Archive for functional training
Combat Training For Rugby
Posted by: | CommentsCraig White (former National Squad Performance Manager for the Welsh Rugby team) recently contacted me to give me the heads up on a workshop taking place in December. This is going to be a great workshop and I'm sure it will be of interest to many of you.
Just in case you don't know who Craig is here's a brief overview of his career (it's not a bad CV!)
Craig was recruited in May 2008 by the Welsh Rugby Union as conditioning coach to complete the national squad coaching team. He then took on the position of National Squad Performance Manager.
He was previously Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Leicester Tigers and has worked at the top level with the Irish Rugby Union, London Wasps and the 2005 and 2009 British & Irish Lions. He worked with Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley at Wasps at a time when the club won the European Challenge Cup, Heineken Cup and three Premiership titles. While working at Leicester, the club won the EDF Energy Cup, the Premiership title and reached the Heineken Cup final.
He has an impressive track record in top class soccer with Bolton Wanderers and has studied with experts from many other sports including athletics, power lifting and AFL. He played amateur rugby league for Great Britain before moving into the strength and conditioning side of coaching with Waterloo.
So now you've got an idea of the caliber of Craig you know this is going to be an information packed day.
|
Here's an overview of what you're going to learn:-
Treat yourself to an early Christmas present and get yourself along to what promises to be a great workshop.
|
 |
email: info@whitehealthandperformance.com
or cwfootballscience@hotmail.com
Productive Practice – The Bittersweet Spot
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my all time favourite books is the Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. The book went AWOL in my house for a while and then appeared back in my bookshelf yesterday (my wife had been reading it!). It prompted me to take another look through and look specifically at the parts I had scribbled next to, underlined and highlighted. One of the sections discussed the importance of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE and coincidentally I had a great example of this very issue this morning.
One of my former clients that trained with me for a couple of years before moving away from the area was back for a few days and popped in to train. He had been working on his Olympic lifts and wanted me to cast my eye over his technique. He had a decent amount of load on the bar and proceeded to run through the snatch and clean and jerk.
Now, anyone that has ever worked with me knows that I'm not a "Cheerleader" (I love that phrase – thanks Keir!) and I will tell you what you need to know rather than what you would like to hear. The client was hoping for affirmation that his lifts were good but the bottom line was they were not. They weren't terrible, but they weren't good. Whilst he was a bit miffed he understood the value of the coaching he was getting because unlike a lot of people that train, he understood the importance of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE.
So what is PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE? Well, Daniel Coyle explains it nicely in his book, so over to Daniel!
..as I travelled to various talent hotbeds, I asked people for words that described the sensations of their most productive practice. Here's what they said:
ATTENTION
CONNECT
BUILD
WHOLE
ALERT
FOCUS
MISTAKE
REPEAT
TIRING
EDGE
AWAKE
This is a distinctive list. It evokes a feeling of reaching, falling short, and reaching again…deep practice is not simply about struggling; it's about seeking out a particular struggle, which involves a cycle of distinct actions.
1. Pick a target.
2. Reach for it.
3. Evaluate the gap between the target and the reach.
4. Return to step one.
(here is a list of words I didn't hear: natural, effortless, routine, automatic)
So the next time you are training or coaching make sure you are productive. There's no point just going through the motions, grunting the load up with crappy technique, working within your comfort zone, doing the things you like to do and ignoring the drills and techniques that will actually make you a better coach or athlete.
Sure we should enjoy training but it shouldn't always be fluffy and sugar coated. Danial Coyle notes that "judging by the facial expressions that he saw in the talent hotbeds , the SWEET SPOT might better be named the bittersweet spot!" My client this morning certainly had that expression on his face, but like anyone who 'gets it', he's acquired a taste for it and understands that if he is to really improve he needs to have honest feedback. The session this morning was a great example of PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE. He had his target, he reached for it, I made it very clear to him the gap between the target and his reach and we went back to step one. That was a good session – I didn't slap him on the arse and shout "good job!" and wave my pom-poms around (I've not got pom-poms by the way…well not at the gym!). I coached and he practiced – productively.
Essential-8
Posted by: | CommentsWhat are the 8 essential items I would use to set up an effective training environment?
