Skill, and not strength, should always be the primary coaching target

Movement skills and strength interplay: one facilitates the development of the other, but the primary tool is not strength it's skill - the brain drives the body. everyday of the week I witness the effect that improved execution has on subsequent muscle force production in the very muscles we're supposed to believe underpin efficient execution in the first instance. The key takeaway for coaches is not to sweat the strength component - this will develop provided we advance the skill. the art of coaching is about 'how' and not 'how many'

Don't want to exercise? Take a lesson from young children

Very young children move clumsily, but they’re designed for exploration.  They have amazing leverage (thick muscle bellies and short limbs) and extreme joint and segment range of motion (very loose joint structures).  The benefits of this arrangement can be witnessed anytime we watch a young child squat; it’s effortless.  Contrast this with the elderly: poor leverage (lean muscles and comparatively long limbs) with extreme joint/ segment tightness.  The movement of a young child may be clumsy, but the steps of an elderly person look perilous by comparison.

The biomechanical characteristics of a young child make it both less likely that they will fall over when inspecting something on the ground and very easy for them to get back on their feet should they do so.  There is an appealing theory of motor learning that says that the brain performs an automatic risk versus reward analysis before choosing a motor action.  By this theory, the design of a child’s musculoskeletal system highly incentivises movement.  By the same theory, the very old would be subconsciously encouraged not to move.

The two critical factors in both cases (young versus old) are range of motion and strength.  A body possessing excellent range of motion and physical strength will acquire movement skills more easily both because the act of doing so is simpler and perhaps also because the brain will subconsciously encourage it.  I am a big fan of postural exercise modalities, such as yoga and Pilates, for adults.  They raise feelings of wellness that arise from working critical muscles and joints through long ranges of motion, but they may have the additional benefit of improving the subconscious desire to want to exercise.

PDF file: Don't want to exercise? Take a lesson from young children

How do we get the most out of ourselves; out of the tools we have?

It's in the sweet spot between excitement/ arousal in the one hand, and anxiety and concern in the other. Holding on to that sweet spot is a skill; it must be learned.  Out there on court, in the heat of the battle, you're alone.  You will learn or you won't.  You are responsible in that place.  But that's only one place we gain resilience.  For every hour in battle there will be 10-20 hours of practice and rest. here, you are not alone.  If I do my job correctly, as your parent or your coach, I will help you to maintain a healthy perspective.  I will help you to keep a positive emotional bank account.  You won't be under water before the match has begun.  Nervous and eager not anxious and worried.  Excited by the possibility of success and not afraid of failure.

facebook post - how do we get the most out of ourselves with link to article

Don't move the middle: aeroplane ITI with small plate (part 5 of 5)

If you've been following Sport Performance you might recognise this position/ platform.  We use it a lot!
One of the critical outcomes of strength conditioning is improved awareness and control of the body (kinaesthesia).  Complex movements especially those involving balance, like the aeroplane, provide an effective kinaesthetic stimulus.  The basic position: stable, neutral torso pivoting over a single leg, is also a platform for additional motion skills (shoulder and torso actions) and motor abilities (high intensity loading of the hip complex and torso).

aeroplane ITI with small plate

Thoughts for the worried parent of a young athlete

There are two pieces in any competitive scenario: 1) physical skills/ capacities and, 2) emotional/ psychological strength/ coping

The two pieces are independent – they evolve and extend separately – and they’re also mutually dependent during competition.  The stronger I am in the physical requirements of the task, the less likely I am to be stretched psychologically, and vice versa

This appearance of entanglement can paralyse young athletes, parents, and coaches but it doesn’t have to.  Though they relate, psychological coping and physical capacity are separate expressions of a person, and independent tools for sport.  They can be understood and managed discretely and gains, however modest, will move performance forward

There are some very simple rules that help:

