Kairos is now working with Milton Keynes Dons Football Club first-team squad and backroom staff to provide an intuitive, robust, and secure way to manage the schedule of their internal scheduling and communications. The MK Dons compete in EFL League One and are based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. After gaining promotion from the EFL League Two at the end of the 2018–19 season, the team is aiming to continue their rise and return to the top tier of English football.

Kairos is an online platform that provides the tools to ensure all matches, group, and 1-2-1 sessions, appointments, and any other scheduled activity is centralised in one easy to access place. Team communications are timely and relevant to each staff member while ensuring players are more engaged and empowered to manage their individual schedules.

MK Dons’ first-team manager Russell Martin says;  “We’ve had loads of great feedback from staff and players already, they are really seeing the time and clarity benefits of the platform. It’s really helped us empower our players, they have more control of their own schedule and it’s helped them be as prepared as possible for game day”

Andrew Trimble, Kairos CEO and co-founder, “We’re delighted to start working with the MK Dons first-team. They are a team that’s really on the up, they’re ambitious and are putting the tools in place to ensure that all the staff and players are getting the most out of their time.” 

ABOUT KAIROS

Kairos is focused on game day preparation. They are the world’s most effective platform for simplifying scheduling, streamlining communications, and maximising player engagement in elite sports. They equip teams across the globe, including teams from the EPL, EFL, Premiership Rugby, Pro 14, MLS, and international football teams. To find out more about the platform, get in touch below.

Periodisation is the long-term systematic planning and division to maximise performance to coincide with important competitions of the season and involves structuring the annual training plan into phases.

Utilising a periodised training approach for sports also enables better management of performance variables such as load, intensity, fatigue and recovery.

A well-structured periodisation program can enable athletes to develop fitness & sports-specific skills, maintain a consistent performance level, (while minimising injury and fatigue) and peak for the important fixtures of the season.

THE PHASES

There are 3 phases in the periodisation model: Macrocycle, Mesocycle and Microcycle.

The macrocycle is the longest phase in the periodisation model and covers 1 entire sporting season, typically including also pre and post-season. It provides a long-term outlook of the training structure for the calendar year.

A mesocycle is the phase within a macrocycle, lasting anywhere between 2-6 weeks. This cycle is a (useful) way of breaking down the macrocycle into manageable and systematic training sessions, designed to accomplish specific goals in a medium

A microcycle is a short period of training within a mesocycle, typically lasting 7 days. The goal of a microcycle is to facilitate a focused block of vigorous training, followed by lighter training. Microcycles are often used in preparation for a matchday or competition.

TYPES OF PERIODISATION

Traditional / Linear:

Linear periodisation aims at developing a single fitness characteristic (endurance, speed, power) during the meso or micro-cycle phase. It typically starts with high volume and low-intensity work and transitions to high intensity and low volume work.

Non traditional/ Non-Linear:

Non-linear periodisation aims at developing multiple fitness characteristics during the meso or micro-cycle phases. Contrary to linear periodisation, this method constantly changes training volume, intensity and exercises to achieve multiple types of physical stimuli.

Block Periodisation:

A method commonly used by Olympic weightlifters, the idea of block periodisation focuses on highly-concentrated training workloads, or blocks, consisting of 3 stages: accumulation, transmutation, and realisation.

1. Accumulation: athletes accumulate basic motor and technical abilities such as aerobic endurance or general strength, with high volume and low to average intensity.

2. Transmutation: athletes transmute the basic abilities obtained in the previous phase and apply them to sport-specific training. The volume is slightly decreased while the intensity increases.

3. Realisation: athletes realise their full potential and preparedness for the competition. Training intensity and volume are low as the focus is on restoration and recovery.

As with all training systems, periodisation should be ideally tailored to the individual needs, responses, and level of the athlete to maximise progression and manage fatigue.

The training cycles’ length, goal, and focus should also be designed and altered to accommodate for the specific sport and competition calendar

Strength training has increasingly become more popular as an additional method for athletes to improve performance in their sport. Whether it is golfers, triathletes or basketball players, the modern sports science community almost unanimously agrees that all athletes can benefit from some degree of strength training.

Not so long ago, the common wisdom was that athletes just had to focus on putting the hours in, practicing their sports to improve skills and performance. Strength training was often regarded to be more of a hindrance than help to athletes, as lifting weights often cause tightness and muscle soreness, which can impair performance.