1. SPACE – without doubt this is the number one priority for me as a coach. S&C facilities in the UK always seem to be a bit of an afterthought in the planners and architects minds. The people in suits really should have the S&C coach in at the planning stages to ensure we don’t end up with a broom cupboard with a ceiling height of 1.5m! Even when the facility is a priority they’ll go and do something daft like sticking it on the first floor of the building rather than the ground floor (I always feel sorry for the people below the gym listening to the sound of olympic lifts taking place all day!). Some facilities do get the space issue right but even then theres still room for a cockup. So many facilities (commercial and high performance) are ruined because the coaches and facility managers get hoodwinked by the sales reps. Before you know it a fantastic training area has been overloaded with equipment, bars, balls platforms etc. Try squeezing you athletes into the mix and you have what was a great space that in all honesty is unusable. If you want to get a feel for the space required take a look at the NSCA’s Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning or Designing Strength Training Programmes and Facilities by Mike Boyle. One facility that I always enjoy visiting is the weightlifting facility at Leeds Carnegie University. It’s a great use of space (even if they do have the largest combination racks in the world – even the basketball players I work with can’t reach the chin up bar!!!). What I like about it is they have sunken platforms so that the floor is all one level, a simple, effective and versatile room.
(I've seen less people on a rush-hour tube)
2. ADJUSTABLE SQUAT STANDS – I love these and I think everyone should get used to lifting from adjustable squat stands. Sure, combination platforms and multifunctional racks are great and look fancy but you can’t beat a simple squat stand. They are portable (you can shift them out of the way if necessary) adjustable, affordable and above all else have a small footprint which as you know means we maintain SPACE!
3. CHIN UP BAR – preferably wall mounted as this will save valuable SPACE on the floor and it wall also allow you to hook bands, suspension trainers etc around.
4. BUMPER PLATES – you need to have bumper plates so that you can perform the Olympic lifts. Do they have to be fancy dan coloured plates (only if you have a big budget!), if money is tight (and it usually is) just the regular black ones will do! Who do you use, again it’s matter of price. Eleiko, Werksan, Zhang Kong (I have these in my facility) all produce high quality bumper plates.
5. OLYMPIC BARS – ideally you can stretch to having both 20kg and 15kg bars. Get the best bar that your budget allows (shiny bars that cost £20 won’t cut it!). Get a bar from the same people that you purchase your plates from (that way you won’t have any issues with plates not quite fitting the bars (trust me, I’ve had some plates that always seemed to get stuck on the bar and it always happens when you are mixing and matching different bars and plates).
6.DUMBBELLS – a must have in any facility. I prefer rubber, fixed dumbbells and you should try to get them in relatively small increments (2.5 increments max). Seriously consider how heavy you really need to go, will the huge 50kg set ever make it off the rack? Think about who you are working with and purchase accordingly! If you are pushed for SPACE it’s worth considering something like the powerblock.
(The Warren Lincoln Travis Dumbbell)
7. MEDICINE BALLS - really versatile piece of equipment, great way to provide overload and a must have if you need to start developing speed-strength down at the bottom end of the force velocity curve. Make sure you get ones that can be SLAMMED hard into the ground or wall without breaking (not all medicine balls are created equal!).
8. BANDS – big, heavy duty bands are really good to have around the gym. They can be used in so many different ways, from stretching, to overloading squats, to providing support during chin ups etc.
So there you have it, the essential 8 that always pop up on my wish list when I’m putting together a training facility. Sure I’ll look at other items if I can but this is where I start. Have I missed off your ‘must have’ piece of equipment? Let me know what it is and why you think it should make it into my essential 8.
London Calling – Integrated Performance Training Workshop
Posted by: | Comments
I’m really pleased to be heading down to the bright lights of London in November to deliver a 2-day workshop (12th-13th November). We will be looking at Integrated Performance Training and I’ll be sharing the lessons I’ve learnt during more than a decade working as a strength and conditioning coach. The workshop is pretty much sold out before we’ve even advertised it but Seb and JC have a couple of spaces up for grabs. Here’s a taste of what I’ll be covering.
DAY ONE – Injury Reduction and Reconditioning
During the first day I’ll draw on my experience as a strength and conditioning coach and share with you my approach to reconditioning injured clients. I will discuss the rehab process, shedding light on current interventions used to recondition athletes and clients such as functional isometrics and occlusion training. Through a combination of case studies and ‘hands-on’ sessions I will not only show you ‘what’ to do but ‘how’ to do it.
