Psychology of Elite Athletes

ABCC Journal Year: 2015 Issue: 03 ISSN: 1353-7008

C o a c h i n g a n d t h e b r a i n : P s y c h o l o g y o f e l i t e a t h l e t e s

Edited by Alex Wise Editorial- Alex Wise

Olympics, including writing for the BBC Sport website. He is writing an article for us about spotting a champion and the challenges involved in nurturing that talent. Ben has a brilliant book about this same topic, which I review later on in the journal, called Podium (ISBN: 978-1-4729-0216-0).

I will also be explaining my technique for gaining real, truthful, insights into your Hi again, the second ABCC journal rider’s performance using self-reflection. and it’s arriving in quite close In this article I will be talking about the succession. I hope you’ve had time to ways that you can support your rider to finish reading the previous edition. self-reflect and one way in particular that Some interesting articles in there I have found useful. about technology, I also found the papers that where reviewed by In this editions ‘Something a little lighter’ Christine to be quite interesting. I keep Our very own Mark Gorman, ABCC’s myself up to date with technology in Administrator, tells us the tail of his sport and I think that over the next 10 exploits attempting club record and 24 years, as coaches, our role will change hour races. dramatically. This week however we are putting technology to one side and Don’t forget to book you space on to looking at your riders. More Pedal Power on the 15th of November at specifically we are looking at the the Ramada Hotel, Coventry. We have a psychology and what makes some of world class list of presentations and a them go on to become champions. friendly sociable atmosphere to network. You’d be silly to miss out for only £30 Look out for the papers that Christine per person and a discount rate for a has reviewed this week, I think you’ll room. find them particularly useful. We also have a guest writer for this edition. You can contact me at: Ben Oakley, who works at The Open [email protected] or editor, ABCC, 3 University as Head of Childhood, Rees Close, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 Youth and Sport. Ben was a world 9ST champion competitor and then a coach at two Olympic games for the sport of Happy Cycling, windsurfing. Ben was also an academic consultant to the BBC Alex during and in the build up to the

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 2 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 What's in this issue?

Page 4 - 5 News

Page 6 - 10 Literature Review

Page 11 - 33 Coaching and the brain

Page 34 - 37 Something a bit lighter

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 3 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 News:

As well as general ABCC news, where There is a world class list of guest we keep you up to date on the goings speakers that you don’t want to miss: on of the ABCC during the periods Dr Auriel Forrester: Auriel was a first between journals, we also want to hear class racing cyclist, a prolific winner on from you and your news. Have you had road and track, and a notable runner. a personal achievement? Maybe a She is a an acclaimed sports scientist. success with a difficult rider? Let’s Formerly head of Sport, Exercise, and celebrate it. E-mail me at: Biomedical Sciences at Luton [email protected] and I’ll put it in the University. She now runs her own news section. Scientific Coaching Company and is a world-renowned expert on cycling with Power - having been the UK distributor Pedal Power Conference: Get your for SRM since 1995. She will speak on diaries out, get your phones out, and “coaching with power”: to help coaches make a note of this date: 15th of analyse, interpret and most November. The Venue will be Ramada importantly use their rider’s power Hotel, The Butts, Earlsdon, Coventry, data within their coaching programs. CV1 3GG. Tony Gibb: A household name for over Tickets will cost £30 [This includes a a decade, Tony Gibb is a former UK No. buffet lunch, tea, coffee, soft drinks 1 ranked rider, 14 times National and biscuits]. Possibly the best Champion, World Championship Silver conference you’ll go to this year. medalist, Commonwealth Bronze Overnight accommodation is at the medalist, 9 times World Cup medalist Ramada and we have a special rate of and now National Masters champion £69 B&B for you. When you book on the road and on the track. quote ABCC. The Ramada has dedicated car parking, which is free to Still racing very successfully at an Elite delegates. level, Tony is a passionate and dedicated ambassador for cycling and Organiser. Duncan Leith 25 a regular member of the commentary BroadLawn, New Eltham, London SE9 Team at Eurosport. 3XE. Tel: 02088572788, e mail: In 2014 he founded Full Gas Cycling to [email protected]. organise and promote events. The company already has a number of

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 4 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 credits to it’s name, including the Conference so that is 15th November hugely successful inaugural Winter 2015 at the Ramada Hotel, The Butts, Track League at Lee Valley Velodrome, Earlsdon, Coventry, CV1 3GG. the March Hare Classic - which Full Gas have re-introduced onto the Major You should have the AGM documents Events calendar – and a summer along with this edition of the Journal circuit league at Kent’s Cyclopark. please look through these documents before the meeting. Mike Veal of Bike Dynamics Bike Fitting Specialist: BikeDynamics has The ABCC committee are keen to extensively researched the expand the journal and to create a biomechanical theories behind journal of high academic standard that optimum bike fit and coupled them can support you, as the reader, to stay with advanced motion capture up to date with coaching matters and technologies. he has fitted over 2000 to further your knowledge in coaching. cyclists with many outstanding results. We would like help to achieve this goal: if you think you can help ABCC please Professor Greg Whyte OBE PhD DSc get in touch via e-mail to FACSM FBASES Director of [email protected] Performance, The Centre for Health & Human Performance

Physical activity expert, world‐ renowned sports scientist and former Modern Pentathlete, Greg competed in two Olympic Games and is a European and World Championship medalist. Most recently known for his involvement in Comic Relief, assisting various celebrities in challenge events, Greg successfully trained Davina McCall in her 'Beyond Breaking Point' 506 mile ultra-°©‐triathlon

ABCC's AGM

On the same day as the brilliant Pedal Power Conference ABCC's AGM is your chance to share your vision on ABCC's future and to vote on issues. The committee are looking forward to seeing you there. Remember it is on at the same time as the Pedal Power

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 5 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Literature review: By Dr Christine Wise

This section is focusing on some important research on or around the area that the journal is focusing. It has been complied for ABCC by Dr Christine Wise, an experienced academic with over 15 years experience in research and research methodology. She has a number of publications to her name as well as many papers within the field of education. She is a peer reviewer for a number of academic journals.

Christine has sourced the articles and where you can find them as well as adding a small comment on the research and what you will find within the article.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 6 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 The first three articles reviewed here application of psychological behaviors use an approach called ‘grounded at an early stage to optimise both the theory’. This might be new to a number development and performance of of you and may even feel unscientific athletes. but used correctly and honestly it can give deep insights. It is usually based on interview transcripts which are critically analysed for key themes and Christine Says: This article is diffi- concepts that are repeated. The cult to read in places because of the researcher has no prior assumptions number of references they include but about the themes, or comes to the bear with. This study does not include research as if they have no prior any cyclists and the sample is small (7 assumptions, so the interview will have athletes) but there are sufficient simi- quite broad and open questions to larities between the requirements of encourage uninhibited responses. As athletes at the elite level that it is a you can see from these three articles, useful study to read. the results can be quite illuminating.

