Entries by darren.drake

Life on the Road with a Top 100 Pro Tennis Player

APA is a company that has built it’s reputation on being the Industry Leader in S&C training for Tennis, which is why we get to work with pro players like Alijaz Bedene, Ed Corrie and Dan Cox, as well as a whole host of pro players hungry to follow in their footsteps! You might have […]

What makes Andy Murray the best in British Tennis

Today I had the pleasure of observing the latest Master Performance Coach (MPC) Award taking place at the National Tennis Centre.  The highlight was getting some insights on what makes Andy Murray one of the best players in the world.  Since writing this block APA athlete Aljaz Bedene has been installed as the official British […]

Middlesex Student S&C Conference 2015 Review

Like many of us busy coaches, going to a conference represents a time for reflection before we get back to to our respective roles. I had the pleasure to attend the recent Middlesex University Student S&C Conference which I believe is in it’s sixth year, with over 100 delegates in attendance. If you’re a Strength & […]

Why you shouldn't train athletes like body builders!

Did you know?   1st4sport offer over 285 qualifications delivered by over 850 centres, including 192 coaching qualifications, in 39 sports!   APA are very proud to say we are one of those endorsed centres qualifying coaches in the Level 2 Certificate in coaching Strength & Conditioning for Sports (L2CCSC).   Here’s what two recent […]

5 days left to apply for a full-time job with APA!

Hot off the press!   Read the advert below for full details.  The closing date has been moved forward to next Wednesday 11th March.   For those of you who know anything about APA, you will know our biggest contract is with Gosling Tennis Academy, so we are really experienced with working with elite tennis […]

6 nutrition lessons you must teach kids!

This week we will be re-introducing some lifestyle education sessions for the full-time junior athletes that APA work with at Gosling Tennis Academy.  A big part of this is education on nutrition.  I have written several blogs on nutrition over recent months.  To be honest these are based on understanding more advanced concepts such as […]

Working with unmotivated teenagers!

Today’s post is about motivation, and what to do when you’re working with a particular breed of animal..the teenager, who doesn’t always have much of it!!!   I occasionally like to post on aspects of psychology as it is a huge part of what makes a successful athlete and coach.  In a previous blog I spoke […]

Periodisation- hybrid models for team sports

  When we examine the playing calendar of team sports such as soccer or rugby union, there is a relatively short preparation period compared to the long competitive period.  Recall that the original periodisation models were all built around the reverse of this; i.e.. having a long preparation period before a competitive period.  These models […]