Blog

Are You Scoring a Training Own Goal?

Saying you want to achieve something is a good start. It is great to have a destination in mind but if you're fixated on the end product it can quite often be all too easy to just go through the motions. When your target is looming, you can end up wondering where it all went wrong and why after spending so much time in the gym or in work you haven’t reached your goal.

7 Apps to Make Video Editing Easy

With the technology available to us nowadays it’s extremely easy to capture video and images. Mobiles and Tablets are playing an increasingly bigger role in sports to help develop player technique in their chosen field. There are many apps available across the various platforms to help record and edit footage into bite size clips which allow you to instantly analyse and make adjustments on player technique, etc. I am an Apple guy myself so I use my iPhone, iPad and Mac frequently for watching and editing video and there are also several options available across Android and Window devices.

How You Can Prevent Choking In Your Sport

For anyone coaching athletes where measurement and review of performance exists, or at such level where results (skill execution) is paramount, then article is sure to appeal. As a Specialist Skills & Kicking Coach, it's important for me to have a holistic approach to coaching and the appraisal of performance. Quite simply, mechanical error is not always (often) the cause of poor execution for rugby players with well developed technique. We need to dig a little deeper...

Prehab and Rehab for ACL Injuries

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the major stabilising ligaments of the knee. The ligament spans between the inner surfaces of the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone), limiting the forward motion of the tibia in relation to the femur. The ACL is most commonly injured in ball sports and skiing (up to 70-80% of all injuries), where rapid changes of direction, pivoting on a static foot and side stepping during weight-bearing are involved.

Developing Behavioural Agility for Coaching: Part 1

If I was to ask you to describe your behaviours as a coach, what would be your response? If I was then to ask you to describe the behaviours of the performers you work with, again what would your response be?

Coaches: Discover the Latest Strength and Conditioning Research

Below is a summary of current strength and conditioning research out there to help improve your players speed, power and agility. Click on the headings to find out more about each piece of research.

The Rugby Site - The Importance of Motivation

The importance of Motivation. Beyond the unparalleled skill levels and sheer athleticism, one of the most impressive things about the All Blacks is the fact that they are 100% mentally tuned in every game. They always ‘turn up,’ focused and motivated, meaning that those skills can be put to best use. Even in wet weather against Argentina in the Rugby Championship, Steve Hansen’s men were focused on doing their jobs. Is that down to Hansen? 

There’s Just Not Enough Time in the Day!

Arguably, the most valuable resource an athlete has today is time. Something which if managed effectively can allow an athlete to thrive on and off the field of play, yet if overlooked can culminate in increased stress and underperformance. Mastering the skills of time management is not something that just happens and should be treated in the same regard as any other element of an athlete’s performance.

Jens Voigt - This is the Way I Knew I Must Say Goodbye

Jens finished the Tour de France – that is cycling around France for 3 weeks an astonishing 14 times. His highest placing being 28th in 2007. For those outside the cycling community, it can seem a closed event and the tactics and team formations confusing. Cyclists like Jens Voigt are called domestiques (the literal translation from French meaning “servant”) and it it their job to do all the grunt work on behalf of the team.

How to Improve a Weak Squat

Everyone has a weak lift, it’s human nature. It’s not usually possible to be a good build for all of the lifts in the gym, some people are blessed with the ideal leg and torso length or have naturally flexible ankles and can sit into a beautiful full depth squat with little or no work. Others not so much. In this article I will cover some ways to tackle a weak squat.

Shooting Sports Video - Advice on Camera Set Up & Formats

I’ve been using my current camera (Canon Legria HFS20) for a number of years and it has been a great choice for the type of footage that I need to capture. When deciding on a camera I wanted to pick one with a built in hard drive to make file storage and transfer quicker and easier when importing to my computer. The Legria HFS20 records to the built in Hard Drive in AVCHD format. AVCHD stands for Advanced Video Coding High Definition and is used widely in High Definition Consumer Camcorders. The format has been used for several years now after first being introduced by Sony.

Success is Fuelled by Passion

I recently watched the European Athletics Champions in Zurich and was blown away by Jo Pavey’s incredible 10,000 gold medal winning performance. The woman is amazing – 40 years old with two small children, her second only 11 months old. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a previous blog on "Age is Only a Number" and how it shouldn’t limit our goals. Pavey has shown exactly how to do it and watching her performances over the summer have been truly inspirational.

How I Overcame Arthritis as a Rugby Player

Taken from Raymond Schep's Book “Eat Right For Life.” For some reason I became interested in playing rugby at the age of 52, after seeing rugby games broadcast on TV in the USA. I had played rugby in school from the age of about 14 to 17 but did not continue when I went to college.

Rugby Union - Coaching a wide to wide attack

With defences now being ultra-organised and destructive it is imperative that all teams have various attacking shapes to utilise when they have possession from set piece or open play.

Lessons from Sport. What are the transferrable skills to business?

Sharing is Caring! Welcome to our New Sports Coaching Blog

User Success: Mark's U16 team win the Scottish Schools Cup

Video Killed the Rugby Star

User Experience - Ally Donaldson, Currie RFC

Is your country's 'sporting personality' holding you back?

Structuring training to reduce anxiety.

Extremely Rare Coach Education Opportunity

Digging Deep: Why Grit Could Be The Most Important Sporting Attribute

6 technologies that'll take your Hockey team from good to great

Top 6 Hockey technologies that'll empower your hockey team, drive better teamwork and improve those split-second decisions.

100% of surveyed coaches: “video-based learning is effective in sport”

A recent survey has uncovered the indispensable value video-based learning holds for coaches and their teams.