King Sports International

Time, money and training

by Ian King

As a young single person, with minimal financial responsibility and no mortgage, finding time to train was easy. Finding time to do anything else was the challenge!

If you are in this position and training is high on your priority list you can probably relate to this. But you might not relate to the next bit.

If you are married (young or otherwise!), have kids, financial responsibility including a (one or more) mortgage, finding time to train is not as easy. Sometimes you miss training because you either don't have the time or the energy, because of the other life commitments.

If you are in this position, you will really relate to this. Whether you are training to get buffed or for gold at the next Olympics, it's all the same. I have trained athletes at the elite level with and without families and kids, and they are no different than the person who seeks a PB in the gym or on the scales. It takes the edge off your energy, recovery and time.

So how do you manage the balance between training, money and family? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I have found a reasonable solution, allowing me to train about 20 hrs a week (and yet still frustrate the 'boss' who I suspect feels I spend too much time in the solace of my private training facility).

Even without training, the challenge to balance family and finance is still a challenge. Even some of the greatest people in modern history struggled with this challenge. I read recently where personal development author Napoleon Hill (often described as the father of this industry) regretted the balance he had struck in his life between the two:

Q. What did he regret most about his career in life?
Answer : Being human, Dr. Hill did have regrets about his career in life, but he did not let these regrets deter him from his definite major purpose. Dr. Hill regretted that the research required for the philosophy of personal achievement kept him away from his family for long periods of time. His three sons were often without a father while he was on the road gathering information, presenting lectures, and attempting to share the philosophy with the world.

When you favor work, training and or family can suffer. When you favor training, finance and family can suffer. When you favor family, finance and family can suffer.

I'm proud to say that we not only teach this life balance in our KSI Coach Education programs (CIP, CMP etc) but our advanced coaches have developed an enviable balance in these areas - a balance that means no area suffers - they don't disadvantage their family, their finances or their health/training. I am really proud of these coaches.

One of the many benefits of joining us in August 08 at our 5th Annual International KSI Convention is that you get to interact with these coaches, and there is no better way to gain education and inspiration. If this life balance is not a challenge for you because you are young and have a low cost of living, trust me - it will be an issue one day. Either through gaining family or loosing your ability to generate the income needed to sustain your training.

Media - Fundamentals - and Responsibility

by Mike Pimentel, KING Coach

We are in the “information age”. It seems that the media hype has just what the advanced or experienced athlete is missing in their current training. The purveyors of the missing information present these secrets as “new”, “never before seen” and “recent discoveries”.

Such is the marketing industry, that in order to sell and therefore rationalize its existence, the information must be “sexy” and trend setting. Understand that trends follow very simple patterns. To use a popular real estate analogy, each trend carries these general characteristics; introduction, growth, prosperity, recession, depression (and dependent on the perceived value of the trend, the trend can drop from existence entirely).

Therefore, in order to continue the life of the marketing machine a number of scenarios are likely to occur:
1. the quest for “new information” to perpetuate the popularity of the existing trend – AND/OR
2. letting the trend run its life cycle and find/create “new information” to support a new trend

The experienced and committed athlete is in constant search of what it takes to become a champion. Their emotional desire for the edge over competition has them willing to take risks with their bodies and minds that the average individual would not……what better market population for “new information” than a committed and willing market?!!

My question to you is, what is new “cutting edge” information? Is it really the information itself? Allow me to offer this….. What if I told you that new information was actually your responsibility, not the media’s. That by your acceptance of responsibility you could yield an endless stream of information that would serve you 1000 times more effectively than anything offered through the machine. Let me explain.

Have you ever read a book, taken notes in a seminar, or been in a conversation where learning occurred. Then at some point in the future revisited that same information only to find it was as if the message had somehow changed? What really happened? The words on the page did not change, no one slipped in to your library in the middle of the night and rewrote the books or changed your notes. The reality is that YOU changed.

Similar to the cells in your body, your knowledge and experience changes and grows daily. Thus, affecting your perception of anything that touches your world and in this case, your training. This is the responsibility referred to earlier. It is your responsibility to learn, grow, receive and perceive. For the most part you choose what you are exposed to everyday and thereby are choosing what influences your perception. How you perceive information is your responsibility. Now before I go too far down this philosophical path, let’s come back to training.

