Can you achieve the same or better performance results with reduced training volume? More on More with Less.
One of the greatest challenges many traditional Olympic sports face is how to achieve the same or better results in less time. Kids and parents have very little spare time and for sports like swimming, track and field, rowing, diving, gymnastics, tennis and cycling, finding ways to optimise athletic development and enhance sports performance efficiently: i.e. achieving better performances in less time has become an increasingly important aspect of coaching around the world.
Talent Identification in the Western World – Over funded and Over rated.
The concept of Talent Identification – TID for short – makes sense.
Do some standardised testing and screening of lots of kids, find the ones who can run faster, run further, jump longer, stretch better than the rest and bingo- you found talent!
It all grew out of the now “mythical” talent identification systems of the old Eastern Block (and more recently China) – and the countless stories we have all heard for the past 30 years about how the centralised government systems put every child in the nation through a series of TID testing protocols and then funnelled them in to the specific sports where their talent was most likely to be developed to its full potential.
But in the western world, in spite of the hundreds of millions of dollars thrown at TID in Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and Western Europe, with the exception of a few minor and specialised sports – it has failed and failed badly.
The Top Ten Reasons Why Coaches Fail
Ever wanted to know what’s holding you back as a coach? Ever wanted to know why you are not realising your potential?
This post, “The Top Ten Reasons Why Coaches Fail” outlines the ten biggest mistakes coaches make, discusses how you can avoid them and in doing so ensure your coaching becomes everything it could and should be.
Multi-Disciplinary (Performance) Sports Science: The Future of High Performance Sport.
There is no doubt that successful sports performance is multi-disciplinary in nature. Athletes and coaches need to be aware of the physiological, biomechanical, psychological, nutritional, medical and immunological and other issues that can impact on their competition performances.
It – performance – is rarely – if ever -about one thing in isolation!
The Role of Parents in Sport
Discussions with Coaches Geoff Marsh (Cricket), Joyce Brown (Netball) and Lindsay Gaze (Basketball).
In response to repeated community complaints, a Sydney Council announced it planned to introduce the following policy:
City of Botany, Code of Conduct, Sports Field Users.
“At it’s meeting of 26th May 1999, Council endorsed the following policy direction as outlined in the Mayoral Minutes No 5/99 and resolved:
That: “Council as a matter of policy, determine that any sporting activity being run by an Association or Club, on any ground within the City of Botany Bay, have lodged with Council, as a condition of use of Council’s playing fields, a Code of Conduct, which is to be subject to Council’s approval”.
Sports Coaching in 2030 – Future (coach) Shock – Where will Sports Coaching be in 2030?
Where is Sports Coaching heading? Where will it be in 2030? What will the average coach be doing everyday on pool deck or on the court or at the track or on the field? This article looks at the Future of Sports Coaching and suggests that if you take a moment or two to consider where the world is heading, then you will also see where coaching will be in 20 years.
Ten smart things we should be doing in the interest of better coach education – Part two
Here are ten things we should be doing in the interest of helping to educate the next generation of coaches:
Coaching without Periodisation – Part Two
In part one of this post we discussed the possibility of Coaching Without Periodisation.
In part two we will look at an alternate way of working with athletes and helping each individual you coach to realise their full potential and achieve their training and performance goals.
Sport Analysis and the Era of Negativity
Seems like every coach has a video, a camera, a DVD player and some analysis software these days.
Coaches spend more time behind a desk, staring at replays and performance analysis data than they do actually working and communicating with athletes and staff!
Modern analysis techniques and equipment have given us the luxury of detail- the ability to evaluate, measure and analyse performance in far greater depth than ever before.
Most analysis techniques used in elite sport evolved from research methods used in the academic world, where a wide range of analysis tools are used to systematically investigate technique, movement, skills, decision making etc as part of a the study behind a journal article, research project or thesis.
The problem with all this analysis is that analysis, by its nature is destructive. Analysis breaks down performances, techniques, skills etc into component parts or measurable events. It looks to identify what went wrong with an athlete or team and what problems, faults and mistakes led to a poor performance.
Coach education – Ten Dumb Things we do and call it Coach Education
The world needs more coaches. Good coaches. Passionate coaches. Committed coaches. Innovative coaches.
Coaches.
Coaches are the driving force of change in sport and every sport needs more great coaches.
Many nations – including the UK, Canada, South Africa, France and Australia are investing in coach education, coach development, coach mentoring, coach accreditation and coaching the coaches programs.
And – as usual – instead of inventing new, exciting, innovative, creative and more importantly effective ways of educating and developing the next generation of coaches, everyone is following trends, fads and the old tried and trusted training techniques – many of which have failed over and over again all over the world.
Here are ten really dumb things we do and call it Coach Education.