Latest iStadia Blogs http://www.istadia.com/bloglatest.php Keep up to date with iStadia's blogs at iStadia.com! en-us Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:31:50 GMT http://www.typepad.com/ Should Golf be an Olympic Sport? International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said consistently since the 2004 Games in Athens that the IOC is looking to do everything possible to open up the Olympic Games to young people, and the ability of a prospective Olympic sport to make a younger generation passionate about sport is believed to be a crucial factor for selection. Would golf do this?

With seven sports on the shortlist for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics Games, the International Golf Federation (IGF) set out its bid to the IOC last week with the youth-engagement work of the UK Golf Foundation a central topic of discussion.

OK the IGF is doing it's best to encourage youngsters play golf but despite Tiger Woods undoubted influence globally does today's younger generation think this is a great sport compared to others? Does today's streetwise savvy kid with all the instant gratification available through computer games, desire for instant celebrity and fast immediate sports like soccer, football and now 20/20 cricket have want to spend half a day on a golf course. Notwithstanding that, is golf an olympic sport? It does not have a tradition as such but that does not matter if it's a matter of considering the future. Well anything goes nowadays so why not, given the acceptance of synchronised swimming, bmx cycling etc. Hmm.... Strictly Come Dancing will be next on the list. And why not - it's one of my favourites! Views?

Keith Keith Irving iStadia ]]> http://www.istadia.com/blog/keithirving/363 Keith Irving Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:31:50 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/keithirving/363 Team Setback The team I am referring to is a Rowing Club, with 24 competitiive athletes at junior and senior level and there are 8 coaches. The club itself is 2 and a half years old, so its really young.
The issue that I am referring to is 2 brothers who come from a fairly unstructured upbringing, the father is pushing that there should be no rules and structure. This has proved to be unfeasible, due to limited equipment and increasing numbers of athletes who want to row. It was very much a laissez faire way goin about things last year. People would show up and grab boats and then there were  those that would be left out, standing around because those that arrived first would hold on to the boats for random periods of time. They have implemented a booking system now which is a step in the right direction.
They are bringing in further rules and structure and I feel it is needed. The main concern is the reaction of the 2 boys, their father and their two friends. There is obviously going to be resistance as their has been previously but I feel there should be a common ground for all club members, all pulling their own weight, just so everyone gets equal opportunity. They did take action by going to the IARU (Irish Amateur Rowing Association) and it was advised that they revoke their membership if they continue the way they have been going.
The chairperson of the club wants to give them a chance and I agree. How would anyone approach supporting and advising in this situation? They are having a team meeting and I am in attendence next week. So, suggestions are welcome as to how anyone would approach this issue. I have had some help regards this (thanks again for that) and as a result have a structure onto which I will add an further ideas. Thanks Lisa
]]> http://www.istadia.com/blog/lisajm/362 Lisa Moore Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:55:11 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/lisajm/362 Rugby fitness training - How to build muscle and core strength.
  • How to build muscle - Fast and effective methods to build mass. 
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    Rugby fitness training 
    It was another great weekend of rugby and I am sure you noticed just how big most of these professional rugby players are these days. As you will know there is more to rugby than size yet it is still a big goal for many players I work with.
    The first article today cuts to the chase and details how you can rapidly gain muscle and do it in a way that will help your rugby performance and make you bigger.
    The second article revisits the core. It is amazing how many players do not incorporate these techniques despite the wide spread publicity about it. The article today explains how to activate and strengthen the core muscles. Revisiting the core is the fastest way to become functionally strong on the rugby field.
    If you need any help to maximise your abilities and dominate on the rugby field then consider my Rugby Mentor or Rugby Nutrition courses. Hope your training is going well Ben Wilson BSc (Hons) CSCS NSCA-CPT CMTA EFT Dip On line metabolic typing, fitness training and emotional freedom technique (EFT) London personal trainer Rugby fitness training information and coaching
    ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/361 Ben Wilson Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:59:27 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/361     What your hair can reveal about your body, static stretching and EFT for phobias
    What hair mineral analysis says about your body.

    Signed up for the newsletter yet? Confirm your subscription and receive a bonus information guide on a choice of four topics.

