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. The Physical Education Revolution Starts Here

   6th June 2013 1:45 pm

   Physical Activity, Physical Education, Sport

   These are the three strands that Willand School is looking to develop under its p.e curriculum next year. This is a fantastic start in recognising the different areas: putting things in place to help them is then easier.

   2 Comments | Read More | physical education

2. Force, power or acceleration?

   13th May 2013 1:38 pm

   “What is power?”

   Was my opening question at yesterday’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop for strength and conditioning coaches.

   “Force times velocity” was the text book response from the ex- students.

   They are of course technically correct, but how does this affect how we train our athletes? What about momentum, force, impulse, velocity, mass and acceleration?

   15 Comments | Read More | acceleration, power, speed

3. Fit for fencing: part 2

   8th May 2013 8:32 am

   Getting young fencers fit

   We are currently working with the South West Junior Fencing Hub introducing and developing fitness protocols. The first session was an introduction to fitness by me, Matt took the second session. 

   2 Comments | Read More | fencing

4. Bumper Cars, Skateboards and Newton: How things work course review

   6th May 2013 3:19 pm

   “If you pull yourself to the centre of a spinning merry-go-round, what will happen to its rotation”?

   One of many task specific questions that Professor Lou Broomfield asked on his course “How Things Work“.

   I took the course for my own interest, but the concepts and theories are essential in biomechanics. Newton’s 3 laws of motion, plus Amortons 2 laws of friction underpin a lot of the work I do. 

   3 Comments | Read More | athl, boxing, rugby league

5. International Debuts: Good luck girls

   30th April 2013 4:18 pm

   Jenny McGeever and Torzie Boylett overcome hurdles to get honours

   One of the best moments in my Coaching career was last week when these two ladies were talking about their selection for Internationals this week.

   Both have had to overcome some big hurdles and I am chuffed to bits for them and their families.

   1 Comment | Read More | brain circulation, muay thai, spark, volleyball

6. Are you performing today?

   29th April 2013 11:35 am

   “When faced with uncertainty, honesty and accountability trump everything else.

   0 Comments | Read More |

7. Monitoring and Assessment of Strength and Power in High Performance Athletes- Mike McGuigan lecture review UKSCA conference

   26th March 2013 8:33 am

   Mike McGuigan works for the New Zealand Academy of Sport and has moved from sports science to coaching. He reviewed how he collects data, but more importantly how he can use it to help the coaches and athletes within the sports.

   0 Comments | Read More | ballet, strength

8. 6 ways to get better as a strength and conditioning coach.

   25th March 2013 1:08 pm

   I am pleased to announce that on Saturday 6 people passed the level 1 Strength and Conditioning for Sport Course, and 2 passed the level 2.

   There were some excellent examples of coaching practice on the day, using skills and knowledge gained from the previous workshops, their studies and their own experiences.

   8 Comments | Read More | cricket, recovery, strength and conditioning qualifications

9. From the ground up: how to get fit for netball

   12th March 2013 1:35 pm

   The Physical Demands of Netball

   

   England have completed a series whitewash against World Champions Australia,  England netball ‘s “Back to Netball” scheme is trying to get more women playing. but are they fit enough to play?

   2 Comments | Read More | netball

10. Talent ID- The Australian Myth: Paula Jardine

    1st March 2013 10:26 am

    

    Physiology tests don’t identify talent.

    The idea that physical abilities tests can predict talent is now so pervasive that I’m beginning to lose track of the number of times I’m asked by athletes who’ve completed physiology tests what sports the tests suggest they’d be good at.

    5 Comments | Read More | LTAD, talent id