our mission is to bring elite-level expertise, bespoke athletic preparation and advanced injury rehab to those who need it

 Who and What We’re Here For…

The services we offer can be summed up in three words:

• develop

  Physical and athletic development for fortify young bodies, equip kids with athletic skills and provide the support they require as they grow and mature.

• prepare

  Physical preparation and athletic skills coaching to elevate performance, achieve sporting goals and build resilience to stay in one piece!

• return

  Resolve sports injuries, break the injury cycle and equip you to return to doing what you love in a way that protects against further injury.

youth Physical Development and athletic Skills Coaching

How do we equip kids to not only survive but thrive in their youth sports journey (and beyond)?

mind the strength gap

Many kids find themselves unprepared for the physical rigours of participating in youth sports. A young person’s youth sports experience varies dramatically according to whether or not they possess adequate strength capacities. Kids must meet the minimum strength requirements to perform the actions being asked of them and sustain the stresses involved to be able to participate successfully. If they drop below this threshold, they will find they are unable to keep up and they will become more prone to injury. Girls are especially prone to this fate after they hit puberty, so off-field training is a must for young female athletes.

The best case is that we develop reserve strength capacity, as this not only permits kids to perform better but also creates a buffer to protect against injury. Knowledge and experience in long term athlete development ensures that physical preparation works in harmony with the maturation process and be sensitive to the stresses placed on structures during growth spurts particularly.

building resilience to injury

The majority of injuries in youth sports are overuse injuries. Overuse injuries occur when repetitive sports activity (running, jumping, throwing) exceeds the tolerance of the young athlete’s tissues.

One element in protecting against these injuries is through physical preparation including strength training to increase the capacity and load tolerance of the structures involved.

The other part of the puzzle is to develop and hone these skills to make them more mechanically sound. In this way we can better distribute the stresses experienced to avoid overloading any one link in the chain and make them more efficient movers, reducing wear and tear.

Filling the gaps in the toolbox

Kids’ athletic skills are increasingly underdeveloped. One factor is that kids are playing less in the internet age. More screen time means less time for active play and less opportunity to acquire and develop these fundamental movement skills. Another factor is the growing participation in organised sport competition from a young age, often to the exclusion of other activities. To sum up, many kids are overscheduled and underprepared with highly developed sports skills but underdeveloped athletic skills.

Kids reap the benefits of dedicated coaching to develop and refine the athletic skills that constitute the majority of their time on the field or on the court. Engaging in regular movement skills practice also enables young athletes to continuously recalibrate and adjust to their changing limbs and capabilities as they grow and develop.

Run Faster, Jump Higher, Throw Harder, Go Further

How do we help you access the athletic tools and training input to not just stay injury-free, but to perform better and ultimately excel in your chosen sport(s)?

the tools that sport practice does not provide

In many sports, coaches and athletes dedicate innumerable hours honing technical and tactical skills. Oddly, athletes tend to be left to their own devices when it comes to working on the athletic movement skills that are integral to all sports.

too important to leave to chance

The ability to run fast and jump high are highly prized assets in most sports. Athletes are often selected in various sports on the strength of these physical and athletic skills.

Given these skills and capabilities are critical for selection and integral to success, it seems odd that developing these attributes is so often left to chance.

SPECIFIC Preparation for Selection Assessments (COMBINE PREPARATION)

A number of sports at different levels employ assessments of fitness and physical capabilities for selection. Examples including the combine testing that is employed in sports such as football, basketball and ice hockey. Developing the specific qualities, movement strategies and athletic skills to excel on these tests is a great option for developing performers who aspire to reach the next level. Coaching input can help you get those precious extra centimeters and elevate your scores enough to make the difference.

Look no further. Paul Gamble is one of very few coaches in British Columbia to hold performance coach accreditation in track and field. Beyond the ability to coach running, jumping and throwing to the highest level, Paul is internationally recognised for his expertise in speed and agility development, and has worked at professional and elite level in both field and court sports. Through his experience working in a variety of sports is familiar with the respective assessments. During his time in Canada to date, Paul has successfully applied these skills across a diverse array of sports, from tennis, to field hockey, to bobsleigh.

protection and performance

Beyond improving performance, athletic preparation serves to safeguard athletes and protect against injury. Better prepared athletes have fewer injuries, and when injuries do occur they are better equipped to make a more rapid return to performing.

More honed athletic skills are more mechanically effective and efficient. Forces are distributed more effectively, and superior mechanical efficiency means less wear and tear. The latter is a highly pertinent to reducing and managing overuse injuries. For instance, more economical and efficient runners suffer fewer running related injuries.

Advanced tools that will actually fix your injury issues

how do we get you off the treatment and rehab treadmill and get you back in action?

Too many recreational athletes find themselves engaged in a cycle of endless treatment and rehab. What we offer is a more progressive approach and more potent tools to effect real and lasting changes that will not only resolve symptoms but address the cause, whilst also building the capacity and capability to keep you one piece.

Resolving injuries to return you to activity is just the starting point. The ultimate goal is to get you back to your best and make you resilient against future injury.

injury troubleshooting

At the root of persistent injuries inevitably lies a mechanical issue. Altered function and compensatory changes in motor patterns are also part of the cascade that follows an injury. These secondary issues affect our mechanics when we run, jump, throw, and perform whatever activity is involved in our sport.

The frustrating part is that, despite treatment and diligent rehabilitation, these injuries tend to recur. This perhaps should not be a surprise - after all the original mechanical issues remain, and others tend to arise. To add insult, we often find new issues and symptoms increasingly affect other joints and even the healthy side.

addressing symptoms and tackling the root cause(s)

A crucial missing piece in solving the puzzle and breaking the cycle is to resolve what are the mechanical origins of the original injury. In turn we can identify the cascade of altered mechanics and compensatory changes that coincide with persistent injury.

effecting change to break the cycle

What makes the difference is access to expertise to first identify root causes and secondary effects, and then provide the tools to address these issues. Importantly this is coupled with expert guidance on physical preparation to restore function and strengthen tissues. What is equally important is that this information and coaching input is delivered in way that resonates, so that we can effect lasting change. It is this rare combination that ultimately enables a successful return to performing.

What Clients Say…