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• Cover Page
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Introduction
• Rocks, Pebbles and Sand
• Back to the Future
• Learning from Epley
• A Different World
• The Push to Legitimise Strength and Conditioning
• Who is Driving the Profession?
• An Abundance of Information
• Getting to the Core – a Simple Profession at Heart
• The Aims of the Book
• How to Use the Book
• References and Suggested Reading
• Part I Finding the Path
• 1 The Nature and Challenges of Strength and Conditioning
• The Big Picture – Total Performance
• The Co-Actives of Performance
• Integration – the Key to Effective Performance
• It Runs Both Ways
• Less Isolation, More Integration
• The Environment – the Forgotten Factor
• Strength and Conditioning: Are We Developing Physical Capacity or Physical Skills?
• Start With the End in Mind – Focus on Performance, Not Isolated Variables
• The Traditional Strength and Conditioning Process
• References and Suggested Reading
• 2 Our Knowledge Illusion: The Challenge of Evidence-Based Practice
• The Origins of Evidence-Based Practice
• The Challenge of Evidence-Based Practice
• The Challenge of “Evidence”
• The Scientific Method
• Moving Beyond Homo Athleticus
• From Determinism to Indeterminism
• The Challenge of the Unknown
• The Nature of Truth – Reality or Closure
• It’s Not Rocket Science – It’s Far More Complex
• The Challenge of Emergence
• Anecdotal Evidence – the Lost Treasure
• Evidence-Based Practice – an Individualised Entity
• The Concept of Trigrams
• Grey – the Colour of Effective Strength and Conditioning
• References and Suggested Reading
• 3 Towards a New Way of Thinking: The Training Ecosystem
• Engineering Thinking
• A Complexity Threshold
• The Challenge of Linear Thinking in a Complex World
• Towards Systems Thinking
• Principles of Systems Thinking
• The Need for a Different Approach to Coaching – Contextology and the Training Ecosystem
• The Training Ecosystem
• Developing Ecosystem Thinking
• Levels of Coaching Ecosystem Analysis
• Analysing Ecosystem Function
• Analysing Stocks
• Micro-System Analysis
• Meso-System Analysis
• Macro-System Analysis
• Analysing Flows – the Ecosystem Energy
• Feedback Loops – Keep Your Channels Open and Lever Your Intensifiers
• Pick Your Pond – and Cultivate Your Pond
• Gardeners of Performance
• Defining Your Own Ecosystem – the Pre-Mortem Approach
• References and Suggested Reading
• 4 Thriving in a Performance Ecosystem: The Five Minds of the Modern Strength and Conditioning Coach
• Learning from the Past – Science or Art?
• The Five Minds for the Future
• References and Suggested Reading
• Part II Preparing the Path
• 5 Know Thyself: The First Step on the Path to Coaching Success
• Know Thyself – Following in the Footsteps of the Ancients
• A Simple Guide to the Brain
• Unlocking the Inner Self
• The Big Five
• Reward Strategies
• Finding Your True North
• The Energy Assessment
• Emotional Intelligence
• Understanding Our Behaviour and Our Inherent Biases
• Awareness of Our Own Mental Models
• References and Suggested Reading
• 6 Building a Successful Ecosystem: The Forgotten Rock of Effective Practice
• Environments Develop Over Time – There is No Magic Formula
• The Characteristics of a Performance Ecosystem
• Focus on Performance, Not Happiness
• How We Get Better
• An Ecosystem of Performance
• Where Do We Start?
• The Circle of Relationships
• The Three Pillars of Effective Ecosystem Development
• Developing Your Performance Environment
• Actively Expanding the Circle of Influence
• Relationships – the Energy Behind the Performance Ecosystem
• Establishing Norms
• From Norms to Culture
• References and Suggested Reading
• 7 Building the Coaching Toolkit: The Personal Skills Needed for Ecosystem Construction
• Leadership
• Three Keys to Leadership
• Styles of Leadership
• Types of Leadership
• Leadership Strategy
• Effective Communication
• Communication is Not a One-Way Street – the Art of Effective Listening
• Applied Communication
• Eliciting Change
• References and Suggested Reading
• 8 Making Effective Decisions and Generating Workable Solutions: Key Tools for the Modern Coach
• Getting Beyond Right and Wrong
• Moving Beyond the Traditional
• Getting Beyond the Rational Self
• Developing Decision-Making Tools
• Pareto’s Principle – Focussing on the Rocks and Pebbles, Not Playing in the Sand
• Effective Solution Generation in Strength and Conditioning – Different Ways of Thinking
• Full Alignment – the Ultimate Destination
• References and Suggested Reading
• Part III Planning the Path
• 9 Using the Generally Accepted Training Principles: The Pillars of Effective Training
• The Homeostatic Challenge
• The General Adaptation Syndrome
• Specificity
• Continuity
• Accommodation
• Variability
• Individual Differences
• Progressive Overload
• References and Suggested Reading
• 10 Reverse Engineering the Path to Success
• The Need for a New Way of Thinking
• Design Thinking
• Reverse Engineering Performance Solutions
• Classifying Sports
• Reverse Engineering Strength and Conditioning Solutions
• Individualising Analysis
• The Zones of Specificity – the Performance Circle
• The Overload Zone – Risk and Reward
• Performance Pathways
• References and Suggested Reading
• 11 Where Are We Now? Assessing Performance
• Without Action Nothing Gets Done
• The Overarching Question: Why Are We Assessing and Monitoring?
• Information, Not Data
• The Layers of Information
• Frugal Application – the Search for the Minimalist Approach
• Formal Versus Informal
• Testing Versus Monitoring
• References and Suggested Reading
• 12 Skill: The Forgotten Aspect of Strength and Conditioning
• What is Skill?
• Characteristics of Skilled Performance
• Classifying Skills
• Fitting the Practice to the Athlete – the Stages of Learning
• Applying Skill Practices to the Stages of Learning
• How We Develop Skills
• Approaches to Skill Development
• Beware the Pendulum
• The Performance/Development Paradox
• Deliberate Practice – the Cornerstone of Effective Skill Development
• Providing Feedback – the Catalyst for Improvement
• External Versus Internal Focus
• Structuring Effective Practice
• Coach the Athlete and the Context – and Avoid Absolutes
• References and Suggested Reading
• Part IV Taking the Path
• 13 Developing Gamespeed: Improving Context-Specific Movement
• Moving on from Speed and Agility
• Is Science Sending Us in the Wrong Direction?
• Speed
• Agility
• Reactive Agility – a Step in the Wrong Direction
• The Ooda Loop – a Better Representation of Sport Movement
• The Need for New Definitions
• Gamespeed Constraints
• Delineate the Target
• Reverse Engineering Movement Solutions
• The Target Classification System
• The Target Functions
• The Target Movement Syllabus
• Target Mechanics
• Developing Gamespeed
• The Gamespeed Triad
• Quality Development
• The Ramp Warm-Up – Your Greatest Friend
• References and Suggested Reading
• 14 Developing Gameforce: Improving Context-Specific Force Capacities
• Sport is Motion – the Laws of Motion
• Factors Affecting Force Application
• An Integrated Whole – How the Body Produces Force
• Task Considerations
• The Force–Velocity Relationship
• Methods of Resistance Training
• Goals of Resistance Training
• Think Continuum, Not Absolutes
• Acute Design Variables
• Stretch-Shortening Cycle Capacities
• Exercise Variables
• Prioritising Force-Related Goals
• Organising Resistance Training Sessions
• Session Organisation Types
• Weekly Organisation
• References and Suggested Reading
• 15 Developing Game-Sustainability: Improving Context-Specific Work Capacity
• Start With Why
• Classifying Sports in Terms of Energetics
• Reverse Engineering Sustainability Needs
• Determinants of Endurance Performance
• Small-Sided Games
• Metabolic Circuits
• References and Suggested Reading
• 16 Developing Your Gameplan: Strategic and Agile Planning for Performance
• A Shift to Strategic Thinking
• Is Periodisation Still Relevant?
• The Origins of Periodisation
• The Theoretical Constructs of Periodisation
• Organisation of Periodisation
• Developing a Strategic Approach
• A Shift to Agile, Strategic Planning
• Moving Towards Agile Strategic Execution
• Strategic Periodisation – Building the Training Calendar
• Dividing the Training Year
• Superimposing Agile and Strategic Planning on to the Annual Plan
• Structuring the Meso-Cycle
• Progression Within the Meso-Cycle
• References and Suggested Reading
• 17 The Next Steps: Moving Towards Mastery of the Craft of Coaching
• Conclusions
• References and Suggested Reading
• Index