Many experienced athletes would say they have an excellent grasp of the fundamentals or foundations of training. Some would even assume (also read as lacking the humility to understand differently) that the foundations of training were so ingrained in them, it would be a waste of time to revisit, and it would be “boring” and serve no purpose to view information they “already know”. To the contrary, it is your responsibility to grow and change, through experience and knowledge to achieve new levels of perception and understanding.

Fundamentals may not be sexy or trendy however they are the common denominator that permeates every aspect of the training continuum. When successful results are achieved, especially for long periods of time, it is guaranteed that deep appreciation of the foundations of training were consistently put in to action. Now if something carries with it the potential to affect every aspect of training is its value high enough to warrant revisiting? I would think so!

Now apply your earlier stated responsibility to the fundamentals. Provided you have the courage to apply your experience and knowledge to the fundamentals of training you will constantly yield new levels of fundamental understanding – i.e. new information! And perhaps of greater benefit – the fundamentals as they apply to you!

I am constantly and consistently amazed when I re-introduce fundamentals to experienced athletes. They are amazed by both their new found appreciation of something they thought they already knew and the fantastic results achieved.

Do an assessment of yourself and program by asking these simple questions?

1. What are the foundations of training? For an introduction to this see Ian’s Foundations of Physical Preparation http://www.kingsports.net/productsksi.htm#Foundations_of_Physical_Preparation_book or for a deeper appreciation of this concept applied to a balanced spectrum of life see the KSI CIP Theory Course
2. When was the last time you revisited these fundamentals?
3. Did your perspective of the fundamentals change as a result of your revisiting? Do you have a deeper or newer understanding of their meaning?
4. What was/is the impact of your understanding of fundamentals on your training?

Let us know the outcome!

Five Steps to Success Training the Young Athlete!

By Miguel Charles, KING Coach

Athletes are influenced by the environment, coaches and parents. The younger the athlete the more we can have a positive influence on them. This is especially true with the physical quality flexibility. If you begin a child stretching it is easier to maintain their original flexibility. On the other hand, if an athlete begins stretching as an adult their level of flexibility will be greatly diminished. The athlete will be playing catch up.

I find this concept also works in the mind. By talking to and observing young athletes, I have witnessed the more positive their influences and experiences are the more positive the outcome. The more negativity that surrounds them the more doubt they have. Therefore, we have to teach the athlete how to think for himself not what to think, helping them to rise above any less than optimal situation they find themselves in.

When you teach the young athlete how to make these decisions they take more responsibility for the outcome. Here’s five tips for those coaching kids:

1.Let the kids play!
Don't force children to play the sport. Let them play. If they like it they continue to play and improve.

2. Remember the Stages
Age 5 to 10 Fundamentals
Ages 10 to 14 Train to train
Ages 14 to 18 Train to compete
Ages 18 & over Train to win

Too many times you see coaches and parents focus on winning at the wrong time. For the fundamental stage the key is fun. During the train to train stage teach them how to train (flex and speed should be more of the priority generally speaking). At the train to compete stage competition is the focus; working hard and smart in preparation as well as during the game. In the final stage, train to win, winning should be the focus.

3. Create the athlete, then the player.
Early in the athlete/child's life expose them to play, run, & jump – before getting sport and / or position specific.

The best sports for them to get an exposure to so they develop athleticism include soccer, martial arts, gymnastics and track and field. This will help with their athletic ability.

If you expose them to a sport or position too early then that is all they can play. That athlete may not be suited for that sport or position as they mature. Example teaching a 6 foot 12 year old how to play only the center position in basketball. If at 18 years old he grows to be 6 foot 5 inches he is not tall enough to play center in college. Some colleges have guards 6
feet 5 inches. I'm sure you can think of other positions and sports as well.

4. Always and only positive, positive, positive!
Encourage all the children with positive feedback. Especially when they are not as developed as they can be in any given area - this is when they will need more positive reinforcement. There is always an opportunity to turn a negative to a positive.

