Category: planning

on deliberate practice

Wendy Bruce Martin posted an excellent article on Ericsson’s concept of deliberate practice (PDF).

1. The lesson must have clear goals.

2. The lesson must include specific tasks to increase performance.

3. The lesson must include constant monitoring and feedback.

Deliberate training is not as fun and exciting as just chucking tumbling passes. …

Is All Training Created Equal?

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mental health for coaches

If you’re a coach and NEVER take a holiday, something’s wrong with your planning. 🙂

swim coach Jeff Grace:

Many coaches do not give themselves days off. They are committed to the goals of the athletes and the team, they see themselves leading by example and simply there is always work to be done.

Some coaches will spend more time on the job than others, but there are almost none that are not emotionally invested in how their team performs.

For me when athletes swam well it was because they put in the work, had the motivation and wanted to excel. When athletes swam poorly I blamed myself, I questioned not only how I had gone about the planning and training of the swimmers, but I began question myself at my core.

I did not set myself up for success often ignoring both my physical and psychological health. …

MENTAL HEALTH FOR COACHES: ARE YOU LIVING A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE?

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Thanks Mike and Bede for the link.

Aspire Training Camp, Vancouver

I dropped in for a day to observe the 6th in a series of Canadian Training Camps led by coaching legend Alex Bard.

Aspire gymnasts aspire to (eventually) make National Team. Canada already has lists for 2020, 2024 and even 2028.

Of course gymnasts this young can move back and forth between J.O. and the elite stream.

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Thanks to host Omega Gymnastics.

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Apparatus leaders included Michelle Arsenault, Barb Fraser, Julia Spivak, Laurie Henderson and Vladimir Lashin.

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Laurie

German redemption

During the last Olympic cycle it was Great Britain who missed at Worlds 2011 and were forced to qualify at Test Meet.

This cycle it was Germany.

Fabian Hambüchen is still out with shoulder pain that doesn’t want to go away. Many in Germany were worried the team won’t qualify here.

But Germany had a terrific team competition in the first of 3 flights of men’s preliminaries. Everyone is very confident they will rank one of the top 4 teams. Most likely #1.

Congratulations.

Nile Wilson on mistakes at American Cup

Nile and his coach Baz Collie were very happy with training leading up to American Cup. Yet he had a number of falls and major errors.

He was not discouraged. It’s still early in the Olympic year. On the other hand, making the British Olympic Team is not a given. They have unbelievable depth.

Click PLAY or watch him on YouTube.