Informed Practitioner In Sport

Many have argued that practically applicable training information and thoroughly researched sport science are mutually exclusive entities.

Dr. Gamble proves this assertion false as he has become my go to resource for just such material. Through his books, website and social media presence, Paul has proven to be the industry leader in providing information that manages to bridge the gap between scientific researchers and the in the trenches practitioners.

I first discovered Paul’s work while searching for quality information on agility training. I came across Training for Sports Speed and Agility and was blown away.  It was by far the best book I had seen on the subject and inspired me to search for and follow any other information I could find from Dr. Gamble. Being that I had not heard of him prior to reading that book, I thought I found my secret weapon in the quest for superior athletic development. The secret didn’t last long as over the coming months and years more and more of my peers in the Strength & Conditioning industry began discussing his work.

Through a stroke of luck, and the ever easier access to worldwide communication made possible by the internet, I was fortunate to be introduced to Dr. Gamble. Since that point, Paul has become the person I reach out to when an issue pops up that I just can’t seem to find a solution to. He has consistently given me tips and ideas that could be immediately implemented with my teams. He has always been more than gracious in his willingness to help and I am grateful to be able to consider him as both a mentor and friend.

Paul systematically challenges your way of thinking and opens your mind to other viewpoints.

I was fortunate to work and collaborate with Paul during the time we shared when he was in the role of Director of Sport Performance at the commercial sport and health facility where I was working. Paul is very good at what he does as a performance coach: he is mindful of his structure, reasoning, and the delivery of knowledge or new approaches to training. Paul truly takes pride in his teaching and is very generous in sharing his knowledge.

I am truly grateful for the time I was able to spend learning under Paul’s mentorship. We worked through concepts practically, clinically and written material to address different learning styles. As a sports physiotherapist and coach I would highly recommend jumping on any opportunity you might have to learn from Paul and be challenged by him.

I first met Paul at a strength and conditioning symposium in 2016. A brief conversation over lunch lead me to his books and website. After reading several of his books, I was impressed with his breadth of knowledge and his ability to discern information and challenge commonly held conventions in the field of sport performance.

During the winter of 2020 COVID-19 restrictions provided me with a unique reprieve from in-person coaching, during which I had the time to reflect and identify gaps existing in my current professional development process. Having just completed his book “Prepared” and in search of mentorship, I reached out to Paul. In Paul, I found a mentor willing to challenge my biases and hold me accountable.

We worked together to identify my current strengths and weaknesses across all facets of coaching and sports performance. Paul’s knowledge and expertise has supported my development in a multitude of ways. Our conversations have provided me with unique opportunities to improve my knowledge and technical skills, while also providing me the tools to consistently evaluate, reflect and debrief the application of those skills. Perhaps most importantly, Paul has been straightforward in our discussions, and is genuinely invested in my improvement as a coach and person. I am very grateful for Paul’s support and mentorship.

I would highly recommend Dr. Paul Gamble to any early-career coach or sport practitioner. With Paul’s guidance, I have gained both confidence and clarity in my various roles.

I first met Paul the fall of 2017 when I was just a few months into my first full-time coaching job and looking for someone who could challenge my thinking and present novel perspectives on how to address issues I was encountering in my new role. Paul clearly sensed my desire for mentorship during our first encounter and offered to take me under his wing. Three and half years later and I am extremely grateful to call Paul a mentor and a friend.

Early on in our relationship, Paul helped me home in on key areas of growth for me as a young coach. Entering the strength and conditioning profession in the midst of the “Information Age” has posed significant challenges for me as a young coach. Continuing education has largely migrated online and it can be easy to get lost. Paul has helped me to filter out the noise and distill what is left down to the essential, while maintaining a strong appreciation for nuance. Rather than consuming information haphazardly, I was able to focus my efforts towards specific gaps in my theoretical understanding of athletic preparation and the various technical and “soft” skills required to be an effective strength and conditioning coach.

In addition to helping guide my development as a young coach, Paul has become the person I reach out to for practical solutions to real problems I encounter in my job. Most recently, Paul has supported me through an extremely challenging rehabilitation case involving a professional volleyball player who re-ruptured a previously-reconstructed ACL. Paul has been instrumental in the planning and ongoing management of the return-to-performance process. All parties, from the athlete to the practitioners involved, have benefited from his objectivity and technical expertise.