When more athletes are exposed to the right stages at the right times as well as optimal flexibility training we will see an improvement in athletic performance. So where do we start? Start with every athlete you have influence over. And remember, the younger we start with flexibility the more injuries we prevent, which means less athletes out of games. The more games they play the better they will get at the sport. Less visits to the doctor or physical therapy.

5. Give the impression of increase!
For those without children you can still influence the children you come into contact with by the following:
1. Spread the knowledge to your circle of influence to anyone you care about that have children or are competing.
2.If you are still competing, whether its weekend warrior, office team, college team or high school. A little more stretching and recovery plan could be what will take your game to the next level.
3. And for all you coaches don't just do what your coach did to you many years ago. There is a smarter way. For all our kids' sake.

Coaching: A Short Course or Years of Development?

By Mitchell Kochonda, KING Coach

Coaching has become big business. Just ten years ago, the word coaching was associated solely with sport and limited income generally speaking. Today, the word coaching is not only applied to sport, but also business, life, etc, pays big dollars and all of a sudden everyone can be a coach in many life areas!

I was at a business seminar a few days ago and one of the presenters introduced herself as a coach. She was a ‘success coach’ (because she had done a short course, passed it and had some letters after her name). Unfortunately for her, she lost me and ninety nine percent of the audience in the first few minutes.

When Ian asked me what the seminar was like I said “the content was excellent, but the delivery wasn’t”.

As coaches (sports coaches, head coaches, assistant coaches, skills coaches, etc) there can be a perceived premium of what you ‘know’ and a fear of ‘not knowing enough’ particularly as letters after one’s name have become more and more exaggerated!

However the reality is very different.

Communication skills are vital and not just what you say (know), but how you say it and deliver the information – your body language – says far more than anything else.

We also need to identify the dominant learning modes the athletes you’re coaching. Different athletes are suited to verbal (what you say), visual (what they see) or kinesthetic (what they do/feel) learning. As Ian has shared in numerous books and seminars, we can pick up on what works by listening to the words the athlete uses. E.g. “I don’t see what you mean” (visually dominant).

For the sports coaches reading this, Ian’s book ‘Winning and Losing’ has over fifteen years of elite level lessons in the coaching process and an excellent chapter on working with ‘other support staff’ ensuring optimal integration of the training process. No where else have I seen such information.

For the physical preparation coaches reading wishing to learn more about working the coaches in various sports, ‘Winning and Losing’ is a must have! No question!

Then there are the practical environments King Sports offers via the KSI boot camps. The learning and lessons in this environment are unbelievable for the coach, physical preparation coach and athlete. In just a couple of months Ian will again create this environment and willing students will benefit bit time professionally, personally, financially, etc! There is still time for you to qualify for this rare learning experience and you not only get to watch the delivery of coaching, you’re part of it!

When the student is ready the teacher will appear…

Recovery in Perspective - How well you pull up or how well you perform?

by Mitchell Kochonda

The concept of recovery is widely known to athletes in all sports. As Ian wrote in Get buffed 1 (1999) “training plus recovery equals the training effect”.

Recovery methods come in many forms including, but not limited to, rest days and weeks, time, massage, stretching, heat, cold, water, salt water, electronic modalities, food, supplementation, escapism, the natural environment, recreation, etc to expedite the various systems in our bodies, including, but not limited to, nervous, metabolic, immune, hormonal, etc and all are of great value to the athlete.

But let’s put this in perspective, as there is no point recovering exceptionally well to an average or poor starting point! Let me explain…

Last week during a tele-conference seminar the question was asked in relation to supplements enhancing recovery. I replied the said supplements would have a very positive effect on recovery from training. But I asked the group the question “what’s more important, supplements after training to replace what’s been used or nutritional supplements consistently everyday to have the body in a permanently higher starting point – from a nervous, metabolic, immune and hormonal perspective - at all times?”

To put it another way, if you eat six times a day (one of these meals being a post training/competition meal) is there more value for your performance in an optimal recovery meal (16.6% of daily eating) okay nutrition the remainder of the day, or optimal daily nutrition for five meals a day (83.3% of daily eating)? I don’t care what you’re consuming post training/competition (high GI, low GI, protein, no protein, whatever) until we address the bigger picture! The Pareto principle at work again!

