  His lecture was well structured, informative and entertaining. He gave an overview of the different aspects of dance training, the problems he encounters and some of the solutions.

    Dancers are athletes

    The dancers do 150 shows a year, about 8 shows a week when it is running. Their day might start with a 90 minute class, rehearsal in the afternoon, perform in the evening. They sometimes rehearse and perform different shows on the same day.

    They train on a flat studio surface, with good force reduction properties. The stages are irregular in nature, with variations in force reduction properties, and it has a 4% rake (tilt) from back to front, to allow the audience to see all the dancers.

    So they train and perform on two very different surfaces. Allen then went through some stats and ideas on how they have tried to bridge this gap through improving the home stage, but travelling is still problematic.

    The impact is not helped by the fact that the dancers wear shoes that they proceed to batter to make them look better, and thereby negate any hope of having support in their footwear.

    Wearing costumes also adds stress to the body, with some dancers losing 5kg of weight in each show, despite taking on 3 litres of fluid. Allen has been working with costume designers to try and make the costumes more breathable.

    Injury management

    ballet fitnessAll this led into the type of injuries the dancers have: medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) is very common and the males have more thoracic back injuries (due to lifting females) and the females have more facet joint injuries in the lumbar spine.  The ACL rupture protocol is for a 9 month rehab, which leads to stronger knees on return. Allen used to work in premiership rugby, where 6 month protocols were used, and this led to further injuries.

    Allen then went through the training philosophy, which looked at building the foundations first. This involved 4 layers of “bricks”with the bottom being motor learning; the next layer being flexibility, strength and skill, the next layer being endurance and the top layer being performance. (I really liked this graphic and it makes a lot of sense to use something similar with all athletes).

    Allen then compared the likelihood of injury between athletes and dancers at 2 different ends of a continuum. An athlete will have levels of strength and fitness, with less skill, so if they get a move wrong they can cope with it.

    But get it wrong too often and then they will get injured.  A dancer on the other hand will be very efficient at each move, but weak, so if they land or jump or lift out of place- they get injured.

    Allen then described how he looks at the function of the movement, understanding the asymmetries within the dance. He looks at function over pathology, and efficiency of movement.  He ended the lecture with an aside about bone health – 80% of the dancers have vitamin D deficiencies, some smoke, some are amenorrhoeic – which leads to more stress fractures.

    Summary

    A very informative lecture, which showed a sound methodology of analysis and training, together with some imagination and innovation.  I will be following up on a lot of this information over the next couple of months.

    You might like: are girls more flexible than boys?

  10. The lard works in mysterious ways- Anton Parker

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    fat athleteFat as an active system

    So, our body fat deposits evolved as an energy store for tucking away excess calories for later use and helped our mammalian ancestors survive seasonal food shortages.

    This makes perfect sense; after all the ability to avoid starvation is a real evolutionary advantage. However, in westernised societies where life is sedentary and food is always available, there is now an obesity epidemic which is crippling the population and healthcare systems. But why? And how?

    We all know that the wrong kinds of dietary fat give you high cholesterol, heart disease and strokes but why does a high BMI massively increase your risk of diabetes and cancer?

    The fascinating answer that is emerging is that far from being just an energy store, our body fat is a fully functioning endocrine organ, secreting factors that can suppress insulin activity and drive aggressive growth of tumours.

    The question that remains to be answered is whether it is simply a case of having too much normally functioning fat or whether in obesity, the fat ‘goes bad’.

    As with all research, it is difficult to tease apart the confounding factors. In this case, how much of the effect is directly attributable to the fat itself and how much is from the lifestyle that leads to obesity.

    After all, there is also a strong link between cancer incidence/prognosis and exercise… But that is another story.

    Further Reading

    • http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/528575

     Anton Parker: Healthcare Scientist, Molecular Biology Department, Royal Bournemouth Hospital.