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"It's the people business stupid": GAIN 2013
17/06/2013 - 17:01
Coaches are in the people business I have just returned from another fantastic GAIN (Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network) in Houston, Texas. The 5 day event was full of ideas, tips and sharing of...

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warm ups

Introducing fitness to fencers.

Posted On Wednesday, 23rd January 2013 at 08:23

Fencers physical development should stay one step ahead of skill development.

fitness for fencingThat was the theme behind the fitness training sessions I did at the weekend for the South West Fencing Academy.

My experience of current fencers is that they specialise in fencing early, with liitle or no background in other sporting activity.

Can you do the Worm? Diary of an Intern

Posted On Friday, 13th April 2012 at 07:00

Coaching Development

Over the last few coaching sessions at Millfield School, I have been working on improving my coaching practice by learning to keep reinforcing good techniques during lifting.

I have perhaps picked up a bad habit of waiting until the end of a set to correct technique; however James has explained the importance of constantly reinforcing technical points. If an athlete is left to complete 10 consecutive squats with bad form, the technique will be reinforced and become habit.

Stuntman Training: warming up

Posted On Friday, 24th February 2012 at 08:44

This week I got asked to train a young man who wants to become a Stuntman (next week Batman, the week after Train Driver?). He has been following a running programme, alternating with the ubiquitous beach weights.

Normally I would start with a screening of some sort, but I thought we could just see how he moves first using some of our varied warm ups that we do. Short of asking him to dive off a cliff or crash a burning car, I thought that might give me an idea of how well prepared he was for stunt work.

Do Warm Ups Affect Performance?

Posted On Monday, 28th November 2011 at 07:15

The goal of the warm up is to prepare the body mentally and physically for exercise or competition.

We would therefore look for the following positive effects:

  • Faster muscle contraction and relaxation
  • Improved rate of force development and reaction time
  • Improvements in muscle strength and power
  • Skill preparation and mental focus.

Methods that are used include;

Should I use a foam roller in my warm up?

Posted On Friday, 28th October 2011 at 07:34

Foam rolling is very propular in some parts of training, one of the questions we are asked is "How Can I use a foam roller in my warm up?" Here is an in depth look at that, with references and some exercises shown.

How to choose a skipping rope

Posted On Monday, 18th April 2011 at 07:47

Skipping is one of the basic exercise movements we encourage at Excelsior as part of our Sports Training System for almost all our athletes. "What skipping rope to buy?" is something I am asked every week.

Here are 5 of the most popular ropes our athletes have used and some advice on how to use them. (Jump rope for people in the USA).

A different perspective on warm ups - Diversity and Variety.

Posted On Monday, 28th March 2011 at 07:15

“The purpose of the warm up is to prepare the body and mind for the activity to follow”. That is my general explanation on what we are trying to achieve in a warm up.

Currently we might conduct our warm ups on physiological terms- raising heart rates, increasing body temperature and range of movement- or on technical terms- practicing catching, jumping or throwing – for a skills session to follow.

Coach Observation: Diary of an Intern

Posted On Friday, 04th March 2011 at 06:42

Watch and Observe

As many people in the world know and understand you can learn so much by watching and observing other people. How society works? How people act in different situations, being a couple of examples.

This skill, of observing and reflecting is so important to a coach’s personal and professional development. I have had the change to work with some excellent coaches over the last 5 years and from each I have gained new skills and qualities. 

Static stretching and warm ups

Posted On Monday, 18th October 2010 at 06:16

I thought we were past the static stretching in warm ups- but I can still see it being done. In fact it is being taught in core P.E. sessions in schools, so the kids are being misinformed from the start.  Track and Field Athletes also don’t mind a static stretch at the beginning of the session.


I prefer movement, both in and out of the gym as part of the warm up.  Lunge patterns, skip patterns, ball skills, shoulder work, an increase in body temperature, heart rate, respiration and perhaps more importantly a narrowing of attention into the upcoming session.

Warm Ups for strength training- Istvan Javorek

Posted On Friday, 12th March 2010 at 04:34

javorekOn a daily basis I hear from students that they heard that some exercises are dangerous. So my first basic weight training class I start with this short introduction: There aren’t dangerous exercises, just dangerous techniques.

I devote a great deal of time to warming-up exercises.  I consider a good warm-up to be the first step in preventing injuries, as well as providing very good mental and physical preparation.

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