Coaching Observations - Physiology4Performance (Sun 01 Jun 2014)

Untitled - Langelinie promenade / Copenhagen (Fri 23 Aug 2013)
Physiology4Performance (*) writes On Coaching Observations (*):

After meeting and talking with some 700 DB coaches around the country, here are some common truths that keep cropping up:

• Every club struggles with numbers. Recruitment is key for every club. Recruit smart and relentlessly.


• People fall out and clubs split and create new clubs. It's painful but good for the sport. Most clubs I can think of started that way.


• The most effective coaches do it because they get great satisfaction from helping people develop, learn, achieve and become part of a club/family - not because they get their ego stroked. Most effective because they make decisions based on performance rather than their ego.


• Good coaches educate themselves and maximise the the time/effort that their team invests, by training their clubs smart and hard.


• The best clubs have two or more coaches that work together synergistically (i.e. their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other). It takes coaches with their ego's in check to work this way as they have to understand their own weaknesses and take a back seat to the other coaches in this area.


• Performance comes from the club culture as much as anything else. Culture is based on a set of values and ideals that is put in place and shaped by key members and taught to new members implicitly. Not everyone will fit in with it and that's OK.


• Some people see 'having fun' and 'being competitive' as two opposing concepts. The best clubs know that these things go hand in hand.

via Physiology4Performance Facebook (*) by Physiology4Performance (*).

Process - Vern Gambetta (Thu 09 Jun 2011)

Small Steps - Fingal Beach / Fingal Bay (Sun 25 Aug 2002)
Another fantastic post from Vern Gambetta (e):

Process by Vern Gambetta (Thu 09 Jun 2011):

Process, get absorbed in it and revel in it because process is the secret!

Focus on the process and the outcome will take care of itself.

To win a championship or a gold medal is a process, it is not a one off event.

You win championships and medals a little bit at a time, bite-by-bite, chunk-by-chunk, a series of small wins and forward moving baby steps.

We see the leaps and bounds in performance because they are so big and very visible but it is the small things the details that make the difference.

It is the small things executed with focus and purpose that make the big leaps in performance possible.

There is no secret; the devil is in the details executed with consistent effort directed toward the ultimate performance goal.

Don’t make it complicated.

Keep it simple and straightforward.

Make it measurable and manageable.

Focus on the process and the outcome will follow.

In my experience, Gav is the one that has pushed this line of thought in our training and racing. Thanks to Gav, I have known and have felt this even before Vern described it so succintly and brillantly in this post. Definitely another Favourite Blog Post.

500 km in 40 days - Code Yellow - Geoff (12 Apr 2011 - 21 May 2011)

500 km in 40 days - Code Yellow - Geoff (Tue 12 Apr 2011 - Sun 21 May 2011)

As Gav told me a long time ago:

The BIGGER the BASE, the HIGHER the PEAK.

Joanne, Gav and Geoff - Senior A Mixed 500m World Champions - Thank You Gav - Racice/Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Will reiterate Billy's (my OC6 Coach) words from our 400km in 40 days Challenge in January 2011..

For-40 Achievements by Billy ..

Congrats to all those that took on the For-40 Challenge!

Whether you made the full 400km or not here's how working towards it would have transformed your body over the last 40 days...

You would have increased the number of capillaries in your paddling muscles. More oxygen rich blood can now reach the muscle fibres to see you paddling harder for longer... awesome!

The density of mitochondria would have increased in your paddling muscles . These little babies use oxygen to break down glucose and fats to create the energy that fires your muscles. The more you have the faster you can paddle for longer ... yeah!

You would increased the number of enzymes available to breakdown fats. The more of these you have the better you are able to use fat as fuel source and conserve precious sugars for passing other crews, catching runs and big finishes... you gotta love that!

You would have improved your muscular efficiency. Through repetition your brain now better coordinates all your paddling muscles so they work smoothly and seamlessly together. This minimises energy use to see you paddling harder for longer... and looking good too!

The number of red blood cells and hemoglobin would have increased. This sees your blood now have a greater oxygen- carrying capability.The more oxygen in the blood, the more blood to your paddling muscles, the harder you can paddle for longer... wow!

Thanks Billy for this great initative. The 400 km in 40 days was definitely what I needed for where I was at the beginning of January 2011.

Have to feel good about all the changes that are happening in our bodies as we move into the Blue and Red cycles of the first Meso Cycle.

Keep on Paddling. Win the Workout

Thank you - Geoff, Marty, Norm, Christian, Todd and Billy - Had just done a successful Individual Time Trial for Prague that morning at Penrith - just made it to the start and we had a great race all things considered. - State Titles OC6 Long Course - Ettalong - Sat 09 May 2009 (picasa)

A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for ..

A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for.

He was helped in his struggle by the angels; celestial forces placed each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give of his best.

His companions [and himself] say [and think]: 'He's so lucky!' And the warrior does sometimes achieve things far beyond his capabilities.

