Respect, Fair Play and Ethical Behaviour - SIRC Newsletter

SIRC Newsletter Now Online: Respect, Fair Play and Ethical Behaviour We have heard before that respect, fair play and ethical behaviour (also known as sportsmanship) are all learned behaviours. The question is from whom and when do we learn these? It is never too early to learn the fundamentals, physical education classes and grassroots programs are excellent places to start. However this...Read more

Making waves in the big pond!

On their pathway to higher competition, athletes find themselves adapting to different levels of competition and moving from being the "big fish in the little pond" to the "little fish in the big pond" as a recent article in the SIRC Collection says. This move from being the best at one level to being one of the many who are the best at the next can often be a psychological challenge for many...Read more

Weight gain ... the healthy way!

Contrary to popular belief there is a time and a place for weight gain. Many athletes are required to gain weight to increase strength, increase their size or increase their musculature. In sports with weight categories, being a heavier weight may not always mean being "fatter" but having a fit heavier body mass. The focus of a recent article in the SIRC Collection addresses athletic weight gain...Read more

Coaching Running - SIRC Newsletter

The signs of spring are in the air and the number of people running outside and enjoying the wonderful weather is increasing. Warm weather marks the beginning of race season and running clubs, track clubs, university teams, and high school teams are all starting to get back into their rigorous training schedules. For running coaches this is the perfect time to review their plan and athletes for...Read more

No shoes, no problem?

In 1960, Abebe Bikila ran an Olympic marathon in record time ... shoeless (2:15:16). He did not do it for the freedom of barefoot running but rather could not get a pair proper fitting shoes. There are many arguments being made from both sides of shoes versus barefoot/minimalist debate. While there have been claims that running shoes are causing more injuries, this has not been proven. And on the...Read more

Yoga Poses and Meditation for back pain

Yoga - the ancient physical, mental and spiritual discipline - has been found to be a great intervention for chronic back pain. And many high level athletes use yoga as a part of their training and recovery programs. The physical stretches are the most helpful part of the recovery but let us not forgot that the mental aspect of the discipline is quite beneficial to recovery as well. By holding a...Read more

It's more than just an injury

Often when athletes get injured and have to spend time away from sport, we only think about the recovery of the physical injury. A successful return to competition can be dependent on psychological rehabilitation as well. An article from Athletic Therapy Today, ' Psychological Rehabilitation for Recovery From Injury: The SCRAPE Approach ' by Christopher James Hinderliter and Bradley J. Cardinal,...Read more

Exercising for Two!

Congratulations!!! You just found out you are pregnant and you are looking forward to all the exciting changes to happen over the next few months. But most of all you are now “eating for two” so this is an excuse to eat whatever you want whenever you want. Although this is the belief among many pregnant women it is not true. Now more than ever you should be taking care of your body, watching what...Read more

'I love watching you play?'

After three decades of informally surveying hundreds of college athletes, two former longtime coaches have become advocates for athletes and voices for youth. Both Bruce Brown and Rob Miller of Proactive Coaching LLC, have spent their last 12 years speaking to millions of athletes at colleges, high schools and youth leagues about their views on parents and sport . When the college athletes were...Read more

Healing Shortcut

Following an injury, it is often hard having to sit out and wait to recover. This is when a new therapy has been called into play, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) surgery . The therapy consists of placing athlete’s blood in a centrifuge and reinserting it in the wound. The end result is healed tissue. This therapy is often claims to speed up recovery. However, studies published by the Journal of the...Read more