You can ask yourself the same question in all area’s of training. Let’s look at flexibility. “Is it better to train and compete with optimal tissue length everyday, or only train and compete with less than optimal tissue length - thus missing the injury prevention and performance enhancement benefits! - but spending time after training/competition to get back to an average state after the event?”

The trend of enhanced focus on post training/competition recovery (both physical, manual and nutritional) over the past decade is definitely a trend to support, but the value in heightening the bodies starting point in many areas is poorly exploited and misunderstood, and therefore is a huge opportunity for the committed athlete to take their training and performance to another level with the right guidance!

Mitchell Kochonda
KING Coach

What qualities comprise an athlete?

by Mike Pimentel

Another season comes to a close and you already begin to look forward to next season. Applying the lessons learned from the previous season, you vow next year that you will be even better. Its time to hit the weight room to begin your quest for next year’s championship.

Each year I’m introduced to young athletes with steeled determination to better themselves. They are enthusiastic, goal oriented and willing to do what it takes to achieve. In their minds they see images of themselves pushing their bodies to the limits in exhaustive workouts. The weights are banging, music blaring, sweat dripping, muscles burning, legs and arms shaking. Yeah, the kind of drama movies are made of.

I offer a perspective that enables the athlete to harness their emotion, its power, and focus it through the lens of common sense, intuition and logic. First by stepping back, looking at the larger picture of athletic development, and asking the question, “ What qualities comprise an athlete?”

We can divide the qualities in to four areas; technical, tactical, psychological and physical. Technical is their particular skill set in their given sport and position. In basketball an example would be dribbling, in hockey it may be skating. Tactical is their ability to make decisions in game play in addition to knowing specific preset “plays”. Psychological, as an example, may be their mental toughness. Their ability to maintain focus and discipline throughout the competition and season. Finally there is the physical quality which can be subdivided in to four sub-qualities - flexibility, strength, speed and endurance.

The reality is that these four athletic qualities exist with an interdependence on one another. In other words – each of qualities is affected by the growth or lack of growth in another quality. Some directly some indirectly but all are affected.

Now lets discuss how this concept may relate to the emotionally driven athlete. Lets do some simple math. For sake of argument, let’s say each of the four athletic qualities contributes equally to the athlete – 25% technical, 25% tactical, 25% psychological and 25% physical. There are many athletes who dedicate their entire off-season to the development of their physical qualities. But what about the other qualities?

Here is another question…. What if the physical quality is the area in least need of enhancement? What may be the actual contribution of a physical sub-quality? If each of the athletic qualities contributes equally (25% each) and the physical quality is comprised of four sub-qualities (flex, strength, speed, endurance) – the math shows us that the contribution of each physical sub-quality is only .0625%! (i.e. 25% / 4)

When you, the athlete, understand the above concept and the interaction between the qualities, it will enable you to give a new dimension and focus to your training that will have a massive effect on your result.

So how do you determine where to take your training? Start by having an honest discussion and evaluation of your athletic qualities. Reflect on each of the athletic qualities as they relate to you. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very challenged and 10 being at your fullest potential). Your intuition will kick in as you arrive at a number. Recall specific instances in competition and/or practices to support your rating.

After completing all four qualities – interpret the data you have just created. This level of objectivity is an often overlooked component to training. What you find will help you determine where the area of greatest effect is for your training.

Whilst the drama of your physical training may be what you have expected for your off season perhaps the above concepts will take you in to areas you have not yet explored. Apply the tenacity, discipline and emotion you have as an athlete along with the objectivity and logic of these concepts to achieve the enhancements in your play for the next season.

Mike Pimentel
KING Coach, KSI Director of Education

Athletic Golfers?

by Jason Pobega

The game of golf was revolutionized in 1996 when a certain golfer came on the scene. Forever changing the way golfers, and the game itself was viewed, Tiger Woods not only gave a new look, but a new philosophy to the sport that many called a ‘pastime.’

But it wasn’t the lucrative endorsements or countless titles and trophies won by Tiger that made the most impact. Those were just examples of the fuel that stoked the fire. Sure Tiger was scoring better than the average Joe at the age of 3, but is it only talent that created this epiphany?