It has been extremely refreshing to be able to share my thoughts and ideas, and to seek counsel from someone as experienced, discerning and even-keeled as Paul. Through his mentorship, Paul has helped me navigate various challenges I’ve encountered as an early-career strength and conditioning coach, from managing relationships with the athletes and colleagues I work with to creating professional boundaries and learning to work effectively in large organizations such as university athletic departments and national sport organizations.

I refer to Paul as ‘big brother!’.

I am so thankful to be one of Paul’s students (as well as being an advisor and mentor, Paul was a supervisor for my PhD research). I thank Paul for his unyielding honesty and unapologetic feedback; it certainly moulded me into the academic I am today! I enthusiastically look forward to doing more work with Paul in the very near future to help impact our field in a positive way.

I am thankful for Paul continuing to share his time and what I call the "skull-sessions" that help me make sense of the complex and often confusing concepts of science. Paul is indeed a life raft in a tumultuous storm!

Thank you Paul for the warm invitations to educate and empower. Thank you for the weekend catch-ups and the unforgettable conversations! Keep impacting and informing!

If I was to give one piece of advice to any strength and conditioning coach starting out in the profession, it would be to find a mentor.

The greatest resource for any coach is having someone to that they can bounce ideas off and help navigate all the information. I have been coaching for 15 years and it has only been in the recent period that I’ve had the opportunity to experience the many benefits of having a mentor. I first met Dr. Gamble when he joined our staff as Performance Director. There I had the opportunity and privilege to work with Paul; I quickly realized the value, the necessity, of having a mentor. As I have discovered, the right mentor shares their experiences and wisdom to provide clarity and perceptive insights on the situation. 

Through his writing and in person mentorship Dr. Gamble has challenged my way of thinking while at the same encouraged me to trust my gut and knowledge. He has helped me keep my focus on what is important while blocking out all the unnecessary noise. Paul graciously shares his wealth of knowledge, takes the time to educate coaches, and is quick to make recommendations and provide resources.  

On more than one occasion Dr. Gamble has reignited my desire to remain in the coaching profession. Paul’s guidance has helped me manage doubts, filter out the noise, and restore my confidence. The benefit of Paul’s mentorship helped me see my role as a manager and coach through a clearer lens. Even now when I am grappling with an issue Paul’s candid advice and support always help to provide clarity on the way forwards.

There are knowledgeable coaches in many places, yet it is somewhat harder to find a coach and mentor who listens, truly understands and ultimately becomes a friend. 

I met Paul in 2018 when he hired me for my first full time strength and conditioning role. As a young coach I was eager to learn but lacked confidence in performance. Over the next year I was able to work alongside him, Paul not only imparted extensive knowledge of speed, strength and performance rehabilitation but importantly taught me to trust my knowledge and instincts when working with people. Working primarily with post surgical ACL rehabilitation clientele, Paul helped me to build instrumental knowledge in planning, programming and the overall process of the return-to-sport spectrum. 

Paul’s enthusiasm for athletic development is unparalleled and incredibly motivating. After our catch-ups, I feel empowered to take control of my professional and personal goals. He is quick to provide quality information and perspective on challenges I face - through his writing, robust conversations and mentorship groups. I feel that Paul understands me as a person and I am immensely grateful for his guidance.

I was introduced to Paul through my colleagues at UBC while I was a graduate assistant with the strength and conditioning staff for the Varsity athletic department. Immediately I was struck by how much knowledge Paul had and how he conveyed it in such a matter-of-fact way. Since then I have heard Paul speak multiple times on various topics such as power development, speed training, and other various coaching skills. I have also followed Pauls’ blogs and read many of his thought-provoking articles. Paul is not afraid to call out poor coaching practices and share his insights on how to raise the level of not only the strength & conditioning community but all Kinesiology professions. Paul has a strong grasp on a variety of topics and does an excellent job of blending them in a way that makes sense.

One of my favourite aspects of Paul’s teaching is his willingness to assist other coaches and ensure they actually grasp the concept he presents. Sometimes his topics are quite science-heavy as he has a background in physics, but Paul is always willing to take the time to answer questions and make sure to provide the background info you need to fully understand his message.

