sent by Nick Grantham | 30th November 2021
Twice a week, I complete jump tests with players to keep track of their physical development. More often than not, players will step up to be tested and tell me they are feeling leggy or not having a great day or the pitch session has left a bit on them. My response? Just give me what you've got. I understand that they will not deliver a personal best every week. Some weeks they will be flying; other weeks, they will be struggling. So I don't expect records for every session, just their best effort on any given day. You haven't got to be on top form every day. Just deliver whatever you have in the tank, and that will be enough.
Source: Unknown
Bit of a tongue twister from Morgan Housel, but worth remembering. Many teams I've worked with would run a 'what if' session as part of a planning process. As a group, we would work through all things that we thought could go a bit pear-shaped with the master plan. Nine times out of ten, we never needed to worry, but that time the team bus got stuck in traffic on the way to an international match, the 'what if' plan kicked in. Players got into their kit, physios taped various body parts, and the coaches ran through the tactics. The team coach arrived with minutes to spare, the team took to court, and the match wasn't forfeited. Having a plan is great, but you had better have a 'what if' plan as well.
Source: Morgan Housel - The Psychology of Money
Sport science and medicine teams have experts in every conceivable aspect of performance. The trend for increasing levels of specialisation may be seen as the death knell for performance practitioners with a broader range of skills. But, who leads the team of specialists? Not another specialist!
Source: Marcel Masse
At the start of my career, I was asked to step into Dave Collins' shoes to deliver a sport science session for a group of high-level Judo players. I was apprehensive that my lack of Judo knowledge would be a problem. However, Dave reassured me and told me just to be upfront with them. Tell them I had a background in combat sports but not Judo, explain I knew my stuff when it came to sport science and then most importantly, ask them to enlighten me about their sport and what they felt was needed to improve performance. I've worked in more than thirty different sports, and I've kept those words of wisdom in mind every time I've sat down with a new coach or athlete. Curiosity and questions have got me much further than being a confident know it all!
Source: Maxime Lagace
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