This week in the world of sports science, here’s what happened…
- The essential qualities required to be a successful coach
- The importance of monitoring growth in youth athletes
- Does a gluten-free diet improve athletic performance?
The essential qualities required to be a successful coach
Rob Anderson, the 2024 UKSCA S&C Coach of the Year, recently shared some insightful thoughts in a LinkedIn post about the essential qualities for success in coaching. He emphasised that many aspiring coaches are focusing too heavily on technology, marketing, and social media skills, while overlooking the more critical aspects of becoming an effective coach.
According to Anderson, four key qualities truly matter when developing as a coach: being ORGANISED—showing up early, dressed appropriately, and maintaining a positive attitude; being PROACTIVE—seeking ways to assist rather than waiting for tasks to be assigned; being PERSONABLE—engaging with fellow coaches and athletes by asking questions when suitable; and being REFLECTIVE—taking the time to evaluate your performance and considering how to improve in the future.
When someone like the 2024 S&C Coach of the Year shares such valuable advice, it’s definitely worth paying attention! Aspiring coaches should certainly take a moment to check out Anderson’s post for further insights. If you want to learn what a day in the life of an S&C coach entails, our blog A Day in the Life of an S&C Coach is well worth checking out!
The importance of monitoring growth in youth athletes
Recently, S&C coach Nikolay Georgiev also shared an insightful post on LinkedIn, highlighting a must-read research paper for anyone involved with youth athletes. It’s widely understood that the risk of injury increases during the growth spurt phase for adolescent athletes, but Georgiev brings valuable examples to life through his critique of the research.
During this rapid growth period, the length and mass of limbs increase before muscle strength and tendon capacity can catch up. Consequently, young athletes need to exert a greater percentage of their maximum force just to perform the same movements they were used to before. Georgiev illustrates this point well, noting that a mere 4-centimetre increase in leg length can demand as much as 30% more muscle force to achieve the same kicking motion. Thus, engaging in repetitive actions like kicking or swinging during the growth spurt can lead to heightened tissue stress and an increased risk of injury.
For those working with youth athletes going through a growth spurt, it’s crucial to recognise that activities they previously performed with ease may now result in greater tissue stress. Therefore, careful monitoring becomes essential in this phase to minimise the risk of injury.
If you would like to learn more about monitoring growth and reducing injury risk in youth athletes, our blogs Monitoring Growth and How load management can help reduce injury risk in youth athletes, are well worth a read.
Does a gluten-free diet improve athletic performance?
Tom Coughlin shared yet another insightful LinkedIn post that summarises the latest research in sports nutrition. In this post, he focuses on gluten-free diets for athletes.
Many athletes choose to follow gluten-free diets, even if they aren’t celiac, under the impression that it can enhance their performance. Coughlin highlights a new study involving endurance athletes, which found that a gluten-free diet may lead to modest improvements in body composition and aerobic capacity. However, it’s important to note that the study revealed no significant improvements in time trial performance among these athletes, nor did it show any notable effects on gastrointestinal health.
While adopting a gluten-free diet may offer some benefits for body composition, if you do not have celiac disease, maintaining a mixed diet could be equally effective, if not more so, for performance and gut health.
From us this week:
>> New course: Fundamental Movements in Youth
>> New podcast: The Science Behind England’s Ashes Preparation – with Lead Nutritionist Charlie Binns
>> New infographic: Deload
>> New article: Hydrotherapy
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