Ronnie Smyth

This conference is an annual event organised by UK Sport and is targeted at coaches working at world-class level in the UK. This years conference was held at the Belfry just outside Birmingham and this proved an excellent venue for a conference of this size and nature. Over three hundred delegates attended with fourteen delegates from Northern Ireland organised through the Sports Institute Northern Ireland.Day one of the conference featured a key note address by world renowned athlete Michael Johnston who was introduced by this years compere BBC`s Hazel Irvine who did a very professional job throughout the four days of the conference. During his presentation and the subsequent question session following key points were made:

1. The most important factors towards an athlete’s success are consistency, staying injury free, planning and realistic goal setting.
2. He trained hard for 3 hours per day always at 100%.
3. Stressed the importance of visualisation.
4. “Hate to lose but don’t be afraid to lose”.
5. Emphasised the importance of training dairies for monitoring improvement.
6. Don’t put too much pressure on young athletes too soon.
7. There must be trust between an athlete and their coach.
8. “If it aint broken don’t fix it “.
9. Coaches often do all of the work for none of the glory.

The conference was attended by ‘stream A’ coaches who attended from Monday to Wednesday and ‘stream B’ coaches and support staff who attended on Wednesday and Thursday.

On each evening delegates gathered for an evening meal in the conference centre with excellent entertainment provided on the second evening.

Facilitator and Presenters: Willem Toet

Willem is the Senior Aerodynamicist at British American Racing (BAR-HONDA). Willem’s career began with Ford Motor Company and in 1985 he joined the Toleman Formula One Team (Benetton) and was responsible for vehicle dynamics and wind tunnel work. He worked at Ferrari for five years as Head of Aerodynamics but returned to Britain in 1999.

Key issues identified:

1. Clear accountability is central in team organisation.
2. Give power to your people once you have put the right people in place.
3. Best coaches don’t necessarily make the best decisions under pressure.
4. Leadership is the key but you must realise you don’t get respect just because you are the boss.

Don Tricker is recognised as a highly successful coach in New Zealand as the very respected former New Zealand Sox softball team coach, and more recently as senior advisor for Sport and Recreation New Zealand. Don’s strength is understanding and getting the best out of people. He strives for excellence by focusing on the basics. Don performed a support service to NZ coaches in Athens Olympics.

Facilitator: Bill Beswick

Bill Beswick has had three main themes dominating his career in sport namely teaching, coaching and laterally the role of applied sports psychologist. Parallel to this was a passionate interest in sport as a player, club coach and finally England National Team basketball coach. Bill led England to its first ever gold medal success in the Commonwealth Championships in 1982. More recently he has been employed as consultant with Derby County, Manchester United, England Under 18 and Under 21 teams. His present post is as assistant manager of Middlesborough Football Club.

Key issues identified:

1. The habit of excellence is created by sticking to the blueprint. Excellence can only be achieved by disciplined thinking. It equals disciplined action.
2. Make every day a good day. Consider performance within training squad….it is often a greater challenge than the opposition.
3. High positive energy is a strategy used at Middlesborough to maintainpositive real self and performer self.
4. Learn from failure – “Failure is part of the dance”. There should be no finger pointing.
5. Working smart is just as important as working hard.
6. Successful coaches need to be able to operate positively and quickly in all three time zones – Past, Present, & Future (see appendix one).
7. Do the right thing everyday.
8. Some things can’t be explained. Don’t waste time analysing them! There will be six ‘lightning bolts’ every year.

Facilitator: Allan McNish

In the 2004 season, Allan will be racing for the Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx in sports car series. In returning to the series, he is looking forward to repeating his earlier successes, most notably at Le Mans. Prior to this Allan spent three years in Formula One, most recently as test driver for the Renault F1 Team.

Key issues identified:

1. All the team is in the war, but the athlete is the one at the sharp edge – do not minimise their input.
2. Data is useful – but it is only a snapshot in time – athlete `feel` is also essential feedback.
3. Coach should act as a filter only allowing critical information to reach the athlete.
4. When the flag drops – the bullshit has to stop.
5. Pitstops illustrate the performers need for trust in their support teams.
6. Ability to do less, but to do more effectively.
7. Physical, mental, and technical development go hand in hand.
8. We must think in a logical manner to achieve the right results.