DAY TWO – Advanced Performance Conditioning Strategies
During the second day I will explain the fundamental principles that underpin my conditioning strategies. Iwill walk you through my evaluation and programme design process before sharing the advanced conditioning strategies that I use on a daily basis. You’ll find out first hand how to develop appropriate movement preparation sequences, core strength and stability that actually has a purpose and well as the secrets of invisible training.
It’s going to be a great couple of days and I’m looking forward to working with everyone that attends the workshop. If you want to grab the remaining spaces then you’ll need to be quick. Give Seb a call on 07748-175-483 or drop him an e-mail at seb@marylebonephysio.com
Why are you still reading this? You should be booking your spot on the workshop!!! Go on stop reading and start booking!
See you in November.
Connections, Spinning Plates and Cheerleaders
Posted by: | CommentsSome people just keep popping up on my radar and over time they prick my interest. Keir Wenham-Flatt is one of those coaches (not least because he has a funky name!). We’ve bounced a few e-mails back and forth and I recently read a great post that fits in rather nicely with a lot of my recent posts regarding breaking in and forging a career as an S&C coach. Keir has recently done what a lot of the young aspiring coaches that write to me are trying to do – GET A FOOT IN THE DOOR. In this guest post Keir will share with you some of the key lessons he’s picked up during the past 12 months. Over to Keir.
In July 2010 I took a gamble. I left my comfortably paid job as a personal trainer, moved away from my relatively new girlfriend to the most expensive city in the country, to work a full time, unpaid internship for London Wasps. It was a long 12 months, but in the end I was fortunate enough to have my services retained. I learned a bunch of lessons along the way, the top 7 of which are featured below.
- Book smarts- having a balanced, deep and scientifically current knowledge of physical preparation.
- Coaching smarts- things like being able to put the theory into practice, manage and motivate a group, and get the best out of your athletes whilst keeping them injury free.
- Walking the walk- keeping yourself in good physical condition, have competed as an athlete to a decent standard and be able to kick your athlete’s asses in at least one area or physical test. It shows you are serious about what you do and can be useful in getting athletes ‘on side’.
- A proven track record- having a long list of previous or current high achieving colleagues and athletes who speak highly of you as a professional.
- In contact sports the shoulder takes a battering on a daily, if not weekly basis. Loading an already sore shoulder with lots of weight in an anatomically precarious position like that seen in the lifts is plain stupid.
- Perhaps 95% of coaches perform the lifts with subpar form themselves. If you suck at something, your athletes will probably suck at it too. I suck at the Olympic lifts, so I don’t teach them to my athletes.
- The learning curve with the Olympic lifts is a slow one. Spending months trying to perfect an athlete’s technique when preseason is maybe only 8 weeks long is a foolish way to spend precious training time.
Great article and wise words for someone just breaking into the industry. If you enjoyed this guest post from Keir, take a look at his site www.trainingbykeir.co.uk
FUZZY FITNESS – ART AND SCIENCE OF COACHING
Posted by: | Comments
No, I’m not talking about cuddly toys doing tabata’s!
Good strength and conditioning is underpinned by science but anyone that has been coaching for a while will know that it’s not always black and white and there’s a significant amount of ‘art’ in what we do. Hunches, gut feelings, blurring of lines and grey areas are all part of being a strength and conditioning coach. Not that you would think it when you read and listen to some of the self proclaimed ‘guru’s’ that are only too quick to tell you that there is a right or wrong way to lift, or that you should follow their training paradigm to exclusion of everything else (usually because they are selling some sort of certification!).
It also concerns me when so called experts give ‘black and white’ advice and it’s daft when you see two coaches arguing the toss over a particular training method (I can think of two established coaches that seem to have continuing gripes with each other over matters which I think they probably agree on more than they disagree! Much of what we do as coaches will depend on the athlete and situation that we are faced with. It’s not a simple case of black and white. As the late Mel Siff puts it, we are operating in the world of “Fuzzy Fitness”.
