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Coaches Corner with David Drake


What Exactly is Coaches Corner?

Each month, we will be hosting Coaches Corner, an education and networking evening at BLK BOX HQ. The idea behind these free workshops is to provide valuable education to those who want to up their coaching game. It's also a great way to meet likeminded people within the industry.

The topic will vary, from Weightlifting, CrossFit, Kettlebells, Strength and Conditioning, nutrition-focused and more! We would like to encourage you to join in the conversation and help make a difference to those we coach and train alongside.

Who is David Drake?

David Drake has been Academy’s Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach since 2010. He previously worked at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland and comes from a strong rugby background. A former pupil of RBAI, he was an Academy player at Ulster and represented Ireland U20s in a squad that also contained Darren Cave, Keith Earls and Felix Jones.

David is currently studying for a PHD in Sports Science and has overall responsibility for the conditioning of the Academy and its age-grade teams. He was also strength and conditioning coach of the Ireland U20s.

Topics to be covered:

  • The what, the why, and the how of speed & agility training.
  • Principles and practice discussed will be generalisable across sports and levels of athlete/client.