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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
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How to get more agile and low to the ground for cricket fielding
Become more agile in 5 days.
When fielding in cricket, you are putting your body under a lot of stress and strain due to the stretching/reaching and diving to catch the ball.If the underlying strength and mobility behind these movements isn’t poor then an injury is more likely.
To do these movements successfully you will need to have good hip and knee control, and good flexibility too.
1 Comment | Read More | agility, cricket, flexibility -
Weight training for women: Lessons from 1957
“Continuity of exercise is most essential”
3 Comments | Read More | female athlete, strength training, weightlifting
The 1950s were the age of physical culture. Jack Lalanne was doing his TV show and “Health and Strength” magazine offered a monthly look at different aspects of training. -
Excelsior ADC Newsletter
Excelsior AD Club newsletter March 2019 We have had so much happen in the last month, and exciting things happening in the run up to Easter, it is best to keep them all in one place. So here you go. 6 members complete their Athletic Development Coaching Course Archie, Daisy, Flora, Jakin, Rebecca and Stephanie […]
0 Comments | Read More | athletic development, athletics, gymnastics, weightlfting -
What is causing pain at the front of my knee?
Many athletes and recreational sports people suffer from on-going knee pain and soreness. Today Physiotherapist Sarah Marshall looks in more detail at one aspect.
One of the most common types is Anterior Knee Pain (AKP). It describes pain at the front of the knee and can affect up to 40% of the population. It is especially common amongst athletes, yet not disrupt their sporting function or ability.
5 Comments | Read More | physiotherapy, sports injury -
Helping athletes to grow.
At Sunday school many years ago I was taught a parable about a man who was given corn. He scattered it carelessly around. Some fell on dry earth, some fell on stones. Some fell in fertile land and was either eaten by birds or strangled by weeds. Some fell in fertile land and received the right amount of sunshine and water and grew into healthy corn.
1 Comment | Read More | athletic development, LTAD -
How to prevent over training in teenagers
How to prevent overtraining in young athletes
Overtraining is common in young athletes due to the high demand put on them by schools and sports teams. Schools will get talented young athletes to compete in as many sports as possible and these same athletes will also train outside of school for a team they play for in one or more sports.
An example week in the life of a young athlete –
Monday – P.E., School netball training
Tuesday – School hockey training, Team netball training
0 Comments | Read More | -
Making a Difference?
I had to do a brief presentation last week on what I do and who I have worked with. Some coaches said some nice things about my work, but I questioned how much of a difference I make. Sometimes you make a huge amount, sometimes it is small, but worthwhile, Sometimes any Coach could be in that place and the athlete would still be successful.
0 Comments | Read More | equestrian -
IFAC Reflections Part 3
Finding the failure point in athletes My final thoughts on IFAC, reviewing Jerome Simian’s leg strengthening exercises and progressions. “If the structure is weak, it won’t allow the nervous system to show what it can do.” Regular readers and our athletes will know about Structural Integrity, Simian uses a different phrase, but the meaning is […]
0 Comments | Read More | athletics, Coaching, cpd, strength -
IFAC Reflections Part 2
A review of Jerome Simian’s workshops on physical preparation for sport. I had to choose between different “strands” of coaching topics at the IFAC conference in Loughborough. A difficult choice, not wanting to miss out on some excellent speakers. I chose to attend Simian’s because of a quote I heard on the HMMR podcast: “I […]
2 Comments | Read More | athletics, Coaching, cpd, reflective practice -
IFAC reflections Part 1
A review of the middle day of the IFAC conference in Loughborough. I spent the first Saturday of 2019 at the EAAC event held at Loughborough University. Finding good conferences in the UK is hard, so I wanted to make the most of this opportunity. I shall give an overview of what I learnt, plus […]
0 Comments | Read More | athletics, Coaching, cpd
Client Testimonials
Georgina Rozario: England Scrum Half
I had the pleasure of having James as my first s&c coach when I was at University in Plymouth. I worked with him for 3 years and learnt everything I now know about training to the best of my ability. When I first saw James I was identified as a talented rugby player but had various injury and illness problems to contend with. By the end of my time with him I had become an athlete and later received my first international cap against the U.S.A.
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