    One2one nutrition news    
    The first article introduces you to hair mineral analysis. Recently I completed the next level of metabolic typing testing. This further study takes an even deeper look into the body and introduces detoxification procedures.
    A hair analysis shows what minerals are found within the hair and what this means in relation to your body. Hair analysis allows you to track heavy metals within the body and gives us an indication of how the adrenals, thyroids and other internal systems are functioning. Read more in today's opening article.
    The second link is about static stretching. It is amazing how spending just 30 minutes stretching can make you feel like new. Often an exercise session is more wisely spent stretching and focusing on your breathing than smashing yourself on the treadmill.
    If you have any injuries, generally feel stiff or have low energy then you need to read and apply the suggestions in the article today.
    The final article shows why EFT has sprung from nowhere to world wide usage. It is because in many cases you can get results in less than an hour for problems people have suffered for years. In this example it takes just 15 minutes to remove a 50 year old phobia of open spaces. What phobias or fears do you have that you would love to get rid of?
    If you would like further support in achieving your health and fitness goals then consider some personal training in London (Clapham) or metabolic typing on line.
    • ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/360 Ben Wilson Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:57:50 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/360     How do you influence yourself? I decide to do something, I tell myself to do it, and I do it. No influence is required. I don't have to ask myself nicely, or threaten myself with unpleasant consequences, or persuade myself that it will be worthwhile. Really? If we could slow down the thought processes going on, you might think differently. Let's take a slightly different approach. I suspect that you have, inside you, at least two 'voices' - the pro voice and the con voice. The optimist and the pessimist. The good and the bad. You may have more, you may not consider them as 'voices' - that's OK, I hope that you can work with me on the concept for a little while. Let's say that this is two radio stations, 55.5 and 66.6. The first station on 55.5 is supportive - bolstering your ego, always proud of you and your achievements. The second, on 66.6 is the doubter, always casting doubts in your mind, running you down, always suggesting that others are trying to get you, that you should not listen to 55.5, it always lets you down - you never realise the dreams that 55.5 suggests. 66.6 reminds you of the difficulties you had the last time you tried to do this or that. How nothing ever works for you, that it's all about luck and fate and chance and that you just are not a lucky person. If you buy a lottery ticket, you will always miss by one number at best. That nobody else deserves to win anything either. Basically, this is a bad voice. I can see some of you nodding your heads as you read this. Don't worry, you're not schizophrenic - this is normal, everyone has this going on. Some days it's like a continuous debate, others, one or both are quiet with little to say. You know you have a problem when you cannot distinguish between the voices and which of you is real. So, which station do you tune into? Here's the two stations output for a few common golfing scenarios... 66.6 Approaching the first Tee on competition day:
    'Well, it's a lovely morning with plenty of gusty breezes to knock your ball off centre, and a touch of rain in the air, but very unpredictable whether it'll rain now or later. You did some good practice yesterday but you know it'll all go to pieces today don't you? You know that you always screw up on the first drive and there's no mulligans today. See your competition today, wow, that first group were good weren't they. No chance you'll keep up with them is there. Still, perhaps you can just enjoy the game for a change and not worry about winning or losing - after all you know you'll lose, so why get your hopes up? Ridiculous game, I don't know why you bother, should have stayed home and cut the grass. be more useful than out here, being mocked by your friends... oh no, talking of which, there they are, why do they have to come and watch my first drive. They'll cough or chatter just as I'm lining up, I know they will. Oh well, my turn now, what a disaster, prepare for the worst and don't get angry...
    First Tee shot:
    So nicely lined up, but then anyone can put a ball on a tee can't they. Now settle down, breath, how's the grip - that instructor why did he have to change my grip, it won't work. Right align my feet, look up, look down, those people down there, are in my line, why do they have to stand there, don't they know they could be hit... calm yourself, that's right, may as well get calm now, because once you hit it there won';t be any calm left, And if you screw up this drive, it'll all be downhill for the whole day. never recover, so get this right. Wiggle the bum, yes nice, settle, legs bent just right, what if my weight shifts before I strike then hit those people standing there. i wouldn't mind hitting that smug bastard - he's such a flash git. Custom clubs, custom balls, bet he cheats, never puts a foot wrong, wipe that smug grin off his face, I'll show 'im. Back swing, nice, but is it right, no of course not, arm down, elbow's bent at the wrong time, as usual, THWACK..... follow-through may as well let go of the club, it'll go further anyway.
    In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air and lands smack down the middle of the fairway, 220 yards at least beautifully set up for a second onto the green and a possible birdie: Whoa - didn't know you had it in you. Nice shot, so lucky, you'd never do that again, not in a month of Sundays. Still, plenty of time to screw up yet... ENOUGH! Sorry, I just can't write anymore of this - it's just too depressing. Is this you? And, were you the one who said that they didn't influence themselves? 55.5 on the same situation...
    What a beautiful day, a few gusts, possible rain in the air. Be a good idea to look at the trees as we walk down the course, see where the gusts are going. if it rains, we'll change clubs and, quick, borrow an umbrella from Jim there, he can pop back and get another from his car. So nice that my friends are here to cheer me on. Great guys. Now I'm going to show them a great drive. I can see it now, smack down the middle of the fairway, perfect for a chip up to the green and a birdie. I can't wait to pick up that trophy at the end of the day. Good to have some strong competition - nothing better than a real challenge. First Tee shot: Breath nice and deep, slow my heartbeat and see that drive. A little gusty from left to right over those trees, just align a fraction to the left because this ball's going to soar above that line. Glove, into the zone. Complete focus, nice alignment, well done, now a beauty practice swing, nice and loose in the shoulders. Firm stance, good lad, check alignment, now trust your swing. THWACK.
    In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air and too far to the left, way over to the left and lands smack down into the rough by the trees, maybe even really in the trees: Beautiful drive, well done, aligned just a little too far left, so we'll make sure to fix that. I think maybe the wind dropped as well. Nice lay-up for the second shot - I can use that chip techniques I learned from watching Seve on TV, good for a par if I'm really in the rough, and good for a birdie if it's not too long. Good, well done. Now, which station do you want to listen to? The one that derides you no matter how great you are, or the one that supports you and encourages you no matter how poor the shot? "I don't care" says someone, so long as I hit great shots I'll put up with either. Fair enough. Which one do you think will help you enjoy your game? Which one will help you towards a stroke lying ill in bed feeling miserable and no-one coming to visit because you don't even like yourself, let alone anyone else? Extreme? Sadly no. Go find the most miserable-faced player in your local club and ask them which station they tune into...

