Posts by Team
Summer Reading for Sports Coaches
Book recommendations for sports coaches Summer is here and I have just returned from the GAIN conference in Houston where fellow sports coaches and bibliophiles shared book ideas and recommendations. Here are some of mine from this year, plus a full list of what I have read with a brief summary. Best coaching book I…
Read MoreDoes sleep affect sporting performance?
A recent BBC article highlighted the variations in sporting performance for individuals at different times of the day (1). These differences are down to biological processes which change throughout the day.
Read MoreWhat the academics are keeping from the public
“The average number of readers of a scientific paper is…”
Sir Martin Rees in his book “Before the beginning: our universe and others” discusses science, evidence and why information fails to get through to the public (Answer at the bottom of the page).
Getting to grips with infographics and data visualisation.
After many hours of staring at screens and wrestling with Excel, I have finished my final work on the “Introduction to Infographics and Data Visualization” course.
What started as interest in infographics turned into an understanding of how data should be presented in order to clarify and educate, rather than to obfuscate.
Coaching book reviews
Book Reviews Whenever I work with other coaches and discuss how they develop their own practice, reading books is always high as a favourite. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to be “sciencey” such as Syed’s bounce, but actually add to misinformation, rather than informing our practice Here are a few that I have read…
Read MoreFitness training for Field Hockey: Part 2
When looking to improve speed and agility we first need to look at what areas contribute towards them. Other than technique which is essential we can also work on:
force production
movement efficiency
decision making
Fitness training for Field Hockey: Part 1
Hockey can be classed as a Transition game sport, it requires efforts of varied intensity that occur randomly with varied rest periods. The game is 70 minutes in duration consisting of two 35 minute halves with 5 minute half time. A squad consists of 16 players, 11 are on the pitch at any one time in a variety of formations.
Read MoreStructural Integrity: Building the Foundation for youth athletes.
How do I start training?
In the rush to get results fast and take shortcuts, or to “get to the interesting stuff” young athletes get broken.
One thing I have been working on over the last two years is improving the structural integrity of the athlete, before moving onto other areas of fitness.
Structural Integrity is composed of 4 key components:
Read MoreSpeed Training for Gymnasts
How to get to the Vault or Double Mini Trampoline quicker
In order to generate a bigger jump, gymnasts need a faster approach to the Vault or Double Mini Trampoline (DMT).
This involves them running for about 20-30m and then jumping onto a springboard or the DMT.
Read MoreOlympic Weight lifting Tips
Learning from a WeightLifter
I have been performing the Olympic lifts since the age of 11. My coach at the time kept it simple, didn’t over complicate the movement and allowed for errors early on.
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