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Blog - Hi Performance Centre - University of Birmingham Sport
Get the low down on what's happening in the Performance Centre!Chris Ross – 2nd August 2010
I've recently been introduced to the wonderful world of Twitter, a micro-blogging service that's been taking the world by storm. Users simply post a sentence about what they're up to - and the rich and famous are up to it too.
I’m trying to give everyone an insight into the daily life of a lead S&C coach….the ups, downs and inbetweens! Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/coachchrisross
Life in the Hi Performance Centre is at full pace planning and prepping for the imminent pre-season and influx of scholars. I’m sensing the squads will start returning to campus once they catch the scent of pre-season and glute med band walks.
A small contingent of hardcore home-phobic scholars are still here in Birmingham so coaching continues in the performance gym at full speed; heavy rap and plenty of chalk pushing Tommy the boxer to new strengths! I’ve started to prepare my Gym shopping list for the new academic year looking a lot at bodyweight training and conditioning methods. Don’t worry we will still have plenty of ‘fun’ training toys to inflict promote hard work and development.
Alex McGregor - July 14th 2010
Getting Massive(er)
The Hi Performance Centre is communicating with the youth of today! We have recently set up both Facebook and YouTube channels for the Hi Performance Centre:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UBS-Hi-Performance-Centre/127490693950524
http://www.youtube.com/user/HiPerformanceCentre
The aim of the pages is to improve our communication with our athletes, enabling us to inform them of upcoming events and also for us to put up resources to aid athletes with their training.
It’s fair to say that the both projects are in their early stages of development, and since the athletes are away, the staff go to play! Check out our latest video to see the highly tuned physical specimens Chris, Mike and Alex ‘getting massive’ with some German Volume Training in the performance gym….
If you enjoyed that then you’re going to love the next episodes….. ‘S&C Coaches can run too’!
Eleanor Jones June 18th 2010
Well things are finally a lot quieter and we're focusing on developing our services for next year. If you have any ideas on how we can best support you - as a scholar, AU or external athlete - we'd love to hear them. Email or twitter (@coachchrisross @exmjones @ubsport) your suggestions - we might be able to find you a freebie if it's good enough!
Eleanor Jones April 22nd 2010
Well it's nearly the start of term 3 so naturally we're all busy getting things in place for our athletes while our athletes are all getting ready for their exams...!
This is the time of year where our mentoring structure really comes into play - helping athletes with exam clashes, prioritising international sporting competitions or academic study and generally keeping people sane! We use a variety of tools - other than the standard cup of tea and chat - like prioritised to do lists and weekly planners. We're also fortunate enough to have support from the academic departments in the case of a clash or similar.
We're also starting to evaluate the year so far and plan for next year - what can we change and improve on? Watch out for some focus groups coming you way to help us get your feedback - freebies are on offer!!
Nichola O'Brien 23rd March 2010
I spent the weekend at the BUCS Championships in Sheffield. During this time my task was to observe and analyse some of the sports on display. This is the first stage of any support programme - understanding the sport and its culture.
For the badminton analysis, my aim was to focus on the most relevant factors associated with the sport. I looked at the most important movements, including Chassis (a side step type movement), hitches (fast short movement along the ground that uses mainly the ankles), jumps, lunges, split drop (quick start when you don’t know in advance which way you need to go). I also noted if there was player/coach interaction and if the players performed a warm-up and cool down.
The main points in noticed were:
• Overall the chasses, which help the player move to all angles of the court, were executed well. I observed that this movement was not executed as clearly in the doubles games, and when it was executed, it was not as efficient as the singles players. This could be due to the fact that they have limited space on court to move around.
• Hitches: This movement was one which was executed less often than the others. I observed that the male players performed it more than the women and never in the doubles.
• Jumps: From my observation I noticed that jumps were one of the most important movements to be executed during a rally. Depending on how the player perceives where the shuttlecock is going to go, they may perform a high or low jump, a one or two footed jump, a block jump, or no jump at all. I observed that the players in the doubles games rarely performed jumps at all, the female athletes mainly performed 2-footed low jumps and the male athletes performed a lot of high explosive 2-footed jumps..
• Lunges: On a whole, the lunge is one of the most important actions to perform during a rally. I observed that some players were very good at executing them regularly and very effectively and others performed them less often and with a very bad technique. From those players who performed them effectively, it improved their game remarkably, and those with a bad technique generally ended up losing the rally due to bad execution of a lunge.
• Warm-up/Cool-down: It consisted of the athletes pairing up and going through a rally with no drills/dynamics being completed. There was no cool down performed by the players, which is an area for improvement.
Eleanor Jones 15th March 2010
It's been hectic this last weekend, with the accumulation of the student sporting year being held at the BUCS championships in Sheffield. UBSport was there in force to support our athletes as they brought back the silverware in hockey, lacrosse, athletics, judo, waterpolo and netball - but more on that later.
I'm currently half way through accrediting as an ISAK Level 2 anthropometrist. This is the top qualification before you start teaching anthropometry, and allows you to make a full assessment of an athlete's body composition and dimensions. I need to compete another 15 proformas before mid June - so if there's anyone out there who fancies a free body composition assessment then email me!
