Tag Archive: athletic development

1. Getting Better at Practice: decision-making

   10th May 2023 9:07 am Leave a Comment

   Playing sports at any level requires making decisions. Sometimes they are tactical decisions such as when and where to pass the ball. Sometimes they are training decisions such as which technique to prioritise or how much weight to lift.

   
   Players need to be allowed to make decisions in order to develop and succeed. The sooner they start, the sooner they can start taking responsibility and ownership, and the sooner this will translate to the field/court/arena.

   Giving players choice and autonomy is one of the three key points that ensure athletes enjoy their sessions and want to return (Wade Gilbert).

   
   Watching players grow and develop into independent thinkers is one of the best parts of coaching. I can’t think of anything worse than standing on a sideline micro-managing every move.
   But, like everything else, the players need good coaching to help them rather than leaving everything to chance.

   

   Here are some ideas that I use to get players involved in decision-making.

   1.Start off simple.
   The easiest coaching tool is exploration. e.g. before coaching a specific throwing technique, I ask the players to find as many different ways as possible to throw an implement. The safety parameter is to throw in a certain direction. I might add a restraint such as ‘two-handed throws only.’

   
   Then I get them to choose the type of throw to get the implement the furthest and practice that.
   In a group of 10 athletes, there might be 2-3 options chosen. I can then link the similarities to why they worked. I can also ask if that type of throw is the best for accuracy.

   
   This can also be done with kicking and striking (racquet/bat sports).

   2. Limit the choices

   Anyone who has done the weekly shop with a toddler will understand the benefits of having limited choices available in supermarkets, with clearly marked and labelled prices for easy comparison.

   The same thing applies to sports. By creating a drill with two main options, the athlete can choose and see which works best. It also forces them to work on skills that they might otherwise neglect.

   This is especially good for beginners who have a limited skill set.

   e.g. A small-sided football game where they can only score a goal with their weaker foot or their head.

   A two-handed throw either overhead standing face on, or standing side on and throwing with a long arc.

   Both these examples help guide the athlete into performing basic skills that underpin good play later on but allow them to adapt to what they think works best.

   

   3. Allow the athlete to create routines/games themselves.
   It is important to allow athletes to take control of their own training as their skill set develops and they mature. This could be within a warm-up (see here) or in the session design itself. Autonomy does not mean anarchy.

   
   It means the coach sets up situations and guides the players.

   
   e.g. Gymnastics: create your own routine that must include a balance, a roll, a jump and a movement on hands.

   
   In teams of three, work out a passing move that you could do in the middle third of the pitch and then one in the attacking third. Test that against one, two and then three defenders. Did it work? Why/why not?

   
   Weightlifting: select a weight that you feel comfortable doing for 3 sets of 3, then 3 sets of 2. Or, here are the four exercises we are doing in the session, you select the order in which you wish to do them.
   This last exercise goes against every principle of a ‘numbers’ coach who insists that there has to be a specific sequence in order to maximise results. But, allowing the athletes to choose the order themselves gives them a feeling of autonomy. It can create a ‘holiday’ atmosphere in a sport where the repetition of the same exercises is physically and emotionally hard.

   

   Summary

   I have given a few examples of tasks that can be set up within practice to help your athletes learn to make decisions. Not all will respond, some just want to be told what to do, especially if they are tired and their brains hurt after school. Others will thrive and look forward to these parts of your training more than others.

   
   It still requires coaching, but more of an overseeing rather than directing mode. This allows you to watch the practices and understand what is happening rather than ‘do’ the practices where it is easy to lose sight of the overall session.

   If you have any other suggestions on decision-making, please leave them in the comments below.

   Further reading:

   How to get better at practice: intention and attention

2. Teaching Games in Primary School

   31st January 2023 1:03 pm Leave a Comment

   Last week, a Primary School teacher told me of their experience teaching tag rugby to year 3s (7-8-year-olds),

   ‘We practised passing down the line a lot but, when it came to the game, they didn’t know what to do.’

