In 2008 the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) employed a non-Australian to coach the national men’s team for the first time, making Australia possibly the first Tier 1 rugby nation in the professional era to do so. This coach was Robbie Deans from New Zealand. It was a move some called brave, but either way it […]
Recently I received this question about an article i wrote nearly a quarter of a century ago. It was a great question and deserved a great answer. I share it with you and trust you find value in this exchange. “I’ve been training for almost 16 years now, but with the demands of becoming a […]
When I receive course submissions such as the one below, in response to a unit in the KSI Child to Champion Course, its rewarding to know the lessons shaped over 45 years of coaching and shared in this educational tool for parents and coaches of the young athlete is worth the effort. This is what […]
A few weeks ago another athlete reached out for a phone chat. They wanted to say thank you for you contribution to their sporting career. The last time we met and sport was 34 years ago. He also spoke proudly of the reports and other printed information I had prepared and given him back in […]
I was in the equivalent of a Home Depot in Australia about a year ago. A chain of stores by the name Bunnings. I sought the assistance of one of the workers in the store. I noted his height and could not help myself – I asked him if he had used it in sport. […]
In 1980 I set out on my professional journey to find answers to the question ‘What is the best way to train?’ How to design training programs was integral to finding these answers, as the decisions made in program design shape the training outcomes. One of the components of training design is the decision as […]
This article is about Istvan Balyi, who positioned himself as one of world’s leading experts on periodization and integration of training in sport. It is intended to celebrate his life and contribution, including from my personal and professional, first hand and over quarter of a century of association perspective. I’ve been to memorials where individuals […]
Reflections on gratitude. A few days ago, an athlete called me to say thank you. Unsolicited. Not for the winning, which we did. But for the lessons shared. You might ask ‘So what. There’s nothing special about a thank you.’ So, I will share this – the period of time the athlete was referring to […]
This article is not about sets and reps. However, I suggest it relates to our physical training. This story appears to be geographically specific. However, I suggest that if you dig deeper into the history of your own region, you may see relevance. The message is we might believe we have a full grasp of […]
When a human is moving in a certain direction in life, it takes a specific amount of momentum to change direction. That may sound deep and cryptic, so let’s simplify it – until something significant (read catastrophic) happens, humans would prefer to conclude they are heading in the right direction. Now, to relate that to […]