Eleanor Jones 3rd February
Things have got off to a relatively hectic start this term - not as busy as in September but still busy! Fortunately most of January is free of BUCs fixtures so the snow and ice didn't impact on our work too much. We put on a few extra indoor sessions - lots of runners on our treadmill, drills in the gym and so on.
The majority of the teams and athletes had around a month of solid training after the holidays before the final league fixture and then BUCs knockouts (which start next week - yay!). Key hopes for success at the BUCs championships are women's hockey who finished their league in style beating Edinburgh 8-0 and swimming who have got 3 teams into the finals, an achievement in it self.
On a slightly different note, Becky and Pil have left us to go travelling but Nichola and Michael have arrived from the University of Limerick to keep us on our toes!
Eleanor Jones - 15th December
Thankfully I've had a weekend off since the last update but it's still been a busy week for everyone else!
Phil Chandler and Becky Dodd (our interns) recently delivered a workshop to gifted squash players in the West Midlands. The squads of 13-17 year olds had a practical and theoretical session on squash specific movement and nutrition and was warmly received.
Elsewhere, Chris Ross has been at the Royal Wolverhampton Grammer School, assessing their swimming scholars. Chris is interested in how athletes move, and if it's the most efficient way to do so. This involves a functional screen of each athlete -see our case study for more information.
Alex McGregor - ably assisted by Phil and Becky - has been busy fitness testing some racing drivers (you'd be surprised just how fit these guys need to be!) and doing school visits with Solihull School and Bshop Vesey's Grammar School.
It's supposed to be quiet now the students have gone home - can't wait for my Christmas break! Merry Christmas all.
Eleanor Jones - 7th December
Well it's about time I had a break! I've just spent 4 days working with 20 other candidates towards my ISAK accreditation. ISAK - the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry - is a world wide body that aims to standardise how body composition is assessed in athletes. It takes a lot of time and patience to landmark your subject precisely before taking all your skinfold and girth measurements.
My boss, Alex Taylor and Dr. Sam Fawkner (Heriot-Watt University) run the combined level 1 and 2 course here at the University of Birmingham. For the majority of the candidates it was a roller coaster introduction to the techniques utilised by ISAK. For myself and 2 other unlucky people it was 4 days' hard graft to learn 3 basic measurements, 8 skinfolds, 13 girths, 9 lengths and 6 breadths - phew!
ISAK's aim is to ensure that there is parity between different anthropometrists across the globe;The qualification itself requires an error of less than 5%The qualification itself requires an error of less than 5% the measures are utilised by strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physiologists and clinicians to assess body composition, adaptation to training or rehabilitation so having comparable measures is crucial. The qualification itself requires an error of less than 5%
Chris Ross - 26th November
Where does the time go…. November already! Strength & Conditioning is going from strength to strength (no pun intended) at UBS with the completion of our nice newly refurbished Performance Gym complete with built in video analysis suite! The new batch of scholars are setting all new standards for S&C support, with my current record being 19 scholars attending a single open session (4hrs though!), they love S&C this year. The S&C Challenge board has taken off extremely well with some scholars intent on getting their names on there the most times…achieved the desired ‘get them competitive’ at least. 7th and 8th of December we’ll host the S&C records breakers sessions where we’ll be looking to dethrone some of the existing champions….All are welcome to test their metal! Christmas is approaching all to fast which can only mean more TASS scholars on the horizon. Stay healthy!
Eleanor Jones - 28th September
I can't believe it's 2 months since we last updated the blog - it really did go past much faster than that! We usually are a bit quieter in summer- but with visits from Bolton Wanderers, Wolves and more it's been more than a little hectic!
Working with external clients can be a breath of fresh air but you usually don't have much opportunity to work closely with an athlete or squad. It's been a nice change to welcome our 37 or so sport scholars to university. Term officially starts today and things are definitely hectic - I even had to queue for milk in the spar!
The team have been working hard to go through the needs analysis questionnaires with the scholars, before booking them in for screenings. Although its very time consuming, we now know a lot more about our scholars and how best to help them. For instance, we know how experienced in the gym they are, if they need an appointment with the sports medic or if they're ready to get training!
It's all about getting them into routine now - so good luck all!
Chris Ross - 27th July 2009
For a sports person or team to improve we need to know whether the work we’re doing is making a difference, and if it hasn’t we’ve got to make it work! This is my current main aim in development; how do we monitor our athletes and how do we then feedback to them and their coach? I’m a big geek at heart so I’ve taken great pride in getting a video analysis system installed in the Performance Gym. This means that the athletes can get immediate feedback on their exercises or techniques, self-correct and also take on further coaching instruction. Another plus side is that we can feedback this video information to the coaches and governing bodies to prove to them we’re worth the money!
Another geeky gadget in the gym is the Ballistic Measurement System or BMS for short. Again this gadget is used to monitor how well the athletes are performing the exercises on the day and is also an easy way to tell when their fatigued…unfortunately it hasn’t yet worked out how to tell me if they’re fatigued because of lack of sleep, alcohol the previous night or genuine reasons!