They do find that this study supports MacNamara, A., Button, A. and the literature in that psychological Collins, D. (2010) “The Role of skills are required to optimise Psychological Characteristics in development. The quotes they use are Facilitating the Pathway to Elite illuminating. Athletes need to have Performance Part 1: Identifying well developed learning skills, ability Mental Skills and Behaviors”, The to goal set and have realistic Sport Psychologist, 24, pp52-73 expectations. They do not really touch Abstract on whether these skills can sensibly Given the complexity of the talent be developed are whether the skills development process, it seems likely are innate. that a range of psychological factors underpin an athlete’s ability to translate potential into top-class performance. Therefore, the purpose of Kress, J. L. and Statler, T. (2007) “A part one of this two-part investigation Naturalistic Investigation of Former was to explore the attributes that Olympic Cyclists' Cognitive facilitate the successful development of Strategies for Coping With Exertion athletes from initial involvement to Pain During Performance” Journal achieving and maintaining world-class of Sport Behavior, Vol. 30, No. 4, status. Seven elite athletes and a pp428 - 53 parent of each of these athletes were interviewed regarding their own (their Abstract son’s/ daughter’s) development in In endurance sports, there is one sport. Data were content analyzed element that all athletes who wish to using a grounded theory approach. excel must confront exertion pain. The Although sporting achievement was purpose of this study was to describe conceptualised as being and explain the nature and effects of multidimensional, psychological factors the cognitive strategies former Olympic were highlighted as the key cyclists used to cope with exertion pain determinants of those who emerged as during performance. Nine participants talented and maintained excellence. were asked to describe exertion pain Accordingly, we suggest that talent and how they managed it. Two identification and development hundred twenty-two quotes formed the programs should place greater basis for the analysis. The quotes were emphasis on the advancement and coalesced to six higher-order themes.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 7 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 The following conclusions were extracted from the themes: (I) the degree of pain was purely a perception, (2) pain varied depending upon the Fletcher, D. and Sarkar, M (2012), “A satisfaction the athlete received from grounded theory of psychological the experience when ail physiological resilience in Olympic champions”, variables were held constant, (3) Psychology of Sport and Exercise, cognitive skills such as goal setting, 13, pp669-78 imagery, and positive self-talk were routinely used, (4) the mind and body Abstract were viewed as a dualism when Objective: Although it is well- performing, (5) pain was a positive established that the ability to manage experience and part of sport and an stress is a prerequisite of sporting individual's identity, and (6) riding in a excellence, the construct of position of control tended to lessen the psychological resilience has yet to be perception of pain. The results revealed systematically examined in athletic that former Olympic cyclists used a performers. The study reported here myriad of cognitive strategies to cope sought to explore and explain the with endurance pain while training and relationship between psychological competing and that all of them resilience and optimal sport attended to the pain rather than performance. attempting to ignore it. Design and method: Twelve Olympic champions (8 men and 4 women) from a range of sports were interviewed regarding their experiences of Christine says: The abstract here withstanding pressure during their very neatly summarises the findings of sporting careers. A grounded theory the study. Again, there are a lot of approach was employed throughout the data collection and analysis, and quotes that illustrate what the athletes interview transcripts were analyzed said but basically pain was a percep- using open, axial and selective coding. tion rather than a reality. They dealt Methodological rigour was established with the pain psychologically rather by incorporating various verification than ignoring it. This highlights that a strategies into the research process, cyclist’s self-report of pain must al- and the resultant grounded theory was ways be accompanied by other details also judged using the quality criteria of such that their mental and emotional fit, work, relevance, and modifiability. state can be established to help the Results and conclusions: Results coach ascertain the true level of exer- indicate that numerous psychological tion in the exercise. The quote from factors (relating to a positive personality, motivation, confidence, Jens Voigt of ‘shut up legs’ is probably focus, and perceived social support) a very good example. The pain of rid- protect the world’s best athletes from ing up a hill to take King of the Moun- the potential negative effect of tains will be perceived very differently stressors by influencing their challenge to the pain of dragging the Lantern appraisal and metacognition. These Rouge up the same mountain even processes promote facilitative though the exertion will be very simi- responses that precede optimal sport lar. performance. The emergent theory provides sport psychologists, coaches and national sport organisations with an understanding of the role of resilience in athletes’ lives and the attainment of optimal sport performance.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 8 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Our argument is built on evidence that such challenges are more common in Christine says: In contrast, this ab- athletes who reach the top, together stract does not fully convey the useful- with a critical consideration of the ness of this article. The article does pro- modus operandi and impact of vide a very strong explanation of its psychological/character-focused methodological approach which most will interventions such as mental want to skip. The writers highlight the toughness and resilience. In two potential roots of psychological re- conclusion, we explore some silience: as a trait and as a process. implications for the design and They go on to highlight that top perform- conduct of optimum academies and TD ing athletes seek out challenging situa- environments. tions to drive performance and that coaches should pay attention to the stress – resilience – performance process. High performing athletes appear to reflect Christine says: In contrast to the on their initial reaction to the stress using first three articles, this is not based a range of cognitive resources and can turn an initial negative response into a on grounded theory research. It is positive learning experience which goes much more of a literature review on to improve resilience for the future. Im- where they analyse material that al- portantly they provide evidence that ready exists in a new way. It is, how- these elite athletes developed resilience ever, a natural follow on from the pre- through their experience. They were not vious article. As the abstract details necessarily born resilient, they developed they draw on research that demon- resilience through deliberate practice of strates how a silky smooth path to a psychological strategies. They give mini- high level of performance is unlikely to mal advice on how a coach can help with achieve the best outcome for the ath- this but spending time on developing re- lete in terms of results. They need to flective processes has to a positive start. face challenges, tough challenges, in order to develop the psychological resilience to develop into rounded high performing athletes. These tough Collins, D. and MacNamara, A. (2012) challenges are what they call trauma. “The Rocky Road to the Top: Why They do not believe the challenges Talent Needs Trauma”, Sports need come from the chosen sport; they Medicine, 42, 11, pp907-9 can come from various life challenges, early experiences and should be seen Abstract The increasingly well funded and high- as part of the education process. tech world of talent development (TD) Again, it is how the athlete reflects on represents an important investment for these and uses them in the future that most sports. Reflecting traditional is important. They do emphasise that concepts of challenge and focus, the this process needs to start young, the vast majority of such systems expend a earlier the better, so talent pro- great deal of effort maximising support grammes need to do more than simply to the young athletes and trying to praise everything the young partici- counter the impact of naturally pants do. A change in approach for occurring life Stressors. In this article, many. we suggest that much of this effort is misdirected; that, in fact, talented potential can often benefit from, or even need, a variety of challenges to facilitate eventual adult performance.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 9 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 performance. The findings support the This next article uses the more common psychobiological model of endurance experimental approach. performance and illustrate that psychobiological interventions Blanchfield, A. W., Hardy, J., de designed to specifically target Morree, H. M., Staiano, W. and favourable changes in perception of Marcora, S. M. effort are beneficial to endurance (2013), “Talking Yourself out of performance. Consequently this Exhaustion: The Effects of Self-talk psychobiological model offers an on Endurance”, important and novel perspective for Medicine & Science in Sports & future research investigations. Exercise (on-line)

Abstract Christine says: In many ways this Purpose: The psychobiological model of article provides the experimental evi- endurance performance proposes that perception of effort is the ultimate dence to support the first four articles. determinant of endurance It is a bit heavy going at the beginning performance. Therefore, any with their explanation of the experi- physiological or psychological factor mental process but the discussion lat- affecting perception of effort will affect er is very readable. They examined endurance performance. Accordingly the effects of targeted motivational this novel study investigated the effects ‘self-talk’ on athletes’ perceived effort of a frequently used psychological and, importantly, their perceived point strategy, motivational self-talk (ST), on of exhaustion. They actually mea- rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and sured the physiological response and endurance performance. found that the experimental group Methods: In a randomised between groups pre-test – post-test design, 24 were actually able to push themselves participants (mean } SD age 24.6 } harder than the control group given 7.5 years; V O2max 52.3 } 8.7 ml・ that their definition of exhaustion was kg-1・min-1) performed two constant- the point at which exercise ceased be- load (80% peak power output) cycling cause they perceived they could not time to exhaustion tests (TTE), continue. They do highlight the need punctuated by a two week ST for further research to find out exactly intervention or a control phase. what the biological link is between the Results: Group (ST vs. Control) x test motivational self-talk and the physical (Pre-test vs. Post-test) mixed model reactions but nonetheless a real effect ANOVA’s revealed that ST significantly is measurable. enhanced TTE from pre-test to post- test (637 } 210 s vs. 750 } 295 s, p < 0.05) with no change in the control group (486 } 157 s vs. 474 } 169 s). Moreover, a group x test x iso-time (0%, 50%, 100%) mixed model ANOVA revealed a significant interaction for RPE, with follow-up tests showing that motivational self-talk significantly reduced RPE at 50% isotime (7.3 } 0.6 vs. 6.4 } 0.8, p < 0.05), with no significant difference in the control group (6.9 } 1.9 vs. 7.0 } 1.7). Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate that ST significantly reduces RPE and enhances endurance

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 10 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching and the brain

In this edition of the ABCC Journal we are focusing on the mind! Many people think the brain is the biggest weakness and the greatest strength of many a top cyclist.

First we are going to look at the piece kindly donated to us by Sports Coach UK, regarding the differences between male and female athlete’s brains and the implications for coaching each sex. It is very important to recognise the differences between the sexes, even the once you can’t see such as differences in motivation and reception to coaching methods. Only by fully understanding the differences between the sexes will you be able to get the most from your athletes. It is part of a series written by SCUK and WSFF You can find out more on the series by going on: https://www.sportscoachuk.org or https://www.womeninsport.org

Then we have an article written for us by Ben Oakley. Ben is, as I introduced in the editorial, the Head of Childhood, Youth and Sport at The Open University. Ben was a world champion competitor and then a coach at two Olympic games for the sport of windsurfing. Ben was also an academic consultant to the BBC during and in the build up to the Olympics, including writing for the BBC Sport website. His article gives us a great insight into what it takes to be a champion and what some of the traits of a champion are. If this article interreges you then you should read his book ‘Podium’.