However, due to the increasing competitiveness of sports, coaches and athletes have looked for methods that would give them an edge over the competition and strength training has gained a fundamental place in the preparation of athletes to be able to perform better more consistently.

There are several well documented advantages to strength training.

1. REDUCED RISKS OF INJURY

Arguably one of the biggest benefits that strength training, also known as resistance training, creates is physiological changes in the muscle, connective tissues, and bones. More specifically, the bones increase in mineral density and become stronger over time. This is rather significant, as in many sports there is some degree of shear force acting on the bones when performing certain movements, such as jumping, changes of direction or physical contact.

Strength increase occurs also in tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Because they are the support system of a joint, they are the first to take the toll from the impact of force, caused by blows, falls or awkward movements. A strength increase in these connective tissue results in improved resilience and resistance to impact, and subsequently injuries.

2. INCREASED STRENGTH

When an athlete undertakes a focused strength training programme along with sports specific drills, they can increase their power, which is the ability to exert force in the shortest amount of time. This is also commonly referred to as explosive strength.

More power generated in less time equals more explosivity, quicker and efficient movements. Moreover, the muscles learn to synchronize therefore utilising energy more efficiently and reducing waste.

Different types of sport will need to prioritise different types of strength. A sprinter will focus on training explosivity, a cyclist will concentrate on their endurance and a wrestler will train their maximum strength.

3. BETTER BODY COMPOSITION

It is a requirement for most athletes to have healthy levels of body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass, with specific ratio and percentage requirements varying according to the nature of the sport.

An appropriate amount of lean body mass contributes to increased agility, quickness and power, while reduced nonessential body fat improves cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

By implementing strength training, it is possible to attain the most efficient balance of lean to fat mass and body composition.

4. FASTER NEURO-MUSCULAR ACTIVATION

Often one of the most overlooked benefits of resistance training is neuromuscular activation.

Simply put; it is the process by which the brain sends signals to the muscle to recruit muscle fiber and activation patterns to perform a certain movement. The muscle reacts and sends feedback to the brain creating a loop, which over time, will allow the body to learn to optimise and improve such movements.

In many sports, the amount of force and quickness of a movement of an athlete can often make a difference in the outcome of the competition. Strength training not only improves the speed of the signal that is sent from the brain to the muscles, but also the quality of the signal, which can determine the optimal amount of force needed for a given movement.

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH

When planning a strength training programme there are 3 main factors to keep in mind:

Individualisation: Every athlete has different characteristics and therefore can have different responses to exercises. Understanding specific needs is essential to build a training routine which will yield the best results for the individual

Specificity: Every exercise in a strength programme needs to be relevant and appropriate for the sport which the individual is training to produce the desired outcome. Movements should be prioritised over single muscle training. For example, It is more beneficial for a basketball player to perform squats than bicep curls, as the former has a direct beneficial carryover to the sport.

Periodisation: Every training plan should be planned and built systematically into different periods, each of which has a specific goal, whether it is to attain optimal fitness for the start of the season, reach peak performance in the important games and competitions, or facilitate recovery from tight and intense fixtures.

A COMPLEMENT, NOT A SUBSTITUTE

Strength training clearly has defined benefits for sports performance. However, it is essential to note that it is not a substitute for sports-specific training. Instead, it is an additional and complementary tool for coaches to further develop their athletes’ performance.

thanks to the following sources for helping us research this topic:

– what strength training does

– neuromuscular activation

– strength training to prevent injury

– why strength training is important for all athletes

Images from Jonathan Borba & Leon Martinez from Pexels

AN INCREASINGLY NEEDED CONVERSATION

The Northern Ireland men’s football team aim to maximise preparation and boost performance of players for upcoming international fixtures, by utilising Kairos’ revolutionary Scheduling solution.

“ Man, I don’t know, I was just in the zone…”

Every athlete has said these words at least once after a particularly successful event. For basketball players, there are “nothing-but-net” games, for tennis champions some tournaments just become streaks of “down-the-line” winners. As a golfer, I’ve had days where my ball and the green seemed to be destined for one another. All athletes have had this experience of doing the right thing without thinking, with the feeling that our body intuitively does what it needs, leading the way instead of us having to think as much.

