Tag Archive: rugby league

1. Coach education: the micro practice

   17th December 2013 9:10 am 8 Comments

   “Learning does not happen automatically as a result of experience”

   Thompson

   Instead, we have to reflect upon the experience, relate it to some theory and then try it out again (Kolb).

   However, I have been on far too many coaching workshops where you just sit and listen to some expert.

   Some interesting ideas come up, but by the time you get back to your team or players you have either forgotten what it was you learnt, or you are unable to deliver the idea as well as you would like.

   The Micropractice

   I got this idea from Doug Lemov’s “Practice Perfect”. At the latest CPD workshop I ran for the Excelsior Community of Practice every coach got the chance to give and receive feedback on a session they delivered on Sunday.

   Each coach delivered a two minute coaching session. Two other coaches observed and had to give feedback on it, each one starting with a specific phrase:

   1. “You did a good job of…”
   2. “Next time, try…”

   The coach then either continued on with their session, or restarted it for another two minutes. We then repeated the process.

   At the end of the two or three sessions, the participants evaluated how well the coach implemented the feedback. As coaches we give a lot of feedback, but we are rarely assessed on how effective it is.

   By holding cards which had the two feedback phrases written on them, we neutralised the personal aspect of resistance to receiving feedback (of course, the type of people attending this workshop had a genuine desire to learn and improve, so it was a skewed sample).

   This took about six minutes for each coach, but we had additional discussions around the format. Six minutes! Imagine if we could do this every week? How effective would that be? A continuous cycle of improvement looking at one small skill at a time.

   Each coach had something tangible to take away and put into practice on Monday morning.

   Coaching Pedagogy: blending science with art

   Whenever coach pedagogy is mentioned, people run for the hills! This workshop was designed to help everyone improve their practice.

   A lot of coaches rely on “Practice theories” which is often known as common sense.

   However, an underlying theory is “Necessary to avoid assumptions, prejudices and stereotypes” (Thompson). But, this theory has to be robust and I used a recent publication on “swim sprint training” as an example of poor research and misinterpretation of data.

   Each coach came armed with a theory of their choice that helps inform their practice, and then talked about how to use it. I was expecting a lot of jargon based around “force platforms” or “dynamic correspondence“.

   Instead, every coach presented a theory based around motivation, behaviour or understanding the person who is also an athlete. This became a very useful discussion on the “how we coach” rather than the “what we coach“.

   In conclusion Coaching could be called the “Optimal integration of theory and practice“.

   Thanks to everyone who took part, I am looking forward to the next workshop in March.

   Further reading

   • Coach development: one size does not fit all.
   • “Theory and practice in human services” Neil Thompson (2000)
   • “Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education” Kolb & Kolb (2005)

2. Athletic Development in Schools

   27th November 2013 10:15 am 3 Comments

   “You can power clean 9000lbs, but if you can’t synchronise, you won’t be able to apply it.”

   Jim Radcliffe said this at GAIN this year. “Synchronisation” was one of the main themes of the Coach/Teacher CPD session last Saturday. I was presenting some of the key lessons I learnt from attending GAIN, plus looking at how schools can implement an effective Athletic Development programme.

   Where we are now

   When reading about fitness programmes for young people, the outcome is often emphasised. Especially when dealing with “academies” or National Governing Bodies. However, if we try to do a “mini me ” version of what professional clubs or senior players are doing, then things can go wrong in a hurry.

   Instead, I look at what state of physical readiness the kids are in, plus what their playing; training ratio is. We discussed at some length the amount of competition that kids are forced into: school, club, county and the pressure they are under.

   This lifestyle together with enforced periods of poor posture, means that they commonly exhibit:

   • Limited range of motion in thoracic spine
   • Tight hip flexors
   • Poor ankle, knee, hip integrity
   • Poor body composition
   • Poor running mechanics
   • Unstable torso

   Putting the athletic into LTAD

   Knowing this, and knowing where we need to be, it is then important to devise exercises and training programmes that work on rectifying “lifestyle” type ailments: the “disease of disuse” (Gambetta).

