Maximsers and satisficers in decision making
A week ago, I was asked by an aspiring sports science professional about my advice when applying for jobs. The question went like this, “I have seen a lot of jobs out there, that I would quite like, but…
Tag Selfawareness
Collective Purpose
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” John F. Kennedy I was recently invited once again to speak at the brilliant Cheltenham Science Festival in June. It is always a privilege to be surrounded by not only…
Personal Progressive Overload
Pick up a dumbbell, lift the weight up, repeat until muscle tires, take a rest for a minute, then repeat a handful of times. Wait a few days, pick up the dumbbell again, and repeat the above process, trying to…
The Angel and Devil of Opportunity: Reflections on a bobsleigh run
This extract is taken from Chapter 2 of How to Support a Champion, with some further reflections below… Toni Minichiello is the coach with whom I have had the longest working relationship. It stretches back to 2001 and is still…
Using our intelligences through the prism of effectiveness
The tale goes that at a dinner with Wordsworth, the poet Keats, toasted “confusion to the memory of Newton…because he destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by reducing it to a prism”. Three years later Keats confirmed his disdain by…
Can we be competitive and collaborative?
Do you ever get that feeling, when you’ve got a win, a breakthrough or a reward – you just want to go and tell someone? I had it just the other day, when I hopped onto a train just as…
CORE skills aren’t SOFT
In 1958, as NASA began it’s search for aerospace pilots, the job description listed the need for the following characteristics; · Male (how 1950s?) · Approx 5’11” /180cm · Aged between twenty-five and forty · A science degree ·…
The base camp of high-performance
If I look back over my career as a sports scientist working in elite high-performance, there is one key concept that I wish I had had in place much earlier. I came across this concept, received some training and acquired…
Tricky situations call for cups of tea and 2 am performance chats! GUEST BLOG by Andy Allford
Now, I’m generally a positive chap, able to see the positives in most situations. I’m also a lucky so-and-so, doing something I love for a living, working in the purposeful world of sport, seeing athletes succeed, creating breakthroughs, being part…
9 top tips to differentiate yourself in the crowded market of Sports Science
Students Get your head in the books You should be aiming for a 2:1 or a 1 class honours grade. I would encourage you to be striving for deep specialist knowledge in about 2-3 areas by the time you graduate.…