Studies have shown that the ‘in-the-zone’ state of mind of an elite athlete is a real and very important thing, called Flow State. iResearch defines Flow as an “Optimal psychological state that occurs when challenges and skills are balanced and extending an individual. This state provides an opportunity for individuals to move their experience from average to optimal enables individuals to experience full engagement in the present moment.” The concept was first introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as part of his research on human happiness and what drives motivation in different life situations. In a Ted Talk aired in 2004, he perfectly explained this phenomenon of Flow, both scientifically and psychologically.

The Science behind Flow State …

As Csikszentmihalyi explained, our nervous system is capable of processing up to 110 bits of information per second. To put this into context; to understand what a person is saying to us, we need to process 60bits per second: this is why we struggle to understand two people speaking to us at once. When facing challenging situations requiring high-level skills, we often get involved in Flow State. Our body and identity disappear from our consciousness because we just don’t have enough attention to process the information on how our body feels or the various unrelated thoughts in our mind. We feel like all physical motions are executed by themselves, spontaneously.

But how does it feel to be in Flow?

Being in a state of Flow is a very rare and particular feeling. Here is a closer look at how people feel when in Flow, as explained by Csikszentmihalyi:

– Completely involved in what they are doing: focused, concentrated

– A sense of being outside reality

– Great inner clarity: knowing what needs to be done, and how well they are doing it

– Absolute certainty that their skills are adequate to the task

– A sense of serenity: no worries about external factors, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego

– Timelessness: thoroughly focused on the present

– Intrinsic motivation: whatever produces flow becomes its own reward

In his Ted Talk show, the precursor of the ‘Flow Theory’ also provided his audience with real-life experience from an Olympic figure skater, describing how she felt when ‘in-the-zone’:

“It was just one of those programs that clicked. I mean everything went right, everything felt good… it’s a rush, you feel it could go on and on and on, and you don’t want it to stop because it’s going so well. It’s almost as if you don’t have to think, everything goes automatically. It feels like you’re on automatic pilot, so you don’t have any thoughts.”

How do we reach a state of Flow?

Flow occurs in situations combining both high challenge and high skill requirements. For this reason, this mental ‘switch’ is very present in a competitive, elite sports environment, where athletes need to be prepared and confident enough to keep their performance at its peak.

In a recent article published by The Online Journal of Sports Psychology, sports psychologist Valerie Worthington also explains: “While we can’t enter the flow state at will, we can master the basics of a sport in order to be prepared to experience it when it happens – and to yearn for a long time afterwards to return to that state again.”

As magical a tool as Flow may seem, athletes can’t just wait for the ‘Zone’ to come to them. As Csikszentmihalyi further mentioned, “this state can only be developed by someone who is very well trained and has developed the right technique”. Flow shows that mind and body can come together on a moment-by-moment basis, keeping athletes fully connected and responsive to the task on game day. However, in order for this to happen, they need to make sure the conditions are met, with an ongoing, methodical and mechanical preparation to ensure they are fully ready to execute on game day.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be held in Asia, outside the traditional heartland of rugby union. This September, the world’s best 21 teams will fly to Japan to defend their colours and become the trophy-winning nation. Amongst this year’s teams is Ireland, and amongst its delegation, Ulster Rugby captain Iain Henderson. The rugby star shared with us his experience as an international rugby player and his insights on the World Cup team and individual preparation.

… PLAYING FOR A NATIONAL TEAM

What are the main differences between playing in a club (Ulster) and Ireland (national team)?

” When you’re playing for Ulster, everyone trains together all the time, throughout the whole year which brings a close atmosphere to the team. One of the challenges you have, playing with Ireland, is that you have to become as tight as you are when playing with your club team but over a very short space of time. Being able to bring everyone together in a short amount of time to be able to perform is definitely one of the main challenges in international rugby. “

” Obviously, one of the other challenges is that you’re playing higher calibre international teams so your preparation has to be spot-on. We’ll need to make sure that all our set plays are perfectly executed, and that we understand our opposition strengths and weaknesses as best as we can. Obviously, when playing with Ulster we still strive to have the same amount of detail in there but it’s not always possible because of the high number of teams.”

Do you see your national teammates throughout the season? What do you guys do to work well together even though you don’t see each other often?

” Throughout the season, we play against lads who we then would have to become very close with for the World Cup. This can sometimes be difficult but at the same time, it gives us a common ground and enables us to get to know each other a lot quicker. Coaches and senior players also drive and facilitate squad cohesion with team building events, going out for dinner together and other social activities.”

Do you communicate with Joe Schmidt throughout the season? How does he provide you with feedback on your club performances when you’re not in camp? Is he in contact with Dan McFarland?

