Author Archives: James Marshall

  1. The Quest for Ultra Performance

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    “Each man delights in the work that suits him best”

    odysseusHomer, The Odyssey

    Odysseus had his 10 year journey home to Ithaca, Jason his search for the Golden Fleece, Percival his Grail Quest and Frodo had to destroy the One Ring.

    All these Heroes had to:

    • Travel long distances
    • Enlist the help of allies
    • Defeat enemies
    • Overcome obstacles
    • Make many sacrifices

    Does this sound familiar in your training or coaching? 

    female athlete(Female quests are under represented in literature: Dorothy trying to get back to Kansas is one example.)

    “If you give them silk pyjamas, they won’t get out of bed”

    Rob Gibson, Rugby Coach.

    Whilst all of these Heroes had a destination in mind, it was the journey, the struggle, the life changing process that was the real story.

    (I always question why Frodo walked when he could have hitched a ride on an Eagle).

    As an athlete, having things laid out on a plate for you may not always be the best thing. Giving players underfloor heating in a changing room may be nice, but what happens when they have to play away?

    ultra performance

    Nice facility, but coaching matters more

    “Talent needs trauma” by Dave Collins is an excellent piece on why obstacles and hazards are needed as part of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD).

    I see athletes I have worked with moving to “Institutes” and becoming Institutionalised: they start moaning if they have to fill their own water bottle, or that the wrong music is played in the gym, or that they had to wait for an hour in between training sessions!

    A smiliar problem occurs with coaches who want to gain experience at a “bells and whistles” facility. They become fascinated by kit and use that first, rather than thinking about the athlete and the process.

    personal trainer willandPut them in an empty room with 30 kids and say “Get them fit“ and they turn round and ask “Where’s the force platform?”

    Earn the Right

    I have a philosophy of coaching that the athlete has to “Earn the Right”. I can show them the way, but they have to take the steps. Rather than turn up to the Athletic Development Centre and get some fancy stash, they have to start working and assessing their own ability.

    Young rugby players ask “when are we going to do cleans?” I answer “you have to earn the right” that means being able to move well and efficiently first. Can they do a single leg squat? Can they do 50 hindu press ups and 100 hindu squats? Can they do a dumbbell complex first? Can they overhead squat 50% of their body weight?

    It is easy to get popular in the short term by giving away kit and jumping on the latest training bandwaggon.

    rugby strengthWill that approach help the athlete when they are face down in the mud on a cold December night with a hairy-arsed monster stamping on them? Will it help them as they try and apply that power in the open field?

    The same applies to coaches, you have to “Earn the Right” to work with athletes: at any level! 6 year old kids deserve the same amount of planning and preparation as does an Olympian.

    Someone said to me this week that they couldn’t use their knowledge and techniques on kids that age. I said he had to “Earn the right” to work with those kids by improving his knowledge and learning different techniques.

    Ultra Performance

    Feedback from a recent speed workshop with coaches included “I reckon that you are a hard taskmaster”. Perhaps, but I was emphasising the quality of execution and precision of movement before progressing.

    strength and conditioning somersetThe Quest for Ultra Performance is about the journey, the struggle and the process for coaches and athletes alike. There are no shortcuts.

    “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” Winston Chuchill.

    • We can learn from other people: mentors, senior coaches and fellow athletes to help us along the way: we then have to practice implementing that information.
    • We can enlist the support of allies (parents, friends, coaches, teachers): we then have to step onto the pitch, mat or court ourselves and have a go.
    • We can attend conferences, workshops and courses that help accelerate our learning: we then have to Plan, Do Review. It is called the Coaching Process rather than the Coaching Destination!

    No one can input the passion and desire though, the opening quote from Homer is important to understand as an athlete or coach.

    The only way we can attain Ultra Performance is by undergoing the Quest.

    (Thanks to Rob Frost for the Headline)

  2. How to get more agile and low to the ground for cricket fielding

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    Become more agile in 5 days.

    cricket fieldingWhen fielding in cricket, you are putting your body under a lot of stress and strain due to the stretching/reaching and diving to catch the ball.

    If the underlying strength and mobility behind these movements is poor then an injury is more likely.

    To do these movements successfully you will need to have good hip and knee control, and good flexibility too.

    I will be talking about how to improve agility and flexibility in order to get closer to the ground and show you a 5 day routine to help.

    Learning to co-ordinate and control your body when you are off centre or unbalanced will help. Exercises on one leg or one arm that challenge your body to balance and control are particularly useful Some of these are included in our regular 5x5x5 work that all Excelsior athletes do.

    Example exercises

    Pigeon walks will get you to the ground in a low and long position where you are stretching and also working on moving through the stretch and keeping the joints strong and stable.

