Who cracks??
Already at the start of my career as a coach I was puzzled by the well-known phenomenon that some athletes always seemed to peak (that is: performing their year’s best performance) at major championships where …
Periodisation: a fossil from the past?
There is no denying that if you plan, divide or schedule the training load over time, you are periodising. In the past mainly coming from the East Block several periodisation models have been proposed. We …
The information black hole.
Not too long ago Philip Zimbardo wrote a book called: The Time Paradox in which he describes the ways in which individuals think within the framework of their “time-orientation”. Some people mainly relate to the …
Strength training equipment 2.0: Exentrix
The use of equipment in strength training is not new. It started with simple implements like dumbbells, medicine balls, cattlebells and barbells to equipment like benches, leg extension, squat rack and machines, leg press etc. …
Coach: generalist or specialist?
Coaching is a multi-faceted job, with many different aspects, amongst others: talent detection, recruiting, motivating, educating, coaching, scientific aspects, etc. At one level: coaches can be more science and technology oriented or more human oriented …
Five rare gems
While looking at my book collection this week – my athletes always kindly called them “Henk’s children” – I reflected on which books I value most in terms of content and impact. Let’s look at …
Books on my desk 1
People who know me or have visited me, know that I am an obsessive-compulsive book buyer (and reader). Many people ask me which books I would advise them to read. First of all: it depends a …
Podcast No.2
Podcast number 2 is up, the second Podcast for the coming CVA/SPS seminar in Richmond in 2013 is up. That’s what you get when you have too much spare time 😉 Just click on the …
A specific exercise: but what is specific?
The term specificity is often used by coaches when determining whether an exercise is general or specific. Specific in this context simply means: an exercise or movement pattern (or a part of it) that looks like …
Field trip: Practice what you preach
For me as a coach, leading by example is an important aspect of coaching. Yes, it is easy to advise people to behave a certain way, but behaving different yourself. Since mental toughness and mindsetting …