” Joe stays in touch with the players throughout the season. With us being in and out of camps every 4/6 weeks, he keeps a very close eye on us, following our performances and tracking our injuries. He is also in contact with all four provincial coaches (Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht), getting insights on how we are performing in training and game days.”

… PREPARING FOR THE WORLD CUP

How is the preparation for the world cup organized overall? How early do team sessions start and where?

“ Camp is in Dublin and it started at the end of June, about 3 months before the World Cup starts. Sessions vary from day-to-day, with some more concentrated on conditioning and others on skills or recovery. The coaching staff has everything mapped out to make sure we get the best preparation in the short amount of time that we have and that we come into the World Cup in the optimal shape to perform.”

What does the coaching staff consist of? Skills coach, S&C team, physios…

” There are slightly more resources at Ireland than Ulster: 5 rugby coaches, 3 strength & conditioning coaches, 2 physios, 3 masseurs, a doctor, and a nutritionist. They are always at the camp with us, making sure we get the best possible care and ensuring everything runs very smoothly. Time is definitely of the essence down there.”

Do you personally have a different approach to preparation for regular season than for the World Cup?

” I’d like to say no, but I think with the World Cup there is definitely a pinnacle in terms of rugby achievements and performance. I have been putting extra effort into this pre-season to try and get myself in the best possible shape before leaving for Japan.”

Have you ever been to Japan before?

“ I have never been to Japan, but I know rugby is definitely growing as a sport over there. Many professional teams have surfaced over the past 10 years that we wouldn’t have heard of before then.”

What do you do in terms of injury prevention? Quarry sessions? How individual are they? How do you keep track of ‘quarry’ programmes?

” The goal of our Quarry sessions is to work on robustness to keep injuries abated and ensure we don’t re-injure ourselves unnecessarily. Staying on top on that side of things is crucial: we had a lot of injuries early on during the last World Cup, so minimizing this risk is in turn going to maximize the overall chances of any squad going into the tournament. “

Do you find a difference in intensity when training with Ireland? Who dictates the intensity? S&C coaches or Joe Schmidt?

“ When I first started playing for Ireland, the training intensity was much higher than at Ulster, both on the training pitch and in terms of strength and conditioning. Now, with club rugby becoming much more professional, it’s been taking massive steps towards the intensity found in international training in the past 2 seasons with the objective of performing at the highest level.”

Being a captain for Ulster, do you find that the leadership skills you have acquired will be useful in the World Cup? How so? What type of leader would you like to be? Tell us about influences in leadership like Rory Best, Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, etc.

” I haven’t started my tenure as a captain yet but what I found is that there are a lot of leaders in a team, not just the captain. This makes the job a whole lot easier and in that aspect, any player can come into the Ireland squad and brings his leadership skills to benefit the whole team effort. Rory passes on leadership to players in the squad, and while Johnny and Peter have very different styles we can always learn from them. Ultimately, I think it’s good to have your own approach to leadership, taking on pieces of advice and information along the way.”

How will the unique challenges of Scotland and Japan differ?

” Each province in Ireland plays a Scottish team at least 5 times every season, so we know them very well and vice-versa. All players have their recurring habits on the pitch and the more you play against them, the more you get to know these habits and the more likely you are to anticipate their plays and beat them. Playing against a team like Japan which we don’t know will be different, but at the same time they don’t know us either so that makes it even more interesting!”

What would be an acceptable achievement for Ireland? Semifinals?

“ Ireland has never made it to the semifinals before so it making it there or beyond would be a great finish for us. However, our main goal will be to come out of every game knowing that we have done everything we could to deliver our best possible performance. with the results we’ve had as a nation over the last few years, who knows what will happen… setting a new record would be great though and I can only imagine the hype back home if we got there!”

Can an outsider, coming into form at the right time upset all the odds? 

On Thursday, 156 players will tee off to compete in the oldest tournament in golf history, the legendary Open Championship. Historically held in England or Scotland, the Northern Irish town of Portrush will be hosting the major tournament this year, for the first time since 1951.

Amongst this year’s contenders stands French golfer Romain Langasque. From his first par at the age of 4 to winning the British Amateur in 2015, playing in The Masters at the age of 20 and being ranked in the European Tour top 30 this year, the 24-year-old golf prodigy is an inspiration for a new generation of French golf fanatics. Coming out of last weekend’s Scottish Open with an amazing 3rd place and a second-lowest final score of -20, there is no doubt that Romain is more than ready to face the legends of international golf at Portrush and chase the coveted Claret Jug.