   I showed the coaches some of the exercies that I use regularly with all my young athletes: working on hip and knee control, hip and T-spine mobility. These are done in sequences and also help synchronisation of the muscles.

   (I have moved away from doing things such as flexibility and balance in isolation, instead I look to combine the movements).

   Sprint mechanics

   After lunch we looked at putting this theory into practice, more specifically at sprint mechanics and a resistance training session.

   I kept the speed session simple, and just used these 3 points gained from Gary Winckler:

   

   Winckler went through this in more detail at GAIN, but in summary he says that:

   • Posture highly dependent on the means of force application.
   • A correct force application should result in an appropriate posture.
   • A correct posture will improve the result of a good force application.

   (There is that word posture again). I then took the coaches through a practical warm up drill (courtesy of Jim Radcliffe) that worked on all these aspects. The use of some rusty old athletics hurdles was especially poignant as they resembled the fluidity of the coaches’ hips!

   Strength training

   The final session was the work done in the gym. Here I showed two sessions that follow my “4 cornerstones” principle of preparation, adaptation, application and regeneration.

   Both are designed for field hockey players in mid season. The beginner is for those relatively new to resistance training, but with sound mechanics. The intermediate is for those who have been training for at least 1 year.

   

   I went through the practical aspects of these sessions, plus the rationale behind each exercise and the sequencing. Our aim is to get the players more athletic, robust and to be able to express this on the hockey pitch: where it counts.

   I start assuming the players have either been hunched over in classrooms, or spent time driving in the car to get to training: we have to get them moving. We then work from fast to slow, co-ordinated and synchronised to more simple exercises.

   Each session finishes with the players moving fast and in different directions, followed by regeneration work to help prepare for the next training period.

   Coaching the people

   We discussed at some length ways of getting young female players involved and enthusiastic about resistance training (the boiling frog scenario).

   We also discussed how to get young male athletes away from the “look good nekked” programmes and instead following programmes that help them as athletes. This is an ongoing source of frustration, but these coaches at least recognise what should be happening.

   Brett Richmond and Tom Tuthill at Bloxham School have done a great job with their gym: very well designed.

   Thanks to the school for hosting, thanks to the coaches and teachers for getting stuck into the learning and asking some really good questions.

   If you would like to host a CPD event for p.e. and games teachers at your school, please contact us.

3. Bumper Cars, Skateboards and Newton: How things work course review

   6th May 2013 3:19 pm 3 Comments

   “If you pull yourself to the centre of a spinning merry-go-round, what will happen to its rotation”?

   One of many task specific questions that Professor Lou Broomfield asked on his course “How Things Work“.

   I took the course for my own interest, but the concepts and theories are essential in biomechanics. Newton’s 3 laws of motion, plus Amortons 2 laws of friction underpin a lot of the work I do. 

   Broomfield takes all the interesting parts of mechanical physics and then applies the theory to them.

   By looking at throwing balls, ramps, skateboards, merry-go-rounds, marbles, bumper cars and see saws in action, he manages to cover the syllabus in a very informative fashion.

   Broomfield is the Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia and the 6 week MOOC was run by Coursera

   Physics made fun

   I had a torrid time with physics at school, mostly due to bad teaching. The exception was playing with little carts and endless amounts of ticker tape looking at acceleration and ramps.

   The course comprised of 6 modules each with 5-6 videos of 15-20 minutes in length plus a hard quiz at the end of each module. The videos were excellent: Broomfield is extremely engaging and demonstrates in and out of his classroom. 

   The site of him trundling down a ramp in a cart, or attempting to skateboard is very entertaining.

   An example of one concept was when we looked at how one bumper car transfers momentum to another.

   The first bumper car does an impulse on the second car. Impulse is the mechanical means of transferring momentum.

   Impulse = Force x time.