   Compare that to the advice given by the Department of Education and Science:

   ‘At about nine years of age, they may be ready to play many simple games, with three or four a side, with the object of scoring points and goals.’ (1972).

   

   Have children developed a greater sense of gameplay in the last 50 years? Can they be put into competitive matches of 7+ a side because they are more skilful, athletic and tactically aware than the children of the 1970s? Is physical education being taught that much better at Primary School?

   In my experience, no. Children love playing games but they still need the time to develop (you can see how these year-3/4 children are learning the basics but need help with movement).

   Again from the DES,

    ‘Children at a young age play alongside each other rather than with each other.’

   Trying to teach pupils sport-specific skills or rules without having the foundations of games sense and skills in place often leads to frustration among pupils and teachers alike. Many sports clubs teach only their sport and ignore underlying movement patterns (physical literacy for want of a better phrase).

   Example 1: The overhead tennis serve.

   This is a highly complicated skill requiring the use of both hands and an implement, before even

   thinking about accuracy. Teaching this to year-one pupils is likely to result in failure for many.

   Before attempting this skill, the pupils should be able to do two things:

   1. Throw overhand properly (contralateral leg and arm, shoulder and chest rotation, elbow and

   wrist lag behind hip rotation).

   2. Throw and catch to themselves using the non-dominant hand (for the toss-up).

   By working on these two throws in the early years, amongst other skills, when it comes to time to try this complex skill, they have a chance of success. The alternative is to put the racquet and ball in their hands and let them try and work it out. This may lead to success for some who possess the underlying skill or get lucky, but many will get frustrated and stop. Especially if they only have a few attempts each due to time/ equipment shortages.

   An example of doing some general ball basics can be seen in this video.

   Primary school p.e. is the perfect place to teach this physical literacy and that enables ALL children to learn how to move. This builds their confidence so that they can play sports if they choose or have the opportunity to do so.

   What has happened to physical education teaching in the last 50 years?

   Unfortunately, the dismantling of the teacher training syllabus that now leaves them with 4 hours of Physical Education training, has created a wasteland of well-meaning teachers who lack confidence and knowledge. This has opened the door for outsourcing to sports coaches who try to teach their sport to children at too early an age.

   National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are desperate to ‘increase participation,’ and have the resources to offer beleaguered Head Teachers looking for a solution to a problem they do not understand.

   Children queue up to learn rules and terminology rather than move, learn, and have fun. The teachers are given colourful ‘flash cards’ and ‘resources’ that they can read from.

   But, if they don’t understand the premise behind physical education, then the chances of children learning are haphazard: a few will get better, some will get better DESPITE the lesson, a few will misbehave and most will come away a bit tired (optimistically) and have learned nothing.

   Each NGB is fighting for a piece of the pie so they try and recruit early to get ahead of the other sports. The poor children (and parents) are then caught in the race to specialise early. This is problematic for two main reasons:

   1. There is no evidence that specialising early leads to success at an adult age.
   2. By focussing on sports rules, only the early developers and those with exposure elsewhere ‘succeed.’ Everyone else gets disheartened, bored or finds something else to do.

   How sad is it to hear children say, ‘I’m no good at sport,’ at 8 years old?

   They shouldn’t be good/ bad, they should enjoy playing games. And that’s where Educational Games come into play.

   Helping Children Develop Their Games Sense

   

   Premise: skill development and decision-making for games players are interlinked and should be

   taught together.

   By using a framework to operate from, teachers can plan lessons easily and allow pupils to be more involved, and creative and learn at their own pace.

   Playing specific games requires the learning of often complicated rules that require the child to

   memorise as well as trying to control their own body, control an implement and deal with opposing team members.

   Developing the children through Educational Games means that they are then able to learn sport-specific skills and apply the rules more easily if they choose to participate.

