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.

Comments are welcome (please leave your name) and you can subscribe by clicking on the RSS feed.

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

James Marshall

1. The fundamentals of acceleration mechanics

   30th June 2014 10:55 am

   Coach Anderson was talking about his 100m speed training programme. His belief is that coaches only need to teach 1 model of sprint mechanics, get damn good at it, then add “subtle variations”when required, for example, in the 200 meters acceleration pattern or the 110 meter hurdles acceleration pattern

   2 Comments | Read More | acceleration, running, sprinting

2. True Grit

   26th June 2014 10:45 am

   “Pentathlete Jenny McGeever overcomes adversity at French Open”

   One of the most satisfying moments of my coaching career came 2 weekends ago, when one of our Excelsior athletes came 13th overall in Paris.

   Jenny had been on a training camp with Pentathlon Ireland in Italy. She caught budget airline Vueling to Paris, who kindly lost her bag.

   Now, here is what was in that bag:

   2 Comments | Read More | modern pentathlon

3. 360° learning at GAIN in Houston

   24th June 2014 2:01 pm

   “You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable all the time”

   Vern Gambetta from the GAIN Athletic Development Manual.

   I have just returned from spending a week at my 4th GAIN conference, at Rice University, Houston, Texas.

   My mind and body were pushed, pulled and stretched in many different directions. 

   3 Comments | Read More | gran slam tennis

4. 3 keys to Knee health

   16th June 2014 3:31 pm

   There are 3 key things to help keep your knees healthy:

   

   To look after your knees, you need to

   1. Strengthen
   2. Stabilise
   3. Stretch

   This week’s module of the Sports Training System includes more details on how to prevent knee injuries.

   3 Comments | Read More | bad posture, engagement, iron

5. World Cup Fever: Top 5 football fitness blog posts

   12th June 2014 9:19 am

   World Cup Fever is upon us

   Love it or hate it, there is no getting around it (although I am going to Houston for GAIN next week and that is probably a football desert!).

   I thought this would be a good time to highlight the top 5 football related blog posts since the last World Cup:

   1 Comment | Read More | basketball, grayling

6. Martial Arts- enhance or inhibit natural movement?

   9th June 2014 9:14 am

   I was recently asked about using Martial Arts training to help a sports academy with their movement patterns. This is ironic because a lot of M.A. training actually inhibits natural movement patterns.

   In fact, these artificial movements become more and more exaggerated, and then become the object of the training, rather than an aid to being a better fighter.

   0 Comments | Read More | jack Dempsey, stoic

7. How to get faster for football

   4th June 2014 8:35 am

   How to get faster for football

   With the football season finally over (for barely a few weeks!), we take a look at how you can use the off season to give you or your team the best preparation for the season to come.

   Football is an increasingly high intensity and high tempo game, often decided by the smallest of margins. Having the fastest players then gives your team the best chance of success.

   5 Comments | Read More | football, speed

8. Get the dumbbells moving

   2nd June 2014 8:33 am

   “Move the dumbbells as far away from your body as possible” 

   when doing reverse flyes. Or “lower and retract shoulder blades whilst body is at a 30 degree angle and work in the transverse and horizontal planes with maximal extension“.

   Which is better for motor learning?

   1 Comment | Read More | cricket fitness, Mamil, strength and conditioning qualifications

9. The Challenge to coaches and coaching: Kevin Bowring

   29th May 2014 9:48 am

   

   “The modern player adopts a ‘pick and mix’ loyalty rather than a long-term allegiance.”

   He is becoming increasingly preoccupied with self and is more independent and less submissive to authority.  He finds difficulty in accepting criticism and is more liable to conflict.   

   2 Comments | Read More | equestrian, speed training, supplement

10. Men In Tights! Lessons to be learnt from training for the performing arts.

    9:11 am

    Nick Allen is the clinical director of the Jerwood Centre, and looks after the dancers of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.  His lecture was well structured, informative and entertaining. He gave an overview of the different aspects of dance training, the problems he encounters and some of the solutions.

    0 Comments | Read More | ballet, football, structural Integrity