Polarized Training: How do elite endurance athletes actually train?
Training intensity and how to distribute it within the training plan is a highly debated topic in the endurance community. The success of the Dutch Olympic speed skating team at the Sochi Winter Games and a study on how they train and distribute training intensities has shed a light on how elite endurance athletes actually…
Getting psyched for sport – Mental fitness strategies for the aspiring athlete
Mental fitness plays a large part in training and performance. There will be times when an athlete makes a mistake (or consecutive mistakes), is competing against an opponent that has outperformed them in the past, or the conditions of play are not what was expected. Being mentally fit encapsulates many different areas of training and…
Agility Training: Insights from the Research
High performance athletes depend on coordination and agility to fine tune their skills and abilities on the field of play. Outside of the skills needed specifically for sport, agility is often looked at as a leading factor in determining success in a sport. Athletes need to be able to react to situations quickly, with strength…
Role of a Sport Psychologist
Today’s athletes experience a variety of pressures and stress when it comes to sport performance. Many athletes, teams and coaches are taking advantage of sport psychology professionals to aid them in achieving their performance goals. As such sport psychologists are becoming more and more accepted as a regular part of the coaching and support staff…
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Pain in the … Knee!
One of the most common injuries people suffer from is pain around the knees. For those who participate in sport or physical activity this is even more of a standard occurrence. If you feel pain in the front of your knee, or around the kneecap you main be experiencing Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). PFPS is…
Building training intensity with HIIT
In the past year or two, High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has seen a big surge in popularity, largely due to its versatility and its claims to higher levels of calorie burning. HIIT is a method of training that involves repeated sessions of maximum intensity exercise typically sustained for 30 seconds, followed by a rest interval…
THE SKILLS TAUGHT BY VOLLEYBALL COACHES AND THEIR RELATION TO LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT
SIRC is pleased to be working together with Sport Canada to share current research on topics informing policy and promoting quality sport programming. This week we are sharing highlights of a recent article reviewing a research study on THE SKILLS TAUGHT BY VOLLEYBALL COACHES AND THEIR RELATION TO LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT. Skills trained by coaches…
Plyometrics – Bridging the Gap between Speed and Strength
Plyometric training (often termed jump training or plyos) is a combination of sport-specific exercises that combine power, speed, and strength in order to enhance performance. While this type of training can work for any athlete, sports that have a lot of stopping, starting, frequent changes in direction, sprinting, and jumping will tend to see the…
Escaping the In-Between: A Rationale for Training Away from Home
Many Canadian athletes take advantage of travel to other regions and countries to experience training in different climates and/or different physical environments. For many it is an opportunity to train at different conditions and for some to escape the cold, hot, rainy or snowy weather of Canada. We asked Jason Dunkerley, Paralympic runner, to share…
Sport Academies: A Growing Phenomenon in Canadian Schools
SIRC is pleased to be working together with Sport Canada to share current research on topics informing policy and promoting quality sport programming. This week we are sharing highlights of a recent article reviewing a research study on SPORT ACADEMY TREND IN ALBERTA, CANADA. Sport Academies: A Growing Phenomenon in Canadian Schools. Balderson, D. (2015)….