As the Rio Olympics go on, I could not help but to reach into the drawer to remove my father's track suit top.  Red in colour, with the Kenya hockey team 1968 Olympic badge stitched on the upper left area, it always is a proud moment to look at it again and realise his great achievement.
          For all sportsmen and women, the Olympics is where the focus is on to fulfil dreams. All the years, days, hours and minutes of training that it involves. It is more like an obsession. There is this special thing about the four yearly competition that draws competitors of all sports to take part.
          This to me was clearly shown when a player like Novac Djokovic, the number one tennis player in the world, who has won everything, the Grand Slams, fame and its rewards and also being called one of the great players of tennis, BUT he was in tears when he lost his match at the Olympics. He has lost Grand Slam finals before but I have never seen him this despondent as he did when he lost his match in Rio.
          There is no financial reward for him, neither does it affect his ranking, but it is that specialness about winning an Olympic medal that cannot be described.
             Mark Cavandish is another great champion of British cycling who decided to skip the Tour de France in order to prepare for winning a medal at the Rio Olympics in pursuit of a medal! He did win the Silver medal this week in Rio after missing out a medal at the London 2012 Olympics and managed to fulfil his dream of winning an Olympic medal.
             Another huge honor for such athletes is the chance to represent their country. For those two weeks , they are not top ranked individuals in tennis, but athletes fighting for their country's honour in their individual sports. 
             The Olympics are truly unique.

           In a team sport, what a coach or manager says to a team is often shrouded in mystery especially when the team performs better after the break and ultimately wins. A legend is then born about what happened during the team talk.
         As fans, one often wonders as to what may have been said to the players by their boss as a way of last minute tactical change. A fascinating insight was written by a former rugby player who is now a sports writer. He stated that as a professional rugby player, he could only remember ONE half-time team talk clearly. His team had struggled in the first half and he was on the substitute bench and t half time, this was what his coach instructed him, " Mate, I need you to do a job on on this p**k." This was of course a monstrously powerful French prop.

         He was also part of a team that one underwent a psychological study as to how one best absorbed information when under mental or physical stress. As a control, the players were given a 'tip sheet' that contained as much as 78 tips. They were then bombarded with instructions and aggressive, sweaty affirmations to psych them up.
         After a few months after the conclusion of the study, it was only when the psychologist had  guided coaches and managers to rationally and calmly  offer orders information that things changed.
        Performance was better when only TWO tips were written on the 'tip sheet'. The shouting and back-slapping gee-ups stopped and simple and reduced communication started. All players then felt that they had a clearer role as what was expected of them. As elite players, they should be good enough to respond to actions.

      Most coaches seem the need to shout things, almost as if that was what they thought they had to do. The best coaches always stay calm, take their time and give players as little as possible to remember. Shouting and balling means nothing.

         It has been well established that physical training at high altitude improves performance at high altitude. Athletes from a variety of sports have been training at moderate altitudes (1830 to 3050m). Higher altitudes seem to be less beneficial with increased frequency of symptoms of high altitude diseases associated with exercise (Hultgren 1982; Pigman 1991).
There seems to be an upper critical altitude for adaptation to high altitude in sea level residents like Batman for several physiological systems: heart muscles, skeletal muscles and blood.

         At high altitude, there is less oxygen in the air resulting in less oxygen being carried by the red blood cells to the the body cells of an individual. During exercise, the oxygen content decreases further in the arterial blood causing a more profound depletion of oxygen. This stimulates the production of erythropoietin which increases the volume of haemoglobin through increase in the production of red blood cells and plasma. (increase in blood volume). This process at its peak takes about 8-10 days.
In one study, two weeks of training at moderate altitude in elite endurance middle distance runners resulted in an increase of haemoglobin level of 2% (Svenhag. 1991). This increase may seem small BUT the total haemoglobin volume of the blood in endurance athletes is about 50% greater than in non-athletes!

        Upon arrival at a higher altitude, Erythropoitin, peaks in 2-3 days and starts decreasing in 1-2 weeks until a steady state is achieved in the blood from 3 weeks to 2 months. It is seen that high altitude residents (4300m) who come down to sea level develop a relative anaemia after about 2-4 months (Reynafarje. 1959). Data from cross-country skiers (Haymes .1986) also indicated a slightly lower haemoglobin level 2 months after going to a lower altitude. Therefore timing for peak performance needs to be factored when to go to train at a higher altitude.