    Arm reaches and lawnmowers will incorporate rotation which may be necessary to catch the ball. You could do the lawnmowers in a lunge position rather than a front support to feel a stretch and learn to control that low movement/position.

    The important areas to stretch

    Muscles that should be stretched are the hip flexors, hamstrings adductors, iliopsoas and glutes. All these muscles will be under pressure if you are lunging forwards to catch the ball.

     Static stretches

     Hip Flexor stretches –hip flexor stetch

    hip flexor stretchThis picture shows a hip flexor twist stretch. It is the more advanced version and will also stretch your quads when you pick up the foot at the back.

    Adductor stretch adductor stretch

    Hamstring stretch –hamstring stretch

    Glute stretch –glute stretch

    Iliopsoas and hamstring stretch –

    iliopsoas stretch

     Example session plans for 5 days

     Aim – to work on control of own body and start to improve stability of hips, knees, ankles (very important for braking, turning and moving efficiently in game play).

    Some shoulder stability too. The first few days will include basic movements that concentrate on control and stability. Later on, more complex drills will be included.

     Day 1

    Warm up – 10x lateral squats, 100x skips – repeat x5

    Main activity – Hip series 1 (repeat x2-3)  Mini band walks (forwards, backwards and sideways)

    Circuit

    10 x scorpions 2 x rows of bear crawls 10 x overhead squats 2 x rows of crab walks

    10 x lunge and lean  Repeat x 5

    Stretches – include the above stretches. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

    Day 2

    Warm up – 10 x sit through, 10 x overhead squats – repeat x5

    Main activity – Hip series 1 and 2 (repeat x2 each)

    2x 10 single leg squats  1x row of pigeon walks, 10x overhead squats at the end 1x row of bear crawls, 10x lawnmowers at the end 1x row of side rolls, 10x lateral squats at the end  Repeat x 3-5

    Stretches – include the above stretches. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

    cricket agility Day 3

    Warm up – Multi-directional lunges, 100 x skips – repeat x5

    Main activity – Mini band work (forwards, backwards, sideways)

    Agility drill – set up 4 cones into a square roughly 10metres space between each.

    From cone 1 to 2, sideways bear crawl with 5x lawnmowers at 2.

    From cone 2 to 3, pigeon walks with 5xlateral squats at 3.

    From cone 3 to 4, sideways rolls with 5x back twists each side at 4.

    From cone 4 to 1, bear crawl with 5x lateral hop and holds at 1.

    Go through once slowly and controlled for practice, then repeat x2 timing yourself.

     Stretches – include the above stretches. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

    Day 4

    Warm up – 10x walk out press ups, 10x 6-way lunge – repeat x5

    Main activity –  Hip series 2 and 3

    Overhead squat and single leg squat work (re-enforcing lower body control and stability)

    Rolls – forwards, backwards, sideways. Running / crawling into and out of rolls. Circuit

    10x scorpions 2x rows of bear crawls 10x overhead squats 2x rows of crab walks

    10x lunge and lean  Repeat x 3-5

     Stretches – include the above stretches. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

     Day 5

    Warm up – 100x skips, 10 x alternate v sits x5

    Main activity – Mini band work (crossovers, single leg push back and single leg push back with reach)

    Agility drill (partners) – for this drill we will be adding the ball in to work on reactions.

    Set up 2 cones, 10-20 metres apart. Person A will stand in the middle of the cones, Person B will stand in the middle, 10metres away from Person A.

    Person B will roll the ball (slowly at first) to one of the cones and Person A will get there by any of the drills practiced, throw the ball back to Person B and run back to the centre.

    Bear crawls Sideways bear crawls Rolls (forwards, sideways)

    Repeat 3-5 times and swap over


    Stretches     – include the above stretches. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

    This is just an example of training. Try it and see how it works for you.

  3. Weight training for women: Lessons from 1957

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    “Continuity of exercise is most essential”

    health and strength magazineThe 1950s were the age of physical culture. Jack Lalanne was doing his TV show and “Health and Strength” magazine offered a monthly look at different aspects of training.

    This April 1957 edition includes an excellent article on Weight Training for Women by A.J. Mannix who was the Chief Instructor of Camberwell Ladies’ Weight-Training Section.

    The article looks at five leg exercises that use a dumbbell, a barbell and a chair as equipment. They require balance and co-ordination as well as strength.

    He managed to write the whole article without the word “functional”!

    “It is true of all forms of exercise that regularity gets the results in the long run”. Mannix emphasises quality of technique, as well as coaching points and motivation for the women readers.

    A well written article without gimmicks, fads or “groundbreaking” sport science. Unfashionable nowadays, but sound advice that I try and implement. (You can download our free ebook for women here).

    Prevention is better than Cure

    I got the magazine for its article on weight training for women, but it contained some excellent other articles. The clue is in the title: Health is prominent.

