Posts Tagged ‘equestrian’
Sharpening your coaching knife.
I think that coaching is like a knife and has to be kept sharp.
You can’t put it into a drawer for a few months and pull it out expecting it to work.
Neither can you use it all day long, week in and week out: it becomes dull
The trick is to balance regular coaching, with regular development and reflection.
Have a good Bank Holiday weekend
Read MoreSummer reading list for Coaches
What books are you reading this summer?
It seems to be the time to read more books, not sure whether that is due to rubbish tv, more people on holiday, or less email traffic. Here are some of mine.
“How to help Children find the Champion within themselves”. David Hemery
This is a great little book, easy to read, but with valuable insights into coaching young people. A must read for the enthusiastic parent, or coach of yongsters.
Read MoreBridging the Gap: Coaching Theory to Practice
Bridging The Gap
Will Roberts: Senior Lecturer in Sport, Coaching and Physical Education
There is an increasing amount of research in the fields of strength and conditioning and sports coaching, and with an increasing interest in the profession of coaching there are more and more practitioners in both of these fields.
The problem
It is quite common that researchers rarely ‘do’, and practioners rarely have the time to ‘research and reflect’.
Read MoreCoaching audit: time to be self critical
Having been in business full time for approaching 10 years, I thought it was time to assess where we stood. Having had a couple of heavy deadlines earlier in the year, I decided to take the time to get some input on where the company stood.
I am in the last stages of a 4 part audit of Excelsior.
Read MoreHow to become a Strength and Conditioning Coach? – Diary of an Intern
We are now counting down to the end of our internship with James at Excelsior, and this is a good point to reflect on what I have experienced!
But before that I just want to mention the events from the last few weeks at Millfiled School.
Read MoreAre sports coaches restricting the thinking of their female athletes?
Are sports coaches restricting the thinking of their female athletes?
From observing young female athletes doing certain practices, I would say yes.
One warm up I have done is to get 2 athletes to shadow each other mimicking movement patterns. That is all the advice and instruction I give, then say go. Doing this with 13 year olds and you see a massive variety of different things being done. It looks like free play and creativity.
Read MoreHappy Star Wars Day- Lessons from Darth Vader
Last year we mentioned that very experienced coach How to get more agile- use your head
I used this theme when presenting at the Active Devon Coaching Conference last weekend.
Do you do endless footwork drills in order to get more agile? Bruce Lee called this organised despair- it looks really productive and efficient, but it has very little transference to open, fast moving situations in a game.
Read MoreSelling the sizzle not the sausage
Are you all sausage and no sizzle?
As a coach it is important to sell the sizzle to both the athletes and the funders.
To the athlete it is important because it is only a rare breed that thrive on training, most like to play.
Read MoreJumpers for Goal Posts
Play, not train.
Working within school or university environments and on training camps, there seems to be a need to structure every session. The time tabling of lessons and lectures, meal times, and transport means that very minute is accounted for.
On camps there is the additional problem of support staff having to prove their worth and being given sessions to do. So the timetable is dictated by fitting around the staff having something to do, rather than what works for the athlete.
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