If you you’ve not got a copy of Supertraining by Mel Siff, then I strongly recommend that you grab a copy sharpish. It’s a tough read (you’ll need to take a break and sit in a dark room after 2-3 pages) but it’s a constant source of information. Just when I think I’ve stumbled across a revolutionary training concept I flick through the pages of Supertraining, only to find out that Mel had been writing about it more than a decade ago!
Rather than try to rehash what Mel says I’m going to share with you some excerpts of the book to illustrate the point.
“However modern and exciting the world of modern exercise science may appear to be, it still tends to be dominated by a type of thinking which is revered and promulgated by the ancient Grecians, especially Aristotle and Plato. This thinking model is based on the concept that everything may be polarised into categories of light or dark, all or none, positive or negative, odd or even, on or off, strong or weak, right or wrong, good or evil, white or black, left or right, up or down, hot or cold and so forth. Everything belongs either to one category (set) or to another, but not to both concurrently.
In the world of fitness training, we find a host of these polarities, such as aerobic vs anaerobic training, cardiovascular vs strength training, fit vs unfit, slow twitch vs fast twitch muscles, static vs dynamic, mobilisers vs stabilisers, and physical vs mental…
…Cardiovascular training is regarded as purely cardiovascular, heart-lung process which involves no anaerobic metabolism. Flexibility is best developed by static, slow stretches. Muscle hypertrophy is best developed by 8-12 repetitions of resistance training, strength by 3-5 repetitions, power by 1-3 repetitions. One specific contraindicated exercise causes a specific injury”
When you actually start to read this information the light bulb goes on and you realise just how daft it all sounds. Of course it can’t be a simple case of black of white. Back in the mid 70’s researchers started to apply “FUZZY LOGIC”.
“…fuzzy logic is a logical system based on the recognition that everything is a matter or degree…fuzzy logic, as discussed earlier is a system that allows us to deal with the shades of grey and vagueness that typify many aspects of life.”
I’m often asked how I would programme for particular athletes, what exercises I would use, how many repetitions, what equipment etc etc. My reply is nearly always “IT DEPENDS”. This is not a cop out, it’s a genuine answer. A coach I used to work with told me “Nick, you can only do the best given the circumstances you are faced with”. Whilst I have an underpinning training philosophy, there will be times that I will be faced with a situation or athlete that means I have to draw on a different approach. I’ve had male gymnasts that have increased muscle mass working in the 5-8 rep range (that shouldn’t happen, in fact it’s exactly what I didn’t want to happen). However, if you subscribe to fuzzy logic you will realise that the years of training may mean they adapt to training stimulus differently to others and need to change your approach.
The world of strength and conditioning is fast moving. We back what we do as coaches with science. however, don’t forget the importance of “FUZZY LOGIC”, it’s not always black or white – there’s a whole lot of grey.
(Supertraining, pages 466-468, Mel C Siff)
Performance Yoga
Posted by: | Comments
(an interesting book by the way and I’ve used this in conjunction with Stretch To Win and Anatomy Trains)
Back in May I ran an introductory post on the potential benefits of Yoga and I promised a follow up from my good friend and colleague Mark Jarvis (MMJ Training). Mark is a great S&C coach (he stepped into a large pair of shoes when he took over from me as the lead S&C coach at the EIS in the WM’s) and he is now overseeing the S&C for West Brom in addition to his duties at the EIS. He’s a busy fella and that probably explains why he’s taken so long in getting his follow up piece over to me to share with you!!!
Anyway, read on and enjoy.
Pre-Season Bingo and B*&@&*%T
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been spending the past couple of weeks block paving my driveway. Well, I’ve been laboring whilst my father in law does all the tricky stuff. Basically if it needed smashing, shoveling, mixing or shifting I’ve been doing it.
(look at the progress from just one HILCT Bootcamp session – we shovel, smash and shift)
Now what the hell has this got to do with pre-season training I hear you shout. Well, I was half expecting the local premiership football or rugby team to rock up on my street and muck in and do some pre-season training with me, hotly pursued by the local press and possibly SKY Sports News. Come on, what better way for these players to ‘bond’ and get ‘fit’ for the forthcoming season than a bit of ‘HILCT Bootcamp’ (High Intensity Labor Circuit Training).
NB: I’m starting a class up by the way if anyone is interested, we’ve a bunch of driveways on my street that all need doing so I figured ‘HILCT Bootcamps’ could prove very popular, everyone gets in great shape and my street has some fantastic driveways at the end of it!