Finally I write an article on Self-reflection. Self-reflection is a great tool for both your riders and yourself, as a coach. Although only a brief romp through the topic I hope to show you the benefits of adopting this technique and also ways you can adopt the technique into you coaching.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 11 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Coaching Women Female Psychology and Female Psychology and Considerations for Coaching Practice Considerations for Coaching Practice

So what is psychologically unique about females? Think: How would these findings impact on how and why ? In her book, The Female Brain, psychologist Louann women and girls participate in Brizendine explains what makes women’s brains sport and physical activity? distinctively different to those of their male counterparts. Primarily, her research shows that although smaller than a Could your style of coaching change in male’s, the female brain contains the same number of recognition of the information above? brain cells, only packed together more densely. More than 99% of male and female genetic coding is exactly the same. But There are two main differences between the male and female brain: that percentage difference influences every single cell in our bodies – from the As previously mentioned, this information is a nerves that register pleasure and pain to the neurons that transmit 1 Brain structure and function generalisation. As a coach, you have to ensure you get perception, thoughts, feelings and emotions. Certain features of the female brain’s architecture are to know your athletes or team as individuals and ‘tailor’ vastly different to those of a male’s white-and-grey your interaction with them to suit their specific needs. ‘ Brizendine, 2007 matter. These can be differences in shape, size, or It is clear, however, that knowing about some of these allocation of functions to different brain areas. proven female ‘tendencies’ or ‘traits’ could be useful in This factsheet is one of a series, produced by I just couldn’t hack it with the finding the right strategies to engage with different 2 Brain chemistry athletes and groups. sports coach UK and the Women’s Sport and girls’ team. It was too complex ’ As expressed by Brizendine, ‘the female brain is so Fitness Foundation (WSFF), aimed at coaches deeply affected by hormones that their influence can be From their study of current literature on the topic, who coach women or who are interested in and so mentally demanding. They said to create a woman’s reality. They can shape a Cunningham and Roberts (2006) describe the following coaching them in the future. Each factsheet needed to know why they were woman’s values and desires, and tell her, day to day, six main areas in which academic research has shown provides insight into the female athlete and her doing everything they did so I needs, and guidance as to how better to coach ‘ what’s important. A woman’s neurological reality is not as men and women to be different. went back to coaching the boys. and support her. constant as a man’s.’ Football coach Although the information contained within this factsheet has been academically evidenced, sports But how are these two differences manifested? Here is a Area of Difference Men Women coach UK recognises that it is a generalisation. All Attitudes like this have not helped the development of summary of how some women’s actions and reactions people are individuals and it is for you, the coach, to female sport. If anything, they have contributed to create’ may differ from a man’s: contextualise the following information to your own stereotypes and perpetuate a number of myths that • The female brain has a higher level of sensitivity to Intellectual function Analytical, focused, ‘Whole-brained’ coaching environment. hinder the opportunities for women and girls to access stress and conflict linear, logical perspective quality sports coaching. perspective This factsheet aims to provide some of the evidence on • Women use different areas of the brain to solve differences in how men and women think to allow you to It is only recently, however, and thanks to new technology problems, process language or experience and store develop your coaching style and bring out that extra and research, that some of these myths and stereotypes strong emotions Base reaction Action Feeling potential in the women you are coaching. surrounding women and girls have been disproved to great effect. For example, areas like teaching (Ambrose, • The brain centres for language, hearing, emotion and The difference between coaching male and female Stress response Fight or flight Tend and befriend 2002; Healy, 2004) and marketing (Cunningham and athletes has long been the subject of speculation, debate, memory formation are bigger in women Roberts, 2006) have already started to make good use of discussion and certainly despair for some male coaches, this information and have benefited hugely from it. • Men have larger processors in the more ‘primitive’ Innate interest Things People who, unable to understand ‘what women want’, have Likewise, the implications for sport, and specifically areas of the brain that register fear and trigger decided to stay away from coaching the opposite coaching, are potentially huge. aggression compared to women gender altogether. Survival strategy Through self-interest, Through relationships, • In the main, women have outstanding verbal agility, an hierarchy, power empathy and ability to connect deeply in friendship and an almost and competition connections psychic capacity to read faces and tone of voice. Mental preferences Hard-wired Hard-wired to systemise to empathise © John Sibley/Action Images Limited© John Sibley/Action © Alan Edwards © The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 12 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Coaching Women Female Psychology and Female Psychology and Considerations for Coaching Practice Considerations for Coaching Practice

So what is psychologically unique about females? Think: How would these findings impact on how and why ? In her book, The Female Brain, psychologist Louann women and girls participate in Brizendine explains what makes women’s brains sport and physical activity? distinctively different to those of their male counterparts. Primarily, her research shows that although smaller than a Could your style of coaching change in male’s, the female brain contains the same number of recognition of the information above? brain cells, only packed together more densely. More than 99% of male and female genetic coding is exactly the same. But There are two main differences between the male and female brain: that percentage difference influences every single cell in our bodies – from the As previously mentioned, this information is a nerves that register pleasure and pain to the neurons that transmit 1 Brain structure and function generalisation. As a coach, you have to ensure you get perception, thoughts, feelings and emotions. Certain features of the female brain’s architecture are to know your athletes or team as individuals and ‘tailor’ vastly different to those of a male’s white-and-grey your interaction with them to suit their specific needs. ‘ Brizendine, 2007 matter. These can be differences in shape, size, or It is clear, however, that knowing about some of these allocation of functions to different brain areas. proven female ‘tendencies’ or ‘traits’ could be useful in This factsheet is one of a series, produced by I just couldn’t hack it with the finding the right strategies to engage with different 2 Brain chemistry athletes and groups. sports coach UK and the Women’s Sport and girls’ team. It was too complex ’ As expressed by Brizendine, ‘the female brain is so Fitness Foundation (WSFF), aimed at coaches deeply affected by hormones that their influence can be From their study of current literature on the topic, who coach women or who are interested in and so mentally demanding. They said to create a woman’s reality. They can shape a Cunningham and Roberts (2006) describe the following coaching them in the future. Each factsheet needed to know why they were woman’s values and desires, and tell her, day to day, six main areas in which academic research has shown provides insight into the female athlete and her doing everything they did so I needs, and guidance as to how better to coach ‘ what’s important. A woman’s neurological reality is not as men and women to be different. went back to coaching the boys. and support her. constant as a man’s.’ Football coach Although the information contained within this factsheet has been academically evidenced, sports But how are these two differences manifested? Here is a Area of Difference Men Women coach UK recognises that it is a generalisation. All Attitudes like this have not helped the development of summary of how some women’s actions and reactions people are individuals and it is for you, the coach, to female sport. If anything, they have contributed to create’ may differ from a man’s: contextualise the following information to your own stereotypes and perpetuate a number of myths that • The female brain has a higher level of sensitivity to Intellectual function Analytical, focused, ‘Whole-brained’ coaching environment. hinder the opportunities for women and girls to access stress and conflict linear, logical perspective quality sports coaching. perspective This factsheet aims to provide some of the evidence on • Women use different areas of the brain to solve differences in how men and women think to allow you to It is only recently, however, and thanks to new technology problems, process language or experience and store develop your coaching style and bring out that extra and research, that some of these myths and stereotypes strong emotions Base reaction Action Feeling potential in the women you are coaching. surrounding women and girls have been disproved to great effect. For example, areas like teaching (Ambrose, • The brain centres for language, hearing, emotion and The difference between coaching male and female Stress response Fight or flight Tend and befriend 2002; Healy, 2004) and marketing (Cunningham and athletes has long been the subject of speculation, debate, memory formation are bigger in women Roberts, 2006) have already started to make good use of discussion and certainly despair for some male coaches, this information and have benefited hugely from it. • Men have larger processors in the more ‘primitive’ Innate interest Things People who, unable to understand ‘what women want’, have Likewise, the implications for sport, and specifically areas of the brain that register fear and trigger decided to stay away from coaching the opposite coaching, are potentially huge. aggression compared to women gender altogether. Survival strategy Through self-interest, Through relationships, • In the main, women have outstanding verbal agility, an hierarchy, power empathy and ability to connect deeply in friendship and an almost and competition connections psychic capacity to read faces and tone of voice. Mental preferences Hard-wired Hard-wired to systemise to empathise © John Sibley/Action Images Limited© John Sibley/Action © Alan Edwards © The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 13 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Coaching Women Female Psychology and Female Psychology and Considerations for Coaching Practice Considerations for Coaching Practice

Innate interest: things vs people The psychology bit... How can this knowledge affect Research into education and the workplace shows that males have a the way you coach? tendency to be more interested in things, while women and girls tend to be Intellectual function naturally interested in people. How is your coaching affected by women How can this knowledge affect and girls’ natural interest in people? Do Men show a predisposition to be more analytical, linear and logical in their the way you coach? While men want to understand how things work, women are you see it as a hindrance to processing of information, whereas women show a clear tendency to process more interested in connecting and bonding with people, technical/tactical work, or as a great information in a more ‘whole-brained’ or ‘bigger-picture’ way. Women generally express emotion in a understanding others’ motivations and how they feel. opportunity for team building? different, more overt way than men. They This seems to be thanks to women’s brain’s ability to access information should not be considered to be interfering Perhaps a team bonding session every now from, and make connections with, both sides of the brain in order to or ‘hard to win over’. Women’s ability to and then might be more beneficial than solve problems. see the ‘whole picture’ means they need to technical or tactical work. understand why they are performing certain The use of the ‘whole brain’ seems to explain why women are tasks and what doing will achieve them. generally more comfortable with emotion, higher awareness of non-verbal cues and the enhanced ability to look at the full picture.