You clip a pulley onto the barbell or persons belt and depending on how fast and how far they move we can do the all important calculations. This data all feeds into a computer which displays a traffic light system for whether the athletes are hitting the targets we set. The athlete can see whether their explosive lifts are producing maximal power and allows the coach to stop when they drop below a target threshold….training by quality rather than quantity!
Eleanor Jones - 20th July 2009
What a summer it's turning out to be! We usually have a few months to kick our heals back and plan for the upcoming year but this summer has been absolutely manic!
The AU side of things usually settles down once everyone realises they actually have to revise - it gives Alex an ideal opportunity to sit down and plan for the forthcoming year with the coaches. We already have a beast of a pre-season plan in place for our newly promoted women's 1st XI hockey squad with rugby, squash and swimming soon to follow!
On a plus side, we do get to do so much more work with our summer athletes. Term 1 and 2 are usually dedicated to winter sports such as netball and rugby. This weekend however I was fortunate enough the see the men's lightweight coxless 4 become NATIONAL CHAMPIONS at the weekend. An awesome season's work lads!
Our scholarship athletes have been busier than ever - more and more are staying for vacation to compete or train with Chris Ross, our Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Because it's so much quieter, we really have the opportunity to drop everything to give these guys some special treatment. It's nice for them but also nice for us not to feel rushed.
Another reason we have felt so busy is the amount of external work we've been completing. Aine is busy with her laboratory project (any volunteers for a max test: a.lyng@bham.ac.uk!) and we've had 2 profession football clubs in for camps and fitness testing.
I need a holiday!
Alex McGregor - 30th June 2009
Alex talks about providing fitness support to one of the region's top football clubs.
So we finally get rid of the students and prepare for a nice little break. Or so we thought….. Enter Wolverhampton Wanderers. Just the 28 max tests in 3 days. Easy.
We carefully planned our timings to have the lads arrive at suitable intervals to make the operation as slick as possible. What we didn’t account for were no-shows, late arrivals, a few lost in Birmingham, the occasional early arrival and a malfunctioning dry rack attempting to melt all our equipment!
Somehow we got them all through with a mammoth 10 players all being tested in the final day. All the lads were a pleasure to work with.....not a prima donna in sight. Good luck in the Premiership!
Now for that nice little break….
Aine - 13th May 2009
Hi there! I’m the Irish sports science student who’s name ye struggle with….so to most of ye I’m 'Onion'! I am currently in my 3rd year studying sport science in Limerick in Ireland. As part of my course we do a 6 month work placement. So here I am in Birmingham.
Have been working in the Human Performance Unit for 3 months now, and it has flown by. I've really started to settle in and am learning loads. I spend my time doing various jobs which involve me putting my own studies into practical use as well as learning from all the guys in the office here.
El and Alex have been training me in the lab, doing VO2max tests, lactate tests, lung function tests, and body composition tests. I have learned to calibrate and use all the equipment in the lab and at the moment am looking for volunteers to do VO2 testing and body composition testing, so if you're interested pop down!
I also working with the AU sports and scholarship athletes. I take some S&C sessions and with the help of Chris, his cameras, dartfish and a theraband, am learning to perfect my own clean and snatch technique.
I have been given the chance to continue my studies and gain qualifications through research, CPD sessions and courses which the guys here offer and encourage me to do. Recently doing the level 1 ISAK anthropometric testing course.
It’s been an awesome 3 months so far but time’s flying, and by the end of the 6 six months I will have learned loads and hope to have a few of ye converted to playing hurling!
Sin e an sceal -That’s the story for now!
Grand Job!
Aine
Eleanor - 5th May 2009
It's the first day back in the office after what has been a very busy weekend for the Performance Centre staff and the athletes.
Women's Hockey 1st XI sealed a tremendous season by winning the England Hockey play-offs with a 100% unbeaten record. Premiership hockey beckons for next season, as well as a gruelling pre-season schedule!
The athletics and rowing squads also had a busy weekend with their respective championships. Some notable performances include James Wilkinson (UBS scholar) winning the steeplechase and men's lightweight 8 (AU focus) winning a bronze.
After an absolutely hectic first 2 terms it's a real pleasure to see the ahrd work pay-off - well done!
El Jones - March 2009
Well, it's that time of year again. The students are departing Birmingham in their droves for 4 weeks over Easter. As well as getting in a week's holiday myself I'll still be busy in the office. The end of March sees the team at the BASES student conference where we will be promoting our internships starting next September.
We've been very fortunate to obtain the service of the loverly Aine Lyng, on a placement from Limerick University. Although we weren't expecting anyone quite so soon, Aine has made an impact already - welcome on board!
Things are also busy in the strength and conditioning gym. Chris Ross is back working full-time and eager to try some new toys out! As well as using the video camera in sessions, Chris is starting to use analysis software and BMS (a very fancy toy) to analyse just how powerful our scholars are!