Our updated Privacy Policy

Our Updated Privacy Policy

The information you have provided is subject to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The Privacy policy applies to all data collected via our website and in email communication.

Athletic Performance Academy (APA) Limited is responsible for all Personal Information held both electronically and on paper

Types of Information We Collect

We may collect information from you which can be used to identify you (“Personal Information”), such as your name, address, date of birth, email address, telephone number, medical insurance membership and tennis coach licence numbers. We also hold details you may have provided as part of an athlete details form, which may include sensitive, personal information such as medical information.

Information will be collected:

* When you register as an APA athlete when using one of our Personal Training or remote package services

* Throughout your training with us

* When your personal information changes or are updated (for example change of address)

* When you register for an APA qualification or workshop

* If you submit an enquiry to us via email or phone and you have consented to having your details stored.

We may also get information from a third party whom books an appointment on your behalf, such as family members, insurance companies, GP’s and Consultants, (e.g. referrals, medical reports, updates after appointments or procedures/surgery, consultant/GP appointments).

In some instances it may be necessary for us to contact third party providers to supplement the personal information you give us (e.g., validate your private medical insurance information with an insurance company, when processing invoices) to help us maintain the accuracy of your data and provide you with a better service.

Personal information we collect automatically

When you use the Website we automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser or mobile platform, including your location, IP address, cookie information, and the page you requested.

We treat this data as non-Personal Information, except where we are compelled to do otherwise by law or legal authority.

This data is only used in aggregate form to allow Google Analytics to monitor how our customers, collectively, use the Website, so that we understand how the user make use of the Website. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual.

The Google Analytics Terms of Service, which all Analytics customers must adhere to, prohibits the tracking or collection of personal information using Google Analytics, and we adhere to these terms.

If you wish to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics, we encourage you to look at the Google Analytics Browser Opt-Out Add-on which might serve your needs.

Cookies

We may obtain information about your general internet usage by using a cookie file which is stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. They help us to improve our site and to deliver a better and more personalised service. They enable us:

  • To estimate our audience size and usage pattern.
  • To store information about your preferences, and so allow us to customise our site according to your individual interests.
  • To speed up your searches.
  • To recognise you when you return to our site.

You may refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you log on to our site.

We may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address,

Collection and use of children’s personal information

We only collect personal and medical information required to effectively train children, this information will be obtained from the parent or guardian chaperoning the child for their appointment, records will be stored in line with Data Protection laws and all the confidentiality guidelines issued by the professional bodies such as CSP, HCPC. From the age of 16 patients can consent themselves.

What we do with your information

We hold personal details including medical information and we use this information to obtain details relevant to your training and for medical and internal record keeping; this information will only be kept as long as necessary to comply with UK law and professional bodies.

We do not sell your information to third parties. And only share your personal information with third parties (i.e. insurance companies, GP’s & Consultants when required and with your consent/knowledge.

The confidentiality of your personal information is of the utmost importance to us and we comply with the Data Protection laws and all the confidentiality guidelines issued by professional bodies such as CSP, HCPC.

We may use your Personal Information, for the following purposes:

Workshop Registration/Training sessions: We will use your name, address, date of birth, telephone number, and email address to register with Athletic Performance Academy (APA) Limited, for the services we provide and to communicate important information to you. We may obtain additional personal information about you, such as address change and changes to your health information, correspondence from other healthcare professionals and insurance companies throughout your training and also if you return to us in the future to keep our records current.

Invoicing & Insurance Companies: When processing insurance claims, on your behalf your name, address, date of birth & insurance policy details will need to be provided to your insurance company to enable them to progress the claim, this may be communicated via telephone or email.

Training Session Reminders & APA News: We may use your information to send confirmation & reminder emails for your training sessions and for any correspondence regarding your sessions or updating APA workshops that might be of interest to you.

We may contact you from time to time, regarding APA news and information about our services.

Response to Legal Requests: Requests from third parties (e.g. solicitors if there is a personal injury claim) we will only photocopy your training records and provide electronic records on request providing we have written authorisation from you.

Accessing Your Personal Information

You have the right to access the personal data which we hold on you free of charge and we will provide this information within one month of receipt of request. If the request for data is complex or numerous we reserve the right to extend this period by a further two months.

Updating Your Personal Information

In connection with your right to manage your personal information you provide to us, you may update, change or correct any of your information.

Data Retention

In accordance with and as permitted by applicable law and regulations, we will retain your information for as long as necessary to serve you, to maintain your account for as long as your account is needed to operate our business. We will retain and use your information as required by applicable regulation and information management policies to comply with

our legal and reporting obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and complete any outstanding transactions and for the detection and prevention of fraud.

Your Access Rights

SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION. Keeping your Information safe is important to us.

We have put in place procedural & electronic processes intended to safeguard and secure your information. All staff have a legal duty to respect the confidential information we hold, and access to this information is restricted to those who have a reasonable need to access it.

We provide reasonable and appropriate security measures in connection with securing personal information we collect, for example:

* Constantly work to update our security practices to implement accepted best methods to protect your Personal Information and review our security procedures carefully.

* Comply with applicable laws and security standards.

* Securely transmit your sensitive Personal Information.

* Train our staff and require them to safeguard your data.

* Transmit, store, protect, and access all cardholder information in compliance with the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standards.

How to Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Statement, please contact the Data Protection Officer in writing. info@athleticperformanceacademy.co.uk Athletic Performance Academy (APA) Ltd, Gosling Sports Park, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8 6XE

We welcome your feedback and comments.

