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New book published: ‘Coaches’ Corner’
7th November 2024
Essays to help sports coaches and P.E. teachers. My latest book, ‘Coaches’ Corner,’ is now available to buy on Amazon. It contains over 50 essays about athletic development, coaching, and physical education based on my work over the last ten years as Head Coach of Excelsior Athletic Development Club. How and what I’ve coached has […]
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Turn Up, Try Hard, Stand Tall

Excelsior Rules

Excelsior athlete

The south west talent crew

These are the 3 rules that I set out for every aspiring Excelsior athlete who wants to be a member of our  Athletic Development Club in Devon.

You may well think that these are too simple or that everyone does these already. I have found that my Talent id process works quite well within 3-4 sessions.

Turn Up: Woody Allen said that “80% of success is just showing up”. There is a lot to be said for that. Who trains week in, week out? Our best athletes turn up about 8 times for every parental contact I have. Our worst turn up once for every 8 times the parent contacts me!

Torzie Boylett

Torzie post fractured patella

Try Hard:Listen to the coaching cues, persist when things fail to work out perfectly the first time you attempt them. A lot of “talented” athletes are just well rehearsed at drills, throw something new into the mix and a lot quit after one attempt.

Stand Tall: No slouching! It reinforces poor posture. Excelsior athletes stand tall because of their correct posture, but also because they have built self confidence by adhering to rules 1 & 2.

Dedication + Effort = Confidence

Over the last 3 months I have been tracking the attendance closely. It has been very revealing to me as a coach.

This Autumn we shall be rewarding those who attend most. My focus shall be on helping these athletes more and spending less time with the “squeaky wheel” parents who distract from the “forgotten middle” of young people who are quietly getting on  with the job.

Related post: “11 questions every aspiring athlete should ask themselves”  

Comments

  1. […] ceiling. You become longer and those ill-used muscles have to work. ‘Stand Tall’ is one of the three rules at our club for a […]

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Client Testimonials

Josh Steels: wheelchair tennis
I started working with James 3 years ago via the TASS programme. When James first met me, physically I was nowhere the best I could be. Since working with James I have seen vast improvements in my fitness and strength which has been put into great use on court. Each session is worked around making sure I am able to get the best quality training as well as catering for my chronic pain and fatigue levels. On top of this James has always been happy to meet at facilities that are best for myself meaning I could fit training sessions in on route to tournaments or camps.
 
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