Why is everyone so surprised every time a scandal gets reported about one of the International Sport Governing bodies or International Sporting Federations?
FIFA, FINA, UCI, ICU, ICC, IAAF, FISA, IRB, IOC…same tune: different orchestra. (more…)
First let me say I have total, 100% complete admiration and respect for Bompa himself – a true pioneer of the sports coaching and the sports performance industry. This article is in no way a criticism of him personally but rather a proclamation that Periodization as a concept is now officially dead and buried.
Periodization – that is, the traditional sports training planning model involving long blocks (cycles or phases) of training which emphasise specific aspects of training is 20 years past the use by date and it’s time we all moved on to something more relevant and more effective for the training and preparation of athletes in this century.
The popular version of periodisation was developed in the Eastern block, 40 years ago, for senior athletes: another time, another system, another world – and totally inappropriate for today’s athletes. (more…)
The E.P.L – the English Premier League, is arguably the most exciting professional football competition in the world. It is also the most at risk. The history of professional sport has taught us one thing above all….long term, sustainable success is nearly impossible to achieve. And, the teams and competitions which are most at risk are those who have not learnt from the mistakes of the past. This post discusses the dangers in store for the EPL and suggests some ideas on how the EPL can choose to survive and thrive or die.
Sometimes you win. Occasionally you win easily. But most of the time you win when it’s difficult, challenging and when things go wrong…winning ugly.
Winning.
Sometimes you win.
Very rarely do you win easily when everything goes the way you planned it to go in training.
Sometimes winning is about winning ugly.
Question:
How may times do you actually go out on the field with all of your best players 100% fit and healthy and in the best form of their lives?
Answer:
a. Sometimes
b. Often
c. All the time
d. Never.
If you answered d. Never – give yourself a round of applause.
The aim of the game is to win. In a perfect world the “football-fairy” appears and magically transforms your team into a perfect performance powerhouse that seemingly wins with ease.
In the real world, there is no “football-fairy” and you’ve got to win when you’re tired, when you’re fatigued, when you’re not feeling great – you gotta find ways of winning ugly.
The Home and Away philosophy is the cornerstone of all professional sporting competitons around the world. But it is a myth. For the well prepared player and the uncompromising coach, the Home and Away concept is nothing but a sham and a remnant of the “old-days” when sport was unprofessional, coaches uninformed and players uneducated. Now, there are no longer Home and Away Games…there are just Games: Games to be fought and won by the best prepared players and the most uncompromising coaches.
Sports Academies, National Training Centres, National Sports Institutes…they are as common as McDonald’s restaurants all over the world. But do they actually make a difference to the performance of elite athletes, coaches and teams?