Human movement is a fascinating topic and Player Development Project is fortunate enough to have discovered a group of researchers applying ideas of Taijiquan (Tai Chi) in a football context in South Africa. Researcher, Dr. Laurie Rauch discusses some of the science behind human movement in sport. An athlete’s movement on the sports field is largely an automatic process. Coordination of movement best left to subcortical brain structures. Thinking kept to a minimum. The only conscious part of movement should be the goal of the…
The Blog
How important is self-awareness in athlete performance? John Haime cites examples from both golf & football, discussing the potentially hazardous ‘blind spots’ in an athletes development, how to look out for them and how coaches can support athletes in navigating around these challenging issues. I was inspired to write this article by a quote I come across from a friend of mine, Melinda Harrison, a former Olympic swimmer who specialises in helping athletes transition from the world of sport to their next great venture. “If…
How does a teacher or coach transition to a learner-centric view where you can allow the learner to explore and develop within the environment? Co-founder of Myfastestmile, Mark Upton reflects on how coaches can facilitate this process. The image below appeared on my twitter timeline a couple of times today… It prompted retrieval of one of my favourite passages on teaching/learning… “Teaching is, in some ways, a myth. The greatest skill is learned, more than it is taught. And the great teacher realizes…
How do we break down self-imposed barriers? How do our own limiting beliefs affect coaching performance? Founder of Fit Across Cultures & cultural intelligence expert, Susan Salzbrenner examines just how you can navigate around your own invisible rope. I recently read a short story about how elephants are trained that I would like to share: “As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front…
A handshake? How important is it in sport? Sporticus is a PE Teacher, blogger and advocate for positive player development. In this contribution, he discusses the role of the coach to go beyond the game and ensure that values and rituals are respected in the quest to develop better people, and better players. Today’s game turned sour due to a handshake. Or to be more exact, the lack of a handshake. My team had been beaten well in all areas of the game and the opposition had…
FA Lead National Goalkeeping Coach and England U21 Goalkeeping Coach, Tim Dittmer, brings a wealth of wisdom to his dual role as coach and coach developer. In this interview with the 32-year-old, Player Development Project finds a coach already wise well beyond his years. In normal lore, it is thought that we grow wiser as we grow older. But Dittmer has somehow figured out that wisdom isn’t necessarily a result of a long life. Wisdom is measured by what we are willing to learn,…
PDP Lead Researcher James Vaughan and Research Associate Hanna Eggestrand explore the basic human values that shape coaching sessions and discuss some practical implications for coaches and clubs. Behind everything we do in life, there is a why. Why do people hold certain attitudes and behave in certain ways? Research shows a consistent but often overlooked factor at play here: our values. Essentially, when you ask yourself “why do I coach?” or “why do I coach like that?”, the answer comes from what you value deep down….
John Van’t Schip is a Dutch coach who developed as both a player and a coach under the guidance of the legendary Johan Cruyff. Van’t Schip has worked as first-team coach for both Ajax and the Netherlands. He now finds himself at the heart of FFA Cup Winners, Melbourne City FC in Australia’s A League. In this exclusive interview with PDP Editor, Dave Wright, we hear about John’s journey and what advice he has for developing coaches. Given his deep connections to Dutch football, it…
Values represent what we believe is important in life. In this article, Research Associate Hanna Eggestrand and PDP Lead Researcher James Vaughan explore basic human values and how they can affect coaching, player development and the world around us. What do you think is important in life? Perhaps not surprisingly, what you value is likely to affect the way you coach, and the way you coach will spread values. Interestingly, research has found that the same values appear in a range of different cultures and…
The creation a “football culture” is key to the long-term growth of football in any setting. The key question for those wanting to develop this culture is – How? Former Aldershot Town academy manager and Cook Islands national team manager Drew Sherman attempts to answer this question by looking at his own professional experiences and discusses the importance of “football culture”. We hear on an increasingly regular basis about the importance of “football culture”, the need to create a “culture of excellence” when we aim…
Piet Keizer was described as a ‘genius winger’ who was a critical component to the Amsterdam side dominating football in the 1960’s and 70’s. In May 2016, Player Development Project was privileged to sit with late, great Keizer in an old changing room at the top of the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The Ajax legend was attending the NextGen Series tournament as a special guest, watching the future of top European U19 talent play. We spoke to him about the past and the future of football in…
With complete freedom to redesign talent development, what would you do? Founder of TOVO Academy Barcelona and top PDP contributor Todd Beane answers this question by providing an exclusive insight into the ‘TOVO way’. TOVO Academy offers football immersion programs for youth players, as well as coaching courses designed for innovative trainers and technical directors. They also train players and coaches on site worldwide via their Club Alliance scheme. The idea came about when I tried to answer the following question: with complete freedom to redesign talent development,…
Is your environment a place of learning? Todd Beane, Founder of TOVO Institute & Co-Founder of Cruyff Football shares his views around how to go about making your club or program a genuine learning environment for developing players. I have had the opportunity to visit many football clubs over the years. Upon arrival, it does not take long to determine what type of club I am visiting. Type 1: Image Centre Type 2: Learning Centre Image Centres Some clubs pay great attention to appearances. These types…
The concept of play is not only an essential element of player development, but also a key ingredient of performance. Founder of New Edge Performance & regular PDP contributor, John Haime discusses some psychological strategies for decision-making. If you are a football player, you know that overthinking in matches causes problems. Too many thoughts lead to hesitation, confusion and a lack of uncertainly in your abilities on the pitch. So, I’d like to introduce you to a strategy that might help you get into…
Mark Pearn has represented Great Britain in hockey at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, playing 246 games for England and Great Britain, scoring 74 goals, and is a European Championship winner at club level with Reading HC. Player Development Project spoke to Mark about his player development journey, transition to coaching and his philosophy when it comes to helping young players maximise their potential. After a long and decorated career as a player that included ten years as the player-coach of East Grinstead…
Freedom, what does it mean in a performance or player development environment and can it overwhelm or confuse your players? Co-founder of myfastestmile and top PDP contributor, Mark Upton shares his excellent blog post on managing this cultural and environmental shift. “You can’t get sustained exceptional performance from a controlling environment – push autonomy down the hierarchy” I’ve recently spent some time on performance cultures and environments, fortunate to be able to share experiences with a handful of exceptional people working in a range of…
Talent: Nature vs. nurture, is it relevant? Top PDP contributor and coaching innovator, Todd Beane discusses the preconceptions around talent and the role of the coach observing and assessing performance before adding value through a considered program of training. Was Leo Messi born a star? Is talent innate or acquired? While we may find the nature vs. nurture debate interesting it is completely irrelevant to us as coaches. A player will show up for training on day one and that is where we begin. Our…
Ranell Hobson of the Academy of Sport Speed & Agility discusses the importance of players developing strength and mobility in their hips, a key attribute for physical performance in football. I recently spent several weekends assessing the running function and essential mobility of young footballers in preparation of training them in football specific speed. One vital aspect that is continually absent in these players at all levels was mobility in their hips. The muscle group of focus in this article is the hip flexors (Illiacus…