Our team member and golfer Emilie caught up with Romain last Friday to get some insights on his preparation leading up to The Open.

How is your current season going?

“It’s off to a very good start. I’ve finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th, and made 5 additional cuts with only 3 missed. I can now play all European tour events and I also secured a spot on the tour for next year. I’m playing well, I feel confident in my game and comfortable playing in these tournaments which is very cool.”

When did you play The Open for the first time?

“I’ve played in it once after winning the British amateur championship in 2015. It was in Saint Andrews and it is still an amazing memory. I made the cut and finished in the top 50 which was a good performance for my first time playing it.”

What is the main difference between playing a major championship and a regular professional tournament?

“The main difference is the crowd. We get some crowds on European tour events but nothing compared to a major championship. During a major, the place is literally packed with people everywhere, creating a very special atmosphere. Also, the golf course is perfectly prepared and instead of playing against 50 top world players, we compete against the top 150 players in the world.”

Do you prepare differently for a Major tournament?

“Preparation for a major tournament isn’t fundamentally different from any other tournament. However, we highlight the majors on our calendar at the beginning of the year and adjust our season’s schedule accordingly. I decided not to play two weeks ago because I wanted The Open to be my third event this month. I want to make sure to come into the week fully energized both physically and mentally. We often get tired with back-to-back tournaments and even if we know how to adapt, major tournaments require an additional amount of focus and we need to make sure we are 100% ready when they arrive.”

What is key to maintaining energy levels with all-year-round travelling?

“First, you should never play too much. I never play four tournaments in a row, my maximum is three. In between tournaments, I don’t spend too much time on the course or the driving range and I make sure to take a few weeks off throughout the season to recover after intense competition streaks. Two other important factors are eating and sleeping well: the sleeping part isn’t a problem for me because I’ve always been an early bird! Finally, the one big issue with travelling internationally is jet lag and it does take some getting used to, but after a few years I don’t even feel it that much anymore.”

How do you manage your personal preparation?

“I have a great team of 4 coaches that help make sure that I am well prepared. My technical coach, Mike Walker, is based in England and I mostly see him during tournaments. I also have a coach in France whom I have known since I played junior golf and he is in charge of analyzing my statistics and helping me apply what Mike and I are working on when I’m back home. My strength coach travels with me in 10-15 tournaments every year and I also see him when I am training in France. I am also working with a sports wellness coach who I call about once every other week for a mental prep session. In terms of arranging my trips, booking hotels, flights and dealing with paperwork, my manager could do it for me but at the moment my Mom is happy to do it for me so that’s great.”

What is the biggest challenge for you playing in a 4 day event? How do you keep your focus?

“For me, golf in general and especially 4-day events require patience. With every day comes good shots, bad shots, birdies and bogeys. Throughout these rounds, we need to keep the same level of focus, clarity and calm. In golf, frustration comes very easily: it is crucial to keep a serene attitude and bounce back from bad shots and bad holes to move forward and avoid this frustration. I focus on controlling the things I can and making sure results aren’t affecting me or my game throughout the tournament.”

Your thoughts on Portrush?

“I have played the course once. It was for the British amateur championship 2014 and I absolutely loved it. As most people will see on TV, the course, the place and the scenery are beautiful and it’s a lot of pleasure playing there. Portrush is, however, a tough course and it definitely plays more or less difficult depending on weather conditions. Because it has been prepared to host a major championship, I wouldn’t be surprised if it looked very different from my memories. I’m looking forward to finding out during the practice round on Tuesday.”

What aspects of your game complements Links Golf?

“I feel like my game fits the links quite well. I’m creative on the golf course, I’m not scared of experimenting and trying new shots if the situation or weather conditions demand it. One of my tricks is to hit a low, faded tee shot called “ Baby Drive “. I am very comfortable with this shot, allowing me to keep the ball in play in windy conditions while maintaining some distance since the ball rolls for miles on these hard fairways.”

Your Objective for The Open 2019

“Of course I’d like to be in a winning position and have a great finish. In the meantime my objective is to do everything I can beforehand to make sure I show up to the first tee box on Thursday ready to commit myself to every single shot, stay patient and have no regrets in the end.”

… Your grouping wish for this week?

“ Well, I would say my ideal group would be Rory Mc Ilroy and… Tiger Woods. No big deal, right?”