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. The importance of peer role models when creating a club culture

   10th December 2021 1:33 pm

   Over the past 22 months, our club was shut down three times by the government. Each time we reopened fewer members came back. We had a large influx of new members who were unaccustomed to our club philosophy and expectations. Establishing our training culture was made a lot easier when we had role models who […]

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2. Walking for fitness

   24th November 2021 10:30 am

   Walking for fitness is an underrated (except for those who know) way of staying healthy. Not the pottering around the mall, staring at a screen, type of walking. Nor the frantic accumulation of ‘steps’ in a desperate effort to meet a nonsensical ’10,000’ number. I am talking about brisk walking that takes you out of […]

   0 Comments | Read More | walking

3. Coaching the coaching continuum

   25th October 2021 8:31 am

   I had the pleasure of coaching sports coaches at the Heinrich-Heine Gymnasium in Kaiserslautern, Germany this weekend. The focus was on the coaching continuum. Many of us rely on just a few methods of coaching, according to our personal bias or habit but there are many ways that range from Direct, controlling to free play. […]

   0 Comments | Read More | Coaching, cpd

4. Two good books for the sports scientist/ sports coach/ interested reader.

   17th August 2021 11:35 am

   Good books about sports science and statistics are as rare as rocking horse dung. I have read two, back to back, that were both readable and informative: ‘Everest’ by Harriet Tuckey and ‘How to Read Numbers’ by Tom Chivers and David Chivers. One of the problems with sports science is that it has disappeared down […]

   0 Comments | Read More | book review, sports science, statistics

5. A Movement Manifesto

   15th July 2021 11:53 am

   A personal movement manifesto for all Humans have evolved through adaptation to moving in their environments. My goal is to help people learn to enjoy movement and make it part of their physical and mental selves. Physical activity is often reduced to a number: “10,000 steps”, “walk a mile a day,” or ’100 reps’. By […]

   0 Comments | Read More | motivation, movement

6. Summer Reading Ideas 2021

   30th June 2021 9:44 am

   If you are looking for a good book to read this summer on your staycation or as a break from the sport then here are some ideas. These are selected from the books that I have read so far this year (full list below). I have read some lengthy, stimulating books, especially in the early […]

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7. Don’t be cruel to kittens…or children

   17th June 2021 9:49 am

   An experiment involving two kittens took place in a lab in the early 1960s (1). The kittens were put on a small carousel that rotated with a view of the lab. Kitten A could move its feet and the carousel spun as it walked. Kitten B was suspended in a box that rotated to give […]

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8. The importance of a network: exchanging information and ideas

   5th June 2021 5:09 pm

   I don’t know the answer to every question an athlete has but I know a man (or woman) who does. I have had reason to call on my network of coaches, medical professionals, p.e. teachers and athletic trainers over the last fortnight (that’s two weeks you American readers). Athletes, or their parents, have asked me […]

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9. The Marshall Plan: Staying fit in my 50s

   9th May 2021 8:29 am

   If I had £1 for every time someone said to me, ‘I need to get fit,’ I would have enough money to pay for a month’s food shopping. If I had a £1 for every time someone told me about their ‘steps’ or ‘Strava’, I would have enough money to pay the Council Tax too. […]

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10. Is there such a thing as sport specific training?

    14th April 2021 11:40 am

    The (insert sport here) specific agility programme

    Or, endurance, or power or speed and so on.This is what is advertised, and it is what sports people want. Basketball specific, tennis specific and so on. But the question I always have is.

    Is it Athlete specific?

    Whether you are running after a rugby ball, basketball or tennis ball, the initial start is the same. Recently working on some fundamental movements with athletes from different sports has been interesting. Not only are some sports more open minded, but also athletes within those sports.

    1 Comment | Read More | jack Dempsey, running