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. An important lesson from the Navy Seals

   11th October 2013 2:35 pm

   “If you know how to ‘shoot, move, and communicate’ the rest will fall into place.”

   Mark Owen, in “No Easy Day” the story of the Osama Bin Laden mission.

   Owen talks about the planning and preparation that goes into a mission like that.

   An immense amount of training of the basics of close quarter combat, and then more training in pressure situations.

   0 Comments | Read More | Coaching, motivation

2. Advice to young coaches: break the mirrors

   4th October 2013 4:01 pm

   “I was someone who literally spent his life in front of mirrors, practicing poses, working on the biceps or the triceps, always checking the mirror for progress.“

   Arnold Schwarzenegger in his autobiography “Total Recall” talks about being inspired by his Father-in Law Serge Shriver who gave this speech to Yale graduates in 1994.

   0 Comments | Read More | equestrian, physiotherapist

3. Coaching community of practice

   30th September 2013 8:38 am

   “Learning is a social phenomenon”

   Ever been on a course or workshop and struggled to implement the ideas you have learnt back at you club, team or school? 

   Ever been on a course, thought I would like to know more, but the thought of going on a 3-4 day course is too daunting/ expensive?

   8 Comments | Read More | cricket, willand rovers

4. Recovering from injury: it’s the athlete stupid!

   26th September 2013 9:07 am

   “Treat the athlete first, the injury second”

   Bill Knowles. This has been highlighted recently with 2 of the athletes I coach.

   Case 1: 14 yr old girl who trains weekly with me strains calf in school match. Mum rings up and asks for advice that day.

   3 Comments | Read More | courses

5. 3 pillars of athletic development: Kelvin Giles

   18th September 2013 3:15 pm

   “Great coaches find a way or make one”

   Kelvin Giles presenting his “Quest for physical literacy” at the Excelsior Athletic Development Centre on Monday.

   The theme was putting precision, variety and progression into the coaching and teaching of young people at every opportunity.

   11 Comments | Read More | athletic development, lifestyle, physical literacy

6. Integrated Fitness: female athletes and boiling frogs.

   17th September 2013 8:20 pm

   Female athletes as a group are different from male athletes, but within the female group there is a vast diversity of attitudes to training, physical development and indeed hard work. I find this divided by sport and background, rather than gender.

   0 Comments | Read More | muay thai

7. Spreading the joy of movement: Willand School and Kelvin Giles

   9th September 2013 8:26 am

   “We spend the first two years of their life trying to get them to move and say Dada, then spend the next 16 years telling them to sit down and shut up.”

   Kelvin Giles gave a great 2 hour presentation to the staff at Willand School last Friday as part of their back to school training.

   2 Comments | Read More | athletic development, lifestyle, statistics

8. Athletic Movement: 8 tips on how to move like an athlete.

   26th August 2013 9:03 am

   Or why you should avoid exercise machines!

   strength and conditioning exeterHere are some thoughts on training gained from recent reflections/ reading or coaching. In no particular order:
   Get athletes to move from slow to fast to slow again. Watch how some movement is easier at slow speed, some at fast. If they can do this fluidly, things are going well. If they struggle, more work is needed on the transition.

   5 Comments | Read More | athletic development

9. Plato on Coaching

   23rd August 2013 8:36 pm

   “A good mind, by being in a state of excellence, allows a body to maximise its potential for physical goodness.”

   Plato, The Republic.

   Written in the 370s BC, Plato’s treatise is wide ranging and the subject of much debate. Many of the points of the human condition remain true.

   Plato talks about morality and believes that sound morality (or goodness) will lead to a better and more fulfilled life, which then contributes to a better society.

   0 Comments | Read More | GAINVII, infographic

10. Do your athletes thrive or survive?

    5th August 2013 8:04 am

    Every get the feeling you are muddling through?

    That is what a lot of parents of young athletes feel like. Buffetted along the river of teenage years, carried by a current of car journeys,camps. training sessions, angry coaches, exams and hormones.

    1 Comment | Read More | archery, athletic development