Houston, TX - This past weekend, the USA Men’s Eagles played Argentina’s Los Pumas in Houston as a part of the America’s Rugby Championship (ARC). With over 10,000 cheering fans in attendance, the USA drew Argentina, with the final score of 35-35. As the Official Training Technology Provider of USA Rugby, BridgeAthletic took the opportunity to put on the halftime show.

Brian Alexander is a mental skills coach who combines eight years of experience as an Olympic level water polo athlete, a master's degree in sport psychology, and business leadership training and coaching from The Ken Blanchard Companies to partner with athletes and performers of all ages and levels.

Think back to this time last year. You were likely gearing up for preseason with all the anticipation, energy (albeit nervous or excited), and mental toughness you could muster to get through a very intense time of the year for lacrosse players. Coming off the heavy off-season conditioning, preseason training is geared to fine-tuning you for your in-season playing schedule. How you prepare yourself leading up to preseason makes a huge impact on the way you handle the next couple of weeks. Let’s discuss a few tips so you can hit the ground running with training and truly maximize your preseason potential.

Coaches straddle two worlds when it comes to elite athletics—coaching the sport they love and managing the administrative tasks associated with being part of a greater athletic department. Communication within the athletic department can be far from easy. We’re here to help you navigate best practices in communication so you can set your sights on training, competition, and winning national titles.

Elite athletes have fantastic cardiovascular endurance. They can sustain cardiovascular exercise, such as swimming, running, cycling, etc, over an extended period of time. All too often, we refer to lung capacity as one of the primary drivers of cardiovascular fitness, when in reality, there are several larger factors that determine one’s endurance.

Wearable fitness technology is fast becoming an integral component of elite athletics. BridgeAthletic created this guide to help coaches and athletes make a well-informed decision on the fitness tracker that will give them a leg up on the competition. When deciding upon relevant parameters to measure for elite athletes, consider which metrics most closely relate to performance. Accessory measurements like steps taken or calories burned are interesting to know, but they do not directly apply to an athlete’s performance in a game, race, or event. Heart rate and sleep monitoring should provide key information to coaches and athletes to help them train with more specificity and efficiency.