Fitness Breaks Keep Students Alert in the Classroom
There isn’t a teacher alive who has not stood in front of a classroom of drowsy students. There’s no doubt that teaching effectiveness is much reduced when students can barely keep their eyes open. Fortunately, fitness breaks can be used to energize such classroom lulls. Energy Breaks A short fitness break of three to four […]
Training Core
If there’s one area that has hit front and center of the training world and held shelf space it’s the core. So let’s dive into this extremely complex category of training core. A great place to start here is: What is core? In simple terms, it is all the muscular tissue that connects your upper […]
Performance Mode: 3 Steps for Your Athletes
How do you handle instructions to athletes before major competitions? Do you overwhelm them with multiple instructions just before they hit the field? Do you avoid talking about the competition in the preceding days to reduce nervousness? In fact, a more effective method is a three-step approach in which you minimize your instructions on the […]
Develop Empathy in Your Players
What’s an often overlooked quality that will improve the play of any team athlete? How about the ability to develop empathy. Yup, empathy. Knowing what it feels like to be the opponent during a play or move. This ability to sense what the opponent is experiencing will give your players new insights into their game […]
The Fitness Center: Transitioning from the Weight Room
Schools are quickly shifting toward a fitness-based approach instead of the traditional sports rotation. The largest school board in Canada (Toronto District School Board) is moving towards PAF being offered as early as grade nine. This shift is not being made on a whim; it’s backed by data. 99% of students do not play competitive […]
Training the Legs (Getaway Sticks)
So today we are going to discuss training the legs, the most important muscle group! When I started training in grade 9 my legs were super skinny and I wanted them to be bigger. It turns out I have very short femurs so leg training came very fast and I scaled in weight very quickly. […]
Bodyweight: Let’s Talk About It.
As a father with a gay child, it crushes my soul to think that there was a time when kids her age had no one to talk to. It all started with conversations. Hard, but constructive and meaningful conversations that had the intent to design a narrative that respected and accepted everyone’s feelings and choices. […]
The 4 Lifestyle Categories:Action, Fit, Athlete, Elite
A long time ago when I was trying to find ways to be inclusive I came up with 4 lifestyle categories. Action those who are beginning to move. Fit students who are moving regularly without a general focus. Athletes are those who are training with the goal of increasing an outcome. Lastly is Elite. The […]
The 4 Laws
While squats, deadlifts, curls, crunches or hang cleans all will impact fitness, it is the way we set up the 4 laws that determines what type of impact they have. Where am I going with this, sets, reps, load and rest? These 4 things will have the largest impact on training outcomes. I guess I […]
Etiquette is the Foundation of Culture
I’m not sure how many of you have read Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach us About the Business of Life by James Kerr, but this book puts how to be a leader into perspective, quickly. How does etiquette have anything to do with being a leader, you ask? I have been so fortunate […]