    “Every effort should be made primarily to train our youth so that it takes a keen interest in health; to make it become as fit as possible in the organic sense.” says Capt Knowles principle of “The Institute of Breathing.”

    Coming in the week of the leaked Ofsted report on P.E. in schools, this is the type of education that is needed in schools. Competitive sport is different from Physical Education (as I have discussed here).

    gymnastics triple rollAn article on tumbling and amateur acrobatics by Ken Woodward (Principle of the Woodward School of Physical Culture) shows what has been lost in the last 60 years.

    “I am a firm believer in the old saying that in order to get the best out of exercise, one must thoroughly enjoy it.”

    You can see the boys from an Air Cadet force trying the gymnastics triple roll. This requires strength, co -ordination, balance, team work, trust and it is fun!

    Woodward managed to write the whole article without mentioning the word “core”. I can tell you that the athletes I work with (young and old) enjoy this type of training immensely, once they have got the tools. He offers variations and progressions on these tumbling exercises that can be done on simple mats in schools or clubs.

    Basic gymnastics is an important skill, that is why we incorporate that in our Athletic Development programmes and warm ups (read how here).

    Or, you could line your players up, get them to do the plank for endless minutes, tell them to “engage your core” and then bemoan the fact that girls are disinterested in physical training.

    “Chest Size is not important”

    Says Don Doran in an article about the need for an increase in lung capacity. “The size of a man’s chest does not always give a correct sign of its usefulness or efficiency”.  He stresses the need for a “natural action” in exercises.

    Doran then emphasises the need for health first, strength training second. This connection between health, fitness and performance seems to have been forgotten. This was an article written for bodybuilders, an activity I have little time for, but it contained a lot of common sense and sound coaching advice within it.

    John McCallum’s “Keys to Progress” offers further practical advice on pure strength training from this era. Further reading on 1950s strongman training here.

    What now?

    weightlifting for women

    Excelsior female athlete

    I was inspired and frustrated reading this magazine. Where the heck are the Schools of Physical Culture and Institutes of Breathing nowadays? Our Universities are advocating Crossfit and kettlebell training instead of sound programming and development in order to cater to fashion and sell places.

    Physical Education and Athletic Development have many similar aspects. Without a sound health basis, physical literacy and role models in school teachers and parents, our children will never become engaged in fitness.

    Competitive sport is now the universal panacea according to the politicians. I am working hard in conjunction with fellow coaches to try and educate the next generation of athletes and future coaches through our Athletic Development Club. I hope that you can be part of it.

    Further reading: Weight Training for Women A modern female perspective. You can come and train with us if you are interested in weight lifting exercises for women.

  4. Excelsior ADC Newsletter

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    Excelsior AD Club newsletter March 2019


    We have had so much happen in the last month, and exciting things happening in the run up to Easter, it is best to keep them all in one place. So here you go.

    6 members complete their Athletic Development Coaching Course

    excelsior adc
    Happy young coaches


    Archie, Daisy, Flora, Jakin, Rebecca and Stephanie all completed the 1 day “Athletic Development Coaching Course” in half term.

    This was funded by Teinbridge CVS. They had to complete online learning and assessment and then plan and coach sessions. All 6 were brilliant and did much better than many adults James has tutored.

    Healthy Athlete Workshops


    We have received another grant from Teinbridge CVS to run a series of 3 “Healthy Athlete” workshops.

    This will be in addition to the “Sports Performance Workshops” we run in the holidays which are aimed at secondary school pupils looking to help improve their sport (next one is April 10th in Willand).
    I am thinking of doing the healthy athlete for 2 hours in Willand, will include:
    • a guide to making a healthy lunch box
    • what snacks to take to competition/ training
    • how to warm up/ cool down safely.


    This will be for Primary school pupils in years 4-6, this format is flexible, so please make a suggestion. Cost will be £5 for members, £8 for non-members.

    New weight lifting equipment arrives

    weightlifting coach
    New WL equipment


    £2000 of Eleiko weight lifting equipment has arrived from Sweden
    The funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery has bought this top level weight lifting equipment. Thanks to them for funding the club.

    We have had several new members join the weight lifting sessions in the last 2 weeks- and we are starting a new Tuesday morning session for beginners in addition to the Monday and Friday evening sessions.


    We shall host the “Graham Cooper Memorial” competition in Willand on Monday April 8th.

    .
    Spa Discount for Excelsior ADC members

    sports club willand
    Luxury spa offer


    The Thurlestone Hotel and Spa is owned by the Grose family. Mary Grose is an accomplished equestrian who James used to coach.

    She has given us an offer of 10% off all spa treatments and will “look after our members” if you wish to book a night there- speak to her directly. This applies in term time during the week.


    James on BBC Somerset Radio

    athletics club Cullompton


    Finally, those of you that listened have said some nice things about my interview on the radio.

