Neils N. Rossing and Lotte S. Skrubbeltrang The Big Idea Just over 50 years ago Marshal McCluhan published a book entitled Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Its shorthand mantra was “the medium is the message.” His message has been interpreted and misinterpreted over the years. But in general McCluhan was just pointing out that with any invention or new idea or cultural artifact, there is the ground and the figure. The ground is what is obvious (the product); the figure is not-so-obvious (the message). In…
Culture & Leadership
A topic at the heart of PDP content. The culture of our team or club can shape the development of our players.
Mads Davidsen is a Danish Coach who holds the UEFA Pro License. Mads is currently a 1st Team Coach/Analyst and Head Coach of U23 at Shanghai SIPG F.C where he works alongside Sven-Goran Eriksson. We asked Mads to give Player Development Project an insight into the football boom currently happening in China and whether he believes they could in fact be the next football powerhouse? For the last 4 years I have worked in China. It is a time of massive improvements, heavy investment and a political willingness…
Tony Readings is an International Coach who has attended two Olympics and three FIFA Women’s World Cups with the New Zealand Women’s team. He is the holder of the AFC Pro License and the UEFA A license and has been coaching at international level for almost a decade. Tony joins us for an in-depth discussion, covering the following topics: Join PDP Editor & UEFA A licensed coach, Dave Wright & PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan as they discuss these topics and a whole lot more….
The football world recently mourned the passing of the Dutch Master, Johan Cruyff. PDP contributor and son-in-law of Johan, Todd Beane shares his personal tribute to the great man, poetically describing the impact of mentors and heroes. We do not honor our heroes because they are flawless. We do not mourn our idols for their perfection. We weep their passing because despite their flaws our mentors carry us forward to triumphs unforeseen. Our most cherished mortals nurture a vision deep within us,…
Kenneth Aggerholm The Big Idea The author of this study on the nature and significance of the aesthetic aspects of soccer sees theatricality as a “dramatic movement phenomenon in soccer.” This means that common to both theatre and sport is human expression, pure and simple. Maybe at first glance the reader may think only of the historical negativity of connecting theatre to sport; namely the unfortunate remembering of athletes playing to the crowd or the referee, or preoccupation with the exaggerations, overdoing for effect, and…
Stewart A. Vella, Lindsay G. Oades, and Trevor P. Crowe The Big Idea This study continues the line of research by these authors into the stubborn problem of improving coach education programs. They believe that transformational leadership is a promising partial solution. Historically, transformational leadership and its modern extensions is an approach to create positive change in individuals and social systems. As a leadership concept it has been around since the late 1970s. Over time the approach has been used by government, the military, and…
This book review by Player Development Project Magazine Editor, Dave Wright of the best-selling book, Legacy by James Kerr outlines some fantastic examples of best practice. In this summary of some of the key points, Dave gives his view on the value of this book and shares several core concepts that you can utilise in your environment. “Excellence is a process of evolution, of cumulative learning, of incremental improvement” In your own personal development, having a breadth of reading and a desire to look outside…
Hakon Grøttland is the Head of Player Development for the Norwegian FA. The Player Development Project were lucky enough to have an inside look at how Norway develops young players and how this is influenced by the nation’s culture. Hakon Grøttland never played football at an elite level due to injury. However, he counts himself lucky in that the series of events which led to the end of his playing days meant he could start his coaching career early. It is clear from talking to…
Susan Salzbrenner, founder of Fit Across Cultures discusses mindfulness and its benefits to athlete performance. Dennis was concentrating. “This is it. You got this! Stay focused. Just like in practice. Don’t miss this. It will cost us the game”. With the last seconds on the clock, he takes the last free throw. The score is 79-79. He shoots and …misses. A routine situation like a free throw in basketball, a serve in volleyball, or a penalty in football or hockey are habits that you have practiced…
Dan Micciche has a reputation as an innovator and someone who encourages creativity in player development. Player Development Project, Editor Dave Wright was lucky enough to have 90 minutes with Dan to discuss his own story and pick his brains around session design, creativity, positive learning environments and more. In part one of this two-part feature interview we went on a journey inside the mind of one of The FA’s most talented young coaches. Micciche’s Evolution as a Coach After a number of years working…
The art of observation. What details should coaches be looking for? Todd Beane explains why it is important for a coach to ‘observe’ their players rather than just ‘watch’ them. Are you watching or observing your players? Many consider these two words synonymous. To watch is to observe and to observe is to watch. But, I find a distinction here that may help us become better at our craft. Let’s take a look at the definitions. Watch: to see what is done or happens. Observe: to regard with…
Natalia B. Stambulova & Tatiana V. Ryba The Big Idea When Pete Sampras retired from tennis in 2002 he said this: “It’s not easy to retire at 31. In one respect I was glad I was done. But after a few years of having fun, I got a little restless. When you’re 33, 34 and you don’t have a focus, you can get kind of lost. As a man, you feel a little bit unfulfilled.” Sport careers, transitions, and assistance programs have become an active research area in the field…
Pam Richards, Dave Collins & Duncan R.D. Mascarenhas The Big Idea The USA National Football League Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning once said this about high pressure situations: “Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” The subject matter of this research paper aims to help coaches help athletes learn how to be pressured and know what the hell they’re doing. Takeaways Making quick and good decisions—collectively and individually—under pressure in team invasion sports is often the difference-maker in any competitive experience. One way…
Can standard office-based performance management models be applied to training football players? Player Development Project’s Jon Hoggard looks at a common basic performance matrix to find out. First off, let me make a confession: I work in an office. I’m not a football coach; my everyday equipment are my computer, desk, phone, lumbar support chair and a never-ending in-tray. A world away, you might think, from the cones, tactic boards, whistles and boots of a coach. But are coaches always to be found in…
Player Development Project’s resident history buff and writer Jon Hoggard spent his Christmas looking in the history books and football almanacs to find if the coaching styles of some of the game’s biggest figures still apply. In many ways, football as we know it now is a very different sport to how it used to be only a few decades ago. Football has always evolved. Gone are the muddy pitches, heavy leather balls and the 1-2-7 formation of the game’s origins in the 1870s. Huge…
An excellent two part 12,000 word blog post by Jonathan Wilson recently circulating on social media called The Devils Party examined the factors that led to Jose Mourinho’s downfall at Chelsea. This fantastic article inspired The Player Development Project’s James Vaughan and Dave Wright to discuss how a managerial legend like Mourinho could fail so catastrophically at the club that reveres him most. By looking a little deeper, beyond just tactics, to examine the experiences that shaped his character, drivers, attributes and flaws, can we…
Expert researcher and PDP contributor, Mark Upton of myfastestmile discusses the 7 principles of non linear pedagogy. Mark examines how to create an ideal environment for players to focus on task mastery using a constraints approach. How do players best learn to select & control their actions to meet the demands of a dynamic environment as found in football/rugby/hockey/basketball/netball etc? To help answer this question, below are my interpretations of the key principles from Chow’s (2013) notion of a Nonlinear Pedagogy. Considered through the lens of 15…
US based Coach, Gary Curneen takes us through 9 key factors in successfully coaching the modern player in order to maximise their potential. Ask any coach today what their toughest coaching challenge is and they will most likely not respond with questions about false nines or gegenpressing. Instead they will probably tell you that working with, engaging, and attempting to get the best out of today’s generation is the biggest challenge in the coaching game. Armed with more tactical, training, and sports science information than…