    Dr John Kenworthy

    CCO GAINMORE™ Golf

    GAINMORE™ Leadership

    < ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/GAINMOREGolf/359 John Kenworthy Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:39:31 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/GAINMOREGolf/359     Leadership profiling help Dr John Kenworthy

    CCO GAINMORE™ Golf

    GAINMORE™ Leadership

    < ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/GAINMOREGolf/358 John Kenworthy Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:35:58 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/GAINMOREGolf/358     Athletes Missing the Point on Lottery Funding? http://www.istadia.com/blog/robrobson/357 Rob Robson Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:37:19 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/robrobson/357 Dartfish Case Study In Water polo - Sheonah Hunt, Performance Analyst, English Institute of Sport Great Britain Water polo, since January 2007, have been utilising the services from the English Institute of Sport. I am a full time Performance analyst with the English Institute of Sport, working with GB Water polo men and women Olympic squads, providing objective feedback primarily through video and statistics. I have been in this role since September 2007, previously working with England Netball.

     

    Why Dartfish Software

    Dartfish has been purchased because of it allows me to analyse individual techniques, Statistics and tactical play. The primary use is to break down match play into generic performance indicators. Dartfish enables me to easily capture video both in the action and post event. I also use the ability to tag key events in water polo matches, allowing rapid feedback post event, and the production of statistics. I also find Dartfish very useful for analysis of individual techniques during training sessions, in particular the split screen function which allows comparative analysis to take place.

     

    How Dartfish is used

    At camps and competitions I tag live if it is possible, otherwise I do this post event. As I am away with the squads so often, I find myself using the tagging module almost everyday, be it live or post event. One of the massive benefits of Dartfish is the flexibility of the tagging module, as

    the coaches may want different things at different events recorded. At least once a week I am down at pool side filming training sessions where the coach has identified specific areas he

    wants the athletes to work on, using visual feedback through Dartfish. I do most of this using the analyser module in Dartfish, where the split screen component is used to compare attempts of a skill made by the individual athlete.

     

    If you would to read more about this case study please click here.