Changes to our Privacy Statements

From time to time we may change or update our Privacy Statements. We reserve the right to make changes or updates at any time. Our up to date Privacy statement will be displayed on our website.

If we make material changes to the way we process your Personal Information, we will provide you notice via email or website. Please review any changes carefully.

 

 

How to Make Billions of Dollars….and Plenty of Enemies

How to Make Billions of Dollars….and Plenty of Enemies

I took four books with me on holiday.  I wanted to reflect on my vision for APA and take some inspiration from some successful businesses- I thought I’d look at one business ‘AirBnB’ and one iconic sports team, the New Zealand All Blacks.

This blog is a sort of book review come personal reflections of ‘’the Airbnb Story.’’  I’ll discuss ‘’Legacy,’’ the book about the All Blacks next time.

AirBnB is a fascinating story of three business partners lead by Brian Chesky told by a journalist who spent some time with them. It’s the time told story of struggle and perseverance but it gives a fascinating insight into their growth that makes compelling reading.

Originally called Air bed and breakfast- the idea came when two of the three business partners needed to make rent and decided to rent out one of their rooms with an air mattress, during a weekend when there was going to be a big conference in town and hotels would be fully booked.  Initially it took three website launches before it took off- each time the issue was that no one wanted to list their home if no one else was going to book it.  They were successful when big conferences came to town and hotels were fully booked in their local area.  However, they couldn’t get it to grow.

The initial slogan was ‘’stay with a local while travelling,’ which I believe was upgraded later to ‘’ Living like a local.

Conceptually this is about offering a different kind of experience to the inner city hotel experience.  There are a number of reasons why this kind of product would go on to work with people who have:

  • Desire for authentic experiences over things
  • Hunger for anything that claimed to have a purpose or mission
  • Anti-establishment and anti-corporate leaning
  • Desire to seek out community wherever they could find it
  • The chance to connect
  • Spirit of adventure

Attract Attention

Like anything the more people use something the more valuable it becomes.  They knew that their success or failure lay in their ability to generate news coverage.

Tip 1: Pitch a local story to smallest blogs you can find – the smaller they are the more likely they are to pay attention to them.

Once it got off the ground they had achieved what was known as a ‘’product/market fit’’- when its concept has both found a good market- one with lots of real, potential customers- and demonstrated that it has created a product that can satisfy that market.

Building a Company

I liked reading that the founders had noticed that all the companies they admired had a strong mission and a set of defined core values.  The core values help define the kind of people they want to bring in.

It’s also important to ask the question, ‘’why should customers use us?’ and another way to say this is ‘’what is our unique selling point?’’  I only used Airbnb for the first time this Easter (because many of the hotels were outside my budget) and I wasn’t going to go to a hostel again!!  It was clear that Airbnb was leading the way with its ‘quirky’ product and low costs.  Certainly I wasn’t aware of its competitors.

Steve Jobs Three-Click Rule

But reading this book I realised I actually had plenty of choice- the reason it took off was down to several things but much of the explanation lies in the product itself, and the user experience on the website.  You could literally book a room in someone’s house as easily (and safely) as you could book a hotel room.  The website and the experience had to be:

frictionless

easy

beautiful

never more than three clicks away from booking a room

One of the business partners had a wonderful computer programming background who was able to innovate in the coding aspects to create a booking website that could do everything they wanted it to do and probably a lot of things their competitor’s website couldn’t.

 

Learning to Lead

Chesky was a natural leader- he had a knack for ring leading and a near pathological curiosity. He calls his practice ‘’going to the source.’’ Instead of talking to 10 people about a particular topic and then synthesizing all their advice, he reasons, spend half of your time learning who the definitive source is, identifying the one person who can tell you more about that one thing than anyone else- and then go only to that person.

Chesky also had some pretty privileged contacts as his business grew in wealth such as Mark Zuckerburg, owner of Facebook.  But Chesky insists there are always good mentors, regardless of someone’s level.  If he had been meeting with some of these heavy hitters while he was an unemployed designer, he points out, it wouldn’t have been useful.  There wouldn’t have been anything to give back in the conversation.  It’s a matter of picking people that are, at least, a couple of years in front of you.’’

Because Chesky is an infinite learner he was able to scale with the company.

When he needed an even bigger performance from his team how do you get them to take things up a notch? How do you get people to play at the next level when they are already tired, they haven’t seen their families very much and they just need time to have a rest?  You can’t ask them to work harder but you can ask them to massively up-level their thinking.

I took from this that to help them to adopt a new way of thinking about something it is helpful to have a North Star.  Airbnb needs to be more a calling than a job- built on a mission to ‘’create a world where you can belong anywhere.’’  A goal for 2020 was orientated on how many people can experience belonging in a deep, meaningful, transformatiomal way.

‘’pessimists are usually right, but it’s optimists who change the world.’’

How do you build a culture where everyone believes they’re changing the world?

It is clear the founders knew what the things were that their customers would value (living like a local) and also knew what their employees would value so they could massively up-level their thinking.  They need to feel an important part of a mission to create a world where you can belong anywhere!

Where I am next presenting?

Speed, Agility & Quickness Training for Sports Workshop

Dates: 3rd June 2018  09:00AM-15:00PM Location: Gosling Tennis Academy, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6XE

Book your ticket HERE

 

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask.  APA aim to bring you compelling content from the world of sports science and coaching.  We are devoted to making athletes fitter, faster and stronger so they can excel in sport. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — APA TEAM

=> Follow us on Facebook

=> Follow us on Instagram

=> Follow us on Twitter