   Impulse is a conserved vector (it has a direction) quantity. So an increase in Impulse can be due to FORCE x time or force x TIME

   The shorter the time for transfer, the bigger the force must be. However, with greater impact force, there is more potential for damage. A longer impulse (softer surfaces) causes lower forces: hence the bumpers!

   (Jack Blatherwick talked about how weightlifting is really about impulse two years ago at GAIN. Think about how this impacts on running reactivity and surface too.)

   Course summary

   The quizzes were tricky: 8 out of 10 was required to get the distinction, and I only finished with 78.3%.

   One of the questions was about a rotating spaceship approaching the docking bay of a space station. My knowledge of rotational motion is limited!

   My cognitive abilities were definitely challenged every week. My feedback at the end of the course was that handouts of the key points would have been useful. This would have helped me learn away from the video seminars (excellent though they were).

   There were also no group tasks/ or peer review activities which are a common feature of online learning. So, despite forums being set up, I had less interaction with fellow students than on other courses.

   Next up for me is the “Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence” Course.

   A: The merry-go-round velocity will increase due to Angular Momentum being a conserved quantity. Angular Momentum= Rotational Mass x Angular Velocity. By moving to the centre, you are reducing the Rotational Mass of the Merry-go-round and therefore its velocity has to increase to maintain the momentum.

   Try it and see!

4. Coach Development: One size does not fit all.

   26th October 2012 9:42 am 4 Comments

   Coach Development Mind Map

   

   (Full image was sent out in today’s newsletter and is presented in our coaching courses).

   Are you a victim of a false dichotomy?

   Coach development takes many forms, but I often see and hear a “our way or the highway” approach to working with athletes. This could be well meaning, but it could also be a commercial or vested interest that is trying to defend or justify its existence. 

   In my development as a strength and conditioning coach I have come across 4 main routes to becoming an “S&C coach”.

   Here are some examples:

   The Academic.

   “In order to work with any athlete you must have attended our University course X” or “I have worked with athlete Y” (what that could mean is the profressor supervised an undergraduate dissertation which involved testing a footballer on a treadmill).

   A sound background of theoretical knowledge is essential in coaching. A rigorous approach to assessing what works and what doesn’t is also essential. Going to University can help that.

   You can gain knowledge for free in many ways (see here), Universities are trying to get £30,000 from you, their rankings are based on research published, not on how well an undergraduate is taught.

   Knowledge without an idea of how to apply it is not much use in Coaching.

   (Disclaimer: I have an  MSc in Sports Coaching, I didn’t do an undergraduate degree).

   The Ex Athlete

   “This worked for me, so it should work for you” or “here’s what we are doing in training today” (which could mean, doing their session as they still prefer to train rarher than coach).

   An experience of competing, training and the ups and downs of sporting life is very useful in coaching. This is not formal training, it is part of getting bruised, battered, elated and downright knackered.

   However, just doing what you did as an athlete, and applying it to all your sessions is not sound coaching. Worse, newly retired athletes often use the training for their own benefit.

   The very best at their sport often do not make good coaches because they did not understand the training principles behind what they did. They could pick things up easily and were highly motivated.

   (Disclaimer: I trained  in Karate for 16 years, including 3 years on the England squad and competed in National, European and World Championships, amongst other things).

   The Ex Forces

   “Stand still, move fast, do 100 press ups because your sock is the wrong colour” or “today we are going to do a team building run of 5 miles” (which could mean, I know it gets people tired, and tired is good).

   The discipline, organisation and work ethic of coaches who have served or are serving in the Military are very useful traits. The experience of working in teams, with minimal facilites and with large groups is excellent.

   However, what is important to be trained when preparing 17 year olds for an amphibious assault against an occupied position, is not the same for 13 year old netball girls (although I am not sure which is more scary).

   Similarly, being able to perform massive amounts of non specific work is useful in the Military, and doing it when sleep deprived and under stress more so. This is not so relevant for 120kg rugby props. 