Through Paul’s teaching and guidance I have grown to understand more deeply the science behind training, as well as ask better reflective questions of myself and my coaching practice to ensure I am doing all I can to help and not harm my athletes. I am super thankful for the information Paul has provided and for his willingness to always assist a young coach like myself. If you get the chance to learn from him, either through his workshops, books, or blog posts, do so! You won’t regret it!

Paul has been a great mentor to me both on and off the track.

Paul’s extensive knowledge and his eye for detail are second to none. Paul has consistently guided me personally and helped me answer some of the tougher coaching questions. With Paul you get the how but more importantly, you get the why when it comes to sharing his expertise.

I can’t recommend Paul more highly in regards to his experience in sport preparation and coaching guidance.

For a small nation, Scotland punches well above our weight in the sport and are renowned for our athletic prowess - due totally to the expertise and professionalism that Paul has brought to our players’ physical development.

Our injury rates are extraordinarily low and I attribute this to the combination of functional development, proactive physiotherapy and performance strength training that Paul designed. I cannot commend anyone more highly in the field of strength and conditioning.

Over the five years we worked together, Paul worked daily with me preparing, delivering and supervising individualised strength and conditioning programmes for my senior squad, including former world No.1, John White, and current world No.25, Alan Clyne. Paul was also involved in the preparation for our highly successful Commonwealth Games campaign (all of our doubles pairings reached the quarter-finals and one team reaching the semi-finals). Many of the junior players Paul helped to develop from an early age have also since made a very successful transition to senior competition and the professional circuit.

Paul’s role with the squad based at the national training centre required him to manage all aspects of physical development of my players. This included overseeing sports medical treatment and sports science support, as well as strength and conditioning planning and delivery. Paul often attended treatment sessions and served as the conduit for relaying information from providers in order that the coaching staff remained updated with clear and accurate information. 

Paul also prepared and managed the delivery of strength programmes to our regionally based players by the various Area Institute of Sport S&C specialists. In addition to coordinating delivery and support with providers in the regions, Paul maintained regular contact with these players and personally carried out regular assessments and provided feedback to players, coaches and parents at our monthly Academy training squads. 

Paul provided individualised periodised plans for all our players and worked tirelessly to ensure that players’ training was constantly optimised to ensure the best performances. He pays exceptional attention to detail in lifting technique and he works hard to incorporate the latest information and research into his programmes.

I met Paul at the start of his career in elite sport: Paul was embarking on a PhD in elite rugby union as I arrived into the role of Player/Head Coach at London Irish rugby football club. The short time available to introduce a whole new game plan and style of play meant that we had to make the time spent performing fitness work as efficient and productive as possible; I also wanted to make training fun. This led to the genesis of the idea to take the radical step of undertaking our preseason conditioning in the form of skill-based conditioning games. Paul had previously used heart rate monitoring to assess the demands of rugby football match play and he planned to use this technology in his PhD; he was therefore the perfect person to start this journey with. With Paul’s expertise and new heart rate technology developed for team sports we were soon able to prove that our novel approach was highly effective. Secure in this knowledge, we continued to employ conditioning games as our exclusive means of fitness development for the squad throughout the remainder of the preseason and the season that followed, constantly developing and evolving our approach over this time with Paul's aid. That year was the most successful in the club’s history: we won the national cup and had the club’s highest ever final standing in the league, qualifying for the following year’s prestigious European cup tournament.
 
Paul’s dedication and readiness to embrace and develop new ideas readily fit with the culture I sought to develop at the club, and in a short time Paul established himself as an important part of the support team for both the senior squad and academy. Following my departure to return to my medical practice in South Africa Paul’s role with the club continued to grow; by the time he left the club and completed his PhD he had risen to the position of head strength and conditioning coach.

The Somerville Hockey Club is one of New Zealand's premier clubs which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary. Every year we run a high performance academy with 20 of our highest potential athletes. The programme includes skill development, nutrition and physical conditioning. 

Paul has led the strength and conditioning programme for our athletes, including initial assessments, preparing a plan for each athlete, a 1-to-1 session with each player to discuss results and programmes, and weekly sessions with the group, centering on different aspects of their offseason conditioning.

With his assistance (in the last year) we have managed to promote 16 of the 20 athletes into higher grades of competition. The improvement in overall conditioning has been evident during the year, and we would expect to use Paul in future programmes.