Blog

Welcome to the Excelsior blog. It is a mix of current research and thoughts on Athlete and Coach Development, Strength and Conditioning and personal reflections.

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Thanks for taking the time to read it.

James Marshall

1. LTAD- USA versus UK

   27th March 2018 8:48 am

   I had the pleasure of meeting Mauro deGennaro, Director of Athletics at Hoboken High School, last week. We were talking about his schedule of training for his football team this autumn, and he was saying that they were going to be training easy in the week because of the amount of contact in the game. How many games a season do they play?

   9. That’s right 9. His 14 year old Freshman play 9 football games a season, then move to another sport next term.
   

   1 Comment | Read More | LTAD

2. Speed Training: co-ordination versus strength.

   23rd March 2018 9:12 am

   Adjusting the dials for your athlete

   When looking at a new athlete and their running, I try to assess whether we can improve speed through co-ordination training or strength training, or both.

   I use the analogy of having two dials with the athletes: they both are necessary, but we adjust one at a time according to the athlete’s needs.

   2 Comments | Read More | rugby, speed training

3. History of Educational Gymnastics in British schools

   13th February 2018 4:31 pm

   Educational Gymnastics in Britain A popular conception of gymnastics today is of young girls in sparkly leotards with hair kept up in tightly bound buns.  This is a relatively new concept, with gymnastics originally being an all-male outdoor pursuit. Gymnastics has originated from several different sources, but all had the underlying principle of healthy movement. […]

   4 Comments | Read More | gymnastics, physical education

4. What is physical literacy?

   17th January 2018 2:50 pm

   What is Physical Literacy? Physical Literacy is a term gaining currency to help promote the need for children to be given the opportunities to move. Physical education has been squeezed out of the school curriculum, competitive sports have taken over and many children are disheartened and therefore disengaged. “Partly through lack of sufficient activity, some children […]

   1 Comment | Read More | physical literacy

5. Open letter to British Weight Lifting

   15th January 2018 3:53 pm

   Open letter to the Chief Executive of British Weight Lifting Dear Mr Metcalfe, I am writing to you on behalf of my club members who have concerns and questions about what BWL is doing and what benefits they would get if they join and what the club gets from its membership. Excelsior Athletic Development Club […]

   0 Comments | Read More | weightlfting

6. How to change habits: part 3

   2nd January 2018 7:30 pm

   “Good habits formed at youth make all the difference”
   s Aristotle gets it right again. In the 2 previous blogs we have looked at the importance of lifestyle in athletes’ lives and how to use goal setting to set plans.

   1 Comment | Read More | goal setting

7. How to change habits: part 2

   7:25 pm

   “Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.”

   compass Alexandre Dumas.
   In part 1 I set the scene of how athletes need help in adopting behaviours that will improve their sporting performance. Today I will look at how to set goals that will get them started.

   3 Comments | Read More | goal setting

8. How to change habits: part 1

   7:21 pm

   “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

   Aristotle’s quote is often used,  but it is hard to follow. When working with athletes, it is often the intangibles that make the difference to the overall outcome of the training programme.

   9 Comments | Read More | goal setting

9. Handy videos for parents of sports children

   29th December 2017 9:56 am

   Trustworthy information to help parents I don’t profess to know everything, but I am lucky enough to know enough great coaches and experts that I can draw upon for advice. This means I can give the best advice to parents of our club members and individual athletes. Here are two great examples of conversations I […]

   1 Comment | Read More | LTAD, sports nutrition

10. Excelsior ADC Club Update December 2017

    14th December 2017 3:52 pm

    Merry Christmas to all our club members Thanks to all our athletes, parents, volunteers and suppliers for a great 2017. A lot has happened over the last year, and more is planned for 2018.  Here is a summary and update for January 2018. Please share with family and friends, you never know who might want […]

    0 Comments | Read More | athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting