Here We Go Again

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Preseason started again and if I’m honest it is the most excited I have ever been in my career. Much is to do with witnessing the hard work done of the pitch my Director of Rugby Simon Amor-mostly in the way of new signings

When I arrived last season at London Scottish it was very late and there was a lot of work to be done with the players. There was an element of fire fighting and learning about the players and the environment as I went a long. There just wasn’t time to strip the program back and start from fresh I just had to get the players strong and powerful. To be fair to the players they worked very hard but I wasn’t particularly happy with what I was able to give them.

This time around it is very different-I have spent a season with these athletes and over that time I have seen their strengths and weaknesses-whilst observing them work I have been  analyzing and taking in how they move and function in the gym and on the field. At the season  it was time to review and evaluate last seasons work and produce the next stage of London Scottish’s  Strength and Conditioning program. If I’m honest I’d give myself a 6 out of 10 solid job but much to improve on.

SEASON END

The season was long and hard-it was clear the players had given it their all and needed a break-4 week block of complete rest

OFF SEASON

I looked at an NFL type model making sessions available daily but they were voluntary set Corrective Exercise Programs for the players looking at an injury prevention and structural balance strategy.

PRESEASON

The Strength and Conditioning emphasis has been determined by the needs and objectives of the Coaching staff. The clear message was that the squad needed to be fitter for how we are going  to play. So with that clear instruction I have looked at a much more aerobic orientated first phase of training. This has been difficult and taken me out of my comfort zone as traditionally i have used a more power based approach-but having read Bakers paper on the use of Maximum Aerobic Speed to help with developing and improving the VO2 levels of athletes, I am much more comfortable with it – Recent trends in high intensity aerobic training for field sports Dan Baker .Another instruction from the coaching staff was to have a system where they could visually see where each player was at any time without me being there. We came up with a very simple traffic light system using 5 parameters:

• Lactic Tolerance (150M Shuttle Test)
• Aerobic Ability (O’Neill Test-Rower)
• Body Fat (7 Site Skinfolds)
• Strength (100kg Bench Press)
• Power (Counter Movement Jump-CMJ)

Along with these tests we are monitoring weekly load, fatigue (using CMJ) and ratios between front:back squat and external rotation if the shoulder:bench press.

Much thanks to Rob Walsh (Harrow/Middlesex Uni) and Jonathan Griffin (St Mary’s Uni) for sharing ideas over coffee 😉

Keep an eye on the blog – I’ll try to keep you all up to date on the progress of the players and how the new approach and systems are shaping up. Please post any questions/comments you may have.

ELKO

Survival Of The Fittest….

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I am not going to lie…Saturday was the sweetest feeling I have felt in my career so far….

I laid it out in my last Blog post how big Saturdays game was going to be and those of you that were there will confirm what a big match it was. In short we had to secure a bonus point to be safe and we secured 2 !!

Both teams gave it every thing to try and SURVIVE in The Championship-Esher at last playing to there Strengths- running from everywhere without fear without the shackles of a game plan.

And my boys-London Scottish-I cannot connvey how proud I am of how we played,how we reacted to the 5 Esher tries, how the pressure never got to us. Every time Esher scored the Scottish boys huddled and set out what the next job was. At no point did we panic even at half time trailing 12-21. In fact it was the calmest half time meet I can remember this season-the players sat took on fluids-the coaches talked then the players talked-nothing was to change stick to the GAME PLAN!

The game plan was to play structured and disciplined Rugby, drive the lineouts as much as possible, to keep the work rate higher than our opponents, to pressurise the Esher set piece and to keep pressing in defense-to quote  our defense coach, Alex Codling before and at half time;

keep coming forward in D we will score off an interception

How right he was as we sealed our Championship status with an intercept try from Charlie Hayter.

This coolness under pressure didn’t just happen by accident I put it down to 2 main ingredients-

1 Amor and Codling prepared the London Scottish team to play Esher throughly and left no stone un turned-the work done enababled our players to see weakness in their game and recognise our key strengths.

2. The players gave it their all and left nothing on the pitch-every single player emptied the tank. However the key was that despite giving everything and playing with great intensity the players kept their minds in the fridge and made precise professional decisions that got us the outcome we deserved. No stupid off loads or penalties just disciplined yard by yard inch by inch play.

Please enjoy the following video that features our tries v Esher on Saturday to keep us in The Championship and also David Howells try that got us promoted last season. And please feel fee to comment….

Please note how hard the LS squad celebrated each score which was a key objective before the game!!!

London Scottish Training Video April 2012

Locker 27 Short Clip

 

 

 

 

Whats an Easier Job….Preseason or In Season ??

The Preseason is the Strength and Conditioning Coaches busiest time-his bread and butter so to speak – So much planning, testing, retesting and so much to deliver. The Director of Rugby will hand 90% of the sessions to the S&C Coach (at least he should) in order to prepare the players for the tough season ahead and this will last anything from 6-12 weeks-it’s bloody hard work but of course very enjoyable (for the coach!!).

This is a challenge of course but in my opinion the In Season training is an even bigger strain on the S & C Coach. How do you keep getting Fitter, Stronger, Faster????

Honestly….you DON’T because you cant! In our league, The Championship, we have a game every week. Sometimes the games are on a Friday/Saturday-sometimes on a Sunday, so the week make up can mean an 8,7,6 or even 5 day turn around.

So to try and get my athletes any fitter, stronger or faster is pretty much impossible so the key to it is getting the players to recover and maintain what they have achieved in the busy Preseason period.

Its all about getting your players FRESH for the weekly battle.

I’ll Blog about what methods I use to help with recovery and maintain the performance levels of my Athletes as well as how I am preparing London Scottish for the Play Offs in March.

Elko

The Big I….

If you are going to coach your athletes anything coach them the importance of Intensity.  Intensity by definition is; Strength/Amplitude/Level/Magnitude. The gym should be the epicentre for your sporting organisation. In elite sport if you don’t have The ”Big  I”, forget it.

He def had the Big I

For the last 4 weeks I have been in my new role as Head of Strength and Conditioning at London Scottish Rugby Club and when I arrived the biggest thing I noticed was a lack of intensity. Without it nothing really happiness, guys ‘turn up’ for training, they ‘get through’ the sessions but the results are minimal and the culture of the place can be cancerous.

If you compare the first session my guys did  to what they are doing right now it is night and day. I can’t tell you how happy I am with their effort and change in attitude. Guys rush to training, get there early ready to go, they don’t ‘get through’ the session they smash whatever is put in front of them and push every one around them to do the same.

An organisation with intensity is a winning organisation and luckily intensity can be established anywhere by educating your athletes. By explaining what they can achieve, why rest time is as important as what they are lifting and how many times.  By getting them into organizing and planing their workout stations so they have smooth transition and efficiency. And most importantly when they do buy into it and the atmosphere in the gym changes, congratulate and praise them!

Establish intensity and watch your athletes achieve PB after PB.

Elko Signs For London Scottish

This week saw the official announcement by London Scottish of the signing of Strength and Conditioning Coach Simon Elkinson. Simon arrives the short distance from London rivals Esher Rugby Club where he spent 4 successful years as Head of Strength and Conditioning.

Its a great move for me…..although it’s sideways in terms of league position in reality its a major step up into a club with massive heritage, a professional outlook and huge ambition.

London Scottish indeed have great history-they were in the top flight before being absorbed along with neighbors Richmond into London Irish due to a financial situation and some strange decisions at the RFU. The fact that they have battled back up the leagues since being disbanded is a testament to the people behind the club and the supporters.

Elko joins a Coaching staff that is young and ambitious. Simon Amor is Head Coach and knows Elko very well having studied together at St Marys College and played together at London Irish.

Simon and I have been good friends for nearly 15 years. He is possibly the most driven guy I know and he runs a tight ship. With regular 121’s and a clear development plan for me. the players and the club every body knows what they are responsible for and are accountable.

Also on the coaching staff is Alex Codling who joins form Barking. Alex is a great forwards coach, his attention to detail matches his incredible passion for the game. He will have the Scottish forwards operating at a very aggressive and accurate level.

Alex is a great guy, he wears his heart on his sleeve and has one of the best rugby brains i have ever worked with.

One of the first things Elko has done is to offer Keir Wenham-Flatt the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coaching position.

Keir is a young and up and coming practitioner, he works with London Wasps too and is already well respected. I believe the 2 of us will get the best out of each other and push the players to the levels they need. It was massively important to get someone in to compliment an already excellent coaching set up.

What are Elko’s goals for the upcoming season…

Firstly to improve the conditioning of the players, their capacity is not where I want it right now, but if they keep working as hard as they have done for the first 3 weeks then there will be no problems.

Secondly to catch up on some important self development. My time at Esher was very enjoyable, the players were outstanding to work with. But I lost sight of me and my personal goals as I was absorbed in trying to do too much at a club with a smaller set up and narrow chain of command. London Scottish have a clear goal in looking to develop their staff into industry leaders and that is something I am very interested in.

And thirdly…. Top 8 finish!

Simon will look to blog on Scottish matters at least once a month, with an inside look at Strength and Conditioning at a Championship Club.

Good Times Good Luck Goodbye

Elko leaves Esher Rubgy Club

 

 

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Simon Elkinson Head of Strength and Conditioning at Esher Rugby Club for the past 4 successful seasons has left the club for pastures new as he looks to push his career forward and develop in a challenging, professional environment.

For the past 4 years I have been working for Esher Rugby Club who play in The Championship-the 2nd tier of elite Rugby in England. My history with the club, however, goes back a lot further. In 1998 I played in the 1st team when the club was promoted into the 3rd tier and I played again for 2 years before injury forced me to retire.Thankfully the club took a chance on me and gave me the Head Strength and Conditioning role.

In my time at Esher Rugby I have made some incredible friends and had some amazing experiences. The players have been a pleasure to work with and I hope they have very successful careers in front of them.

A new challenge awaits me now, a challenge I need and want in an environment where I know i will develop and push myself to the limit to be successful-just like my athletes do. Its the right time and the right move.

I would like to say thank you for the good times, good luck in the future and see you soon…..

Elko

Preparing for the Pacific Nation Cup

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I was lucky enough to be asked to help out Samoan International scrum half Garrick Cowley last week as he prepares to play in the Pacific Nation Cup. I worked with Gazza at Esher 2 seasons ago, he a top guy and a monster of a 9.

His session consisted of a thorough warm up concentrating on correct execution of primal movement-squat, lunge, push, pull, twist and throw.

We then moved into some power work (clean grip shrug) agility and some rugby specific conditioning.

Check out the videos!!

Prowler Pulls    Box Agility Drills  Scrum Half Conditioning

I’d like to wish Gazza the best of luck in the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup and World Cup.

Thank you to Churchy for letting me use his amazing facility at Locker 

 

 

JC On Road To Recovery

James Campbell is one of the athletes that I work with at Esher Rugby Club-since the end of last season he had been suffering from chronic back pain. The pain effected him in his personal life but in particular his training and rugby suffered. After finally getting in front of a surgeon, JC went under the knife. On the 12th of November he had a discectomy at Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon.

Since the surgery JC has been a different man, the effects were immediate-in fact apart from the scar on his back, JC was completely pain free. Since receiving an amber light to start back on the rehab I have been working with him 3-4 times a week, the aim being getting him back to playing for the play offs (12th March).

The early part of JC’s workout consisted of alot of floor work making sure his spine was strong and mobile and then getting him on his feet to facilitate his postural muscles to fire and support him in functional movement. The next phase has seen JC weight lifting again in the gym-high reps with low load ensuring good strong posture and correct patterns of movement.

In the last week JC’s surgeon has also given him the green light to start contact-this has to be a carefull process with constant monitoring of his reaction to each stimulis to ensure we dont over do it. It’s really a case of suck it and see, pushing the barrier daily untill he can go full contact.

In the video below JC uses a ViPR to do some conditioning before doing some controlled contact against stability balls. The idea behind this was to get him to brace for contact and for him to try and remain on the white line as best he could while being ‘bounced’. It must be noted that the athlete under went a thorough warm up before the session and had progressed up from controlled contact using a much more stable  target in previous sessions.

I’ll keep you up to date on JC’s fight to be fit!!!

Enjoy