Matter Over Matter

Yet another interesting post by The Science of Sport blog. It is always fun to read Ross and Jonathon's well written, and thought provoking blog posts.

Ever since I read Timothy Noakes' "Lore of Running" (almost twenty years ago) that presented the "central governor" theory, I have been interested in what exactly causes fatigue in endurance athletes. Ross and Jonathon have built upon Noakes' "central governor" theory with their "anticipatory regulation" theory. They covered this topic in length over a year ago. It is a very worthwhile read and you can start from the first post here.

In the last couple of days, they have resurrected their fatigue series, much to my delight, and I am interested in the posts to come.

"Yesterday's discussion on mind vs. matter, and the role of mental aspects to performance, left off with the short recap of a fatigue series that I wrote almost a year ago. It reminded us that the brain is ultimately in control of exercise, and that fatigue, or the decision to slow down during exercise is not taken because the muscles are failing, but rather because the brain is regulating the degree of muscle activation so that we are protected from physiological harm.This was of course an extension of the somewhat philosophical argument of whether physiology or psychological is the key separator or differentiator between good and great athletes. The question "How important is the mind to elite performance?" forms the basis of this series, and specifically, I'm interested in understanding the integration, and overcoming the rampant over-simplification of this very complex argument that tends to infiltrate it."

The Death of Periodization?

Good article. The bottom line: plan with a blunt pencil that is equipped with an eraser and extra lead. And the writing never stops...

Bye Bye Bompa, Bompa Bye Bye….the death of periodisation.
By Wayne Goldsmith In Coaching Tips

First let me say I have total, 100% complete admiration and respect for Bompa himself - a true pioneer of the sports coaching and the sports performance industry. This article is in no way a criticism of him personally but rather a proclamation that PERIODISATION as a concept is now officially dead and buried.

Periodization - that is, the traditional sports training planning model involving long blocks (cycles or phases) of training which emphasise specific aspects of training is 20 years past the use by date and it’s time we all moved on to something more relevant and more effective for the training and preparation of athletes in this century.

The popular version of periodisation was developed in the Eastern block, 40 years ago, for senior athletes: another time, another system, another world - and totally inappropriate for today’s athletes.

Today’s athletes - the Generation Y athletes - demand programs which are:

• Unique - not contrived - not a “one size fits all” solution to performance
• Specific - to them as individuals
• Responsive - to change and to their day to day (and even session to session) needs
• Individualised - to match each athlete’s unique recovery abilities
• Integrated - to take into consideration the overall mental, emotional, cultural and even spiritual needs of the athlete as a unique individual.

So what’s the alternative to periodisation?

Full article here

Change Your Mindset Today

What is High Performance?

By Wayne Goldsmith

One of the most commonly asked questions in this business is, “What Exactly is High Performance?”

People talk about, write about, think about sports science, sports medicine, exercise physiology, talent identification, performance psychology, biomechanics, skill acquisition, elite coach development, recovery, sports physiotherapy, sports massage, performance analysis and all the elements and components of high performance sport, but what is it? What is this thing called High Performance?

I can summarise it all in one word………Change.

People make High Performance seem a lot more complex, tricky and mysterious than it really needs to be. Sure there is some really cool technology and terminology involved - as there is in all industries - but the essence of High Performance is Change - or rather, accelerating the rate of it.

Full article HERE