   Outline:

   Below is the framework for teachers to use to plan their lessons. Each workshop I run draws on different aspects of this framework to show how it can be used in daily teaching.

   

   I teach different lessons depending on the age/ stage of the children and explain which aspect I aim to develop in each lesson.

   The aim is for the teachers to see the overall strategy, see how it is implemented in a single lesson and understand how to develop the children from there.

   Movement underpins every sport

   Every lesson has some movement aspect in it: the children can not be too physically literate. There are nine themes that I use (based on Laban’s work) and they can be integrated into every lesson.

   Instead of a series of drills that have to be memorised, the children get to develop their own patterns through some guided discovery, exploration and solving of tasks. This requires less demonstration/correction from the Primary School teachers (much to their relief).

   One of the reasons that children struggle with physical literacy and games sense is that the teachers lack the confidence to teach them. Every teacher can read and write, not every teacher can throw, catch, skip, run, jump and strike a ball.

   

   It is very rewarding to coach children and see them develop. It is almost as rewarding coaching teachers and seeing them grow in confidence as they realise there is more to physical education than rules, queues and shooing chickens.

3. The oxymoronic Talent Pathway

   8th December 2022 11:03 am Leave a Comment

   How did people get good at sports before the existence of pathways and ‘talent’ academies?

   

   If you read biographies of a previous generation of sporting superstars there is usually a mention of a dedicated p.e. teacher or coach at a local sports club. Children discovered their love for the sport locally and affordably. They might have had a keen parent, like Tim Henman or Seb Coe, but most stumbled into the sport through normal p.e. and games or by going with a friend to a local club.

   The sport was fun, and well-coached and this lead to some successes and a desire to do a bit more training. There were no academies or pathways. ‘Sport for all’ was the Sport England motto.

   This changed with the introduction of the National Lottery and the mechanisation of sport in the UK, especially after the ‘failure’ of Team GB at the Atlanta Olympics. Medal tables and podium places took the place of ‘Sport for all.’

   Funding was dependent on National Governing Bodies (NGBs) meeting top-down objectives, including having a ‘pathway’ despite there being no evidence of such a thing working in reality. In his book, ‘The Talent Lab,’ Owen Slot summarises the report into Britain’s subsequent (and expensive) pursuit and attainment of medals thus,

   ‘There is no one single element of success, no one cap that fits all.’

   The goal of UK sport was to win more Olympic medals and that was achieved: between the Atlanta Games and Rio (2016), GB won 96 medals.

   However, just 12 people won or contributed to 49 of them.

   Over half the medals were won by just a dozen individuals.

   Or, to put it another way, is this a good use of public money?

   Where is the Olympic Legacy?

   In the ten years after the London Olympics, there has been a decrease in sporting participation. Part of that can be blamed on the Covid-pandemic and the various lockdowns. However, the pandemic may have hastened the decline rather than caused it.

   There are two stark facts that should be first and foremost on the minds of parents, teachers, coaches and public health figures:

   1. Only 1 in 5 adolescents and adults meet the current weekly recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises for health across 31 countries.
   2. The reported levels of anxiety and depression in adolescent athletes in the USA are higher now than they were pre-Covid.

   In other words, 80% of adolescents are not doing enough exercise to stay healthy.

   Those that do play sports have more mental health issues than they did prior to Covid even though they have returned to activity.

   And yet...

   There are more ‘talent pathway managers’ than coaches in NGBs nowadays. More ‘scholarships’ and ‘academies’ and ‘talent programmes’ than there are minibuses to ferry the kids around. As soon as a child shows an interest (or an early growth spurt or specialisation) then they are ‘identified’ and told they ‘must’ attend a training/ selection camp miles away from home.

   Those working within ‘Talent Pathways’ operate in an echo chamber where they attend conferences with other people in similar roles from different sports and share ‘best practice’ ideas! For those on an NGB salary, it is understandable that no one raises their hand and says,

   ‘Hold on! Shouldn’t we be focussed on helping young people get healthy and active and supporting them rather than cherry-picking from an ever-decreasing pool of participants?’