   This should be borne in mind when doing endless circuit training or “beastings”. Getting tired is not the same as getting better.

   (Disclaimer: I served in the British Army, and spent 3 months rehabbing an injury at RAF Headley Court which is an excellent facility with superb staff).

   The Badge Collector

   “I went on course X and we were told to do this” or “Exercise Y is the only way to develop power” (meaning, I have invested time and money into learning this exercise and I have bought the kit, so now I have to justify that by doing it with everyone!).

   Coaching courses that are delivered by “gurus” or “experts” should involve practical coaching. Learning coach theory, or new exericises without actually applying them and learning from your mistakes is questionable.

   Having lots of badges, but no sort of context in which to apply them is also not beneficial. Otherwise you will be doing the “Barefoot running with kettlebells followed by some Olympic Lifting sessions” with Equestrians.

   It is very easy to learn drills, it is hard to learn the skills on how to apply them and when.

   If you have a list of coaching badges, but do not Coach, then how are you applying the knowledge? Wearing a tracksuit with “Coach” on the back, does not mean you can coach.

   You have to get your hands dirty and make mistakes at some point. Then you have a point of reference to work from and improve.

   (Disclaimer: I have attended many different courses and workshops over the years, and I usally try the stuff out on myself first. I have made a Gazillion mistakes. I deliver Level 1 and Level 2 coaching S&C courses, they involve self reflection, practical work and theoretical learning).

   Summary

   Coach development is far from a simple linear pathway. It involves many different aspects of both formal and informal learning, as well as life experience.

   Anyone with young kids has a different perspective on the problems faced by parents, than those who don’t. 

   Suffering from setbacks in life or sport gives you a chance to learn and develop. 

   Have a look at your own coaching and background, if you see some holes or gaps, then look to fill them.

   Are you a one dimensional Coach (or Human Being)?

   Further reading:

   • 5 tips on how to get started in strength and conditioning coaching 
   • Using profiling to help improve your coaching  

5. Continual Professional Development in the Digital Age

   19th September 2011 8:28 pm 1 Comment

   How Technology Aids Learning

   Sharing of information has come a long way in the last decade. A quick search on the internet can reveal text, photos and videos on virtually any topic. The quality may vary, but whether we like it or not the information is out there.

    In fact, it now seems ridiculous that when I was an undergraduate in the 1990s, I used to get the tube around London to visit varying medical libraries to photocopy articles to read as part of my studies. It would often take a whole day to collect the information I was looking for.

   Nowadays, if I want to pick up some tips from recognised experts across the globe, I use my laptop or phone. Many sites have free videos and downloads, which are instantly available. A quick browse on YouTube, or a link on Twitter can instantly update me with the thoughts of respected individuals. This would have seemed impossible 10 years ago.

   On this note, I have just filmed a video for a Golf Specific iphone app. This will be accessible to anyone across the world. It will also be freely available on YouTube. I couldn’t have comprehended this concept during my undergraduate days. 

   Don’t let technology distract you.

   Continual learning is a big topic in Sports Medicine, as it is in most Professions. There are of course, many ways to learn including: reading; systematic reviews; randomly controlled trials; reading specialist books; watching DVDs; attending courses; and speaking with recognised experts. All these methods are valid, and continual learning is critical to improving your skills and outcomes. Most of us do all of these things almost sub-consciously, as we are constantly looking to improve.

   However, I have always been a big believer in learning by doing. I find that taking time away from the clinic to reflect, focus and develop can be a huge source of learning. Spending time with individuals inside and outside my own Profession, discussing, observing and interacting is almost always an inspirational experience.

   Like most people, I have learnt that I feed of the enthusiasm of others. Whilst academia in it’s various guises is important; learning by doing has a huge role to play and what’s more it can be great fun too, which is always a bonus! 

   Andy Larmour

   Chartered Physio

   Clinical Director Ocean Physio & Rehab

   Follow Andy on twitter @oceanphysio