Never before had anyone treated golf as a sport, or a golfer as an athlete. Today, if you aren’t an athlete in golf, you’re not even a blip on the leaderboard. Competitors flocked to find the trainer, the perfect way to get into ‘Tiger Shape.’ But it wasn’t just the competitive golfer that saw this attention to physical preparation as an asset.

The average Joe saw an opportunity to improve their game as well. And so the commercial boom of Yoga for golf, Golf-Fit classes, and specialized DVD’s made their way into the world. But like a lot of things in the physical preparation world, dollars came before sense.

One of the negative sides to a unilateral sport is the imbalance it creates in the body. The force generated in a golf swing is incredible when you figure that the average speed of a swing is in the vicinity of 105mph! Like tennis or racquet sports, a lot of emphasis was put on strengthening the muscles used to create more force-but at the expense of rest of the body parts that were compensating for the tremendous movement that is the golf swing. In this, the expense turned into repetitive injury, which turned into surgery, which turned into therapy, which was unilateral in nature, which leads to….well you get the picture.

So I ask the question, if athletes are treating golf as a sport and taking the dedicated time and cost in preparing themselves in a way that sets them up for success, why would they want to subject themselves to a less than optimal program or system?

The answer is simple: education or lack there of. Many athletes, not only in golf, but other weekend warrior scenarios search for the quick fix to the symptom.

Example: A golfer has a wicked slice that keeps going right.

Solution: Let just compensate to the left so that it evens out at the end!

Now let’s say that by looking at the way the golfer’s body stood still, walked, and then swung the club, could we find any imbalances that may be causing the slice rather than just hiding the symptom just like in the Injury Prevention and Rehab series http://kingsports.net/products-ksi-dvd-injpre.htm. What if this analysis in the long run created a better and healthier set of habits that then created the golf swing the athlete had been searching for? Oh, and what if from that analysis the athlete, stood, walked and did anything in their everyday physical life that had an impact on their life in general?

Which route would you choose? If you are receiving this newsletter, I’d wager that you’d pick the latter.

By visually assessing an athlete that plays a unilateral sport, you would find imbalances in both joint and muscle. Eversion or inversion of the feet, knees locked, hips posteriorally rotated, and shoulders rolled forward, etc, etc. Addressing these imbalances is crucial to building an optimal foundation on which an athlete can build a blueprint of success.

Techniques used in Injury Prevention and Rehab, Flexibility Training http://kingsports.net/products-ksi-dvd-fletra.htm, and How to Write http://kingsports.net/products-ksi-book-htw.htm offer incredible insight into not only addressing the challenges that may be evident, but to also plan, and create a program best suited to getting your game on track and down the fairway.

Jason Pobega
KSI CMP Coach

Of course it works - science says so....

During a recent World Cup in a certain sport I listened as the commentator, a recently retired player, was asked by another commentator if hyperbaric chambers work. This topic came up in a spare moment, and as the former player had battled a chronic injury it was expected or known he had used the hyperbaric chamber in his quest to overcome hin injury.

I listend to his response with great interest. Hyperbaric chambers are true boast material as they are large, expensive an high-tech rehab tools.

The athlete hesistated, and said words to the effect:

"I don't know - I guess you are willing to try anything."

This was a polite way of saying perhaps 'I am not convinced.'

Reflecting on his words, a moment later the former athlete added:

"There are a lot of studies showing its benefts, so I guess, yeah, it does work."

That politically correct addendum didn't salvage his position, unless of course the listener was one of the many who, like the athlete, felt the need to bow down to 'science'.

Well, of course it works - science says so (and that must be more powerful than my own conclusions...).

The only thing I am interested is what you, in an objective state of mind, in the absence of any compulsion to conform with what you think you are meant to beleive - believe in. And why. Because science says so doesn't cut it on my list of supportive conclusions.

Over promising and under-delivering

In business there is a common mantra that is is better to under-promise and over-deliver than to over-promise and under-deliver.

A vaild business cue, considering the socialogical persepctive on a revolt is that they occur when the expectation and reality become too far apart.

Talking it up by sports teams pre-season is not uncommon. There's not much to write about in what is called 'the silly season', so I can understand the media are hungry for stories.

