<![CDATA[First XV Performance - Blog]]>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:15:09 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[What I Think I Learned While Coaching: Volume 8]]>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 20:09:43 GMThttps://www.firstxvperformance.com/blog/what-i-think-i-learned-while-coaching-volume-8It has been a long hiatus from my writings, but finally I’m back!

Been wanting to put this one down in words for a long bit now. In that long bit there’s been plenty happening otherwise, had technical issues, dealing with internal issues and just plain old life. Here we have it though, the (mostly) annual What I Think I Learned While Coaching.

It was another solid season with Brookline RFC, finished with another runner up and a host memories made. It was a rollercoaster along the way and another great ride. Here’s what I think I learned in the 2026 season.

Take the Recognition, Not the Full Credit: I’m not one that’s going to take full credit for anything, rarely do I want credit at all. I’m usually just a guy standing there barking orders, the hard work is done by the players more so. Still, I do appreciate when people put me up for special recognition. (Evidence below). As you might expect me to say, this was an award earned by the players, especially the captains I’ve had the last few years, the assistant coaches, George Kashar, Ben Glauser, Erik Person and Ellie Dwek, also my family and friends that support around me. If there’s a way to convince a coach he needs to keep coming back, something like this will certainly do the trick. One thing I can say for sure, is to keep at it, because you never know exactly who or how many you will impact for the better, and that’s really what matters the absolute most.


The Journey Always Means More: The way I coach my teams has always been, worry about the performance and let the cards fall where they may in terms of the result. Similar could be said about where you end up at the end of a season. As I stated we got ourselves to the point of being one of the last two teams standing, again. No, the outcome didn’t go our way, and it was still a heck of a ride to get there. Where this bunch started and where this group finished in terms of their skills, attitudes, mindsets and quality of play, there was s a quite a canyon between those points this last season. The ride is always more fun when you’re playing well, but the journey is still more important than the destination.

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If It Feels Like the Right Move, It’ll Be Worth It: This season’s turning point I can say firmly was a single day and decision that myself and my assistant George had a notable discussion about before we did it. We’d just had our worst performance of the season, the result matched as well. There was something that very much felt off, especially upon our review of the film. Even with a short week, we sacrificed a day on the pitch to go into the classroom and have a deep talk amongst ourselves (the team). The session actually took longer than a training day (practice) on the field would have. We did some things that forced us to be honest with ourselves and how we were going to finish out the season (2 regular season games left at that point). We did sprinkle in an activity we knew would get the team laughing and smiling, but in the end it was honest, respectful discussion that won the day. We carried the stuff we talked about that day the final about a month later. That deeper, honest conversation did more good that week, even when it left us with 2 trainings for the week, because it carried so much further than that one game.


Well that’s what I got for you all. Good to be back and I’ll be working on turning out more goods for you all to read. Thanks for stopping by and giving your attention for a bit.
]]><![CDATA[Is a Program Necessary?]]>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:43:33 GMThttps://www.firstxvperformance.com/blog/is-a-program-necessaryIt’s something that gets asked often in the first few months of the year, especially in February and March. As folks tend to get into a fitness routine of some sort and venture into their workouts on their own, some will wonder, do I need to follow a workout program?
 
The short answer is no. A slightly longer answer is, not necessarily. And the much longer answer is below.
 
Do you need to follow a workout program? It depends, yeah everyone’s favorite, most unsatisfactory answer.
 
If you are simply trying to get some movement in, to feel good, maybe let out some energy and get those endorphins working for you, no you don't need a program. Find a exercise modality that makes you feel good and you can do consistently, knock yourself out and go for it.
 
 
If you have some goals in mind you’d like to accomplish for your fitness routine, then yeah you’re going to need a program. Whether you are seeking to just get stronger, change your body composition or relieve that nagging pain in your insert annoying joint here then yes you need a plan. Even if you’re goals are more to do with running a 10k, you’ll need a plan x2, a plan for running and a resistance training plan (trust me).
 
The reason is, all of those things above are going to require some sort of progressive overload. Progressive overload (increase of load to make changes happen) is damn near impossible without a plan. The type of results and the pace at which those results are achieved, depend on what type of plan you adhere to.

Is it a random one you had AI generate, found on the web or your BFF sent to you? It’ll probably work to a point, maybe not as well or a quick as you might think, it’ll work though.
 
Is it a plan written by your old ball coach that hasn’t been updated since 1973? Some of it might work well, some of it might be outdated. It may or work or you may find yourself in unnecessary pain, bit of a crapshoot.
 
Is it a plan written by a proper coach/trainer that you’ve at least had a conversation with, if not done a full eval with? It’ll work well for you and they’ll make sure of it.
 
In summation, no you do not need a plan depending on what your aim is. If you find that you need a plan, you get what you pay for, to an extent at the least.
That’s what I have for you all today fam, thanks for reading and have yourself a day!
]]><![CDATA[Taking Zero Talent]]>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 18:05:02 GMThttps://www.firstxvperformance.com/blog/taking-zero-talentHappy New Year everyone, hope all have had a decent start to 2026. With it being only days old, hopefully at the least it’s not gone too far sideways for you.
 
Some of you may recall some writing of mine a few months ago about how to become more athletic in the gym. I have something that’s up that alley, yet a slightly different flavor for today. I’ve coached athletes in the gym for 10+ years (14) and on the field for the better part of 10 years at this point in time. In those 10-14 years of experience, here are 3 things (not the only 3 things mind you) that can make an athlete better which take zero talent.
 
1) Show up consistently- You can have all the talent in the world and still be very good at your sport while doing the bare minimum. To truly be over the top, you need to show up to training and practice consistently. A little in and out over a few months will do you next to nothing. Even if you’re hurt, going to practice for the mental reps helps, and any strength coach worth a lick will be able to tailor a workout around an injury, bar a few such injuries. Those with less talent absolutely need to double down on this. As the saying goes, hard work can beat talent when talent doesn’t want to work hard.

2) Show up on time- It’s a life skill that carries over so it’s worth learning for every athlete (person). It’s a simple point, show up on time means you have more time to workout and/or more time to learn. Not only that, coaches note it either mentally or literally and when push comes to shove, you’ll get the benefit over someone else that was constantly late (or worse).

3) Watch and listen twice as much as you talk- As my first rugby coach said, you have two ears, two eyes and one mouth, do you know why…? (Answer is obvious) Especially as a coach of a team sport, nothing will make me mark a demerit mentally faster than when a player is constantly the one talking while I’m trying to teach something. I can tell you first hand when I had a 50/50 choice between such a player and another that was always listening, I picked the player that was clearly paying attention (or at least was smart enough to keep his yapper shut).
 
As I stated before, this is not a comprehensive list and I’m sure I’m not the person to write these exact three things down. Still, comes from my perspective and that’s what I have for you. Thanks for reading all and have yourself a 2026!
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