
Elite sports performance specialist Kelvin Giles believes it’s imperative for coaches to keep an ‘open mind’ ahead of the NSWRL’s inaugural Coaching and Performance Conference on Saturday 9 March.
Giles has established himself as a world-leader in movement dynamics and performance, having worked in Australia's professional sporting environment for more than 30 years.
He is set to deliver a keynote speech to coaching and performance staff at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence and hopes to provide them with the “appropriate toolbox to create an optimal environment for coaching development”.
"You’ve got to start investing where the rubber meets the road,” Giles told nswrl.com.au.
"Like when I mention there are 300,000 nine-year-olds in Australia, that’s the 2036 Olympic team for Australia.
"And in about 10 years, it’s those nine-year-olds who are going to be knocking on the door of first-grade in Rugby League.”
Having recently worked with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos, Giles highlighted the need for coaches to “be brave” with their coaching practices and to challenge their own way of thinking.
He believes the conference offers a golden opportunity for coaches to understand the basic principles of athlete development and how they can apply “best practice” to their respective coaching philosophies.
"The most successful areas are the people with the most open minds and I’ll give you the example of Anthony Seibold and Paul Devlin," Giles said.
"These are guys who are the ones who are brave enough to say ‘I’ve got to do it differently and I can’t keep on doing what I’ve been taught'.
"If you look at the guys who are questioning their assumptions on how they’re doing that ... that's what it takes.
“(It's) the guys who are willing to put their reputations on the line and know they need to do different things and need to do things differently.”
Giles will be joined by Phil Moreland (Head of S&C NSWIS), Darren Wensor (Coach and Volunteer Development at Little Athletics NSW), Nathan Parnham (ARU Athletic Performance Coach, Women’s 7s), and Matt Jay (Cronulla Sharks NRL Athletic Development Coach) as they each address practical and theory-based elements throughout the event.
Click here to register while limited spots are available.