    It was great to talk about the club, my philosophy of coaching for the long term benefit of the athletes, and name dropping a few of our members.

    Thanks

    I set this club up in response to my experiences in International and professional sport. It is my overwhelming desire to offer expertise locally at an affordable price for all.
    I know “You can’t be a prophet in your own village” but thanks to all our members who train every week and to their parents and our volunteers for helping it run.

  5. What is causing pain at the front of my knee?

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    Many athletes and recreational sports people suffer from on-going knee pain and soreness. Today Physiotherapist Sarah Marshall looks in more detail at one aspect.

    One of the most common types is Anterior Knee Pain (AKP). It describes pain at the front of the knee and can affect up to 40% of the population. It is especially common amongst athletes, yet not disrupt their sporting function or ability.

    What are the causes of AKP?

    There are many causes of AKP and I have listed the most common below. Symptoms will often present without specific injury. Any persistent pain must be assessed by an appropriate medical professional in order to make an accurate diagnosis who will then advise on the correct treatment plan.

    Patello-Femoral Joint Pain (PFJP) is by far the most common cause of AKP. Athletes will describe pain in and around the patella. I would not expect to see any significant swelling around the knee joint.

    Symptoms are usually aggravated by stairs, kneeling, squatting, lunging and running. PFJP can also cause pain at rest, especially when sitting for long periods (movie goer’s knee).

    A Patella Tendonopathy, Fat Pad Irritation / Impingement, Bursitis and Patella Instability with also produce AKP.

    What causes PFJP

    There are many contributing factors to the development of PFJP

    •  Local muscle weakness (especially quadriceps)
    •  Poor neuromuscular control
    •  Muscle tightness (especially quadriceps and hamstrings)
    •  Poor hip / pelvic control / stability
    •  Poor foot posture / mechanics

    All of the above will increase the functional loading of the Patello-Femoral Joint which is likely to cause inflammation and pain with repeated use. PFJP is also a very common complaint following any knee joint surgery and must not be missed as referred pain from an old Posterior Cruciate Ligament injury.

    Management of PFJP

    knee pain

    Get your knee assessed by a Chartered Physiotherapist

    Always seek professional advice if you can before embarking on a rehabilitation programme. Initially, pain levels need to be managed and controlled before early rehabilitation can be progressed.

    Pain Management

    •  Activity modification i.e. avoid aggravating factors
    •  Taping techniques
    •   Acupuncture
    •  Soft tissue massage

    Rehabilitation

    •  Stretching programme (hamstrings, quadriceps, gastrocnemius, anterior hip structures)
    •  A graded strengthening programme with initial emphasis on quadriceps
    •  Hip and pelvis stability exercises ( transversus abdominus, gluteus medius)

    (Post rehab, there are 3 keys to maintaining Knee Health)

    There are limited surgical options for this problem with relatively poor outcomes.

    A biomechanical assessment of the foot can help determine whether shoes orthotics are indicated. Commitment to rehabilitation must be adhered to for many months in order to achieve individual goals.

    Unfortunately, without the appropriate management, PFJP often develops into a chronic problem.

    If you want an individual assessment on your knee pain, then please book in to see me.

     Sarah Marshall 

  6. Helping athletes to grow.

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    athletes grow

    Who knows how the athlete will grow/

    Can coaches help athletes grow?

    At Sunday school many years ago I was taught a parable about a man who was given corn. He scattered it carelessly around. Some fell on dry earth, some fell on stones. Some fell in fertile land and was either eaten by birds or strangled by weeds. Some fell in fertile land and received the right amount of sunshine and water and grew into healthy corn.

    I was reminded of this when talking with Phil and Julie, two tennis coaches I work with. Phil was talking about how much we can influence players- he reckoned that they were born great. He asked “how much can we actually influence things?”

    I then used the corn analogy to describe how I see our role as coaches.

    The athlete is the corn– they are born a certain way. That can’t be changed. Whether they become fully developed and successful depends on many outside factors. The fertile earth is the environment they grow up in- supportive parents, good schooling, influential peers.

    As coaches, it is our job to provide the sun and the rain– the knowledge and experience and motivation that will help the young athlete grow and develop.

    Often we will provide the sun and the rain and discover we have grown a weed- but we can’t know that until we try.

    Who are we to judge before giving our best effort for all athletes we work with?

    Further Reading

    Helping your child become happy and active within sport.

  7. How to prevent over training in teenagers

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    How to prevent over training in young athletes

    over training teenagers

    Happy now, but will need rest

    Over training is common in young athletes due to the high demand put on them by schools and sports teams. Schools will get talented young athletes to compete in as many sports as possible and these same athletes will also train outside of school for a team they play for in one or more sports.