Off-season is also filled with false hopes and a bit of bravado. I have a saying that reality sets in with the first referees whistle of the season.

Over my decades of observing and studying success in sport I have noticed that teams that talk up how 'fit' they are in the pre-season almost always under-deliver. Two reasons for this:

1. Firstly, there is limited if any correlation between generic measurements of 'fitness' (e.g. aerobic tests, skin folds tests etc) and the scoreboard in each game or the win-loss record at the end of the season.

2. Secondly those who lean on these non-specific measurements usually train long and hard for them. As a result they:

i. develop non-specific adaptations that need to be re-adapted to the game

ii. fade later in the season because they have used up the human reserves in tranining for and adapting to irrelevant physical qualities.

iii. they experience a higher injury toll as a result of too much training, of irreleveant types, over too long a period. (the body can only maintain high level training for a limited period of time - when this is exceeded performance declines and injury rate increasese).

My advice is to do your talking on the scoreboard. Don't get sucked in by:

a. those in the coaching program who seek to  justify their position (e.g. physical preparation coaches) by saying 'See, look how fit and or strong the players are!"

b. those in the coaching program who seek to place too much focus on physical training (e.g. coaches), which means it also provides an excuse if the team loses

c. those in the coaching program who seek to sub-consciously seek to create injuries to provide an excuse for failure in advance

d. the media who want to hear about how 'tough' training is and how much players vomit

e. the general public who slave away at their jobs 40-80hrs a week and through envy want the players to suffer the same or more pain in return for recieving mutliple times more money than they do

Here is a great example of over-promising with the risk of under-delivering. It's not necessary. Take the ego out of it and have the courage to face the scoreboard instead!

Fitter and Faster - Tough training regime gives Titals edge

Damning statistics over the Bulldogs's fitness levels have given a buff Gold Coast squad reasons for cheer ahead of tomorrow's acid test at Telstra Stadium.

The Titals, already reaping the rewards from a torturous off-season spent with hard nosed trainer....are running out games hard - scoring 40 second half points in their past three outings, including their final trial game.

The NRL newcomer's returns are in stark contrast to an ailing Bulldogs side that leaded 74 points, and scored just six, in its past three second-half efforts.

The arthimetic is a timely boost for a Titans outfit bracking for battle with the Dogs, still without a win. "I reckone we're one of the fittest teams in the comp and it shows at the back end of every half", centre Jake Webster said.

"In games we've played, we've usually come back."

Seasond forward Mark Minichiello said "We'd be one of the fittest teams in the comp. We've done all the training asked of us and ....'s been very happy. I haven't had a harder off-season."

Gold Coast has wasted no time showing off its first-rate condition, reeling in a 14-point deficit against the Dragons only to fall just short, while overpowering the Sharks after trailing 16-6.

"We're holding in," hooker Clint Attos said.

"That comes down to fitness, it comes down to mental hardness and we thank .... for that."

The NRL's lightest starting prop, Kris Kahler, also praised his squad's fitness. "You can definitely see tha at the end of halves - and at the end of games - we come home pretty strongly," the 97 kg enforcer said. "We're definitely not as heavy as other sides. That shows in how we play."

In contrast, the Bulldogs have become second-half whipping boys in a trend dating back to September's preliminary final loss to eventual premiers Brisbane....

Drained skin folds have been the major factor in the Titans upping their pain trheshold as ....'s clipboard illustrates.

"A lot of our blokes look at themselves in the mirro and think they're skinny, but they haven't lost weight. There's just no as much fat," .... said.

"Scott Prince arrived here 80kg, he's still 80kg, but he got here with 70ml of body fat, now hes at 57mm. It's all about lean body mass."

"Luke Swain has lost two kilos but he's lost 11ml of fat."

Titan's coach John Cartwright makes no secret of his fitness-focused directive.

"The game is only going to get quicker," Cartwright said. "You need mobile blokes."

(Marshall, M. and Mascord, S., 2007, Fitter and Faster - Tough training regime gives Titals edge, The Courier Mail, March 31 2007, p. 117.)

Now the season is not over, so it's too early to draw cause-effect correlations in relation to position in the final results, but the injury incidence has a message all of it's own...note these articles are only 3-4 months after the one above.

