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 […]
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 […]
The Do’s and Don’ts of Assessing
Today we’re going to discuss what is most likely the most polarizing topic in phys ed today… Assessing! To really understand why this is, we’ll need to look at some history. This is a murky path let me tell you, but things sort of started taking shape in the early 1900s when researchers McCurdy and […]
From Huge Arms to Booty Fads
I have been in the fitness/ strength and conditioning industry for an incredible 21 years now. I fell into this industry by fate and have never woken up a day since that I haven’t been excited to get to work, learn and share all things healthy. When it comes to fads, I have seen them […]
Early Fitness Specialization: What?
The topic of early fitness specialization has been a major hot button for those involved in youth development for years. Research is conclusive that the narrower the focus in the stages of Learning to Train, and Training to Train within Long Term Athlete Development, the larger the negative impact it has on the ladder stages. […]