   They would risk losing their job and their salary, so they stick to the company line.

   Too much, too early

   NGBS are continuing to encourage young children to specialise, especially girls because they are afraid of losing ‘talent’ to another sport (see the Talent ID Bun Fight). They might not say so overtly, but when a child is told that they must attend weekly ‘talent’ sessions miles away and go to regular camps involving overnight stays, time and logistics prevent that child from doing anything else.

   When I worked with England Golf, the regional (under-16 coaches) were told to:

   1. Only select those girls who would definitely play for England at the senior level.

   2. Select them at under 13 so they would ‘be in the system for longer.’

   These young girls had barely started secondary school and they were put into the system. They were ill-equipped physically and emotionally for this intense training and expectation. Many of them quit the sport or just returned to their home coaches and courses.

   The perverseness of the NGB means that the child is in danger of dropping out of all sports: burnout, injury, or competing demands such as schoolwork are the major causes.

   The increased cost of fuel and a squeeze on family incomes means that even fewer children can afford to travel big distances, let alone afford overnight stays, to play sports.

   And, it is worth repeating, there is no evidence that early selection at a young age leads to representation at a senior level: in fact, the opposite is often the case.

   In German football, those playing in the National Team specialised later and played more ‘pick-up’ games with their friends than those just playing in the Bundesliga. The players who specialised earliest and had less ‘free-play’ ended up playing in semi-professional teams below the Bundesliga.

   At some point, specialisation and more investment in training will be necessary: but it is at a later age than you think and only when the child is ready.

   Playing a variety of sports, locally, with friends still works at a young age. If they are still sleeping with a teddy bear they should not be specialising.

   

   Questions for parents to ask

   Parents are bombarded with information from NGBs and often told that their child ‘has’ to be on the pathway in order to become successful. I suggest that parents ask the NGB the following questions:

   1. Why?

   2. Is there evidence that these ‘pathways’ work?

   3. Can my child be successful without attending this academy?

   4. Did any of the elite performers in your sport use a different route?

   5. How much will it cost?

   6. What happens if they are de-selected: will you help support them back at their club?

   The answers that could be given are:

   1. To show that the NGB is ‘doing something.’

   2. Yes: for some people but not for all (as does every method). And there is a recency bias.

   3. Yes: if given the right support and encouragement locally.

   4. Yes, of course, they did. Some didn’t even start the sport until their late teens.

   5. A lot: fuel, time, accommodation. Money that could be best spent elsewhere (unless you are wealthy).

   6. No. The risk of dropping out entirely is high because the child perceives themselves as ‘a failure’ if they do not make the next set of teams.

   Excelsior Athletic Development Club

   

   Our club philosophy is to help every athlete get better. It is not to produce champions nor is it to be part of a ‘pathway.’ Every person has different motivations for training including:

   · Goal/success driven

   · Feeling fit and good about themselves.

   · Looking good

   · Hanging out with friends

   · Learning a new skill.

   All of these are valid and worthwhile. The problems only occur when there is a mismatch between their motivations for training and their willingness to train enough or if the coach’s expectations don’t match the athlete’s.

   A goal-driven athlete who doesn’t want to train frequently will be frustrated when they don’t succeed.

   The athlete who wants to feel fit and hang out with friends will be frustrated/ upset if the coach (me) tries to make them compete.

   This comes down to communication and education. If our athletes can meet their expectations at our club they will continue to participate and see the benefits. This is led by them and facilitated by the coach.

   It is not driven by an NGB setting targets.

   We coach people at our club, not statistics. It is worthwhile remembering the old motto,

   ‘Sport for All,’ and helping the young generation along their journeys of discovery rather than forcing them into someone else’s pathway.