I know it sounds daft but we are well and truly in the middle of silly season, sorry I mean pre-season. I’m struggling to pick up a paper or watch a sports report on TV without seeing multi-million pound assets pulling and pushing trucks, running up and down sand dunes, taking part in ‘bootcamps’ or throwing themselves around an assault course with a military PTI in a tight white vest screaming abuse at them (I apologise to my brother in advance, no offense meant bruv!). All in the name of getting some good pre-season work under their belts.
(MOVE you orrible little man)
What a load of total and utter bullshit (in my honest opinion).
Pre-season is possibly one of the most important times of the year for any sportsperson. It’s the one time that you can actually put together some consistent training and work on areas of physical preparation that in all honesty are neglected once the season gets under way. As a strength and conditioning coach this is the one time you can get your hands on players and influence their training, without having to worry if they are going to have to play two games in four days. This is not the time to be pissing about doing bootcamps on beaches (in fact I’m not really sure when there’s a right time for that!). As one of my fellow S&C coaches said “Nick, it’s easy to ‘empty’ a squad, but how do you quantify, manage, overload and progress?”. Exactly, these one off ‘Hollywood’ sessions are pretty pointless.
(team building my arse!)
“Ahh, but Nick” I hear you say, “these activities are great for team building, it gets the lads together, they love it and they form a bond”. BULLSHIT! I know of teams that have worked with the military in pre-season, had sessions delivered by soldiers that have seen and been injured in action etc and whilst the players were probably humbled for oh, maybe 30 minutes, at no point did it make them better players, able to draw on what they did during those training sessions when the going got tough halfway through the season. You don’t develop a set of nuts and a desire to win in that sort of staged training session. You’ve either got it, or developed it over a long period of time. Yes they will have probably worked harder than they have ever done in their life and yes carrying the log as a team up a bloody great big hill will have shown who in the squad had some metal, but don’t think that one session did anything in terms of ‘team building’.
.jpg)
(AIRBORNE!)
You’re kidding yourself. In fact, when one of my colleagues heard I may be writing about this subject he said “I have never met a player who was better, felt tougher or ,more ‘bonded’ as a result.
Now don’t get me wrong, there will be teams out there that are doing things the right way, actually training with a purpose. I know this because I’ve seen them on SKY Sports News as well (usually wearing something revolutionary like a heart rate monitor!!). No seriously, the top teams tend to get things right and make the most of the short pre-season that they have with their players. They realise time is precious and it’s probably not wise to send your multi million pound players off for some ‘Hollywood’ training sessions with a random coach.
(Bring out the gimp…)
OK, so it’s a bit of light hearted rant but at the heart of it is a serious message. Pre-season is a crucial window of opportunity. It’s the perfect time to make a positive impact on players physical preparation. It’s not the time to be simulating a beach landing with the Royal Marie Commando’s.
(The Gaffa said this will help when we push for promotion next season…)
So come on, lets all play PRE-SEASON BINGO. Let me know every time you see or read a report about your local sports team taking part in some bullshit pre-season training session. I may even give a prize for the daftest session (you’ll have to prove it’s genuine though!).
Here are some of the activities you may see:
- Running on the beach (preferably sand dunes)
- Pulling a car (probably a sponsors car or maybe a branded car from a local gym where the team are training!)
- Hitting a tractor tyre with sledgehammer
- Flipping a tractor tyre
- Dragging a tractor tyre
- Running through an army assault course
- Carry a bloody great big log up a bloody great big hill
- Bootcamps!
- Strongman training
Evolution not Revolution
Posted by: | Comments.jpg){kind=small}
The brains behind the Leaders In Performance conference recently asked me for my thoughts on training innovations. I don’t think that I delivered what they were expecting, but then innovation isn’t always about the bells and whistles.
Innovation in Strength and Conditioning
One term that I have heard regularly throughout my career as a strength and conditioning coach working in high performance sport is “innovation”. Coaches, performance directors and athletes are always looking for something new that the competition isn’t doing, which will boost performance. The 1% that will make the difference. Sometimes they spend so long looking for the 1-2% that the other 98% that makes up performance is neglected.
