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. 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

2. Fitness testing for football: Mladen Jovanović

   20th February 2013 9:22 am

   Discussion with Mladen Jovanović

   Mladen is the physical preparation coach at Hammarby football club in Sweden. He writes an excellent blog on physical preparation and analysis for football.

   1 Comment | Read More | fitness testing, football

3. What is Dynamic Correspondence?

   22nd November 2012 12:25 pm

   Dynamic Correspondence: Is it misunderstood?

   The greatest challenge for any strength & conditioning/athletic development coach is to elicit specific adaptions on the athlete in order to gain an advantage on the field of play. Specificity can arise in the form of biomechanical, metabolic, or psychological adaptations¹. However, recent focus on specificity has taken on a new chapter, with the development of Siff & Verkhoshansky’s² dynamic correspondence model.

   6 Comments | Read More | power, sport science

4. World Class Performances: Excelsior female athletes

   19th November 2012 3:25 pm

   Competing on the World Stage

   Over the summer we have had some great results from all of our athletes, but 3 of the female athletes we work with were competing in World Class events.

   Jazmin Sawyers: Heptathlete

   Jazmin came 9th in the World Youth Games in July with a P.B. of 5296 points.

   I work with Jazmin at Millfield School, and we are preparing her for the Commonwealth Youth games in September.

     

   1 Comment | Read More | garage, muay thai

5. Jazmin Sawyers: All round athlete

   3:24 pm

   Jazmin Sawyers jumps today in Barcelona

   Good luck to Jaz who jumps today in the World Junior Championships. She recently came third in the UK Senior Trials with a jump of 6.64m. 

   Her technical coaches Gary Jennings and Alan Lerwill have done a really good job of managing her training and competing schedule. 

   1 Comment | Read More | athletics, female athletes

6. Rugby Games and Drills: Book Review

   7th November 2012 9:56 am

   Rugby Games and Drills

   Written by RFU National Academy Fitness Advisor Simon Worsnop this book has over 115 training exercises for improving technique, tactics and fitness. 

   The book is split into 10 chapters:

   4 Comments | Read More | book review, rugby

7. Recovery Infographic

   5th November 2012 3:17 pm

   

   More detail on ice baths here

   6 Comments | Read More | recovery

8. Coach Development: One size does not fit all.

   26th October 2012 9:42 am

   Coach Development Mind Map

   

   (Full image was sent out in today’s newsletter and is presented in our coaching courses).

   4 Comments | Read More | beetroot supplements, equestrian, rugby league

9. How to do the box splits and back bridge.

   24th October 2012 8:33 pm

   Flexibility Express DVD: Tom Kurz.

   Ever wanted to do the box splits or a back bridge? 

   You might not want to, but if you are a wrestler, martial artist, or track and field hurdler or high jumper, you might. 

   Tom Kurz is the author of the Science of Sports Training and has produced this dvd to help people develop practical flexibility and strength. 

   2 Comments | Read More | flexibility, food, Packers

10. Work Capacity for Team Sports: Infographic

    22nd October 2012 2:32 pm

    

    1 Comment | Read More | heart rates