         So how can Batman improve his performance compared to Superman who always is at high altitude?
Apart from training at high altitude, availability of glucose and protein is also necessary. The most important 'erythropoiesis specific' nutritional factor is iron availability. This is what needs to be done:
Start oral iron supplementation 2-3 weeks before ascent, which is 200mg to 300mg of Ferrous sulphate daily, and to carry on during the first 2-4 weeks.
This needs to be combined with Vitamin C, 500mg to 1000mg daily which helps the absorption of iron from the gut.
Furthermore intake of Vitamin E 100mg to 500mg three times a day needs to take place to reduce the formation of free oxygen radical formation. Ensure adequte daily intake of protein and polysaturated fatty acids.
Also, avoid maximal exercise especially during the first few days at high altitude to minimise any exercise induced decrease in erythropoietin production.

      It is a privilege to share some of the recent photos that I discovered of Santokh Singh, and some that were shared by friends.
     These are frozen moments in time captured by still photography depicting the glory days of Kenyan hockey that will never be replicated. The golden era.

Core strength has been 'trendy' for a while and a lot has been heard in the media about it and now most trainers emphasize it.
What is "core strength" ?"
Core training accomplishes two  important things -- it helps you look taller, thinner, and it supports your spine and helps with balance. Those core muscles ares connected to your legs, to the way you stand, squat, sit. It’s not just about the abdominal muscles, but also training your back, your glutes, and the entire area that connects to your spinal cord and helps your body support your spine, so that the burden of supporting your body weight isn’t just placed on your bones.
The core is actually made up of three sheaths of muscles: The upper abs, the side muscles, which are called the obliques, and then this very deep layer of muscle. Those deep muscles are the ones that do all the good stuff, like support your spine and act as a natural corset—so when you work them not only do you get a flatter stomach but a tighter stomach.
Is  there a difference between core training and working your abs?
The difference between core and abdominal training is that you’re not just targeting the front side of the body but the back side as well. A core workout will also include the erector spinae, which are he muscles that make up your back, and also your glutes. A movement that works your core is going to work more than one muscle group, and you’re going to see results a lot faster.
 Are crunches useless?
Crunches have always been  important, because before you can engage your deeper core, you need that strength in your abdominal muscles. You have to build that strength, and doing crunches is a great way for somebody to build up, to work towards getting a stronger core.
However, recently, research is showing that crunches do more harm to the back than was previously thought. There is a lot of strain and unusual movement involved of the lower back when carrying out crunches that can be damaging to the lower back. One way to reduce this strain is to use a Swiss-ball.
There are ways to make a crunch more challenging. Introducing instability is one . Doing a crunch on a Swiss ball, or a foam roller, your body is going to be balancing so you won’t just be working the abs, you’ll be stabilizing the core as you activate a variety of muscles.
One can do crunches while sitting home watching TV, instead of reaching for the crisps. What’s important about a crunch is doing it correctly (preferably using a Swiss ball)-- drawing your belly button toward your spine, moving your ribs toward your hips, moving your shoulders up to you chest -- but it is a small movement that is of benefit. That movement should be incredibly challenging, and it doesn’t get easier. If you do it correctly, there should be NO strain on the lower back or neck muscles. 
       The other excellent exercise is doing the 'plank'. The plank is one of the best exercises you can do for your core because it builds isometric strength to help sculpt the waistline  and improve the posture. And depending on the type of plank you try, you can also engage your back, arms, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings. 
Whether you can hold a plank for 20 seconds or two minutes, you do not need any equipment. The most common plank is the front plank which is held in a push-up-like position, with the body's weight borne on forearms, elbows, and toes

If people want to really improve their core strength, introducing instability into workouts they’re already doing is essential. If you’re looking for one exercise that does get results in your core, definitely Pilates. Addition of Yoga into the workouts is a great way to maintain the suppleness of muscles.  -- doing a plank or a superman or Hundreds, you’re forcing the muscles to work together, instead of just isolating a specific muscle like you do in strength training.
I would also say any exercise you do on a Bosu -- it’s like half of an exercise ball on a flat black surface, and they’re fantastic. When one does squats,  do them on a Bosu -- just flip it over and do it on the back side. Or do lunges with one foot on the Bosu. It engages your core, because you have to stabilize yourself on that surface. Try introducing instability into every exercise you do.

In sports like hockey, which is one of the most dynamic and demanding sports on the body, building the core strength is very important. The constant running with the ball, dribbling, pushing as well as hitting the ball requires a very high core strength.
This also reduces the occurrence of hamstring and lower back injuries.