4. Why movement is important for your child’s brain development

   9th February 2022 10:13 am Leave a Comment

   In his book, Livewired, neuroscientist David Eagleman illustrates how the neurons in our brains look similar to plants with roots. Like plants (or kittens), those that are enriched grow more than those that are deprived.

   

   Children who are exposed to a limited form of movement, such as treadmills, exercise bikes and machine weights, will develop their neurons more than those who just sit at home watching screens or get transported everywhere by car.

   

   This ‘normal’ enrichment is fine if the only physical challenge you are going to face is jogging around a pitch in your p.e. warm-up and then standing in a queue waiting for your turn to kick the ball.

   However, a movement rich learning environment will help your child’s neurons flourish.

   Movement rich environments include gymnastics and athletics (if the children practise all the events), or tennis (when they are a bit older).

   In a less varied environment, such as swimming or football, movement can be enriched by including a multi-dimensional warm-up that changes every week to produce a varied stimulus (that’s what we do in weightlifting).

   

   Best still: having a variety of different activities each week, plus time to explore and play.

   That’s why James set up this club: to provide a movement rich learning environment that helps minds and bodies. Our strength and coordination sessions are not just press-ups and sit-ups (we never do sit-ups and our press-ups are limited) like some adults think children should be doing to the exclusion of all else!

   We have a variety of movement puzzles to solve and exercises that challenge both strength and coordination.

   This is also brain training. The enriched brain is better able to cope with the high-speed, multi-directional, complex-decision making movements that occur in team sports.

   Are you going to enrich your child’s brain or let it wither with disuse?

   Further reading

   • For p.e. teachers and sports coaches, try our warm-up and assessment p.e. puzzles here
   • For parents, either join our club, or watch our Willand p.e. videos to see lots of puzzles

5. What is Athletic Development?

   1st November 2019 4:09 pm Leave a Comment

   Athletic Development is a combination of planned, unplanned, organised and chaotic events that lead to a person’s overall physical and mental abilities to perform a variety of physical tasks, often within sport.

   

   Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) is a model that highlights different stages from infancy to adulthood and what types of activities are best suited at each stage.

   As each human being grows up and develops in different environments, with different experiences and with different adaptations, there is no such thing as ‘The ideal pathway’. There are as many paths to the top as there are peaks.

   Athletic Development is a concept that applies to all children, and for many adults who want to continue physical activity.

   The ability to throw, catch, evade, slide, dodge, skip, run, jump, climb, duck, hop, roll and balance is often summarised with the term ‘Physical Literacy’.

   If a child is physically illiterate, then it is unlikely, but not impossible, that they will be unable to participate in a sport successfully. They may get hurt, injured, be unable to keep up, or bend down to pick up the ball or flinch when a ball is thrown at them.

   Physical Literacy can be developed through parenting

   I am often asked to provide sessions for young children- 3 year old’s in gymnastics or 6 year old’s in athletics.

   If I wanted to be rich, I would organise sessions for these age groups and fill the sessions. Yet, these children do not need organised sessions at these age groups.

   They need opportunities to crawl and roll on soft surfaces (sand, grass, carpets) to strengthen their limbs and discover movements themselves.
   For the budding track stars, I tell the parents to treat their child like a dog. Take them down to the park and throw their child a ball, let them run around maniacally and at their pace. They will set off like a berserker and then rest for a bit.
   That is what dog walkers do, and with children you don’t have to pick up their mess afterwards.

   

   But, the parent has to put down their smartphone and interact. They have to sack the ipad babysitter.
   The child needs the opportunity to get dirty, fall over and get up again. They need the chance to play with other children without it being a ‘playdate’.

   That is why I asked Willand Parish Council to improve the parks in our village four years ago. I gave them advice on what equipment would benefit children and give them the chance to play.
   They have been very responsive, taken a punt on my suggestions, and have seen the popularity of the equipment since.

