Be an Elite Coach, Build Elite Athletes

Things to develop your coaching and have a greater impact on your athletes. You define what your “elite” is!

By Isaac Leung, Athletic Skills

Hey reader,

Today I am going to talk about my top 6 equipment you can use to deliver strength and conditioning and have an impact on fundamental movement/physical development in any space. Read below for some practical tips!

Also in this newsletter, I am going to talk about ACL injuries. It’s such a brutal injury that can take a player out for a year and some may never return as they were! See how you can make an impact on this as a coach!

Before we touch on that. I have 3 spaces coming up on my new mentoring programme, Elite Coach Accelerator Mentoring that is a bespoke programme for coaches/PTs to become their version of elite with guidance from myself! Interested in finding out more? Reply with the word INTERESTED and I will get in touch!

Be an Elite Coach:

Equipment and the thought S&C needs to be done with lots of weights etc is a common barrier for coaches and personal trainers who want to start making an impact but feel they can’t.

So here are my top 6 pieces of equipment I have used to deliver S&C when I was coaching in a field or an empty room and you can make a great impact!

And with these, you will be able to carry them and pack them in your coaching or training bag.

Great for any Sports Coach coaching in a field/hall, S&C coach wanting to start delivering but not pay rent in a gym and Personal Trainer to deliver sessions at their or other peoples houses and more!

• Hurdles - great for creating intent in jumping and coach effective mechanics single leg and double and in different directions. You could also create your own hurdles using equipment you’ve got such as poles, cones etc. Ensure they are safe height to jump over.

• Medicine Ball - one of favourites. So versatile and can be used for power, strength, stability and more. Also great fun for your athletes to throw something as far as they can. You start with a football for younger players then move to 2-4kg but I would suggest you wouldn’t need to go higher than 6kg. If you are coaching power, ensure they can throw it fast. Here is a short video I recorded on MedBalls for more information!

• Resistance Bands - long or short, great for adding resistance to movement for strength exercises. Squats, rows, presses, rotations and more. Also great for sled pulls/resistance running to work on acceleration mechanics.

• Cones - simple but you can create drills and constraints using these in so many ways.

• Some type of ball - simply a ball that is different to the sport you play or a ball if you are coaching a client for general health and fitness. Great for a game and hand eye coordination. A favourite of mine was a nerf ball as it can be thrown far and whistles and is hard to catch.

• TRX Cable - now this maybe a new one but it’s a long strap with handles you can anchor to anywhere that is stable. Great for strength, core, stability and power. If you are interested in finding out more about TRX then reply TRX and I can send you more!

So there you go, 6 pieces of equipment that can be taken anywhere and you can start to coach some effective movement and S&C without needing a gym!

Build Elite Athletes:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a significant concern in sports, with female athletes at a notably higher risk than their male counterparts. Research indicates that females are two to eight times more likely to suffer an ACL injury compared to males (Prodromos et al., 2007; Joseph et al., 2013; Orthop, 2016). Moreover, there is a greater than 20% chance of reinjury or damaging the ACL of the other knee (Patel et al., 2021).

These injuries can sideline athletes for nine months or more, with some never fully regaining their pre-injury performance levels. I have firsthand seen athletes struggle to run as fast or jump as high or just lack the confidence in their knee.

The ACL is crucial for stabilising the knee during dynamic movements such as cutting, pivoting, jumping, and landing — actions common in sports like football, cricket, and tennis but also for general activity for general population to do.

Female athletes are more prone to ACL injuries due to anatomical, hormonal, and biomechanical factors (Ireland, 2002; Wojtys et al., 2002). Anatomically, women typically have a wider pelvis, leading to a greater knee angle (the Q angle), which increases stress on the ACL. Hormonal fluctuations, especially involving oestrogen, can affect ligament laxity and strength. Biomechanically, differences in movement patterns, such as landing from jumps with less knee flexion and greater inward collapse (valgus), also contribute to the higher incidence of ACL injuries.

In sports, the risk is particularly high during rapid directional changes, jumps, and landings. The significant force and torsion generated through the knees during these activities heighten the likelihood of ACL injuries.

Preventive measures are crucial. Strength and conditioning programs focusing on lower limb strength, neuromuscular control, and proprioception have proven effective (Hamon & Ireland, 2000). Proper landing techniques, agility drills, trunk and glute strengthening, and plyometrics can also yield significant benefits. Early-stage athletic development should emphasise physical literacy and movement competency. Additionally, educating athletes and coaches on prehabilitation and consistent warm-up routines is essential to reduce ACL injury rates.

Implementing targeted prevention strategies is key to protecting female athletes from ACL injuries, ensuring their longevity and success in their sports.

Using the equipment mentioned above, you could:

Use hurdles to do single leg jumps in different directions to assess movement technique.

Resistance bands for strength based exercises and acceleration mechanics.

Medicine ball to develop stability and core strength with throws and catches.

You can make an impact both in and out of a gym and reduce the risk of this horrible injury!

Any questions on the above or want to find out more about this, reply with your questions and I will get in touch!

Interested in my new programme for just 3 people. Hit reply with the word INTERESTED and I will get in touch!

Speak soon,

Isaac 🙂 

JOIN MY FREE WHATSAPP COMMUNITY WITH 40+ COACHES IN ALREADY AND SHARE THE JOURNEY IN LEARNING TOGETHER!