Survival strategies How can this knowledge affect Evolutionary theory establishes that, in terms of primary motivations, we the way you coach? Base reaction to stimuli exist to ensure the survival of our genes. The key difference seems to be in How can this knowledge affect how men and women go about this. How do your athletes respond to internal and external competition? This is not about conscious behaviour, but more about impulsive behaviour. the way you coach? It seems that males strive to survive through self-interest, hierarchy, power It appears that when things happen, a man’s base reaction is to jump into gains and competition. On the other hand, women and girls’ survival strategy What is your best strategy for ensuring action, while women are more likely to Does this explain why your women athletes your athletes are motivated and happy may react to certain things in a way that tends to be through the building of relationships, connections and high levels react emotionally. of empathy. within the group and in relation to seems alien to you? the opposition? Science shows that the basal In short, for the boys it is all about being the ‘alpha’ male in the (everyday) state of the male How are you communicating with your Creating a climate of cooperation and women participants? pack, while for the girls, it’s more about getting along with brain is dominated by the everyone in the group. personal improvement may pay off better ‘fight or flight’ centres How can you ensure your athletes use their than one where internal competition (ie reptilian/instinctive ‘reptilian’ brains and act, rather than feel with dominates the sessions. behaviours). In women their limbic brain? it seems that more activity occurs in the What reaction does shouting or raising your brain’s limbic system, voice provoke in women? which deals with © Alan Edwards © emotions and feelings. Understanding and processing information How can this knowledge affect Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University shows that in the the way you coach? main, men understand the world by building systems to explain how it works, while women make sense of things by putting themselves into What do your athletes expect from somebody else’s shoes. you emotionally? For women, it’s not only about being emotionally in tune with Do your athletes share the same motivations, Stress response drive and picture of success as you do? How can this knowledge affect another person, but also being able to gauge moods, Hormone concentrations and their strengths vary considerably between men the way you coach? atmospheres and successfully negotiate interactions with people. How does your mood affect the people you and women. This is even more so under conditions of stress. coach? Do they pick up on it? Of course they When your athletes are under stress, do do, and women are more likely to! Studies show how when under stress men produce ‘fight or flight’ hormones you know how to provide the right like testosterone and adrenaline, while women generally produce more environment to enhance their performance? oxytocin which buffers the ‘fight or flight’ response and has a pronounced calming effect. Do you normally contribute to increase their stress levels or alleviate them? How, It seems that under stressful conditions, women tend to respond and why? by forming more connections with others and by looking for support from their community. By contrast, men tend to react with alarm, aggression and individualistic behaviour.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 14 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Coaching Women Female Psychology and Female Psychology and Considerations for Coaching Practice Considerations for Coaching Practice

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 15 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Female Psychology and Considerations for Coaching Practice

So what does this mean for you? A call to action Generally speaking, this research shows that a woman’s Think about how you could change your approach to approach to most things is different to that of a man. your coaching sessions. You don’t have to be able to Drives and motivations, and the way in which these identify with everything in this factsheet, but the are fulfilled are, for the most part, different for men differences you will achieve from changing a minor part and women. of your coaching methodology could bring great results. For women, and without trying to oversimplify female There are five other factsheets in the series. Each one behaviour choices, this translates into an overall attitude explores a different area surrounding women in sport, to life based on the following concepts: which may help inform your approach to your current coaching practice. The factsheets are: • Putting the greater good before their own • Coaching Myth Buster • A need to make the environment they work in as safe and appealing as possible • Female Physiology and Considerations for Coaching Practice • Added significance to how things and people look • Developing Female Coaches • Thorough decision-making and risk-assessment processes • Coaching Female High-Performance Athletes • A tendency to take responsibility for everything • Socially Inclusive Coaching. • Relationships (making and fixing them) matter above For further information about the series, please everything else email [email protected] • Collaboration over competition is the main drive within groups. References Your job as a coach is to use this evidence and find Ambrose, R.C. (2002) ‘Are we overemphasising manipulatives in the primary grades to the detriment of girls?’, the right strategies to engage with different athletes www.nctm.org/resources/nea/TCM2002-09-16a.pdf and participants. Baron-Cohen, S. (2003) The Essential Difference. London: Allen Lane. ISBN: 978-0-713996-71. Brizendine, L. (2007) The Female Brain. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN: 978-0-767920-10-0. Cunningham, J. and Roberts, P. (2006) Inside Her Pretty Little Head. London: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN: 978-1-904879-96-1. Healy, J.M. (2004) Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN: 978-0-767916-15-8. © Action Images Limited/Reuters ©

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 16 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Coaching Women Female Psychology and What do champions’ time as young people can feel themselves Considerations for Coaching Practice progressing physically and watch their autobiographical accounts performances improve. Once they have and the research tell us stopped developing physically the hard So what does this mean for you? A call to action work starts. Overall they need to mature, Generally speaking, this research shows that a woman’s Think about how you could change your approach to about athletes’ progress approach to most things is different to that of a man. your coaching sessions. You don’t have to be able to become far more self-aware, control their Drives and motivations, and the way in which these identify with everything in this factsheet, but the are fulfilled are, for the most part, different for men differences you will achieve from changing a minor part towards the elite? and women. of your coaching methodology could bring great results. emotions and start finessing their For women, and without trying to oversimplify female There are five other factsheets in the series. Each one strategy and approach to competition – behaviour choices, this translates into an overall attitude explores a different area surrounding women in sport, to life based on the following concepts: which may help inform your approach to your current Ben Oakley this takes time and coaching can help coaching practice. The factsheets are: • Putting the greater good before their own • Coaching Myth Buster Senior Lecturer at The Open them make sustained progress. • A need to make the environment they work in as safe and appealing as possible • Female Physiology and Considerations for University Coaching Practice Consider what Arsene Wenger, the • Added significance to how things and people look • Developing Female Coaches • Thorough decision-making and longest serving manager in the English risk-assessment processes • Coaching Female High-Performance Athletes First person autobiographical insights Premier League, has said. He has often • A tendency to take responsibility for everything • Socially Inclusive Coaching. interest me since they provide examples • Relationships (making and fixing them) matter above For further information about the series, please commented about creating the right everything else email [email protected] of what shapes elite athletes’ progress. • Collaboration over competition is the main drive environment for learning and the within groups. References My own elite coaching experience and a importance of the mind, “… in soccer you Your job as a coach is to use this evidence and find Ambrose, R.C. (2002) ‘Are we overemphasising manipulatives in the primary grades to the detriment of girls?’, fascination with the academic research the right strategies to engage with different athletes www.nctm.org/resources/nea/TCM2002-09-16a.pdf do need special talent, but when a player and participants. Baron-Cohen, S. (2003) The Essential Difference. in this field led me to read 30 London: Allen Lane. ISBN: 978-0-713996-71. passes the age of 20, what is in the mind Brizendine, L. (2007) The Female Brain. New York: Broadway Books. autobiographies from serial champions. ISBN: 978-0-767920-10-0. is more important than the rest and Cunningham, J. and Roberts, P. (2006) Inside Her Pretty Little Head. These included accounts from the likes London: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN: 978-1-904879-96-1. that’s what makes a career [my of Usain Bolt (athletics), Chrissie Healy, J.M. (2004) Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence. emphasis] … For me being a soccer New York: Broadway Books. ISBN: 978-0-767916-15-8. Wellington (ironman) and also included manager is being a guide. A guide is Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, David someone who leads people somewhere … Millar, Bradley Wiggins (two books) and he has to identify what he wants … and Chris Froome. I then drew on these try to get the best out of each narratives and combined them with individual” (Carson, 2013). research evidence to develop a book called Podium. From here I start to Wenger describes the crucial age for answer the above question with six main young professionals when they are 19– themes from my research which we will 22 years old as “a period in your life when explore below. your ego is massive … the world turns around you – and that’s a normal Age, learning and maturity development thing for a person”. But at For those focused on their sport through that age a coach has a big part to play to adolescence it should be a memorable

© Action Images Limited/Reuters © help them assess their own The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 17 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 performances and learn from them. “To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was Wenger constantly invites players to really shattered, and I felt my assess how they think they’re doing and confidence evaporate. then pays particular attention to how With hindsight … if I had not bombed so abysmally – it’s accurately they evaluate themselves. possible I might not have gone on to win the gold The coaching skill here is to build a medal in Athens … as it was, strong enough relationship, a I went back to basics, and reassessed everything”. partnership, that allows athlete autonomy yet also guiding them towards Hoy and other champions all display this accurate evaluations and decisions. important mental attribute of realistic Unbalanced relationships with the coach performance evaluations. Chris holding all the power and control often Boardman suggested that Hoy take result in unhappy periods in athletes’ ownership of his own training plan so development e.g. Victoria Pendleton’s that the creation of a new plan became an experiences at the UCI centre in exciting project. Remember how I Switzerland. mentioned ‘autonomy’ earlier. This is an Chris Hoy recalls a critical learning example of an athlete taking experience in his career at the age of 23: responsibility and making his own

“Up to then I’d been on a choices and decisions and not being slow steadily rising curve of in asking for support from others. So improvement, which is like winning: it’s easy to deal often in sport the culture is not to expose with. I hadn’t yet peaked; I personal struggles but in fact the ideal hadn’t even plateaued. I had situation is an environment in which just kept getting better – the challenge for any athlete people feel comfortable in coming always comes when you stop forwards for dialogue – but it is not easy improving – and in 2003 I seemed to stop improving … if you are hundreds of miles from home Looking back at that year (see below). now through the long lens I can see what went wrong”. Critical events or catalysts ‘Having a vision’ is something you often He describes overtraining, cramps, poor hear about in business or leadership- sleep, a relationship breakup with his speak. It turns out most champions can first serious girlfriend and a fourth place identify a key event or catalyst, often at the 2003 World Championships final. getting beaten, which made them realise

