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. Best books on coaching and teaching 2017

   10th December 2017 8:32 am

   Reading highlights for coaches and teachers Here are my top 5 books from 2017, plus a synopsis of the other books I have read this year. It is easy to jump on the “It’s new and shiny, you must get it” bandwagon. Hopefully you will find some alternative ideas in this list. Top 5 books […]

   0 Comments | Read More | book review

2. An athlete’s guide to avoiding the flu.

   15th November 2017 4:28 pm

   Intro   Getting ill sucks! We’ve all been there, tucked up in bed shivering and feeling sorry for ourselves. Here is my guide to avoiding the flu. Nobody enjoys being ill and it can have a terrible effect on an athlete’s fitness, training and performance. Not only does having a blocked nose reduce performance, it […]

   2 Comments | Read More | health

3. Multi Planar strength training

   16th October 2017 9:31 am

   Here is a quote from John Jesse, in his “Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia“

   “The writer has consistently maintained over the years that very few, if any, athletes in the modern industrial culture, ever develop all -round body strength. Even those who accept the concept of progressive weight training overemphasize great strength development in the arms, shoulders and legs.

   0 Comments | Read More | strength

4. Excelsior ADC Club Update September 2017

   6th September 2017 11:58 am

   Autumn Term means new beginnings School term has resumed which means the end of Summer Athletics and the resumption of gymnastics and weightlifting in Willand and Wellington. Here is a brief synopsis of what is happening. Fundraising: we have been short listed from over 700 applicants for the Skipton Grassroots Giving Campaign. In order to […]

   3 Comments | Read More | athletic development, athletics, Club update, gymnastics, weightlifting

5. Brian Aldiss RIP

   21st August 2017 1:56 pm

   Britain’s best Science Fiction Author dies I am sorry to hear today that Brian Aldiss has died. My thoughts go out to his family. His books have given me great pleasure over the years right up until the current day (one of his books usually features on my reading review of the year). Aldiss was […]

   0 Comments | Read More | book review

6. PAR: Golf core values

   14th August 2017 11:01 am

   Setting core values for your coaching environment Taking this golf example from Wade Gilbert’s “Coaching better every season” for coaches and players to help focus on what matters most. The golf coach ended up with the appropriate acronym PAR. Passion: Nurture love for the game of golf and competing. Achievement: Strive to achieve our competitive […]

   0 Comments | Read More | golf, reflective practice

7. Using reflection and debriefs to enhance coaching: Wade Gilbert

   21st July 2017 4:21 pm

   “Why wait for a disaster to have a really open and frank conversation?” Wade Gilbert asked this at the GAIN conference in his presentation on reflection and debriefs for coaches. (This was two days after the Grenfell tower disaster where many people were asking the same thing). Wade said that systematic reflection could be the […]

   0 Comments | Read More | GAIN, GAIN2017, reflective practice

8. Creating the Perfect Workout: Vern Gambetta and Jim Radcliffe

   20th July 2017 3:10 pm

   “We should warm up with skills not drills” Said Jim Radcliffe in his joint presentation with Vern Gambetta at GAIN. Combined they have been on an 89 year journey and “We can do better” said Vern in trying to create the perfect workout. This was an interesting dual presentation with a lot of back and […]

   0 Comments | Read More | GAIN, GAIN2017, planning

9. Developing the Robust Athlete: Jim Radcliffe

   19th July 2017 2:35 pm

   “Some people can negotiate the speed bumps of life, some end up in a ditch.” Jim Radcliffe talking about the Robust Athlete in his excellent presentation at GAIN this year. Jim has coached at The University of Oregon  since 1989 and has been a major influence on my coaching since 2011 when I first saw […]

   0 Comments | Read More | GAIN, GAIN2017, plyometrics, structural Integrity

10. Coaching Better Every Season: Wade Gilbert

    17th July 2017 3:10 pm

    “If I want to get better, I need to know what better is.” Wade Gilbert gave an excellent overview of the coaching process and becoming a better coach at his GAIN seminar. This also served as an overview of his excellent book of the same name. His talk was split into 4 parts: Envision: Pre-season […]

    0 Comments | Read More | GAIN, GAIN2017, reflective practice, Transformational Coaching