In this Masterclass Discussion, Sydney FC Academy Director, Kelly Cross joins PDP Editor, Dave Wright for a fantastic discussion on coaching. Kelly shares his experience working with world-class players like Harry Kewell, Aaron Mooy and others, as well as his insights into coach education and the new program he is overseeing at Sydney FC. Kelly has a wealth of experience and shares a variety of lessons learned on his long coaching journey. Kelly Cross is currently Academy Director at Sydney FC. He has previously worked…
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This is the PDP way, informed by years of coaching experience and the wisdom of our network of experts.
Technique in sport is a topic that often polarises opinion. How do we find the balance of developing players who are technically proficient with game intelligence? Founder of TOVO Academy, Todd Beane shares what he believes to be the most important factor in improving football ‘technique’. Now that I have your attention, let’s reveal the number one way to guarantee that your players improve their proficiency tonight. You are probably expecting some step-overs and crawl-unders, some pull-backs and push-forwards, and some get-down and rise-up…
In this Masterclass Discussion, PDP Editor, Dave Wright is joined by PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright to go behind the scenes at Watford FC. Dave & Dan sit down for a fascinating discussion with Lead YDP Coach, Martin Prickett & Lead Foundation Phase Coach, Rob Morris to discuss the Watford FC way, age appropriate learning and much more as these two highly experienced youth developers give insights into their coaching careers so far. Image Source: depositphotos.com
Youth sport is often dominated by an adult lens. Founder of Changing the Game Project, John O’Sullivan shares his excellent article about his recent trip to Australia, his subsequent reflections and the importance of ensuring that sport serves the needs of young people above all else. In late February I was traveling and speaking in Sydney and Perth, Australia, working for a variety of sports organizations including the Football (Soccer) Federation of Australia, Football New South Wales, the Western Australia Department of Sports and Recreation,…
High performance sport is dominated by a common narrative around winning, elitism and competition. Co-founder of myfastestmile & top coach developer, Mark Upton shares an excellent article on how this narrative reflects culture, and what the alternatives are. “As a team we are committed to taking our game to the next level through hard work and continuous improvement, (we) will continue to drive our elite standards and core values to ensure we are ruthless and competitive in every aspect of our preparation and performance.” The…
Steve Kerr knows about basketball. He is a seven-time NBA champion, winning three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs as a player, and a further two titles with the Golden State Warriors as head coach. Kerr’s depth of knowledge is obvious and unquestionable, but as coaches what can we learn from his coaching interactions and approaches? Let’s start off by watching a video featuring Steve Kerr. In this clip, Kerr is sharing some live statistical data with star player Steph…
At Player Development Project we have always encouraged a growth mindset: coaches always learning and seeking out quality content to improve the environment for players. In this blog, PDP Co-founder and UEFA A licensed coach, Dave Wright shares some of his favourite books for coaches. Legacy, James Kerr In 2016 I wrote a review for this book for Player Development Project. This book provides a first-class insight into the innovative and constantly changing culture of the All Blacks. The book focusses particularly on leadership and…
In this members-only webinar, the PDP team hosted a detailed discussion around coaching methodology and philosophy. PDP Co-founders Dave Wright and James Vaughan joined PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright for a discussion on football philosophy, methodology and coaching methods. Enjoy this replay of the Live Webinar.
In this excellent Masterclass Discussion, former New Zealand Football & Welsh FA Technical Director, Rob Sherman joins PDP Editor, Dave Wright for an in depth discussion on the player centred approach and talent development. Rob has a wealth of experience in coaching and coach education and shares his experience and his own model of player development. This is a must watch for coaches who want to learn from one of the best educators in the business. Image Source: depositphotos.com
A Constraints Led Approach is a coaching methodology that Player Development Project actively promotes. Top PDP contributor, PE Teacher and blogger, Sporticus shares his excellent reflections from a coach education event in late 2017 in Sheffield, England attended by researchers and thought leaders in coaching. Over half term I had the pleasure to attend a seminar on Research and Practice Design in Elite and Development Team Games Programmes at Sheffield Hallam University. The three presenters Vanda Correria, Mark O’Sullivan and Danny Newcombe shared their current research and practice which…
PDP Co-founders Dave Wright and James Vaughan joined PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright for a discussion on a range of topics which can enhance your approach to session design. We walked through a presentation covering topics around representative design, the coaching spectrum and more. Image Source: depositphotos.com
The question this week comes from Alan, and was submitted in the lead up to a PDP Members Webinar. “In your experience what are the differences (pro/cons) of the whole part whole methodology. USA coach education is moving away from simple to complex, good/bad?” Structure of the discussion Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or…
Founder of Changing the Game Project and top Player Development Project contributor, John O’Sullivan shares his ideas about the definition of performance and how to create an environment of autonomy, learning and accountability. Last week I received the following email (edited for anonymity). We get calls and emails like this quite often from amazing, passionate coaches who are trying to make a difference. Take a read: Dear John, I’m currently a head football coach…I took over the program last January after being on staff for…
In our very first Player Development Project Members webinar, the PDP team made up of UEFA A licensed coaches, Dan Wright & Dave Wright and Lead Researcher, James Vaughan go through the topic of Redefining Success in Player Development. Dave, Dan and James share some slides from a recent conference presentation and answer questions from the PDP community. Don’t miss a fantastic conversation which covers everything from individual learning plans and a constraints led approach. Image Source: depositphotos.com
The question this week comes from Vincent, via Twitter: “How do I teach self organisation skills in the foundational ages?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with the PDP team to ask questions, share ideas, and support each other on our exclusive Coaching Community. …
If your youth football team are winning every week, are you really “winning”? UEFA A licensed coach, Dan Wright, unpacks the constant search for an appropriate challenge. Almost weekly online I see results that just don’t make sense. Teams winning 22-0 and promoting it, wearing it like a badge of honour, instead of reflecting on who is really benefiting in these one-sided games. I see Tweets about grassroots Under-10s teams going 60 games unbeaten and labelled “invincible”. But as talent developers, we should be looking instead…
UEFA A licensed coach & PDP Editor, Dave Wright discusses why an individual approach to player development is crucial after recently presenting at a conference in Australia. The presentation was based on his philosophy, PDP research and experience from his time at Fulham FC. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Football Federation Victoria (the state governing body for football in Victoria) to present at their State Coaching Conference in Melbourne. I was given freedom to choose a topic, but encouraged to…
In this webinar discussion, PDP Technical Advisor Dan Wright joins PDP Editor, Dave Wright to discuss what constraints are and provide practical examples of session plans you can implement with your players. These two UEFA A licensed coaches go in depth to discuss the environment, the task and the person and cover a range of practical football topics and solutions for coaches to use in training. Don’t miss an excellent and informative discussion on how to approach your coaching to encourage better decision makers on…