    An example week in the life of a young athlete –

    Monday – P.E., School netball training

    Tuesday – School hockey training, Team netball training

    Wednesday – P.E., School netball match, S+C training

    Thursday – School cross country, Team hockey training

    Friday – School hockey training, Team netball training

    Weekend – Match/tournament (potentially 2 with different sports)

    What is over training?

    Over training is a condition (physical, psychological and behavioural) that happens when an individual’s training regime is high in volume and intensity, and does not allow the body to recover from each training session.

    Surely training more is better?

    The more you train, the better you will become right? Yes, in a way, if you think training once a week won’t give you the benefits that training four/five times a week will. But as you can see from the example week above, young athletes can train or play a match every day!

    In order to improve, get stronger/faster etc. the body needs to recover and adapt. Young athletes bodies are also not fully developed, so they need rest to replenish their energy stores and grow let alone rest to allow their muscles to recover and adapt.

    What are the signs of over training?

    Signs can include –

    Physiological

    • Excessive weight loss
    • Excessive loss of body fat
    • Increased resting heart rate
    • Decreased muscular strength
    • Increased submaximal heart rate
    • Inability to complete workouts
    • Chronic muscle soreness
    • Fatigue
    • Increased incidence of injury
    • Depressed immune system
    • Constipation or diarrhea
    • Absence of menstruation
    • Frequent minor infections/colds
    • Insomnia
    • Heart Palpitations
    • Lower Testosterone Levels
    • Higher Cortisol Levels

    Psychological

    • Depression
    • Loss of appetite
    • Mood Disturbance
    • Irritability
    • Loss of motivation
    • Loss of enthusiasm
    • Loss of competitive drive

    Performance

    • Early onset of fatigue
    • Decreased aerobic capacity
    • Poor physical performance
    • Inability to complete workouts
    • Delayed recovery

    What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen?

    athlete training diary

    Training diary is essential

    Planning, diet and sleep are all vital when it comes to preventing over training.

    Planning – The best thing to do to keep an eye on your training is to keep a log/diary.  You can record everything if you do this. Training, intensity, volume, rest, sleeps etc. Writing it down will help the you see where you can rest and recover. Planning will make sure you get this time.

    Diet – Getting the right nutrients into the body to support it during the recovery process will help too. Going home after a hard training session and eating a chocolate bar or packet of crisps will not support the body. Getting a good balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates will help with recovery and replenish the energy stores.

    Sleep – The most important part of the day in terms of letting your body rest and recover. Lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep will deter this process.

    All three of these can be recorded. Over time, you may begin to see a pattern e.g. after a tough session in the evening, your sleep isn’t as good and it affects you the next day. Seeing these patterns and learning about your body will give your training a boost and over training can be prevented.

    Download this free e-book for more information on over training.

  8. Making a Difference?

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    coaching 6 year olds

    No need for my help

    I had to do a brief presentation last week on what I do and who I have worked with. Some coaches said some nice things about my work, but I questioned how much of a difference I make.

    Sometimes you make a huge amount, sometimes it is small, but worthwhile, Sometimes any Coach could be in that place and the athlete would still be successful.

    Watching a hockey camp last week I saw keen 7 year olds being “coached” by bored looking teenagers. The session structure was poor, too much technical information and not enough activity for the youngsters, games of 6 v 6 at this age are pointless- the big kids run over the little ones, the fast ones run round slower ones, no skill or tactical development at all took place.

    I was wondering whether the parents would have been better letting the kids “mess around” with a hockey stick and ball and some mates “jumpers for goal posts” and letting them develop in their own time.

  9. IFAC Reflections Part 3

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    Finding the failure point in athletes

    My final thoughts on IFAC, reviewing Jerome Simian’s leg strengthening exercises and progressions.

    “If the structure is weak, it won’t allow the nervous system to show what it can do.”

    Regular readers and our athletes will know about Structural Integrity, Simian uses a different phrase, but the meaning is similar.

    Leg Strengthening Progressions

    Leg strengthening exercises for athletes
    Simian explaining the high step up

    I was chosen as the subject for the next workshop, Simian having observed my hurdling efforts earlier in the day.

    He took me through a series of exercise progressions that were designed to find my failing point. That then would give him more of an idea about how to design a suitable training programme for me.

    I have some idea about strength training, but still managed to take a lot from this session.

    The progressions were as follows:

    • Step up with toes up. An oldie which I have used since 1995 (Tippett & Voight), but taken to a new height by Simian. The foot on the ground has its toes up, forcing the foot on the step to do all the work.
    • The key here is then to lock the hip at the top of the step which requires more control. You can see the two young athletes below working on it in our gym.
    • The progressions around this are to do a decline step- which emphasises quad work more, or to use a higher step– which emphasises hip flexors more.
    • Once the height can be achieved, load can be added with dumbbells, then barbell either in front or back.