    Dartfish, Video Software Solutions ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/Dartfish/356 Stephane Dousse Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:21:57 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/Dartfish/356     why you may need different foods to your friends, how to measure your fitness and Anu Brady who lost 3 dress sizes.
    Top articles:

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    One2one nutrition news    
    The first article discusses why we have different nutritional needs.  More specifically it charts the history of Metabolic Typing. The reason we have different nutritional needs is because like all animals on earth we have adapted to live off the environment we find ourselves in.
    If you were born in the Arctic a hundred years ago and needed bananas and oranges to survive you were in for a nasty surprise. The idea being that the people who are best suited to the food before them would grow stronger and more likely reproduce children who would carry similar qualities. This is the basis of natural selection.
    This day and age we do not know from where we originate genetically and we also have available to us almost every food from every part of the planet. Read the article today to see how Metabolic Typing has evolved using these principles.
    The second article gives you various measurement methods to test the different areas of exercise. It is important to know if you are getting fitter / stronger /more flexible from any exercise training you are doing. Most people keep their head in the sand and hope they are. Read this article for tests in flexibility, aerobic fitness and more.
    The final link is to my client Anu Brady. She went from a dress size 16 to a 10 over 18 months ago and is still maintaining her results. Read more about her story here.
    If you would like further support in achieving your health and fitness goals then consider some personal training in London (Clapham) or metabolic typing on line.
    Hope you are well
    Ben Wilson BSc (Hons) CSCS NSCA-CPT CMTA EFT Dip On line metabolic typing, fitness training and emotional freedom technique (EFT) London personal trainer Rugby fitness training information and coaching
    ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/355 Ben Wilson Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:52:47 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/wilsonbd79/355     Old dog learns new tricks! (I'll still never be on Facebook though). I'd previously met Rob at a conference last year (so I knew he was a top bloke) and I was happy to continue to meet up with him in an electronic form (given we live a couple of continents/time zones away it's unlikely we'll meet up face to face). It was this really that got me thinking, "I bet there are other nice people out there too" (you have to understand what a social 'stick in the mud' type of person I am) and I thought "Why not meet up with people I've never met before, but whom I know have the same sort of interests as me? That's a good use of time because we already are passionate about sport." So, now I've launched into networking and I'm looking forward to getting to know many of you better. Rob introduced me to Keith, and between the two of them - what knowledge! I've had a good look through the archives of blogs and articles, and there are some great tips and hints out there ready to be used. (Sorry, probably many of you already know this, but it's still new to me. I've been an inactive member for 12 months and it's only now I'm starting to find my way about.This is meant to encourage those of you were were a bit inactive like me.) Regular and irregular contributions from others are read with enthusiasm, even if they're on topics I don't know much about (I guess that's the point of 'gaining knowledge'.) I really look forward to seeing new blogs and articles because I like not having to wait for journal articles to be edited and published. I like new ideas. I've always valued the idea of 'critical mass' in the issue of momentum, and the more we network and toss around ideas, the more likely our profession is to advance. [That reminds me - I'm going to get off the track a little bit here - I was having a discussion with someone about the most crucial developments of sport psychology and I came up with this list (not necessarily in order of significance) of my 'favourite' developments:
    • Nideffer's (1976,1996) The Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) inventory
    • Apter's (1981) Reversal theory
    • Hardy's (1990) Catastrophe modelling
    Of course, those are particularly influenced by the fact that my PhD's in the area of 'Arousal and Performance' but they've informed my thinking significantly over 20 years or so. I'd be interested to know what others think are the milestone moments for them. Am I right in thinking there's not been much else new in the last decade, or have I missed something by being out of academia for 8 years?] As a result of upgrading my membership, I saw how PayPal worked. I've recently developed a product that I'm selling from my website, so I thought "hmmm, if Keith and Rob reckon it's OK to use, that's good enough rcommendation for me" (well, actually, I did a bit of my own research too so they don't have quite that much power, but it did get me thinking!). I'm a person who's never bought anything on eBay before, so PayPal was pretty new to me, but it was easy enough. I've even managed to add the scripting onto an html widget to make the logo come up on my website! It sure was a 'hey presto' moment for me - you've no idea how proud of myself I am! :) I truly marvel at technology. I'm really pleased I live in this era. Here's to pushing the boundaries... Cheers, Michelle Pain (Melbourne, Australia) Sport Psychologst Put a sport psychologist in your pocket ]]>     http://www.istadia.com/blog/michellepain/354 Michelle Pain Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:43:58 GMT http://www.istadia.com/blog/michellepain/354