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 18 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 the vision of what was required to reach Coaches and support staff help convey the top. Take Usain Bolt for example. an overall vision or plan of what is Yes, being 6‘5” and lightning fast at the required, but it often needs a major jolt age of 15 meant he had the physical for athletes to wake up and realise what attributes to be a potential winner, but it really takes to succeed. his own account of the challenges he Steve Redgrave the rower describes it faced over the next five years is a poignantly as a key moment when he was fascinating insight into what shaped 21 years old. Winning was fairly him. inevitable as a teenager with physical After a poor 2004 Games in Athens, aged prowess:

17, the World Championships 200-meter I figured ‘all I’ve got to do is final in Osaka, 2007 was a turning point. follow what the coaches are telling me and Olympic Tyson Gay ran past him off the bend to success will happen’. It take gold, and Bolt took his first major wasn’t until the 1983 worlds when … I didn’t make the top senior medal, a silver. At 2 a.m. the night 12, it suddenly dawned on after the race, Bolt couldn’t sleep and me … it’s about how hard and how well you prepare. wanted to know why he was beaten after That was the turning point in initially leading. He knocked on the door my career’. of his bleary eyed coach … once awake, He won his first gold medal the following coach Mills told him a home truth about year. his slack gym conditioning sessions. There are a lot of examples of how this From then on, Bolt took responsibility vision emerges. One striking reoccurring and started to build the strength that narrative is the description of a fierce would allow him to burst off the bend and duel to overcome one particular rival maintain his high knee lift. This catalyst early in international careers. This made him realise the priority of focused shaped the progress of people like conditioning work in the gym, Bradley Wiggins (cycling) and Ben particularly important with his scoliosis Ainslie (sailing) in their first Olympics. back condition. Later in 2012, as he’d conquered the Typically, by the end of their adolescence pinnacle of the Tour de France, Bradley or into their early 20s champion athletes Wiggins said: are gradually learning what it takes to In spite of the gold medals … I’d succeed at the very highest levels. say it was only in 2011 that I

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 19 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Table 1 – Common career challenges and ‘road-bumps' adversity and these are some of the key obstacles that athletes Common career Unpredictable challenges often have to navigate in challenges their career (see Table 1).

• Injury/illness In cycling the challenge • Relocation represented by moving • Change of coach • Bereavement away to a new training/

• Educational • Allegations of drug c o m p e t i t i o n transitions use/wrong doing environment is

• Relationship conflict • Eating disorder described by many cyclists. It’s a tough time • Junior – Senior •Significant rule change transition due to the athletic transition but also the • Performance slump or underperformance at key psychological and social event changes, most notably: • Event change (e.g. time trial, track, stage changing relationships racing) with parents, home • Loss of funding friendships; and social • Early appearances for national team/squad support (or lack of) from • Post-championship other athletes. These ‘down’ days it is a fairly managed process for • De-selection those moving to squads in Manchester with completely understood how much you need to work to get advice about cooking and general elite to the very top, what hard athlete life skills in addition to input training is, and how much of a lifestyle change is involved. about recovery and training.

So, even with multiple Olympic medals it Perhaps one of the key questions for required considerable adjustment to his coaches and organisations to try and vision to realise his Tour ambition. answer is how to provide appropriate There is a whole literature surrounding preparation, guidance and support athletic transitions, challenge and through such episodes. One group of

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 20 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 psychologists led my Dave Collins have selection were made in full glare of the suggested that it is indeed a rocky road to media. Discipline on social media is also the top and that ‘talent needs needed for effective relationships to be trauma’ (Collins and MacNamara, 2012). maintained in teams. In cycling it is In other words training for, and careful probably more subtle: self-control of coaching through challenges, thereby emotions affects decision making and gradually building athletes mental optimum pacing. attributes helps prepare athletes for Again late adolescence and early their uncertain and stressful sporting adulthood are often a time when key path. This does not suggest athletes learning takes place. For instance, it should be wrapped in cotton wool, far seems difficult to believe that Roger from it, but that they treat experiences as Federer had a problem with his opportunities to learn new mental skills, temperament now that he is known as a and refine attitudes and beliefs. supreme champion of such poise, Controlling emotions unflappable calm and confidence. Yet in We know the performance cost of his developing years he would often temperamentally going over the edge and curse and toss his racket around, losing it in competition. In team sports causing his coach to intervene. Federer ‘red-mist’ antics can cause lost points or explains the depth of the problem: “It was even dismissal from the field whilst in bad. My parents were embarrassed … I tennis, players are seen had to calm down but that becoming wildly annoyed was an extremely long with themselves or the process”. Coaches umpire. It is not just in and dialogue with a competition but also s p o r t s afterwards that p s y c h o l o g i s t racers need to stay helped him. in control. Consider More recently the recent aftermath Andy Murray’s of a costly error made muttering and by the GB 4 x 100m verbal self-abuse team at the 2015 World until about his mid-20s Athletics Championships in has been the focus of which heated comments about The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 21 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 coaching interest. Ivan Lendl, himself of the most intimidating places-the known for his poker-face on the tennis athletics call room to maintain court as a player, is partly credited in concentration and focus on his reining back Andy’s verbal outbursts of performance. frustration and anger, which seemed to Chris Hoy described how he first tried distract him at crucial pressure this having spoken to Dr. Steve Peters in moments. It is no use letting too much the months before the 2004 Olympic emotion unnecessarily drain your Games. Hoy started to use it in the lead energy, especially on something that has in to the Games – whenever he started already happened, and many consider having negative thoughts he would use that the more emotionally calm you can imagery of his performance to displace be throughout a long match the better. the negativity. He used it again at the This key feature of Murray’s new Games to help block out distractions and approach was to prove vital in his first any negative thoughts when the three Wimbledon Championship win in 2013. riders before him broke the world record. Controlling temperament is an Imagery is an important tool which absolutely key attribute in all sports, but coaches need to start understanding it can take a while to master. how to use with their athletes.

Verbal outbursts are one form of A curiosity and fascination with the emotional expression. Negative emotions process Continuing the mental theme I want to and thoughts (i.e. anxiety) are also focus on one attitude in particular. The something elite athletes have to find a athlete mindset of embracing and way of managing sometimes by trial and enjoying learning almost compulsively. error in the early part of their career. At As Chris Hoy said – “One of the things a recent fascinating meeting with you can do as an athlete is to constantly Michael Johnson and Chris Hoy whilst ask questions: it is a healthy curiosity shooting a forthcoming Channel 4 series and a constant quest for answers that called Chasing Perfection I heard from produces a lot of the drive’ (my both of them how they managed pressure emphasis). Peter Keen one of his early GB and anxiety. Michael Johnson used coaches also describes champions imagery to help his concentration in the needing to have ‘a fascination with the tense, anxious minutes leading up to an process’ (Keen, 2014). Notice neither use Olympic final. He used it as a tool in one the word ‘obsession’ (a topic I have The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 22 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 addressed in ‘Podium’) which perhaps why do routines work? has more negative connotations. There are two aspects: Curiosity and fascination describe a 1. It helps focus attention on a deep excited engagement with, not relevant part of the task. This winning per se, but the process of how helps block out external you become the best in the world and distractions (e.g. thoughts and then deliver on the day under pressure. crowd noise). They get deep satisfaction of the forensic examination of what it takes and the 2. It directs athletes’ focus away from subsequent preparation. Perhaps it is detailed movements, allowing the partly a personality trait that Michael skill process to deliver with Johnson describes as ‘a search for minimal conscious involvement, perfection’. e.g. if you overthink your movements in driving a car you are Routines and Confidence in danger of producing jerky Polishing a pre-performance routine is movements and not benefiting something champions and their coaches from your automatic ingrained know is important. Recently in the rugby skill. World Cup we have seen various kickers Coaches and athletes need to find a use their own idiosyncratic routines routine that works and is meaningful for preparing to kick. Routines and them. Bradley Wiggins gives some including imagery and self-talk partly detailed descriptions of his time trial give back a sense of control during routine in his second autobiography that intense moments. As England rugby covers his Tour de France success. It player Jonny Wilkinson has said ‘it includes these comments of his 2012 assures [him], very slightly it relaxes Olympic Games preparation: [him]’. The overriding thing with the Testing the use of pre-performance time trial was that from the day routines can be done be comparing before, going through the whole [pre-race] routine in the performance in a group who develop morning beforehand, it was routines with a control group that does the same process that I had been though on the Tour and not use one. For example, in a ten-pin every other time trial in recent bowling experiment this resulted in a 29 years. So that put me in Hampton Court [at the start] … per cent increase in performance. But super-confident that I could