   

   I was frustrated with parents not hanging around long enough for their children to play. So I suggested park benches and picnic tables to encourage families to stay. They have proven popular too, with all sorts of residents enjoying peaceful moments in the fresh air (I have yet to see any National Governing Body put in its ‘Talent Pathway’ plan the incorporation of benches under oak trees in parks).
   Our Parish Field has become a park that people from outside our village want to visit.

   
   Athletic Development for All

   Most things written about Athletic Development come from Sporting NGBs looking to increase medal counts or from academics promoting their model to gain speaking engagements and publication credits.

   Little of what they do has any relevance to George who is 6 years old and likes playing football in the playground and climbing onto the park benches. George has no idea what a ‘Talent Pathway’ is.

   For him, ‘Long Term’ means waiting until lunchtime to go out and play.

   I set up Excelsior Athletic Development Club five years ago. It was in response to my observations of young people who were keen, enthusiastic sports people, but were unable to perform simple tasks well.

   Examples being:
   • A 13 year old boy who was part of a swimming ‘Academy’ but he did not understand how to play piggy in the middle with a bean bag.
   • Rugby ‘Academy’ players who were given loaded back squats in a Smith machine, but were unable to stand up from a low bench without using their hands.
   • Track and Field athletes who could not skip sideways.
   • A 14 year old county cricketer who could not throw overhead.

   These children were given specialised activities in their sporting environment, but lacked the underpinning skills and basic movement patterns to help them reach a very high level.

   My work with National Governing Bodies and the Sport England “South West Talent’ Project brought me into contact with a lot of children whose parents ferried them from organised session to organised session, but had little time to play.

   The so-called ‘Talented’ athletes were just normal children whose parents had the time or money or both to take them to training sessions.

   Since I have been coaching at Excelsior ADC, I have seen first-hand how ordinary children, somewhat clumsy, sometimes tubby and lacking in confidence, can achieve a great deal given time and opportunity.

   I am often contacted by parents who tell me things like, ‘My daughter’s got a body in a million’ (can’t make this stuff up) or ‘He’s an extremely talented tennis player and you will be amazed by his physical ability.’
   I give the poor kid the benefit of the doubt and welcome them to our club session.

   I have yet to see any child come in and be better at the ordinary skills than our top twenty most regular attendees.

   

   Our unsung heroes aren’t county players or internationals (yet), they just come in and get on with the job of learning gymnastics, athletics, strength and co-ordination training.

   In short, they are developing as athletes. Our aim is for them to be healthy, happy and participating in physical activity for the rest of their lives.

   That is the definition of Athletic Development in my mind.

6. How to get big for rugby

   5th May 2019 8:19 pm 6 Comments

   How Can I get Bigger for Rugby?

   I was working with a group of young players this week- pretty new to physical training.

   I outlined the plan over the next 10-12 weeks. We are going to work on efficiency of movement, becoming more robust and develop your athleticism.
   I then asked what did they think that involved… getting bigger was the immediate response.

   Getting bigger without having a solid foundation of movement (or structural integrity ) will result in an immediate short term (about 12 weeks) improvement.

   In other words the hypertrophy will take about 12 weeks to take effect and then another 12 weeks can be improved upon as well. So, at the end of nearly 6 months training you will be bigger.

   3 key tips to getting bigger

   1. Lift heavy for longer. Do big lifts, under loads, for some time. Strongman training, deadlifts, squats are all good ways of gaining mass. If it is just pure mass, with little function, then you are best off learning from some of the Strength Training Legends.
   2. Eat well. There is no point eating junk food, you will become obese. Instead eat a well balanced diet that contains lots of natural foods. There are many sources of protein and testosterone that can be found in your normal diet. It is a lot cheaper than buying fat shakes too.
   3. Sleep. It is when you sleep that your body recovers and repairs itself. Most teenage rugby players are not getting enough sleep.

   The Downside

   If your focus is purely on getting bigger, then there are 2 potential downsides:

   Injuries: if you are a rugby player you can look forward to shoulder and hamstring injuries because they are the 2 most common ones, and a season of rehab. Is it any wonder that the RFU injury audit shows an increase in rugby injuries?