Facilitator: David Hughes

Dr Hughes is the Medical Director of Pure Sports Medicine, a private sports medicine practice in London. Dr Hughes worked from 1992-2000 as a consultant in sports medicine at the Australian Institute of Sport. He has been physician for many high level sporting teams in Australia including the Act Brumbier Super 12 rugby team, the Australian Wallabies and the Canberra Raiders rugby league team. He moved to London in 2003 and has provided sports medical consultancy services to Manchester City FC, Fulham FC, Wasps RFC and Bath RC.

Key issues identified:

1. Why supplement? To improve endurance, increase strength, decrease body fat and improve recovery. Supplementation is only of benefit if the first 2 levels of the nutritional pyramid are carried out.
2. There is not a study in the world that proves that , excessive protein = performance gain.
3. Benefits of ergonic aids can only add 2-3% on performance and must be built on foundation of good nutrition.
4. Supplements can improve performance, immunity and recovery.
5. Source a quality supplier and undertake random testing to ensure non contamination.
6. You can never be 100% sure about supplements. In the end it is always the athlete’s responsibility.
7. Caffeine and creatine – 2 of the most widely used supplements – studies support their benefits. Best single supplement is “Caffeine”.
8. ‘Zero tolerance’ approach is over conservative.
9. Those exercising in the heat – Glycerol
Immune concerns – Glutamine and Vitamin C
Long haul flights – Zinc and Vitamin C
10. Power athletes – recommend caffeine, antioxidants ACE, creatine & protein, sodium bicarbonate.
11. Supplements not recommended for performance: HMV, Chromium Picolinate, high protein doses BCAA, multivitamins and vitamin injections.
12. A lot of people have a vested interest in ensuring as many people as possible are supplementing.

Facilitator: Jay T Kearney

Jay is Vice-President of Health and Sports Sciences services at Carmichael Training systems. He previously held the post of Senior Sports Physiologist at the United States Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs. During his time there he served as the Director of the Sports Science and Technology division and Head of the Sports Physiology department.

Facilitator: Professor Mike Tipton and Jim House

Mike Tipton is Professor of Human and Applied Physiology at University of Portsmouth and until recently was also Head of the Environmental Medicine division at the Institute of Naval Medicine.

Jim House is currently Head of Personal Protective Equipment Science within the Environmental Medicine Unit of the Royal Navy’s Institute of Naval Medicine.

Key issues identified:

1. To cope with the effects of heat on performance, athletes need to increase heat loss, increase sweat secretion, minimise impediment to heat loss, maintain hydration and increase heat tolerance.
2. Athletes’ training/competing in extreme heat will dehydrate during exercise as fluid absorption cannot match fluid loss. Therefore, strategies should be implemented to facilitate euhydration prior to and rehydration during exercise. It is also important to maintain hydration while living in the environment.
3. Most heat is lost through the extremities (hands & feet), submerging hands in bucket of cool water, for 10-30 mins, is as effective at reducing core body temperature as more expensive cooling units.
4. Ice caps or neck coolers have a maximum cooling power of 30-40 watts. The body can generate up to 1700 watts of heat during exercise. These forms of cooling are not really efficient.

Facilitator: Glenn Kearney

Glenn is a sports nutrition consultant and is currently working with the New Zealand (All-Blacks) rugby union team.

Key issues identified:

1. Development of non-invasive method for monitoring hormonal responses to exercise using electrosonosphoresis (ESOP). It measures a variety of analytes including hormones (testosterone, cortisol), amino acids, sugars, free fatty acids, immunoglobulins, lactate, and small proteins – studies of rugby players looked at levels of these substances before and after training and competitive strategies were developed to optimise levels to enhance performance.
2. Need to determine baseline levels of analytes over 1-2 weeks including pre and post training and competition.
3. Compression tights (skins) can be used to enhance recovery. Overnight was better than 3 hours use. SINI is currently investigating the effectiveness of these.
4. Psychological mood plus/or stress can have a significant effect on both testosterone and cortisol, producing both negative and positive effects.
5. Testosterone levels generally peak in the morning (6-10 am) and drop in the evening. This suggests that strength and power training should be performed in the mornings. However, other research suggests that this type training should be performed in late afternoon/early evening. Further evidence is required to substantiate either claim.
6. Testosterone levels also exhibit hourly peaks and troughs during the day. Strength training should occur during the upward pulsability of the curve (i.e. approaching a peak) regardless of whether the training is performed in the morning or evening.
7. Individual responses need to be identified in relation to the effect of both protein and sleep on testosterone levels.
8. The use of this innovative procedure is in addition to ‘getting the basics right’ – diet, training programmes etc.

