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. What is Old School Coaching?

   1st March 2016 2:47 pm

   Is being “Old School” better than “New Skool”?

   I got called and “Old school coach” last week mainly because I avoid overcomplicating things.

   I choose what information I give to an athlete. My knowledge obviously has boundaries but my object is to make the athlete better at their sport.

   3 Comments | Read More |

2. Training Design Do’s and Don’ts: Gary Winckler

   22nd February 2016 4:51 pm

   Train to the athlete’s strengths

   Gary Winckler has 38 years of coaching experience behind him. He has taken track athletes to every Olympic Games since the 1984 Olympics.

   (Pictured to my right, with P.E. specialist Greg Thompson)

   More impressively, each of those athletes has had a Personal Best or Season Best at the Games.

   He knows how to prepare for the big event.

   7 Comments | Read More | athletics, overtraining, periodisation

3. How to Train Before Breakfast: The Great Gama

   6th February 2016 8:44 am

   I always like it when I meet a young athlete and they tell me they do a few press ups and sit ups in the morning before breakfast or at night. It shows me that in the words of Muhammad Ali “they have the will, I just train the skill”.

   5 Comments | Read More | breakfast, motivation

4. Monitoring Overtraining: The 4 Hs

   28th January 2016 9:26 am

   “You’ve Got To Be In Top Physical Condition. Fatigue Makes Cowards Of Us All.

   Vince Lombardi.

   But, in order to get in top physical condition, athletes risk doing too much, resting too little and can get fatigued.

   2 Comments | Read More | overtraining, planning

5. How to Eat a Big Elephant

   10th December 2015 3:19 pm

   “It’s a big elephant: you can’t eat it all at once.”

   This sums up trying to get a sports team fit in season: there is so much to do, so little time, so many variables.

   “How can I get my team fit?” is a question I tried to answer yesterday on the CPD day with the Level 1 and Level 2 S&C coaches.

   10 Comments | Read More | planning

6. Becoming a strength and conditioning coach

   12th November 2015 10:57 am

   Quickest way to become an S&C coach I had some e-mail correspondence yesterday with someone interested in Coaching athletes. They were looking for short cuts to working with top level athletes. Keith Morgan, my strength coach, gave me some sound advice years ago when he said “get a group of young athletes, work with them […]

   2 Comments | Read More | strength and conditioning qualifications

7. 5 tips on how to get started in S&C Coaching

   3rd November 2015 5:55 pm

   I am constantly asked on the best ways to get started in S&C Coaching. This post will helpfully answer most queries.

   Understand what it is to be a Coach first.

   The discipline in which you Coach is of secondary importance to your ability to Coach.

   10 Comments | Read More | coaching courses, s&c, strength and conditioning qualifications

8. Willand Sports Day 1898-1926

   11:11 am

   Willand’s History as an Athletic Centre It is hard to believe now, but Willand used to host one of the foremost events in the Westcountry’s sporting calendar. Between 1898 and 1926, with a six year break for the First World War, the famous Willand Sports – which included cycling, ‘foot’ and horse racing – attracted […]

   0 Comments | Read More |

9. Trick or Treat? 10 reasons why you are turning your child into an addict.

   26th October 2015 7:33 pm

   “Irresponsible parenting leads to obesity epidemic after Halloween”

   Jumping on the American Bandwaggon and sending your kids out to Trick or Treat tonight? (Whatever happened to apple bobbing?). You might think that the occasional sweet won’t do any harm, but it is the hidden sugar that is turning your child into an addict.

   0 Comments | Read More | nutrition, sports nutrition

10. Teaching and coaching: thoughts from Lombardi

    14th October 2015 8:35 am

    Show, Do, Teach

    I mentioned this yesterday on the SW Fencing hub when asked by a coach how I structure my sessions.

    When coaching groups I try to structure the session like this:

    2 Comments | Read More | Coaching