   Slow: If you don’t work on the application of strength through a full range of motion, and at speed, then you might end up getting slower as they found in Australia.

   Conclusion

   Hypertrophy work– getting bigger- is a goal in itself, but should not be the first thing that young rugby players work on.

   If it is, it will hamper your Athletic Development and your rugby skills.

   Younger players should look to grow up before growing out. You will be getting bigger as you get older.

   Coaches who tell 14 year olds they need to get bigger, are missing the point. 

   This video shows some of the work I do with the tight five in rugby to make props and second rows more agile:

7. Excelsior ADC Newsletter

   13th March 2019 7:46 pm Leave a Comment

   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 all completed the 1 day “Athletic Development Coaching Course” in half term.

   This was funded by Teinbridge CVS. They had to complete online learning and assessment and then plan and coach sessions. All 6 were brilliant and did much better than many adults James has tutored.

   Healthy Athlete Workshops

   
   We have received another grant from Teinbridge CVS to run a series of 3 “Healthy Athlete” workshops.

   This will be in addition to the “Sports Performance Workshops” we run in the holidays which are aimed at secondary school pupils looking to help improve their sport (next one is April 10th in Willand).
   I am thinking of doing the healthy athlete for 2 hours in Willand, will include:
   • a guide to making a healthy lunch box
   • what snacks to take to competition/ training
   • how to warm up/ cool down safely.

   
   This will be for Primary school pupils in years 4-6, this format is flexible, so please make a suggestion. Cost will be £5 for members, £8 for non-members.

   New weight lifting equipment arrives

   

   
   £2000 of Eleiko weight lifting equipment has arrived from Sweden
   The funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery has bought this top level weight lifting equipment. Thanks to them for funding the club.

   We have had several new members join the weight lifting sessions in the last 2 weeks- and we are starting a new Tuesday morning session for beginners in addition to the Monday and Friday evening sessions.

   
   We shall host the “Graham Cooper Memorial” competition in Willand on Monday April 8th.

   .
   Spa Discount for Excelsior ADC members

   

   

   
   The Thurlestone Hotel and Spa is owned by the Grose family. Mary Grose is an accomplished equestrian who James used to coach.

   She has given us an offer of 10% off all spa treatments and will “look after our members” if you wish to book a night there- speak to her directly. This applies in term time during the week.

   
   James on BBC Somerset Radio

   

   
   Finally, those of you that listened have said some nice things about my interview on the radio.

   It was great to talk about the club, my philosophy of coaching for the long term benefit of the athletes, and name dropping a few of our members.

   Thanks

   I set this club up in response to my experiences in International and professional sport. It is my overwhelming desire to offer expertise locally at an affordable price for all.
   I know “You can’t be a prophet in your own village” but thanks to all our members who train every week and to their parents and our volunteers for helping it run.

8. Helping athletes to grow.

   10th March 2019 8:30 am 1 Comment

   

   Who knows how the athlete will grow/

   Can coaches help athletes 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.

   I was reminded of this when talking with Phil and Julie, two tennis coaches I work with. Phil was talking about how much we can influence players- he reckoned that they were born great. He asked “how much can we actually influence things?”

   I then used the corn analogy to describe how I see our role as coaches.

   The athlete is the corn– they are born a certain way. That can’t be changed. Whether they become fully developed and successful depends on many outside factors. The fertile earth is the environment they grow up in- supportive parents, good schooling, influential peers.

   As coaches, it is our job to provide the sun and the rain– the knowledge and experience and motivation that will help the young athlete grow and develop.

   Often we will provide the sun and the rain and discover we have grown a weed- but we can’t know that until we try.

   Who are we to judge before giving our best effort for all athletes we work with?

   Further Reading

   Helping your child become happy and active within sport.