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 23 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 win. yourself to the limit. Two descriptions of Yet, his coaches had to fix one thing to enduring pain from Chrissie Wellington ensure the feeling of continuity and and Alberto Salazar help shine a light on confidence was maintained. It was the how coaches might discuss training voice in his ear. Sean Yates had been the intensity and pain with their athletes. person who accompanied and spoke to Chrissie Wellington, is an expert in the him by radio in his support car for all his mind-games of ironman suffering, time-trial victories that season. His having won the event four times. She coaches fixed it for him to be a Team GB says that pain is never far away in an member for a day, just to tick the last endurance athlete’s life and compares confidence box. Routine and consistency pain to a conversation between your help maintain a feeling of control. body and your brain. Let’s not forget the confidence gained The brain is the master from being a long-term member of a top computer of the body … It’s a question of testing the limits. performing team. His support team of The brain is programmed to sports scientists, coaches and team protect us, and that can mean imposing limits on what it psychiatrist supplied the hard evidence thinks we can or should do. of training statistics and the words, Constantly push at those limits, because the brain can actions and team culture that had made be way too cautious … We this self-belief so assured. Their voices should constantly question it, fight it. That means enduring and the drip-feeding of persuasive words pain … What the good combined with results are a proven triathlete should relish is the pain that is our brain’s way of ingredient in the science of confidence. telling us that it doesn’t like What coaches say and how they behave how hard we are working. influence athlete confidence. … There is a very real process of refinement going on. You are Cyclists’ relationship with pain not just working your muscles and lungs, you are working The mystery of how champions endure your brain to learn to accept and think about endurance-related pain each new level of exertion as something that can be intrigues me. I have identified extreme endured safely. accounts of how champions’ view Wellington’s description seems to be suffering and pain: particularly the lung- about exploring beyond the brain’s pain bursting, limb-burning, head-throbbing limits. Another perspective comes from sensations you feel when you push Alberto Salazar, coach and former four-

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 24 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 time winner of the New York/Boston Marathons. His athletes Mo Farah and What do you think … what intensity Galen Rupp dominated the World should young developing athletes train Championship and Olympic podiums in at and should we pay equal attention to 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 although he guiding them in recovery and the mental is still subject to drug concerns in some side? quarters. However, his observations on Final thoughts pain are interesting: This short tour through some of the ideas Anybody can take pain and I have explored certainly makes me discomfort when you're succeeding. It's really your realise that as a coach you are largely ability to deal with that pain, modelling the type of behaviours and discomfort and fear and not have it negatively affect your attitudes that you want young people to running. … It's the negative work towards. Coaches are by no means thoughts that creep in – I'm not doing well, I'm not handling perfect but they can help athletes this well – that make you back become more mature and resilient in off. And I think … often runners will think, 'I have their approach. these negative thoughts, I'm a wimp, I'm not tough' and stuff. References And the more that you sort of … expect it, that this is natural Carson, M., (2013) The Manager: Inside the when you're going all out and Mind of Football’s Leaders, Bloomsbury. you're on the edge that the doubts will come. And [then] Keen, P., (2014) Ordinary People Do learning to deal with that Extraordinary Things: What Do the Lives [through science and of Olympians Tell Us About the Champion in Us All? Green Templeton College, coaching] ... Oxford, 24th February 2014 Salazar’s perspective is that reaffirmation and self-belief of pain Jackson, R., Beilock, S., and Kinrade, N., tolerance is all part of mental (2013) ‘“Choking” in Sport; Research preparation: so when it hurts like hell Implications’, in Farrow, D., Baker, J., and MacMahon, C. (eds), Developing Sport during adverse periods in competition Expertise: Enhancing the Coach–Scientist the confidence is there to deal with the Relationship, Chapter 10, Routledge. deep pain. A sort of pain-training Collins, D., and MacNamara, Á., (2012) ‘The confidence builder: despite the acute Rocky Road to the Top; Why Talent Needs suffering inwardly saying ‘everything is Trauma’, Sports Medicine, 42:11, pp. 907– still all right – I can deal with this!’ 14.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 25 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Podium – What shapes a sporting champion Ben Oakley ISBN: 978-1-4729-0216-0 Review by Alex Wise Why did Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton or Bradley Wiggins become the sporting legends they are today? Importantly why didn’t I? What was it that I was missing that meant I progressed no further than a French Pro Continental team? It’s a question that I ask myself regularly. I grew up in a competitive age group; amongst my peers were, Adam Blyth, Alex Dowsett, Ben Swift, Ian Stannard, Peter Kennough and Johnny Bellis all of whom had at one stage or another a professional contract with a Pro-Tour level team. Why did I miss out?

Finally, thanks to Ben Oakley, I have an entertaining and enlightening book to help guide me to an answer almost eight years on from when I packed it all in. Ben researches and examines every aspect of becoming a sporting champion from genetics, to environment. Many of you will be aware of the age-old debate between nature and nurture? How do all these many things came together to create Chris Hoy the champion we see today?

The book is easy to read, which is a rare thing for a psychology book that covers such depth, is insightful and asks as many questions as it gives answers. You are often left reflecting on your own experience and seeing how it differs from the champions examined in the book. For an almost champion such as myself, at times it was a difficult read, but a thorough and rigorous examination into what makes a champion. This is a must read for all coaches, especially those who coach young athletes who could potentially go on to be future champions.

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 26 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Self Reflection: The role it has for best coach. So it’s important that you coach and rider development and also reflect on your coaching so that ways to incorporate it into your you can improve from every coaching coaching. interaction that you make. You can improve your riders and your riders, Alex Wise - ABCC Coach and Journal with the help of self-reflection, will help Editor you in return. First we are going to discuss in more detail about what self- Introduction reflection actually means. Then we will look into why it will help your riders This issue of the Association of British and yourself before finally equipping Cycle Coaches has focused on the you with the tools needed to promote psychology of champions. We have self-reflection. (McLeod, 2013) seen, with thanks to UK Sports Coaches, the differences between male What is Self-reflection? and female athlete’s brains and how this can affect the way that you “Reflective learning is a way of approach coaching both with a female allowing [individuals] to step back rider or in a mixed group. We then from their learning experiences to heard from Ben Oakley, Senior help them develop critical Lecturer at The Open University and thinking skills and improve on founder of their Sports Education future performances by analysing qualifications. His insight, using their autobiographies, was excellent. experiences” (www.sheffield.ac.u k, 2015) Now we look at self-reflection, the process of looking at our actions, analysing them, improving them and Reflective practice is something used then implementing changes at the next by educators worldwide to support attempt. Self-reflection is an important learners to improve their futures. It tool for a rider. The ability to reflect involves the process of reflecting on an and interpret their actions in a action: what happened, why did it constructive manner will enable them happen, what could I do differently, to draw on the learning outcomes of then finally doing it differently; then both the negative and positive events starting this process all over again. The that follow athletes so closely; cycle of self-reflection is perpetual, the becoming a stronger athlete every time more you do it, however, the better you they clip their shoes into their pedals. become at understanding yourself, (Jones, 2007) your body and your mind and the better that you become at learning Self-reflective practice can also help from your experiences, a key skill in so you as a coach. The world’s best coach many areas of life. (White, 2015) today will be nowhere tomorrow if they don’t strive to always be the world’s

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 27 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Fig. 1.1 – circle of learning showing how reflective learning is part of that process.

Stage one is thinking about the action If the crash happened towards the you want to reflect on. It is important back of the bunch, why were they at to note the words that Roger Greenway the back of the bunch? What were they uses in stage one “Facts (What thinking? Perhaps they wanted to grab happened)”. It is important that your a drink or they were thinking about rider considers only the facts, not saving themselves for the sprint finish conjecture. So if they missed the break and they wanted to take a breather. and ended up 8th they should consider Maybe they were just after the top of a the facts around the missing of the hill and they had slipped through the break but not consider that if they had bunch from front to back? So what managed to get into the break they were they thinking when the event might have won. They shouldn’t happened? What were they feeling consider what might have happened if when the event happened? Noting they hadn’t crashed but what the facts these emotions and thoughts down can were around their crash. help them recognise their body better.

Stage two is to reflect on those facts Pulling together their thoughts, and think about, what they were doing emotions and the facts of the event when it happened, what were they together you can start to build a thinking? This is looking beyond the picture as to why the event happened facts but into them and their thoughts. the way that it did? This is the very

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 28 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 important stage three. Without doing hold erroneous tacit knowledge which stage one and two, stage three can be we would never know if it remains misleading. It is very easy to misguide subconscious. So by calling into yourself, and even easier to misguide question what we know and feel we others which can undermine bring our knowledge to the conscious confidence and lead to a negative level; we can challenge and recognise impact on performance. It is very our knowledge keeping it current and important to be honest with yourself or relevant. We can change and evolve for your rider to be honest with himself our knowledge. This is the real benefit or herself. to self-reflection.

Stage four is about applying learning Try it for yourself: Think from stage three. During the reflection of a recent event, either positive or in stage three there was learning about negative – mine was an incident that why the event happened. Now it’s occurred while I was driving – which about putting the event back together you can remember. Now take yourself through each of the stages so that if it occurs again the reaction is we have just spoken about. See how better in the future. This could be a it could help you in future event? bullet point action for a race or a different method for training, a different technique. It’s important that you don’t try and over complicate things; don’t try and re-write the rules of cycling to achieve a different result. You don’t need to change the world, try changing one or two things then try again and go around another circle of How can Self-Reflection improve the reflection. rider?