    The knee on the step needs to be pushed forward so that the hip extends first, then the knee (hip-knee-ankle in that order). The exercise must reflect what happens in the sport.

    These high box step ups are a great use of the box that coincidentally our club had just received before Christmas.

    Split squat or lunge?

    The next exercise was the split squat, the difference between that and a lunge is that the shin remains vertical in a lunge but has a positive forward angle in the split squat.

    Here was another exercise that a visual demonstration would have helped me with- instead, after several misfirings from me, and less then useful input from the coaching bystanders, I got the hang of it.

    Pushing the knee forward is important to lower the body so that the rear knee touches the ground, then coming out the hips must move up first and then back. This ensures that the same pattern of hips-knees-ankle extension occurs. It is tempting to push back.

    I explained that due to my background- pushing in and out in a low stance without raising my hips was part of my karate sparring drills.

    split squat technique
    Still got it

    The progression from here was with the front foot elevated, a low stable step is enough.

    This creates a lot more hip flexion and extension and is good for those athletes who are yet unable to do a full squat.

    I then had the pleasure of receiving more weight (remember, the aim was to find my failure point).

    When the barbell is in front a lot more hip and buttock is used compared to when the barbell is on the back of your shoulders.

    Front squats and back squats

    We have covered the difference between back squats and front squats previously, but I still gained a few worthwhile cues and technical points. It is always worth getting coached by someone new to get a fresh perspective, especially if, like me, you are training on your own all the time.

    squatting coaching cues
    Too many cues lead to athlete frustration
    • Simian wanted me to feel like I was “strangling yourself” and to rack the bar higher in the Front Squat. He also told me to push my knees out wider and over my toes more.
    • On the way down I was to flex my ankles, then knees and then my hips (the same as landing mechanics) and on the way up to do the reverse (same as acceleration).
    • He thought my front squat was ok, but noticed that my back squat had a shift to the left when I lowered down. He wanted me to squat with very wide hands and wider than normal legs for me.

    Coaching the person in front of you

    So far so good, a coach has seen some good points, but then found a weakness or error and now attempts to correct it. The back squat with load was my “failure point“.

    Simian had two solutions to help me:

    1. Practise Cossack squats (a lateral lunge with one foot facing sideways) to help my tight left adductors and my tight right hip flexors. This, he surmised, was the reason for my poor squatting technique. No problem.
    2. He stood and held my right hand and rubbed the bones around a bit. Then he watched me move again.

    Some people may enjoy having a Frenchman hold their hand and look dreamily into their eyes, I am not one of those people. I noticed no change in my movement.

    squatting technique
    At my age a decent cup of tea is essential for squats

    Some helpful members of the audience then started throwing in their suggestions like “It’s because his femurs have funny shaped heads”.  I was way out of my depth here; surrounded by coaches with X-Ray vision.

    This was where I started to become sceptical and moderately frustrated (I had yet to have a cup of tea that afternoon).

    I have injured my right knee previously whilst sprinting. It has been aggravated by landing incorrectly from a somersault. I think I favour that side when back squatting.

    Repeatedly leaning to that side may well cause a learned effect and my left adductors and right hip flexors to be tight as a result of my bad technique, rather than the cause.

    If what Simian had said or done had made an improvement, I would be a convert. It might well work in his environment with more time: I have empathy for trying to present to a group of coaches with a subject I have just met.

    I much prefer creating movement problems for the athlete to solve, like the Cossack squats, than trying to find the magic pressure point to release.

    What I can say for certain is that in the context of this environment, despite having some competency in the gym, I was confused. This could be because Simian kept referring to me in the third person and was addressing the coaches, rather than coaching me.

    The good news was that it reminded me not to do this with the athletes I coach. If I do make a coaching point to the whole group using a subject, I then need to ensure that I actually coach the subject too!

    Depth jumps

    The final part of the workshop was a bit less structured and became more of a loose discussion. It was based around depth jumps.

    Once again I was chosen to be a subject, and to perform an exercise I rarely practise.

    Depth jump training for athletes
    Serendipity: this arrived at our club before I attended IFAC

    I am used to landing following vaults and jumps in Parkour, but often with a roll afterwards. I am unused to landing from height with a stiff foot and ankle. Once again I think being a subject was less useful in the context of trying to learn.

    I simply couldn’t get the point of the exercise: Simian didn’t demonstrate, so there were a lot of verbal cues flying around, with heckling from the side lines.

    If I was supposed to land with pretension, I think the box was too high to start. I would always get the athletes to practise off a small step at first and then get higher. Simian was trying to find “failure points”, but the learning effect would be interfering in his assessments.

    I tried with shoes on and then off, and then had my ankles and feet rubbed and moved around a bit. No improvement in what I was doing occurred, but I kept saying “I don’t know what I am supposed to be trying!”