That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him.

His gratitude, however, is not limited to the spiritual world; he never forgets his friends, for their blood mingled with his on the battlefield.

A warrior does not need to be reminded of the help given him by others; he is the first to remember and makes sure to share with them any rewards he receives.

Another page from the Manual of Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho.

'And the warrior does sometimes achieve things far beyond his capabilities.' - Senior Mixed 500m Final - World Champs - Racice / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Joanne, Gav and Geoff - 'Thank You Gav' - Racice/Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Geoff, George (with one of Joanne's Dangles pinned on the right of his shirt - all the Girls were given one before Prague - first time I have noticed this!') and Joanne - 'Thank You George' - Hotel Duo / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Geoff, Amanda and Joanne - 'Thank You Amanda' - Racice / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Geoff, Rob and Joanne - 'Thank You Rob' - Hotel Duo / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Geoff, George, Amanda, Rob and Joanne - 'Thank You All' - Hotel Duo / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Senior Mixed 500m Final - 'Thank You Guys - Geoff and Jo' - 'As I came across the line I glanced upward and I pointed to the heavens (more here)' Lance A - (F-B, R-L) Deb Cooper, Jo Petterson, George Dimech, Rick Lambe, Helen Hudson, Amanda Wyllie, Geoff Eldridge, Rachel Mosen, Steve McKeogh, Matt Spies, Rob Turnbull, Willy Paku, Gio Cercone, Richard Thomson, Leon Paap, Graeme Bacon, Kristin McKechie, Sharyn Whitton, Karen Hall, Lynne Donohoe, Di Dent and George Louie - 'final seating was a little different to that which was planned as we moved the weight more from the front to the back' - Racice / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Geoff, Joanne, Rachel, Gav, Graeme, Helen, Amanda and Matt - 'Thanks Pacific Dragons Team Mates' - Racice / Prague - Sat 29 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Australian Senior Dragon Boat Open, Womens and Mixed Teams 'Thank You Everyone .. - George Dimech, Deb Hirst, Eileen McKechie, Sharyn Whitton, Donna Hughes, Joanne O'Brien, Jo Petterson, Ewen McDonald, Anne Weber, Geoff Eldridge, Ian George, Deb Cooper, Lisa Mills, David Barber, Leon Paap, Rick Lambe, Diana Dent, Lynne Donohoe, Peter McAlister, Gio Cercone, Frank Calcara, Lisa Fairfull, Kristin McKechie, Ashur Barutha, Rob Turnbull, Pam Jeffery, Kaizer Austin, Matt Spies, Ray Debono, Graeme Bacon, Richard Thomson, Murray Pellicciaro, Becky Bose, Willy Paku, Vince Giannetto, Amanda Wyllie, Mark Pendergast, Danny Monga, Charlotte Richards, Helen Hudson, George Louie, Rachel Mosen, Jane Perkins, Rosemary Riley, Fiona Gray, Linda Collins, Rachel Giang, Steve McKeogh, Doreen MacGillivray, Karen Hall (missing) - Racice / Prague - Tue 25 Aug 2009 (picasa)

'Thanks Pacific Dragons - (l-b-f-r) Rachel, Anne, Norm, Kaizer, Jo, Toby, Helen, Gav, Matt, Annett, Di, Dave, Charlotte, Amanda, Becky, Linda, Lisa, Joanne, Michelle, Geoff, Adam, Darren, Graeme, Billy (and Eugene missing)' - Racice / Prague - Thu 27 Aug 2009 (picasa)

'Thank You Pacific Dragons Family' - (l-b-f-r) Geoff, Graeme, Kaizer, Norm, Lisa, Christian, Darren, Adam, Mark, Todd, Jo, Dave, Matt, Helen, Jenny, Gav, John, Eugene, Kristen, Christoph, PaulC, Mandy, Julia, Craig, Dean, Phil, Toby, Andrew, Shell, Becky, Jo, Bonny, Mel, Kath, Phil, Charlotte, Nicola, Lucy, Di, Dave, Leesa, Rachel, Michelle, PaulS, Suzy, Amanda, Linda, Annett, Billy. - AusDBF 2009 National Dragon Boat Titles - Kawana / Qld - Sun 26 Apr 2009 (picasa)

Thank you - Geoff, Marty, Norm, Christian, Todd and Billy - Had just done a successful Individual Time Trial for Prague that morning at Penrith - just made it to the start and we had a great race all things considered. - State Titles OC6 Long Course - Ettalong - Sat 09 May 2009 (picasa)

'That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him.' - Joanne and Geoff scattering some of Jenny's Ashes at Sunset - Racice / Prague - Sun 30 Aug 2009 (picasa)

Jenny - Thank You Jenny - Our Guiding Light and Inspiration - 'Jenny and Joanne had just handed out their 2008 NSW Team Dangles' - Blackwattle Bay / Sydney - Sun 31 Aug 2008 (picasa)