Self–reflection could be an alien So now that we have a basic concept to you, you might never have understanding of what self-reflection is engaged in it before; it can feel false or we can go on to look at how this disingenuous at first as with many new method can benefit your rider. As and unfamiliar concepts but the more coaches we are always looking for you go through the cycle the more constant improvement in our riders accurate and more beneficial it and a plateaued rider causes becomes. It is a form of trial and error headaches. If the rider’s feedback is but also about building a knowledge minimal or unspecific it can be even bank. Tacit knowledge is great at its more of a headache trying to unpick job, for many of us driving a car or the issue and return them to the riding a bike is tacit knowledge, but it upward path. This is the first benefit is almost impossible to improve that we can get with good self- knowledge that we don’t recognise and reflection, the rider performing a don’t acknowledge. Worse still is if we reflective circle on their training and

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 29 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 racing will give you a much better draw out learning points from the insight into them and their training riders and they can assess and requirements. improve themselves. This can be framed as a positive outcome from the A more reflective athlete is a more race, removing the emphasis on the independent athlete. It’s great to be result and placing it on the learning wanted but as a coach it’s much better outcomes. This shift in focus leads to to have an independent rider rather success in all eventualities and than a coach dependent rider. Riders avoidance of the negative cycle can become fixed on their coach and mentioned above. (Richards, 2009) do not learn to take responsibility for their own actions and as a result they Riders can also learn to always take become passengers in races and end something away from all situations and up with events happening to them. this helps to keep them grounded. This position, of a rider reliant on their Some athletes, especially young coach is not a positive relationship for athletes, can have quite a performance them and it will limit their advantage over their peers and opportunities. Self-reflection can make managing expectations can be difficult. them aware of their role in their When the performance advantage is performance and how they can affect lost, for whatever reason, motivation the outcome. This prompts ownership can cause the athletes to leave the of their performance and leads to sport. Focusing on learning outcomes greater independence and less reliance derived from self-reflection focuses a on external influencers, removing the rider on bettering themselves and not cap on their personal development and on their results against peers leading performances. (Long, 2013) to a more grounded athlete that does not focus primarily on their results Athletes are very often driven by compared to their peers. results. Their desire to win or podium can lead to negative events that lead to Finally, the outcomes from your rider negative emotions and loss of going through a reflective cycle can confidence. Failing to win, regardless of help you as a coach focus on points the reason, if that was their goal, has a needing improving. The outcome from negative impact on that rider. Negative a race might be that they needed to be emotions can affect the physiological able to get over the hill in better shape effectiveness of training. to compete in the sprint. Previously you might have thought that their We are often taught as coaches to use sprint needed improving but on their smart goals. But on occasions it can be reflection you are able to refocus and difficult to escape results driven develop the rider further. The aspirations and the danger of the analytical outcomes of reflection are negative cycle. With self-reflection easily slotted into training diaries and there is an opportunity to effectively training plans. I have had some real analyse the races. As coaches we can gems come from my athletes’ self-

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 30 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 reflection, however, don’t be upset if understanding of why your training the outcomes do point to changes in works for some riders and why it your coaching style or methods. This doesn’t work for others. For example, can actually improve you as a coach. when I started coaching a female (Macquet, 2014) athlete recently, she always reported struggling to keep her heart rate in the How can self-reflection improve the upper range of the zones. No other coach? rider struggled with it. On reflection I saw the possibility that it could be a The benefits gender of self- thing. A reflection little bit of extend to you research as a coach led to the too. As realisation touched on that above, the women’s more detailed heart rate feedback a can be rider can give higher than you will help men’s by your role as a 8-10bpm coach. As a reflecting coach, self- the lower reflection on blood your coaching volume method, style their hearts and your can pump outcomes will constantly improve you in one beat. I was then able to modify as a coach too. her zones and now the rider is making much bigger strides in performance. I For those of you who have recently did this by reflecting on my coaching done British Cycling’s level two practise. It has undoubtedly improved coaching course you’ll be familiar with me as a coach going forward. (Mitchell, their ‘Plan, Do, Review’ mantra. This is 2013) a simplified version of the method that we touched on above in Fig. 1.1 and Further to this, self-reflection gives you 1.2. As a coach it is very important a chance to develop yourself each day. that you constantly appraise what it is Just the same way that every you are doing with all of your riders so experience that a rider has in training that you constantly keep fresh, focused and racing can be seen as a positive and current. opportunity to improve as a rider, the same is true for a coach. Whether a Self-reflection leads to better rider performs or fails to meet their

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 31 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 goal; whether you see eye to eye or need to ask themselves during self- sometimes fall out, these experiences reflection. It covers three main themes: can build up the knowledge bank that what they did well, what they want to can be drawn on in the future. We do better and what they are proud off. should be striving to always improve Framing it in this way they spend more ourselves as coaches and constantly time with positive thoughts than reviewing our performances and negative ones. Within each theme there coaching methods and a good self- are the Kolb’s stages in question form. reflective cycle done regularly will achieve this! (Macquet, 2013) From a training perspective my riders fill in a training plan that they share How to incorporate self-reflection with me. This is where they can reflect into your coaching? on their training. I can see this feedback and if I need to I will discuss Self-reflection is easy to fit into your with them some of the feedback that coaching and doesn’t take much extra they put into that diary. But they time. The important thing to remember should remember that feeding back to is that it is self-reflection so you should you is only half the use of a diary, allow your rider to reflect on their own feeding back to themselves is also a and in their own time. Similarly when reason to fill in the diary reflectively. you do your own reflection, do it So that they are able to look back on without your normal distractions, leave the plan and see exactly how they your phone, leave your e-mails and set ended up where they are. This is aside a block of time to complete it. important for their improvement and Your riders should do the same, away also working towards them taking from external influences such as responsibility for their actions. yourself as the coach, parents or partners. If you research self-reflective practice after reading this brief introduction Encourage your rider to reflect away into this topic then you will find that from the heat of the moment where some people discuss using video they can be more objective and honest technology for self-reflection. This is with themselves. Putting them on the actually fact collection. It is a great spot and asking them for feedback technique for remembering the facts of straight after training or racing can an incident, but it is only useful for lead to disingenuous feedback based that part of the reflection don’t get on either pride or a desire to please hung up on the technology that some you or other external influencers. research uses. The important part is that you and your riders start I have a word document that I reflecting on your actions and reaping encourage my riders to fill out for the rewards that self-reflection can events such as races (attached at the offer. back of this journal as an appendix) that contains the questions that they Further information can be found here:

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 32 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 10, education/learning-teach-becoming- No. 3, pp. 353-363 reflective-practitioner/content- section-0 Macquet, Ac, Stanton, N.A. (2014) ‘Do the coach and athlete have the same http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ «picture» of the situation? Distributed education/learning-how-learn/ Situation Awareness in an elite sport content-section-11.1 context’, Applied ergonomics, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 724-733 Alex Wise Macquet , Ac. (2013), ‘Getting Them on Bibliography: the Same Page: A Method to Study the Consistency of Coaches' and Athletes' Levett-Jones, T.L. (2007) ‘Facilitating Situation Understanding During reflective practice and self-assessment Training Sessions and Competitions’, of competence through the use of Sports Psychologist, Vol. 27, No. 3, narratives’, Nurse Education in Practice, pp.292-295 Vol. 7, No. 2, PP. 112-119

Long, M. & French, J. (2013) Coaches - Create independent athletes [Online] Available from: http:// Mitchell, J. (2013), ‘Reflection as a www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/ Coach Development Tool’ [Online], article148.htm [Accessed 29/10/2015] Coachgrowth, Available from: https:// coachgrowth.wordpress.com/2013/07 White P, Laxton J and Brooke, R. /27/reflection-as-a-coach- (2015), Reflection: Importance, theory development-tool/ [Accessed and practice [Online], University of 31/10/15] Leeds, Available from: http:// www.alps-cetl.ac.uk/documents/ Reflection_BAA_article_submission.pdf [Accessed 29/10/15]

McLeod, S. (2013), Kolb - Learning Styles [Online], Simply Psychology, Available from: http:// www.simplypsychology.org/learning- kolb.html [Accessed 29/10/15]

Richards, P. Duncan, R.D. Collins, D. (2009), ‘Implementing reflective practice approaches with elite team athletes: parameters of success’, Reflective Practice: International and

