Today I got a lesson in surf philosophy. Is there a better way to start the day than to share a surf, a cappuccino, and an epistemological and ethical debate? “That’s the problem with you… you’re loud but you don’t act,” said my surfer friend when I explained to him that my neighbour had fenced off and “acquired” the public road that adjoined both of our properties. “If … [Read more...]
Exercise is always good – but especially during Covid!
Warning. The following is not an anti-lockdown story! According to scientists and health experts lockdowns (and masks and vaccines) play a critical role in the management of the pandemic we are currently experiencing. This story does, however, highlight some of the potential health consequences of the lockdown when used as a tool to protect our communities well-being. … [Read more...]
Hey sports coaches – slow it down! (Ideas from a guitar teacher)
There is a myth in coaching that sports practice should be performed at game speed… to emulate the pressures of a real game. The theory is that it is pointless to learn a new skill at a slow, unrealistic, speed which will never get the job done against a real opponent. Of course, once an athlete, in training, has achieved a high degree of competence at a sports skill, that … [Read more...]
Training mysteries in the times of COVID
Strange and mysterious stuff happens during Covid lockdown. Even stranger stuff happens when attempting to train under Covid lockdown conditions. A good example of the mysterious times we live in happened to me yesterday. I turned up at my local lap pool, in the morning, ready to knock out two kilometres of freestyle. The sign on the door demanded, not surprisingly, that … [Read more...]
Just six words…
I met a former NBL point guard, who, for the sake of anonymity, I will call Dave. Dave told me how he remembers the day he approached Shane Heal (one of Australia’s greatest ever basketball guards), before a game, and told him that there was no way that Heal was going to drop 38 points on his head in the way that he had to other guards in recent matches. Shane and Dave had … [Read more...]