Recent Visits
Congratulations to all the staff at the Leicester Tigers for their superlative season. Although results are the clearest indication of the quality of performance enhancement there are other mechanisms that deserve some comment. Alex Martin and his staff have had to juggle the critical balance between enhancement and freshness for performance and have done it admirably. Never an easy challenge, the ability to maintain and improve physical qualities throughout the season and arrive at play-off time with the tanks full is a demanding exercise. Perhaps the biggest positive is the clear strong relationship between coaching and athletic development staff.
It was good to meet with the LTA S&C department at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton, London for a couple of days in early May. Karl Cooke, Performance Manager at the LTA, was instrumental in organising this and there can be no doubt that the practitioners there are as committed and hard working as any other unit I have met. Work will start soon on assembling a strategy for the long term delivery of the required athletic development pathway. With 20 High Performance Centres nationwide there is a need for a strategy that embraces sports specific Tennis components and Athletic Development.