Facilitator: Dave Titmus

Coach to the Athens medal winning men’s wheelchair basketball team at the Paralympics. He had been a professional in the running game for twenty years. Under his leadership GB has moved from ninth to second in the world.

Key issues identified:

1. The will to win is overrated…. the will to prepare to win is more important.
2. Need to lose the battle sometime… to win the war.
3. Money in does not always equal medals out.
4. If you want a system to last don’t build a system to last – it must be able to manage change.
5. Have the mindset to lead the world rather than follow it.

Perhaps the most interesting contribution came from BERNARD PETIOT from the world famous Cirque Soleil who gave both a keynote and led a fascinating workshop. The Cirque can have 5 shows operating around the World at the same time with over 675 artists etc involved. They have 3,000 employees, they produce 4,000 performances per year watched by 20,000 spectators. Ensuring these athletes are always fit to perform needs appropriate back up services put in place. Other observations from Bernard’s sessions were:

1. Training programme for employees is based on competencies.
2. They try to ‘create an environment that nurtures talent and provides quality and consistency’.
3. Artists are responsible for self-analysing their own performances.
4. Creating a show is a 2 to 3 year process.
5. Talent identification – getting the best people – as artists and as part of the multi disciplinary team. 56 casting staff, 20 of who spend 280 days per year travelling the world to get the best people.
6. The owner is intuitive, has the right of veto, likes to be surprised, takes risks, values innovative thinking, brings people together, makes decisions and expects the job to be done.
7. The physio programme is based on preventative measures and educational principles.

Facilitator: Margo Jennings

Margo has been a track and field coach for 23 years and a teacher for 30. Currently teaching in Eugene Oregon, Margo combines teaching with coaching her high performance group often commuting to the training bases of her athletes. She has been coach to Maria Mutola for 14 years and Kelly Homes for the past 2 years.

Key issues identified:

1. Pay close attention to details and surround yourself with positive people everyday.
2. You look after the means and the end will look after itself.
3. The time to learn is the time when you think you know it all. Anyone who stops trying new things or learning is old whether they are 20 or 80.
4. Be a motivator and make a difference.
5. Be a teacher as well as a learner.
6. Always be positive – coach on the positive side.
7. Take risks, extend yourself as a coach by moving out of the COMFORT zone.
8. Ensure effective strategies to keep the athletes injury free. Don’t over train athlete – keep them healthy – mentally and physically.
9. When you come to a fork in the road, just take it.
10. Coach must know their athlete.

Apart for the experience and information gained by staff and coaches attending the sessions, the opportunity to be together proved invaluable. There is no doubt that lessons learnt in the preparation to Athens should be shared with coaches in Northern Ireland and this is an area that all involved in the development of High Performance coaches should be investigating for the future.

Dividing coaches into stream A and B did not work and time has come to run a conference for coaches and a conference for support staff, perhaps on a biannual basis.

Coaches attending from Northern Ireland felt the 6 key learning points were:

1. The importance of developing effective strategies to keep the athlete injury free. Don’t over train them – keep them healthy – mentally and physically.
2. Coaches should reflect on their own behaviour when dealing with current, past and future issues (see Appendix 1). Aim to demonstrate positive behaviour in order to promote maximum benefits for your athletes.
3. Pressure from lottery to achieve medals often has a negative impact. All other factors in performance must be taken into consideration.
4. Part time participation results in part time performances.
5. Remote coaching (coaching across continents). Margo Jennings explained at what stage in the cycle it was important to be there in person and when remote coaching was appropriate
6. Electrosonophoresis has the potential to revolutionise training and nutrition prescription for athletes. This non-invasive procedure, which uses brief (5-15 second) bursts of ultrasound in combination with a low electric field, has been piloted in New Zealand and the results from these studies appear very promising at present.

Thought provoking, as conferences should be. Our challenge now is to put into practice some of the ideas gathered.

RONNIE SMYTH

Lawrie Sanchez, Sally Bell, Maurice Field, David Reid, Mickey Harte, Peter McCabe, Nigel Dobson, Shane McCullough, Andrew Smyth, Stephen Maguire, Declan Gamble, Denise Martin.

Ronnie Smyth and Eugene Young were members of the planning team and Jill Poots represented the Sports Council Northern Ireland at the Conference.