Dave Alred (MBE) is regarded as the world's leading kicking coach. He was recently inaugurated into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame for his contribution to the success of the England Rugby World Cup winning squad, awarded the Mussabini Medal for outstanding success on the world stage and was honoured with an MBE in the 2004 New Years Honours List.

Dave Alred (MBE) is regarded as the world's leading kicking coach. He was recently inaugurated into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame for his contribution to the success of the England Rugby World Cup winning squad, awarded the Mussabini Medal for outstanding success on the world stage and was honoured with an MBE in the 2004 New Years Honours List.

Dave Alred has been employed by England since 1998. During this time his brief not only included work with Jonny Wilkinson and the squads leading kickers but also the players' mental preparation.

"The most fundamental change over the last two years has been looking at mental preparation; trying to ensure players always perform at or very near their potential, whatever the interference," said Dave Alred, who is taking a PhD in performing under pressure at Loughborough University. "If there's anything I can do to get a player to go where he's never been before, in terms of the level of his performance, that's my job."

Dave has a wealth of knowledge to impart on performance under pressure, both in the sporting arena but also its application in the corporate world.

Dave Alred's increased input may help explain why England now revel in pressure situations. Players are given individually tailored trigger words to aid a calm response to pressure situations and are encouraged to use these with a partner when the pressure rises in a game.

Dave Alred spends an average of seven hours in Test weeks specifically working with England's kickers and believes that "when the bullets start flying it's useful to have someone alongside you who can prompt you". He famously told Jonny Wilkinson to "Forget the posts - let's aim for something else. Imagine there's a woman sitting in that seat, 20 rows behind her name was Doris." The rest, as they say, is history.

Dave Alred's pupils have included, Australia's Mathew Burke and David Campese; Neil Jenkins, Tim Stimpson, and Matt Dawson during the '97 Lion's tour of South Africa. Since being with England he has developed, Paul Grayson, Charlie Hodgeson, Johnny Wilkinson, and revolutionized England's kicking game with all backs. Lately he has been called to work with premiere soccer players, David James, (Aston Villa), Richard Wright, (Ipswich) and the Sunderland and Middlesborough Squads, as well as being used up by the FA to coach on the Advanced Goal Keepers coaching award for Professional players. He also worked with Armagh and Dublin County Gaelic Football. His own playing career included professional Rugby League, American football � Minnesota Vikings, as well as Rugby Union at Bristol and Bath.