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 33 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 Something a bit lighter: Read about our very own Mark Gorman breaking, Bikes, Bodies and records. Backseat driver trial run, an easy hour, down the local A stokers tale dual carriageway and back. Words by Mark Gorman To my surprise we didn't crash into anything or fall off. However, as a This story begins back in 2010. I was consequence of my trepidation, I had slumped in the headquarters of the been gripping the bullhorns so tightly I Welsh 12 hour, having finished my cut off all of the circulation in my first and to date only solo 12. I assume hands! like many others in the past, the phrase “never again” passed my lips. After a couple of, slightly more relaxed My training partner Bob had just trials and a couple of solo races it was completed the ride on a tandem, with time to give it a go in anger at an open his wife as the reluctant stoker. How 10 miler. A reasonably successful about riding with me on the tandem start, a new club record, nothing next year? At such a low ebb in my spectacular 22.40. However, given the enthusiasm I declined, vowing to difficulty of getting a tandem round a return to riding 10s and 25s. couple of tight After many months of reflection, I was bends at the turn, a reasonable start. beginning to have a change of heart. Another five seconds were knocked off Perhaps it hadn't been as bad as I a month later. Followed by our first 25 remember. and a third club record of the season. All in all a reasonable start to the Unfortunately, at that stage fate undertaking. intervened, our daughter fell ill and I didn't turn a pedal in anger or We were now fairly confident that we otherwise for 18 months. During this were compatible on the machine and period, Bob rode the full set from 10 that we could progress to our ultimate miles to 24 hours on the tandem with aim of completing the 12. Planning Stu, another of our club-mates. This started over the winter. The event gave them all of our club records and a would again be the Welsh event at the fair bit of physical discomfort. By the end of August. This would give us time late summer of 2012 I was back riding to get in a number of events in the and some may call it racing, but from build up. However, things started to go my viewpoint, some way off where I wrong, almost from day one. Bob got had been 18 months earlier. Therefore, hit by a van whilst out training and over the winter plans were resurrected broke his pelvis. He was on crutches for a tandem campaign. At this stage, I for a couple of months. I had had a hadn't even sat on the machine in good winter, went to the first race and question. With some trepidation, in the rode terribly. Only the day after did all spring of 2013, we set off on our first the symptoms of a quite nasty virus

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 34 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 show up. As a consequence the first style to the previous season. Training half of 2014 was a write off for both of went well through the winter for both us. Still, having set our minds to it, we of us. However, my form bombed at the put all other targets aside, planning beginning of the season for a reason I just to ride round the 12 hour and see am yet to fathom. Topped off with the what happened. I suppose based on recurrence of a long standing lower what had happened previously we back problem. Off to the physio for lots should have guessed the result. We of sessions. Something which started off conservatively, letting others continued until the end of June. pass us without a second glance. Thankfully, these managed to keep me Things seemed fine, neither of us riding, although having to manage a experiencing any major issues. Until fair amount of pain. that is we came in for our first feed at about 50 miles. For us, this means a Plans were again made for the Welsh brief stop (not easy to grab 2 bottles 12 hour and a number of 10s and 25s. and two lots of food on the go). On First off was a local 10, just to get the trying to start off, something didn't feel legs going. Unfortunately, my leg quite right. I seemed to be pedalling to wasn't even going over the top tube, no effect. A quick inspection showed due to the back problems. By the end that the splines on the stokers of May, things were looking a little chainset had sheared off. I put this more rosey. A local 25 on a far from down to my huge power but a ideal day, saw us knock half a minute manufacturing fault seems more likely. off out club record and PB. However, So ended our main target. To top off a there is a big difference between 25 great day, my car broke down and the miles and 12 hours. Especially as I had trip home was completed on a low to climb off 50 yards past the finish of loader. the 25 for a stretch. Over successive weeks we managed to Undeterred, we entered a local 25 with put in a lot of road miles together. the aim of salvaging something from Unfortunately, not on the tandem. One the season. It wasn't to be. A thing we are not good at is climbing navigational error, saw us off course, steep hills and there are an awful lot of with no way of regaining. Oh well, them where we live. We did spend a nothing much lost. Our last chance reasonable amount of time setting the came at the Duo Normand, one of my machine up for comfort rather than favourite events. I suppose given the speed. previous two events, we shouldn't have held out too much hope. We would By late June we were as ready as we have been right too. We were clipping were likely to be. An overnight camp along nicely, averaging about 26mph, within a short spin of the HQ and a when a marshall gestured left. 4am alarm saw us eating cold rice Unbeknown to us, she was gesturing at pudding and drinking strong black a car rather than us. By the time we coffee. Not everyone's breakfast of regained the course, we had lost choice but it seems to work for us. As a something like 10 minutes. Having tandem, we were first off. travelled all that way, we carried on, A long out and back from Raglan to only to puncture 10 miles from the Hereford and back saw the first 50 end. Time to call a halt to a disastrous miles out of the way and at least we season. had exceeded last years effort. The course then takes in a number of 2015 seemed to start off in similar picturesque 25 mile loops (not that I The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 35 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 could see much apart from the back of that we would finish and started to Bob's helmet). Unfortunately, a set of look at how far we could go. The club temporary roadworks had sprung up record was 217 miles and looked well after the start, almost causing us to within reach. We pushed on hard for crash, having rounded a corner into a the last hour and ended up with a set of traffic lights. A hasty course reasonably satisfying 221 miles. Not change, saw us heading back to huge these days and both of us have Hereford. Not an ideal morale boost, ridden further solo. However, only 3 hours in, as it is fairly lumpy considering the comfort issues and and quite open to the gusting winds. overly conservative start, not bad. Worse still, by the time we got back, Plenty more to come next year but they had decided the only way to some of the comfort issues will complete the event without definitely need addressing. Riding 12 encountering the roadworks, was, hours at all is tough. Doing it when you've guessed it, back to you know it will be uncomfortable Hereford. We had started and that you don't have anything conservatively but had picked to look at is doubly so. things up a little. Despite our lack of saddle time on the One target down. Anyone machine things were who time trials will know looking good as we hit 5 that tandem events are hours. However, shortly few and far between. A afterwards we both trawl of the internet started to have comfort threw up the Veterans issues. For anyone Time Trial Association who has stoked a National 25. Better tandem, you will still, it was on the ski know that there is ramp course in not much scope for South Wales. Plans moving about. were made, entries Unless you want to sent off and a hotel make the handling booked. Everything of the machine very looked good, as both difficult. Therefore, of us had started on a lot of the riding better. With downhill sections we the event on Sunday, were taking the we travelled up on opportunity to stand Saturday. The weather up for a stretch. We forecast looked very were stopping for about poor, heavy rain and 1-2 minutes every hour or strong winds. With a so, to top up on food and fluids significant fuel and and stretch out. At about 9 hours accommodation expenditure made, both of us encountered the dreaded we decided to give it a go, hoping that hot foot. We decided on reaching our the event wouldn't be cancelled when support crew to take our shoes off for a we got there. We were scheduled to be couple of minutes. Knowing that we last to start. We hoped our drive along were not far from the finishing circuit, the course would give us some good it wasn't too hard to get going again. news. The warning signs were out, a good omen. Eventually we saw a rider Nearing the end, we were pretty certain on the course, although he seemed to The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 36 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 be one of a very small number. On bike bars with some modern clip ons, arriving at the HQ we found that only secured by shims. Most modern flat about 60 of the 150 entrants had bars are too narrow at the end to allow turned up. The rain continued to pour the use of tri bars. Only time will tell if and rather than our usual turbo warm they work. We have decided, with up, we opted for a short ride to the neither of us being in the first flush of start. This didn't stop us getting youth, to target the VTTA Nationals. soaked. Even the start was not without Although we managed a distant second incident, as the pusher off almost at 25 miles, we are hoping for a win, dropped us and we had to unclip. It perhaps at one of the longer events. It probably cost us a few seconds but we would be nice to win something. settled into a rhythm fairly quickly. A Events allowing tandem entries, rarely couple of miles after the start the seem to have prizes for them course turns onto a dual carriageway and starts to descend Glynneath Bank. This is fairly fast on a solo, on a the back of a tandem it is scary. High speed when you can't see anything isn't one of my favourite things. Worse still, we passed a gate opening, just as a car whipped past us. The resulting speed wobble didn't do either of us any good. The incidents weren't over. Tandems aren't that manoeuvrable, worse still in the wet. Coming round the roundabout at the turn, we didn't quite make it and rejoined the road via a pedestrian island in the the road. Thankfully, apart from the rain which seemed to get heavier on the return leg, that was the end of our problems. I don't think when we started, that either of us expected much. We were just grateful not to have crashed. As it turns out despite the conditions it had been quite a quick day and our 55.36 was a new PB by more than 2 minutes and another club record.

Plans are well underway for next season. A new Matrix tandem with carbon tubes and alloy lugs, should be up and running. This will be our short distance speed machine. I have constructed some Heath Robinson tribars for the rear. I presume that tandem stokers weren't at the top of the list in the design shops, as you can't buy anything ready made.. These consist of an old set of 25mm shopping

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 37 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 PEDAL POWER 2015 The Association of British Cycling Coaches 43rd Annual Conference for Coaches & Riders Sunday November 15th, 2015 The Ramada Hotel and Suites The Butts, Earsldon, Coventry CV1 3GG

Programme

Tickets £30 Available from www.abcc.co.uk

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 38 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15 PEDAL POWER 2015 The Association of British Cycling Coaches 43rd Annual Conference for Coaches & Riders Sunday November 15th, 2015 The Ramada Hotel and Suites The Butts, Earsldon, Coventry CV1 3GG

Programme

Tickets £30 Available from www.abcc.co.uk

The Association of British Cycle Coaches Journal. Page 39 Edition: 2015 – 03. ISSN Number: 1353-7008 01/11/15