• Patience is essential.  We are patient with schooling, and we are happy to leave the detail to the teachers.  We don’t speak of abandoning vocations for teenagers who may be struggling with a school subject or of insisting that teachers demonstrate progress with vocational specialisation in mind.  It is sufficient that progress is demonstrable in a net general sense.  Children vary enormously – that is the nature of childhood.  We must see them for who they are and not who we would wish them to be
• Children need help developing and maintaining perspective.  How is this to be, if parents and coaches lose theirs?
• Anxiety and emotions in sport are normal but they can get easily out of control.  The likelihood that a child will experience high emotions reflects the importance placed on the occasion/ situation and their emotional bank account.  If you are calm and happy, they are much more likely to be.  If they observe that you see a wonderful future for them, without qualification, then they are much more likely to believe that as well
• Self-belief is the most important outcome of sport and it requires a positive psychological environment.  Simple explanations and simple solutions, with lots of practice is all that is needed
• Instead of trying to produce a world champion, how about just helping the child to be the best them.  This approach does not mean they cannot become a world beater.  Rather, it’s about changing the way you view them.  Instead of comparing them to an ideal, and focusing on what’s missing, you see them for what and who they are.  Decisions made from that perspective will reflect their needs and that is the only pathway that leads forward

Why Sport Performance?

Life was different when I was a child, and some things were better.  We climbed trees (a lot!) and ate the fruit we found.  We played ball games on the road.  We walked to and from school and played outside until (and often after) the sun went down, or until parents yelled for us to come inside for dinner.  On the weekends we explored further.  Parents fed and clothed us, and occasionally put plasters on grazes and cuts.  Beyond that, we rarely needed help arranging anything.  If we wanted to go somewhere: town, the beach, out into the country side etc. we biked.  All year we ran, jumped, climbed, threw, caught, kicked, and tagged, and tackled.  Barefoot and dirty.

By the end of my childhood my gross and fine motor control was excellent.  I was fast and fit and, while I had no more than average talent, I was better than average at everything I turned my hand to.  My athletic development pathway was my childhood.

Lots of us lived that life back then but few children get to do so today.  This is the reason for Sport Performance.  Our role is to strengthen bodies and ensure a broad range of basic motor skills.  To help children acquire a more complete ‘toolbox’ to take to training or with which to have new experiences.

Don't move the middle: swiss ball jack-knife with small plate (part 4 of 5)

There are exercise specialists who see swiss/ stability balls as offering nothing more than improved balance and significantly less than the big barbell power exercises.  I don't see things the same way.  Postural deficits are profound in society across all ages and body types because we sit too much, move too little, and spend far too much time staring downwards at devices.  Hardest hit by all of this is breathing, which is most often mouth-chest and 20-30+ breaths per minute where it should be nose-abdomen/ diaphragm and 10-15 bpm.  Once breathing is compromised, there is a high chance that basic anterior bracing core stabilisation patterns are faulty as well.
Weak or faulty lumbopelvic stabilisation strategies can't be fixed with high loads.  Instead, manageable postural challenges need to be introduced during which the individual can learn to co-manage shape/ form and ensure correct breathing rhythm.  Swiss balls complement bridging exercises very well in that they add a little more complexity but not a lot more load.
The basic goal of the swiss ball jack-knife is neutral pelvic and lumbar shape, stable shoulders/ arms, with a slow controlled hip action.  Breathing is a lot more challenging in the bridge position but shouldn't be impossible: breathe throughout!  Progress with exercises like the jack-knife is primarily about reducing stress on the diaphragm as the strength of the anterior bracing muscles improves.
The video shows progression from two to one leg.

video: swiss ball jack-knife with small plate

Don't move the middle: bear crawl with small plate (part 3 of 5)

The bear crawl with small plate is part 3 of the 'don't move the middle' core strengthening series.
The idea is to crawl forward 5-10m on your hands and feet with a stable torso parallel to the ground throughout.  The tricky part is to keep your hips down, and this can be achieved by bringing your knees through outside the elbows.  View the clip below to get a sense of the exercise. 

video: bear crawl with small plate

Don't move the middle: dynamic prone bridge with small plate (part 2 of 5)

Part2 of the 'don't move the middle' core strengthening series involves the dynamic prone bridge with a small plate.
Set in the classic prone hold elbow bridge with a small plate (500g) on your lower back.  Move upwards onto your arms (push-up bridge).  Complete a slow, controlled cross touch of one hand and the opposite leg.  Return to the the 4pt bridge, and repeat for the opposite arm and leg.  Return back down on to your elbows.
As for all exercises in this series, the goal is to move arms and legs with minimal displacement of the middle of your body - the plate is supposed to remain still on your lower back throughout.

video: dynamic prone bridge with small plate