While in my position as the National Development Coach for the Canadian Curling Association in Calgary, AB, my partner, Helen Radford introduced me and the athletes to Dr. Joan Vickers of the University of Calgary. Dr. Vickers was in the final stages of a research project designed to ascertain what athletes actually look at while they attempt to execute a shot. The fact that Dr. Vickers was literally in our backyard and we in hers brought us together. By the time Helen had arranged for curlers to be tested with Dr. Vicker's measuring devices and equipment, she had drawn some initial conclusions and to say it was "ground-breaking" would be putting it mildly!
Dr. Vickers and her associates were surprised and almost at the shocked stage when they tested some of our elite athletes. But to really understand why they were so surprised you need to do some homework and I can assure you, it will be a most entertaining and educational assignment.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knfC978EoWc. There you will find two videos. One is entitled "A Quiet Eye" and the other "Brainy Putting". In the first, you will meet Dr. Vickers and a very well-known personality, Alan Alda (TV's M*A*S*H and numerous motion pictures). The second will introduce you to researcher Debbie Crews at the University of Arizona. In concert with one another, their work is why I used the term "ground-breaking" in my introduction to this post and how I coined the phrase "the performance cocktail" about which you'll read more in a soon to be published post.
You might need to view the videos more than once, perhaps a few times to get the full relevence of each and the tie between the two that revolutionized the way I work with athletes.
I'm constantly referring to "the sports science" when I make technical suggestions. After meeting Dr. Vickers and watching the "On the Ball" video more times than can I count, this is the sports science that should change the way you approach making a curling shot to maximize the skill set you have.
Please, don't pass up on this opportunity!
I'll be back to give you my take on the videos and how I use them with athletes.
Enjoy and be prepared to be amazed at what you see and learn!
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