    My failure point was being uncertain of the point and intent of the task we were trying to do.

    A few interesting points did come out:

    • Ankle mobility in throwers is important because it allows the torso to remain more upright during the rotation. Lack of mobility means that the knees or hips have to flex to get lower which means the torso is more likely to bend too.
    • Two of the “athlete basics” are a good hip extension without pelvic tilt, and being able to fully extend and flex the ankle.
    • The toe test exercise to see how your ankle and feet work when flexed compared to extended. Try this at home: keep the main part of your foot on the floor and raise your toes off, then curl them underneath. Then try the same with your ankles flexed.

    You will probably find that your feet need to work a bit harder. Remember that they are the first point of contact when running, so neglect them at your peril.

    Summary

    Simian succeeded in showing his methodology. He found the “limiting factor” in myself and LC and then showed some ideas on how to develop our weak points.

    This was enlightening.

    He looks for the biggest limiting factor because that will give you the most gains if you can improve it.  This makes sense.

    Some demonstrations would have been useful, as well as remembering to coach the athlete, rather than just present to the audience. When attending a seminar I always look at how the coach coaches rather than just what they coach.

    Simian was very good at explaining WHY in his approach, but less so in some of the exercises.

    I took extensive notes, even though I attended only one of the four strands in the middle of day three. I have missed more than I have recorded, so other coaches may like to leave their feedback below.

    I have already applied some of the lessons learnt, trialled it myself, and I will be meeting with Rhys Llewellyn-Eaton in 2 weeks’ to share ideas as he was also there.

    I would recommend IFAC to other coaches who wish to learn about improving the athleticism of their players. The staff and presenters were friendly, approachable and were all there to help educate the attendees.

  10. IFAC Reflections Part 2

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    A review of Jerome Simian’s workshops on physical preparation for sport.

    I had to choose between different “strands” of coaching topics at the IFAC conference in Loughborough. A difficult choice, not wanting to miss out on some excellent speakers. I chose to attend Simian’s because of a quote I heard on the HMMR podcast:

    “I have an obligation to results, not an obligation to methods.”

    This resonates with me as I wanted to hear from someone who has to get results from the athletes he works with, or he won’t get paid. He has “skin in the game.” This is different from someone who is promoting a model on paper, in print or to a captive audience.

    I was all ears and ready to learn from someone I had never met before.

    I shall give an overview of Simian’s theoretical approach, plus details on his practical applications and my experiences as guinea pig in several of them.

    Fundamental Physical Preparation: A Systematic Approach

    “The best ones have the strongest fundamentals.”

    serena williams backhand
    Working on fundamentals

     Simian recounted watching Serena Williams warm up. She hit between 80-120 shots just leaning into her backhand. Her excellence may be related to her persistence that allows her to then dictate what the ball does.

    This fundamental approach guides Simian. Athletes usually come to train with him because they have a problem to solve. He receives no funding from a Governing Body, so he has to find a solution to help the athlete that hasn’t been found in their usual training.

    “Will the environment you provide be stronger than the environment they came from?”

    I like this concept: if we aren’t increasing the stimulus, how will the athlete adapt and get better?

    Simian then quoted Michel Pradel:

    “The aim of physical preparation is to go beyond the level of motor ability that can be achieved by the sole practice of the chosen activity.”

    General to Specific Exercises

    Linking back to what Martin Bingisser had talked about in the previous hour, Simian highlighted exercises from two different events from General to Specific (see below).

    Figure 1 100m General to Specific

    Figure 2 Women’s discus General to Specific

    If you look at how this is set out, take a moment to reflect on the importance of “traditional resistance training”. A lot of heat and noise comes out of journals, social media and conferences, but very little light.

    Simian then says he uses a system of thinking, rather than specific methods. This allows him a framework within which he can choose different methods (exercises, drills, outside sources) that help him to adapt to different athletes and their needs.

    He did give an overview of different periodisation models and why he uses Zatiorsky’s adaptation model. In a nutshell, it is about managing fatigue better, so the athlete is better prepared at the end of the workout or day to then train again.

    He uses a Heart Rate Variability app with his athletes as he has found that was the simplest and most effective measure of fatigue. It was the best marker of the Parasympathetic nervous system that is linked to overall stress.

    But, I think this part of the seminar was of less relevance than his system of training.

    General Physical Preparation Planning Principles (GPPPP?)

     Simian says that he doesn’t create an athlete specific programme immediately. Instead “there are certain things every athlete ought to be able to do.”

    Each athlete goes through the system to start, this then allows Simian to gain a better understanding of how they move, what limiting factors there might be, and also what makes the athlete tick.

    Jerome Simian workshop

    This graphic shows the progression of thought. Looking at what the limiting factors might be, training in core athletic activities, then some specialisation according to the sport (the context).