Injury blow as Raiders belt Titans, Luke Turgeon, 16Jul07 Gold Coast Bulletin

TITANS skipper Scott Prince will be sidelined for the next three weeks while star winger Matt Petersen's season could be over, adding injury to insult after the Gold Coast was yesterday thrashed by Canberra 56-10.

It was the Titans' biggest defeat in their short history in the NRL.

Playmaker Prince was forced from the field in the 47th minute, re-injuring his collarbone after landing awkwardly in a tackle.

Prince, who first damaged the sternoclavicular joint against the Broncos last round, was confident he would miss only the match against the Bulldogs at Carrara on Friday.

But Titans team doctor Paul Ohmsen said Prince would now have to rest for three weeks in order to give the injury sufficient time to heal.

"He has just got to be resigned to the fact that he has got an injury and he has to treat it," said Ohmsen. "He has been treating it and he was fine before the game, he was 100 per cent.

"But when he fell over on the sideline (in the tackle) he re-injured it."

Petersen, the Titans leading try scorer, will go for scans on his right knee on the Gold Coast today.

Early indications are that Petersen will miss six weeks with a posterior cruciate tear but there are also fears for his anterior cruciate ligament, which if damaged would mean the end of his season.

Adding to the Titans' already huge injury toll, centre Luke O'Dwyer will miss at least one week with a shoulder injury.

The fresh injury concerns capped a nightmare trip to the nation's capital which ended in humiliation for the Titans.

Their previous worst loss was 28-10 against the Dragons in round 10.

The loss of Prince for nearly a month throws the Titans' season into uncharted territory, with the halfback having played in every game so far this year for the NRL new boys.

If Newcastle beat the Storm tonight the Titans, who just a few weeks ago were sitting fourth on the NRL ladder, will slide to 11th. The Titans need to win at least four of their remaining seven games to take control of their own destiny and be considered a genuine threat to make the playoffs.

"We are going to have to win most of them (remaining games) to get a crack at the semi-finals," said Prince.

"We are just going to have to lick our wounds and prepare for the Bulldogs on Friday night.

"It is disappointing. But take nothing away from the Raiders, they play good footy at home."

Petersen was trying to remain positive and not think about the worst-case scenario with his knee.

The latest bout of injuries will also be a big test for the Titans depth, which was already considered stretched to its limit following injuries to Michael Henderson (broken leg), Brad Meyers (knee), Richie Mathers (knee), Michael Hodgson (knee), Mat Rogers (knee), Anthony Laffranchi (knee), James Stosic (knee), Chris Walker (knee) and Clint Amos (concussion).

Cartwright could be forced to blood one of the exciting youngsters in his ranks, like Australian schoolboys Shannon Walker or Will Matthews.

Preston Campbell will probably move into the halves and Smith Samau to fullback. Jake Webster or Josh Graham will take O'Dwyer's centre spot.

Titans co-captain Luke Bailey said his troops need to get back on track mentally or face annihilation by the Bulldogs.


Titans to kick on despite standing room only in medical rooms, Luke Turgeon, 17Jul 07 Gold Coast Bulletin

THE Gold Coast Titans yesterday put on a united front in the wake of their heaviest defeat, defiantly declaring 'we are not dead yet' despite a horror injury toll and the loss of skipper Scott Prince.

Almost half of the Titans top squad are sidelined through injury, with 12 of their 29 recognised first graders making up the almost overflowing casualty ward.

Co-captain Prince will miss three weeks after aggravating his collarbone injury during the record 56-10 loss in Canberra on Sunday.

Star winger Matt Petersen received some positive news, with his knee injury not as bad as first thought. But he will still face two to three weeks out alongside centre Luke O'Dwyer (shoulder).

The Titans felt the full fall-out from the Raiders bashing at yesterday's recovery session at Miami pool.

They will look to snap a three-game losing streak when they host the Bulldogs at Carrara on Friday night, and salvage their season with the finals fast approaching.

"As a club we were embarrassed by the (56-10) score line but we will be treating it like a one off," said Titans coach John Cartwright.

"The players want to get back on the paddock, they would have played today if they could. We are in the hunt for a semi-finals spot and no one is losing sight of that.

