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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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South WestFencing Hub
Working with James has been a pleasure and education for all of the fencers and coaches, from beginner fencers and trainee fencers, up to international fencers and coaches with decades of experience. We really appreciate James' desire to challenge assumptions but simultaneously his ability to listen to both fencers and coaches on technical and tactical points. He manages to keep his sessions fresh and innovative without losing sight of our central goals. His sessions are challenging and fun and his attention detail is a tribute to his professionalism. Thank you.
 
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