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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James Marshall

1. Strongman Training with Glenn Ross

   28th November 2014 11:41 am

   Grip is a tough thing to train. “A shin bone takes 4 hours to cook” according to Glenn Ross, and the forearm is just as tough. Grip can be trained specifically 3 times a week, at the end of your normal workout.

   1 Comment | Read More | rugby, strength, strongman

2. How can I increase intrinsic motivation?

   9:41 am

   Get the vibe right and intrinsic motivation will follow

   I was training 3 athletes in the gym a couple of weeks ago, they were doing one of my usual warm ups, no music, no shouting, no distractions.

   The three were focussed and busy.  Another coach walked in, and said

    “I wish I was training now, rather than earlier, there is a good Vibe.” 

   0 Comments | Read More | goal setting, motivation

3. Top 5 tips for Cricket fitness

   24th November 2014 3:09 pm

   With the Ashes about to start all eyes will be on the England Cricket team and their desire to beat the Aussies in their own back yard. 

   I am currently working with a lot of young cricketers and there are some common themes that run through their training.

   2 Comments | Read More | coaches, research

4. 10 questions you should ask before training

   21st November 2014 4:15 pm

   “What should I be asking to get the information I need?”

   This excellent question came from Mark, one of the coaches on our last CPD workshop in Devon. You have a blank sheet of paper, you have a new group of athletes: where do you start?

   Here are 10 questions you might want to ask (in no particular order).

   0 Comments | Read More | Coaching, coaching courses

5. 3 reasons to start weight lifting

   11:17 am

   Develop skill with the barbell.
   weight lifting exercisesA knowledgeable and experienced coach is essential!
   There is no substitute for beginning a process of learning to snatch and clean and jerk with someone that knows how and has refined their coaching by teaching novices time and time again.

   3 Comments | Read More | weightlifting

6. How to take charge of your fitness training

   9:50 am

   “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.”

   Herschel Walker 

   Training hard is one part of fitness training, but any idiot can get tired (or indeed make you tired)!

   I want to give you ideas that will help you get fit for your purpose. 

   That may be to run faster, get stronger or jump higher in your sports arena.

   11 Comments | Read More | goal setting, planning, strength training

7. Is it the shoes? 3 tips to improve your vertical jump.

   17th November 2014 9:17 am

   Basketball players looooove their shoes.  Even NBA players have succumbed to the allure of shiny new shoes that claim to improve your vertical jump. But more than shoes, there are some simple ways of improving your vertical jump (or Vertical in the basketball vernacular).  Get stronger legs. Sounds simple, but improving your overall leg strength […]

   3 Comments | Read More | basketball, plyometrics

8. Is it better to drink water or Lucozade?

   1st November 2014 9:23 am

   “Well is it?”… 

   A frequently asked question. While listening to a speech at a coaching conference recently, I heard that if plain water was cool or sleep could be bottled, you could make a lot more money.

   25 Comments | Read More | hydration, sports nutrition

9. Weightlifting for Throwers

   31st October 2014 3:17 pm

   Does Olympic Weightlifting Help Field Athletes Throw Further?

   This week we have been looking at the overall benefits of Weightlifting for Sports people. Today we shall look at how we need to adapt our training around the lifts to a specific sport: throwing in athletics with guest author Nick Garcia.

   5 Comments | Read More | athletics, weightlifting

10. How to start weightlifting pt2

    27th October 2014 8:35 pm

    The main lifts in weightlifting

    The 2 major exercises are the snatch (pictured right) and the clean and jerk.
    The snatch requires the lifter to pick the bar up from the floor and above their head in one quick action. They then have to stand up from this low position until the judges say that the lift is finished.

    3 Comments | Read More | athletic development, weightlifting