Recognising that ‘innovation’ doesn’t always need to mean new, there are a number of principles that strength and conditioning coaches should apply when developing integrated performance training programmes. They may seem obvious, but for many sports and athletes, consistent application of the following principles during training will in itself be an “innovation”.
1. Movement
Having worked across a wide range of sports I’ve come to realise that movement is the key. Vern Gambetta says that “to design an effective training programme, you need to train fundamental movement skills…” When you actually stop and look at different sports, you find that they share common movement patterns. An integrated performance training programme should develop movements, not muscles. Use ground based ‘Big Bang’ exercises, compound multiple joint (unilateral and bilateral) movements emphasising quality of movement before quantity.
2. Transfer
Functional training is a term that gets banded around a lot, but what does it actually mean? It certainly doesn’t mean athletes should be wobbling around on unstable surfaces performing exercises that look like they belong in a Cirque du Soleil act. It also doesn’t mean the exercise should closely mimic the actual sport in the misplaced pursuit of ‘specificity’. For an exercise to be ‘functional’ we need to consider ‘transfer’ – to what degree each quality trained in the gym or in practice actually ‘transfers’ to improved sports performance.
Transfer of training effect is far more important than specificity. Training doesn’t always have to look like the sport to be effective, but for it to be ‘functional’ and impact on performance it should develop the following criteria:
1. Biomechanics (movement – kinematics)
2. Metabolic (energy systems)
3. Force velocity (kinetics)
3. Continuity
Talent is overrated! I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that we are born with an innate talent that is just sitting there dormant, waiting to come to life. What I do believe, is that everyone will have their own genetic blueprint that may help them on their path to becoming a great athlete, it’s what you do with that blueprint that makes the difference. Without doubt, one of the most important factors to impact on performance is consistent and focused training. 10,000 hours of deep and focused practice. The world of professional sport can be very fickle. It’s simply not good enough to flit from one training regime to the other. Consistency of effort is the trump card that many professional athletes and coaches are missing. The latest trend or ‘guru’ won’t bring about long lasting change or develop champions. Working on a long term programme, consistently with effort will.
.jpg)
4. Injuries Are Opportunities
There are two important things to consider during the rehabilitation of an injury; 1. train the athlete, not the injury and 2, injury rehab should be considered as a longer period of preparation.
Train the athlete, not the injury. It’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly asking ‘how’s the knee’ and treating just the injury rather than the fighter. The focus of training becomes the injury and all the conversations and exercises are aimed solely at the injured body part. Big mistake. View the time you spend coming back from injury as an opportunity to develop the athlete. Rehabilitation has less to do with the specific injury and more to do with becoming a better athlete.
Injury is an opportunity and everyone has the chance to become better during the process of the “comeback” (Bill Knowles, 2010). Possibly one of the most important things to consider is that injury rehabilitation is a longer period of preparation, not a faster return to competition. All too often in high performance sport we are rushing the process. Whilst there will inevitably be time demands placed on the support staff, the aim should be to “achieve the highest level of training within the shortest period of time while respecting the biology of healing” (Knowles, 2010). In other words, only return to competition when you are completely ready. This is particularly important when it comes to the later stages of the programme. There’s a huge difference between being ready to return to training and being ready to step onto the court, or pitch and return to competition!
5. Invisible Training
Work alone is not enough to produce the best results. Recovery and regeneration is an integral part of overall training and practice, and it needs to be applied with both short and long term goals constantly in mind (Siff, 2000). The body needs time to adapt to training. To encourage adaptation to it, it is important to plan activities which reduce residual fatigue.
Fatigue exists in various forms (metabolic, tissue damage, neural, environmental, psychological) and time should be spent making sure the body is in the best possible physical state before training. It is important to consider the ‘24 hour athlete’. It is what happens before and after training that is really important.
Improvements in an athlete’s ability to recover from training can be achieved by putting in place interventions that take effect long before the training event starts (training diaries, sleep/naps, myofascial release, pre-workout meals). Increasing recovery rates will increase the athletes ability to train and will ultimately enhance their training and performance.
Final Thoughts
Whilst the pursuit of innovative training methods may be warranted, my experience working across a wide range of sports has taught me that being ‘innovative’ doesn’t always mean you have to be ‘cutting edge’. More often than not, innovation can come in the simplest and most basic form and it is often a case of getting the basics right. Take care of the 98%.
