Chemmy Alcott at the Winter Olympics
22 February 2010
Finishing 13th in a Downhill competition littered with spectacular falls, Chemmy is still to contest the GS and slalom events.
Chemmy has worked incredibly hard since we first met two years ago to start our part of her programme, and with the committed support of coach Mark Tiltson, she has done everything possible to push her limits in Vancouver. Best of luck to Chemmy for this week.
Kent at the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne, Australia
12 January 2010
At the invitation of Vice Principal Hilary Bland, Kent and Joanne spent a December morning at the VCA introducing the concept of being "Healthy Musicians" to students and their teachers.
Kent gave a great presentation to the students and made them think about themselves and their bodies in a completely new and different way, highlighting healthy behaviours to prevent injuries, decrease nerves and improve concentration.
Ms Bland has since reported that there has been a really positive response from students and teachers, who started to implement simple but effective changes straight away. Well done, everyone!
Joanne on Sporting Movement at RMIT
12 January 2010
In November, Joanne brought her approach to sporting movement to Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology at the invitation of Australian Rugby and former Australian Olympic Head of Soft Tissue Therapies, Robert Granter.
Rob, a senior lecturer at RMIT and Director of the Australasian College of Soft Tissue Therapies, organised the course which was attended by a talented and experienced group of sports medicine professionals from several Australian states. From classical sword play to elite tennis, athletics to football, the group had incredibly diverse backgrounds which provoked plenty of great discussion on applied movement, assessment and sports relevance.
Joanne is looking forward to hearing how everyone has applied the course material when they come back together for Part 2 in March.
Getting Physical with Musicians
13 November 2009
Kent has been back at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, working with young musicians as part of a Musician's Health seminar.
Several years ago, we noticed that more young musicians were coming for physiotherapy as a result of injury. Through a combination of the culture of music, which often favours long hours of practice, and what appears to be a reduction in general strength, fitness and self management skills in these developing musicians, the rate of injury was increasing.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has been committed ever since to increasing the education of their students in self management and injury prevention through workshops of this kind, and after a successful presentation from Joanne in 2005, the Musician's Benevolent Fund has been brilliant in coming on board with support also. Elphinston Performance is pleased to be a regular part of this ongoing initiative to keep musicians playing!
Kent on Exercise for Children
29 September 2009
Kent has been in London this month lecturing as part of a two day seminar investigating different methods for training and rehabilitating children.
Hosted by Mile End Hospital, this seminar was a great opportunity for Paediatric physiotherapists to experience a range of approaches, including four hours with Kent learning "Get On The Ball" techniques for a wide range of paediatric presentations.
Learning through fun and experience hit the right note in Kent's session as seminar participants had their eyes opened to simple, effective but motivating ways to work with children.
Great Kayak Result at the US Championships
29 September 2009
Florida based EP client Jack Lincke, 64, has won the 5000m and K2 500m in his age group at the US Canoe and Kayak Championships.
Having spent several years working with the British Canoe Union, Joanne has enjoyed getting back down to sprint kayak specific self testing and training with Jack, using her book, "Stability, Sport and Performance Movement" as a foundation for consultancy via the internet.
A retired professor of Physical Education and Athletics, Jack is incredibly committed to meeting his potential as a Masters athlete, and we're pleased to support him in this endeavour!
Junior Golf success!
29 September 2009
Our youngest athlete, budding golf star Grace Connelly, has had a great summer in the Under 8 category, achieving 15th in the World Kids Golf Championships held in the USA, and second in the British Championships.
A great start for an athlete who just loves her sport!
Kent completes Somatic Experiencing training
30 June 2009
Kent is among the first of the professionals in the UK to complete the gruelling three year training in Somatic Experiencing.
Originating in the USA in order to treat post traumatic stress disorder, Somatic Experiencing techniques can be used to address the debilitating effects of trauma or intense stress and can be applied to a wide variety of issues.
These include performance anxiety and pre-presentation stress, the effects of accidents or attacks, and trauma which has been carried from childhood into adult life.
The skills that Kent has developed have already proven invaluable in the clinic with people ranging from whiplash victims and chronic pain patients to injured athletes, horse riders and young musicians, helping them to recover from unwanted and distressing physical symptoms.
Joanne at the Reading Shoulder Conference 2008
30 June 2009
Many shoulder problems arise from the way in which the whole body manages forces, and this was the subject of Joanne's lecture at the Reading Shoulder conference 2008.
Joanne presented at this conference in 2004, and was delighted to be invited back to share the approaches she has developed in assessing global body movement for its effect on the shoulder.
Many thanks to the organisers, fellow speakers and audience for a great day.
Joanne at The Orange
30 June 2009
The Orange is one of Stockholm's unique dance education facilities, and Joanne spent a great day working with a highly motivated group of Swedish and Norwegian trainers and rehabilitation professionals on movement analysis.
Snowsport in Ostersund
30 June 2009
Joanne spent an exhilarating day in Ostersund at the invitation of the Swedish Snowsport Research Centre, looking at the sophisticated training set up for the National Biathlon and Cross Country Ski teams and discussing technical movement elements which could influence performance.