    Then comes strengthening of the fundamentals and sport specific factors. Finally another look at what any limiting factors might be.

    A systematic hunt of the limiting factor and its improvement

    This seemed to be the crux of Simian’s approach (as discovered in the practicals).

    “Muscles have to handle each other around the joint. An injury in one may mean the loss of control, or too early a deceleration in a throw”.

    The art for Simian was to find out where the muscles were lacking, and then find a solution to improve it. He then gave examples of throwing actions and how injuries to different parts affected the overall throw.

    One thing I took from this on muscle activation:

    • Acceleration/ take offs- muscles activate from proximal to distal (centre to limbs).
    • Deceleration/ landings: the reverse, so distal to proximal (feet, ankles, knees to hips).

    Simian was very good at comparing the athletics throws and how they differ due to the different rotations. More rotations allow a longer path of acceleration, with hammer throwers rotating over 40 metres.

    In his work with Kevin Mayer (Decathlon World record holder) Simian has done a great job of analysing the movements, the events and joining the two together. The level of detail and understanding was impressive.

    Practical workshops: Observation, analysis, application

    Now to the practicals: looking at assessment of athletes and potential solutions.

    Jerome Simian athletics workshop
    Jerome Simian explaining the hurdles

    With a group of over 20 coaches, Simian had a young volunteer take part in the practicals to be assessed. I was lucky enough to be pushed forward by Martin Bingisser and so ended up taking part too. This was a mixed blessing.

    The review to follow is therefore from the perspective of a participant, rather than a passenger.

    Now to the practicals: looking at assessment of athletes and potential solutions.

    Practical workshops: observation, analysis, application

    Simian used the hurdles picture to assess our ability to do repeated rebounds over them. He gains information from this to then ascribe/prescribe further exercises in the gym.  LC and I did this several times each.

    (N.B. At no point in these workshops did Simian ever demonstrate; it took a lot of time and explanation to get things right. I got tired repeating the exercises, many of which were either new, or not something I practise regularly. Information taken from my stumbling efforts was tainted with lack of skill.

    As a coach are you assuming deficit of strength (imbalances) when really skill is deficient? It is easy to jump to conclusions.)

    Simian’s feedback to LC was that her back was collapsing during the rebounds, so more strength type supplemental work was needed.

    His feedback to me was that more springing practice was needed, so doing the hurdles exercise will help me get better. Strength didn’t appear to be the issue.

    Back strengthening exercises

    athletic back strengthening exercises
    Assessing back movement

    We then spent the next hour in the gym with LC as the subject, looking at back strengthening progressions. They were as follows:

    • Assessing LC in the Roman Chair– showed tightness around T12 which leads to poor rotation (problematic for a thrower). Simian then pressed down on her lumbar spine and got her to extend. This isolated the thoracic spine (T Spine) to enable more movement.
    • In order to get a contraction in the T Spine, he tried to get a relaxation in the rectus abdominus. He rubbed LC’s tummy as a cue and then said “relax that”. Her movement improved, so he changed her position on the chair so she had more flexion at the beginning.
    • Once the movement was correct and the range had increased, he added a light barbell to her shoulders. LC had to hold for 6 seconds, then slowly lower down again.
    • The key point was to only extend the spine after hip extension. All sports (except golf) require this sequence, rather than spine extension followed by hip extension.

    Sprinters who pop up too soon may have weaker spines. It is easy to hold the spine erect upright than in horizontal.

                    The next series of exercises were off the Roman Chair and progressed as follows:

    • Good Mornings- LC was still hinging at T12, so a lighter load was needed. The maximal load was being taken at T12, rather than across the spine.
    • Hip Hinge with barbell in front (Romanian Dead Lift, RDL). Trying to extend the spine throughout the whole movement.

    These exercises help athletes keep an upright chest when running without a pelvic tilt. If the pelvis anteriorly rotates when the chest is high, it creates too much “backside mechanics” leading to over striding.

    • Snatch grip deadlift– hips and shoulders rise together. If the hips rise first, it shows too early a knee extension. The extension should be: hips-knee-ankles in that order.
    • Feet elevated snatch deadlift- harder to control. Slow up for 5 seconds, then down for 5 seconds.

    At no point was “Lift Heavy” used as a cue. The progressions were greater range of motions with greater technical difficulty. “The lighter weight I can use to get an effect, the better.”

    Simian said that once LC had got competent in these exercises then he would progress her through greater speed and exercises such as pulls and snatch that encourage that speed.

    “If to do an exercise properly, you have to solve the same problem that you do on the track, then it’s probably a good exercise.”

    Here was where Simian was excellent– he knew what the problem in the event was, and then used exercises to help isolate certain parts of that event and improve them. Problem solving and skilful movement by the athlete were essential parts of the process.

    Part 3 will look at Leg strengthening progressions in the gym.