‘Unfortunately, I think your position working with the coaches will no longer be tenable’. I had been called to the CEO’s office that afternoon, and my ‘gardening leave’ started straight after that conversation. One week out from Round 1; Only a pre-season in the role. Sure, I had a contract, but what did that matter - the coaches had decided they wanted someone else. So much so, that they preferred to go into the season without an S&C. Now, this is not a blog about how I was ‘hard done by’, how I was right, and they were wrong, blah blah. That wouldn’t get my job back, and it’s ...

Designing quality, targeted exercise programs is no easy task, involving careful consideration of a myriad of factors. There are the goals of the client or athlete, expectations of coaches and/ or parents, and building for long-term success. At the same time, we need to match the program to their current movement ability and exercise capacity, make sure they can perform at their potential each game or competition, and keep them engaged in their training. Program design goes beyond the selection of exercises sessions across a block – it is about how well exercises and programs transition across blocks, and how they fit within the structure of the season and the ...