England Golf Conference 2008
30 June 2009
Many thanks to Lynn Booth and the England Golfing Union for their invitation for Joanne and Kent to come and present an interactive workshop for physiotherapists, coaches and trainers working in golf as part of their National Conference in December 2008.
It was a highly practical exploration of mobility around the stable axis for golfers, and everyone threw themselves fully into the practical assessments and exercises to achieve full benefit.
Moving Well in Melbourne
30 June 2009
Rob Granter of the Australasian College of Soft Tissue Therapies drew together a great group of coaches, physiotherapists and sports scientists at Melbourne University to work with Joanne as she shared her approach to movement efficiency, analysis and training.
All who attended and worked bodies and minds in the pursuit of understanding movement for their particular sports.
Swedish National Football Conference January 2009
30 June 2009
Joanne made her way to Stockholm to present a full day's course at the National Conference of Physiotherapists in Swedish football.
The course was packed to the rafters in the National Sports Centre, Boson, and assisted by Elphinston Performance tutor Jackie Zaslona, Joanne put the participants through their paces as they learned movement tests that apply to footballers at all ages and levels.
Strength and Power in Gothenburg January 2009
30 June 2009
Roland Thomee, one of Sweden's most respected authorities on strength and power in rehabilitation hatched a dynamic concept for a conference on strength and power by pulling together three approaches in practical formats to see if conflict or consensus would be reached!
As one of the three main presenters, Joanne took six groups over the three days, looking at how body positioning and movement sequencing could affect power.
In the final wrap up, despite the great differences in approach that they had been exposed to, the participants responded that they had managed to appreciate each component as a piece in a puzzle that fitted together to make the full picture -- a fantastic outcome.
Moving Well in Glasgow: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Sports Conference 2009
30 June 2009
An invitation to speak at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Sports Medicine Symposium saw Joanne winging her way up to the Hampden Stadium to speak on Transference Failure of Stability Programmes to Sporting Function.
June 2008 Joanne at the Lawn Tennis Association National Conference
30 June 2009
Joanne was invited to lecture at the 2008 LTA National Sport Science and Medicine Conference in London prior to Wimbledon. Her subject was the movement disorders which lead to conditions in the lumbar spine in tennis players, and the structure of rehabilitation programmes to overcome these problems. The lecture went down well with excellent questions and feedback from the well informed audience of professionals working with tennis players at all levels.
www.stms.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1174&Itemid=348
Movement ART in Stockholm
30 June 2009
In partnership with Elite Coaching Sweden, Joanne has implemented a new three part intensive course for personal trainers and fitness professionals in Sweden.
The course is for those who aspire to deliver really insightful, personalised and individualised training to their clients. Elphinston Performance tutor Jackie Zaslona is a key presenter of this new course which addresses postural and movement efficiency development.
Stability, Sport and Performance Movement: Great Technique Without Injury
30 June 2009
Joanne coined the term Performance Movement when looking for a descriptive title for her work on Sir Clive Woodward's Coaching Olympic Gold programme for the British Olympic Association.
Her new book, Stability, Sport and Performance Movement is written to provide a bridge between the athlete, the coach, the sports scientist and the sports medicine professional, and it is rapidly gaining praise in reviews from the fitness industry, osteopaths, chiropractors, Pilates instructors and athletes.
The book was originally commissioned by the publishing division of the Swedish Sports Federation and existed only in Swedish for the first few years of its life, but it has now made it not only into English, but also shortly to appear in Japanese translation.
A few quotes from readers and reviewers:
"It is the most coherent, accessible and largely jargon-free text on this subject that I've seen. This book is a must read for anyone who is serious about reaching their athletic potential." www.cyclingnews.com
"I have worked as a personal trainer for 10 years and a physiotherapist for 4 of them,and I found this book a brilliant read. I wish I had this book years ago; it would have saved me a lot of time and money."
—Federation of Holistic Therapists Magazine
"No other books around that cover the subject of movement/performance analysis and give easy to follow progressions for all exercises."
"This is a must read text and was a pleasure to review. "
"It has changed my way of thinking and has improved the performance of my clients."
"[A]n indispensible resource for the pursuit of optimal athletic performance and the promotion of effective movement and efficiency whatever the level of activity and sport concerned."
Thanks everyone for your kind words!
University of East London Physio Undergraduates Get On The Ball
30 June 2009
Elphinston Performance tutor Judy Spryke introduced students at University of East London to a whole new way of considering patients with chronic pain.
Joanne's Get On The Ball approach to understanding movement dysfunction from a holistic perspective really lit up the students, according to course coordinator Cindy Gaimster. "They've been referring to it in their essays ever since", she said. Plans are being made to expand on this successful experience at UEL.
Welsh Golfing Union National Conference
30 June 2009
At the invitation of top amateur golfer Nigel Edwards, who is also director of player development for Wales, Joanne headed to the Celtic Manor Resort to present to golf professionals on movement screening and its relationship to technical development.
Along with Sir Clive Woodward, with whom Joanne has worked on the British Olympic Association Coaching Olympic Gold project, Joanne appeared as part of an excellent programme which focused on the role of sport science in modern golf.
