Entries by Ian King

A message to parents of young athletes – would you sign up for this?

Imagine this. You are turning up to training 45 minutes earlier than the previous generation did. You are doing ‘dryland’ – alleged performance enhancing and injury reducing physical training. And it is degrading your body shape, increasing the severity and frequency of your injuries, and putting you out of sport, play and movement earlier than […]

Stop lifting your leg!

The former US NCAA Division 1 athlete started performing the exercise in their program, the single leg stiff leg deadlift, for the first time under my supervision. As they bent forward their non-support leg began to lift backwards. I asked: ‘Why are you lifting your leg?’ They replied: ‘Because that is how I was taught […]

There is a better way – Part 3: I don’t notice you

In the second phase of the game, only a minute or so in, one of the players successfully bumped off the attempted tackle of an opponent. The attacking player whooped so loudly you could hear him a mile away. The celebration continued for another minute. This is a real live, 2017 example, in a state […]

The decline of Australian sporting performances

Australia’s sports performances are in decline.  Yes, it’s a generalization, and if this is not the case in your sport, I am happy for you. However. to showcase this suggestion, I have selected five sports or sporting events that possess a proud and long history of international dominance or success. Sports interwoven in the Australian […]

Guidance for the new physical preparation coach – Respect & research

In 1999 I wrote the first edition of the book ‘So You Want to Become a Physical Preparation Coach’. It was the first and only book of it’s kind at the time offering professional and business guidance to physical preparation coaches. Twenty years later this guidance is as relevant as it was then. However little […]

There is a better way – Part 1: Why are you ignoring the message from Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Novak Djokovic?

More athletes are having their athleticism destroyed, their careers shortened, and their long term quality of life threatened because of the way they are being trained than ever before in my lifetime.  The athlete training world has lost the plot.  Not concerned or don’t buy into this statement?  Then you don’t read any further.  There are heaps of more […]

Be part of the solution

On a Saturday morning, I watched a group of girls aged approximately 6-8 years old performing walking lunges in their warm-up for club sport. It was early morning on a winter’s day, and every single one of them was using both hands on their lead knee as they struggled to come out of each rep. […]

The four stages of the physical preparation coaches career

In my fourth decade of professional involvement in the sport and fitness industry I have reached many conclusions. I acknowledge they are generalisations, however these hypothetical models help all of us understand human behaviour. Based on both my own personal experience and my experience seeking to help, educate and guide others professionally, I have formed […]

To think or conform?

I received an email from a young man on the subject of stretching, a classic case of humans choosing conformity over thinking. The email went like this: “Recently I purchased your Legacy book. The book is full of training gold, especially important information is about stretching. You should spread the truth about stretching. I can`t believe […]