sports-skills

High Performance Sports Systems – The Non System System.

So Great Britain has an outstanding high performance sports system.

Australia had one a few years ago…and they hope to have it again.

The “Eastern Block” had some brilliant high performance sports systems – systems which influenced the development of high performance sport all over the world in the three decades since.

The Chinese have a huge one driven by State money and a very large population.

The French are doing some great things in theirs.

The US has a strong high performance system driven through the College system.

South Korea, Japan and India are growing theirs. Canada is re-building theirs.

The South Americans will be working hard to make their high performance systems the best in the world now that Rio has been announced as the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games.

South Africa is building one on the back of the Football World Cup.

Seems like every nation in the world has to have three things – a flag, a carbon policy and a high performance sports system.

Here’s the thing…..none of them do what they are supposed to do….none of them actually produce winners. (more…)

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

What’s the difference between Medicine and Sports Medicine?

 

I was recently asked to talk to a group of students about high performance sport. We discussed all the “usual” topics: talent identification, sports science, elite coach development and sports medicine.

One of the students asked me, “Is there a difference between Medicine (as in general practice medicine) and Sports Medicine as it exists in high performance sport”? (more…)

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Five World Wide Trends in Sport which you ignore at your peril.

Having visited more than 30 countries in four continents in the past few years and spent time with sports leaders, coaches, athletes, sponsors, sports scientists, sports academics, sports medicine practitioners, sports administrators, government funding agencies and other sports professionals in many of the world’s leading sports systems,five world wide trends in society
(and by extension in sport) have become very clear and are screaming so loud that they can no longer be ignored.

Ignore them at your peril. (more…)

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Where is leadership in sport going: the future of leadership.

Leadership in sport is something about which everyone has a view but few understand. As leadership in sport has evolved we have seen the philosophy of leadership shift from centralised (i.e. the head coach and captain) to decentralised (i.e. leadership teams, leadership groups etc). Where is leadership heading in sport? Answer…..There wont be any…that is, leadership will be driven by each individual in the team with each person taking full responsibility for their actions and inactions. This article discuss sports leadership and challenges coaches, players and sports administrators to look at their current model of leadership with the aim of changing it in the future.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Running better meetings in football: too long, too much, too similar.

There are five key elements in professional football these days:

1. Training

2. Playing

3. Recovery

4. Life Activities – e.g. work, study, family life, business.

5. Meetings!

Teams are spending more and more time meeting and discussing past games, future games and all the other games, training activities, travel and logistics issues involving the team. (more…)

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago

Great Coaching – Great Coaches: How to Be the Best of the Best.

Greatness is something that all high performance coaches crave. They pursue it with passion and strive to be considered one of the coaches who achieved success at the highest level of their sport. But what is greatness? Where can you find it? What does it look like? And can you measure it? This article discusses greatness in coaching and presents ten fundamental characteristics of greatness to help every coach realise their potential and fulfil their destiny.

By Wayne Goldsmith, ago