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. Summer reading recommendations 2022

   26th June 2022 7:24 pm

   It’s that time of year: schools are breaking up, annual holidays are planned and the thought of sitting down with a good book comes to the minds of many people. My summer reading recommendations are taken from the 44 books I’ve read, so far, this year. The reason I say the number is that I […]

   1 Comment | Read More | book review, books

2. 3 Take Home Lessons from GAIN 2022

   20th June 2022 7:57 pm

   I have just returned from Vern Gambetta’s GAIN conference at Rice University, Houston. This was my 9th time attending this event. It is a mixture of practical workshops, lectures and small group discussions between sports coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic development coaches, administrators and at least one professional athlete. ‘So what?’ You […]

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3. Beware the Sirens

   30th May 2022 3:56 pm

   Odysseus was able to resist the call of the Sirens by having his sailors tie him to the mast. They stuffed their ears with wax so as to avoid being called to sail onto the rocks and be wrecked. Odysseus listened to their beautiful song but his ship stayed on course because of the strength […]

   1 Comment | Read More |

4. How to start weightlifting pt3: your first competition

   12th April 2022 10:33 am

   Your first weightlifting competition. Entering your first competition is a big step for every weightlifter. Every single Olympic weightlifter has had to enter as a beginner at some point. Whilst you may not be able to control your nerves, and you can’t control what the other entrants are lifting, you can prepare yourself by eliminating […]

   0 Comments | Read More | competition, preparing, sports psychology, weightlifting

5. Free the children

   21st March 2022 10:53 am

   Have you been to a zoo recently? You might see a collection of animals behind bars. They have some space to roam but, for the likes of the speedy cheetahs, not enough to get up to full speed and hunt. They were born to do this. I have written previously about the stunted development of […]

   0 Comments | Read More | LTAD, power, speed

6. Book review: How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil.

   14th March 2022 12:51 pm

   It’s rare nowadays that I add a book to my recommended reading list. Not because I don’t read much, it’s mainly because of a lot of rehashed ideas that are repackaged and branded as new. Not this one. Subtitled, ‘A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future,’ Smil does an excellent job of covering […]

   0 Comments | Read More | book review, science

7. Improve your coaching through storytelling.

   22nd February 2022 12:06 pm

   Ever wondered why you aren’t getting through to your athletes or peers? You have listed the references, provided the data, and shown a few charts, just like your undergraduate lecturers told you to. They would be proud.  Professor Bill McGuire, of UCL, said this, ‘Scientific papers, however well-written, rarely carry the emotional weight of a […]

   2 Comments | Read More | communication, Transformational Coaching

8. Why movement is important for your child’s brain development

   9th February 2022 10:13 am

   In his book, Livewired, neuroscientist David Eagleman illustrates how the neurons in our brains look similar to plants with roots. Like plants (or kittens), those that are enriched grow more than those that are deprived. Children who are exposed to a limited form of movement, such as treadmills, exercise bikes and machine weights, will develop […]

   0 Comments | Read More | athletic development

9. How I read: a personal guide

   3rd February 2022 1:02 pm

   I was asked last week, ‘What’s your process for choosing books?‘ I was flattered that someone thought I had an organised decision-making process rather than the random choices that catch my eye. But, on reflection, I do have a process and when I shared it, my colleague said it was worth sharing. So here you […]

   0 Comments | Read More | book review, cpd, reading

10. Best books of 2021

    15th December 2021 10:42 am

    It’s the time of year where I reflect on what I have read so far and share my best books of 2021. These have included some stone-cold classics, some long-forgotten gems, some new thinking and only a few duds. I am selective in what I read: time, like The One Ring, is precious. I have […]

    2 Comments | Read More | book review