"There are seven rounds to go and that is a long time in this competition."

Prince said he had never seen anything like the Titans devastating injury list during his 10 seasons in the NRL.

The club's depth is being stretched to its limits, with a few more injuries meaning they would have to draw players from feeder clubs Tweed, Burleigh and Ipswich in the Queensland Cup.

"The massive challenge was going to be the injury factor, and at the moment it is the worst I have ever seen it with so many injuries in the one club," said Prince.

"It is a challenging time for us and hopefully we can come out the other side a better team and a better club for it.

"All the boys, we seem to be losing them ... they are dropping like flies."

The loss of Prince for three matches is a savage blow to the Titans in the run towards the play-offs, but the inspirational playmaker backed his teammates to continue the charge.

Five-eighth Josh Lewis will shift to halfback, with Preston Campbell or Matt Hilder moving to the No.6 jumper.

Prince has not missed an NRL match since round one in 2004, playing 90 straight.

"We worked so hard to turn up on the day (against Canberra) and to get punished is demoralising," said Prince.

"But the beauty about rugby league is there is always next week and we have to turn it around.

"There is still a lot of football to be played yet.

"I have all the faith in the world in the guys that are going to come into the squad.

"(Josh Lewis) has played halfback before and I think he will do the job really well.

"He knows how to play, he doesn't need me in his ear every five minutes.

"Now it is up to Bails (Luke Bailey) and Preston (Campbell) and the other senior blokes to raise the bar and work hard. It is a team of 17 so they will all have to put their hands up and be counted."

ps. In the second article above you’ll see it says “12 of the 29 recognised first grade players making up the almost overflowing casualty ward”. The media forgot to mention that a further 2 players who did their ACL’s during the titan’s pre-season and another snapped his patella tendon approx 1 month ago who also trained with the titan’s since Nov 2006

Multiple knee ligament reconstruction - update #1

It's been approx 1 month since Ian's initial post and my initial interview with this former athlete for rehabilitation of his seriously challenged knee (2 x ligament repairs and meniscus trim on the one knee).

My initial contact with him was 14 weeks post surgery, up until that time, his physio (for the past 10+yrs) had been rehabbing him with very limited success. This measured by his lack of range at the knee, pain, swelling, altered gait via a large limp, recommendation of further surgery to the knee, muscle atrophy and a compromised life style with very limited signs of any improvement up until that 14 weeks!

So the first 'shift' had to take place. I had to learn why he likes to partner/associate with total incompetence and see if he was willing to break this tragic pattern. In other words, find out how willing he was to change. He passed the tests there, so on to the next step with the interview and assessments complete.

The next step was to get hands on and test my hypothesis as to the reasons why he had such limited improvement after 3 and one half months. Knowing the (lack of) competence of most therapists and the paradigms they subscribe to, we measured a few aspects of his current knee status then I spend maybe 30 mins all up working on some things and re-tested.

The changes were definitely in the right direction and in 30mins we were able to get more improvement than in his previous 14wks combined! That also carried through to the next day, with him saying it’s the best his knee has felt since the surgery!

This had a huge impact on his belief as to what is possible, as previously his belief (and therefore results) were reflective of the competence he chose to engage - low!

Additionally, while I was working with the client, Ian was busy creating an electronic version of a 'monitor' he has successfully used over the years with numerous athletes, that I can't talk too much about it here. This was another responsibility the client had and monitor continues to guide us in his rehabilitation daily.

So for the past 4 weeks he has happily made the 3 hour round trip (that's just the driving time, not including his time with me!) a number of time each week to get serviced to the level he deserves and continue to move forward in improvement.

Earlier this week Ian set our client up for a meeting and second opinion based on the apparent need for further surgery, with possibly Australia's leading sports surgeon who Ian knows well. This was another great learning experience for our client as the surgeon was able to share the grim long term realities for his knee if he continued on his previous course.

This was another wake up call for him, giving him greater appreciation for straight/blunt communication Ian and I use with him when it appears he is (or in the past was) selling himself short, expecting too little, and using blame or lack of control over life’s events as excuses…

More updates to follow...

Mitchell Kochonda