9. Excelsior ADC Club Update September 2017

   6th September 2017 11:58 am 3 Comments

   Autumn Term means new beginnings

   

   Gymnasts receiving funds

   School term has resumed which means the end of Summer Athletics and the resumption of gymnastics and weightlifting in Willand and Wellington. Here is a brief synopsis of what is happening.

   Fundraising: we have been short listed from over 700 applicants for the Skipton Grassroots Giving Campaign. In order to gain £500 for the club to buy equipment, please vote here. Every vote counts, so thank you.

   We were also kindly given £450 from Viridor for equipment and £240 from Willand United Charities to subsidise our uniforms.

   Athletics

   Summer training and competition has finished now. The last event was the Exeter Open where we had several personal bests in hurdles, sprints, javelin and 1200m. No long jumpers this time due to conflicting events. Archie Ware won both his events but got listed as an Exeter Harrier by mistake!

   Winter training will resume in October and will consist of technical work and physical preparation for next spring.

   Weightlifting

   

   3 of our weightlifters

   Sessions have started back this week after a quiet Summer. We have spaces available on Monday nights for anyone aged 13+ who wishes to learn a new activity and be physically and mentally challenged. Other times are available, including two day time slots. Full details on our weightlifting page.

   Four of our members will be doing their Level 1 coaching course starting in 2 weeks’ time in Willand. Topsy, Sarah, Laura and Zara will then be able to help James coach in the upcoming funded “Love to Lift” sessions which will start in October.

   Gymnastics

   We ran a volunteer workshop last Friday for the new and existing volunteers who help out at the club. This gives everyone an idea on basic handling, safety and an introduction to good coaching practice. We looked at handstands,  headstands and some beam work.

   

   End of a busy day somersaulting

   These workshops are designed to help improve what we do and give confidence to parents that they can get involved and help out.  We have a good mix of parents and Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, without whom we would be unable to operate.

   James attended his first Level 3 technical module in Honiton on Sunday with 3 of our gymnasts. The syllabus included: front, back and side somersaults, with aerials and aerial walkovers.

   We will be able to work towards these skills with our more accomplished gymnasts.

   We have vacancies in Freestyle Gymnastics in Wellington and Willand and still have some spaces left in our Primary gymnastics class in Wellington. All details are on our gymnastics club page

   Thanks to everyone for supporting the club, we are looking forward to improving everything we do to create the best environment for our athletes and coaches.

   We are looking to recruit a new Welfare Officer. If you know anyone who might want to take on this important, (but low workload) role to help the club, please let James know. Would suit a retired person who is willing to attend a 3 hour course (paid for by the club) and have a DBS check.

10. Why Lego is a symbol of lack of sporting creativity

    25th April 2017 11:35 am Leave a Comment

    Lego and sports clubs have become sterile environments

    

    Lego from 1970s

    Lego sets used to stimulate children’s (and their parent’s) imaginations. In the 1970s the goal of Lego was to use imagination and explore as you can see in the letter on the right.

    Now, Lego blocks are almost always sold as part of some marketing tie- in with very prescriptive step-by-step instructions.

    Does that sound like any sports coaching you know? If your child is forced to stand in a queue and listen to an adult tell them exactly how to move around cones then how will they adapt to the changing environment of sport?

    Coaches need to be able to set up environments that allow the children to connect the dots rather than just collect dots (coaches read more here).

    My goal when coaching our young athletes is to set up tasks or environments that allow children to develop and learn themselves. This “guided discovery” means I ask them questions, or set them challenges, rather then prescribe specific actions (there are some exceptions).

    

    KIds exploring

    This has probably been the biggest change in my coaching in the last 3 years, and something I emphasise regularly on the strength and conditioning courses  we deliver.

    An example is shown on the right where I asked the kids to try and move over their partners in different ways. I am constantly surprised and delighted with how kids respond to this at all different ages.

    Are your kids allowed to be creative, or are they just being told what to do? 

    If you would like to come to our athletic development club sessions, we are based in Willand and Wellington.