Whether it is doing endless ladder runs or pushing through another sprint session, finding the speed you need to win a 50-50 ball or tackle takes time and effort. That is unless you know the secret to tapping into your body's hidden power source.
According to a recent study published in The Journal of strength and conditioning research, speed is in your head. A lot of it can be influenced in a way never thought before.
The team of physiologists and psychologists found that when you imagine yourself performing specific resistance exercises, your body releases extra growth hormone, increasing electrical stimulation in your nerve cells and boosting muscle activation by as much as 15%.
So imagine yourself exploding  through the final lap of a personal best squat at the pivotal moment in your next 5-aside showdown or you are hunting down your opponent to has just gone past you and you want to tackle back and your muscle fibres will fire up. Not only that, but because the hormone boost though your blood system will also surge you on, reducing pain and fatigue. So all that is left to think.
The term  "always give 110% effort" during training as well as in a game has ingrained logic to it. That 10% extra is the mental effort that counts.

 Professor Sam Marcora,  believes that it’s a conscious mechanism,  that relies on an individual's rate of perceived exertion that is at play, which explains why athletes can push themselves to exhaustion, rest and then do it again. Studies have shown that athletes using both cognitive and physical training have a huge rate of improvement – as much as 120%, compared to 40% from those who only worked on their physical training.

Compared to regular people, elite athletes have very different brains. Changes in the synaptic connections in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus – associated with learning and retaining new information – are strengthened. Exercise releases a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which increases connections long-term and helps to forge new memories, learn new skills and find new ways of solving problems.
Research has shown that elite athletes have better memory retention, peripheral vision and reaction speeds that enable them to do things instinctively. Advancements in neuroscience and technology utilising touch screens has revolutionised the way athletes can now train. Skills previously honed in the field are being improved in sport laboratories where brain training is enhancing athletic performance.
Mental training regarded as being equally important as physical training, allowing athletes to add mental repetitions to their regimes without any physical fatigue. 
Cognitive tests can also highlight areas of weakness, which for an endurance athlete outside of a training laboratory could include things such as anxiety, fatigue, stress, metabolism and climate.

                                                          "It is the mind that pushes the boundaries"

         We normally associate stress with inability to function optimally leading to undesired outcomes, and the popular thought is to avoid it. In sports, this stressful situation often occurs before big matches or events which may lead some sports persons not performing well due to stress of the moment.  This avoidance could be counter productive. 
        The definition of resilience is " The capacity to recover from difficulties; toughness." Psychologist Salvatore Maddi who dedicated his career to pin point that factor that distinguishes people who thrive under stress from those who do not. He discovered that those people who thrive are those who view stress as inevitable and try to engage it rather than avoid it!
       Recent understanding by science shows that the ability to learn from stress is ingrained into the basic biology of stress response. Typically, during a stressful situation, adrenaline floods into the body releasing energy, increasing heart rate and increasing tension in some muscles. Cortisol, which is another stress hormone is also released.
        At the same time, other stress hormones released help you recover from the stress. These recovery hormones include DHEA and nerve growth factor which in simple terms, help the brain to learn from experience (neuroplasticity). DHEA is a neurosteroid which helps the brain to grow stronger from psychological challenges which occurs for several hours after the stressful situation and the brain rewires itself to remember and learn from the experience.
        This recovery is called stress inoculation. It is precisely for this reason that putting people through stress is a key part of training for the SAS, NASA astronauts and elite athletes from all sports. The amount of stress inducing and  stress recovery hormones (DHEA) is therefore a relevant predictor in whether a stressful experience will be positive or negative. The ratio between DHEA in the blood to Cortisol is known as the Growth Index. The higher the value, the better is ones performance, greater learning and fewer post traumatic stress symptoms.
        In the game of hockey and football, when a younger player breaks into the first team, what all good coaches do  is to gradually introduce these youngsters, thereby providing the player valuable experience in stressful match situations that training cannot provide.
        Can we influence the growth index?
The main blueprint consists of changing the way a person thinks; changing the mindset. In terms of sports persons, it needs to be instilled into their mind that stress is helpful and that the experience should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow for the better. Players should be constantly put in regulated stressful situations during training, friendly matches and eventually full matches.
        These players should be constantly reminded that they should view a stressful situation as an opportunity to improve ones skills, knowledge and strength makes it more likely that one will experience stress inoculation resulting in improved future performance.