This question comes from Craig via Twitter: “What role do statistics play in youth development?” 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. Start your membership today, and…
Sports Science
How the human body responds to exercise, training, recovery and different environments during sport.
In this Masterclass Discussion, PDP Editor, Dave Wright is joined by Strength & Conditioning Coach, Matt Depledge. Matt has spent the last four years working for a Premier League Academy in England and is now working in the world of youth development in Tennis. Matt gives us a brilliant insight into his own experience and offers his advice as to how coaches can integrate strength and conditioning strategies into their practice, load management and more importantly, the importance of applying sports science as part of…
The question this week comes from Ryan, via Twitter: “What are the main criteria when considering playing a player down? My son is Q4 and physically small, but I wonder where ability fits in?” 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…
Despite all we know, size still matters in youth sport. Founder of TOVO Institute, Todd Beane discusses the challenge for parents and coaches in helping young players ‘control the controllables’ and embrace physical diversity on their non-linear journey. “What can I do to grow?” my son asks as we drive home from training. “Why?” I respond. “Because everyone is bigger than me and I just want to be their size.” When your child enjoys playing sport, size matters. Being short, slight, and weak compared…
The question this week comes from Nick: “How do I watch live games as a coach, and what should I be looking for?” 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…
What is the cognitive process of elite athletes working at their peak? In this article, researcher Dr. Laurie Rauch discusses the various levels of thought, conscious and subconscious, behind human movement in sport. An athlete’s movement on the sports field is largely an automatic process that is coordinated subconsciously. The only voluntary part of movement is its intended goal (Rauch et al. 2013); the movement itself essentially consists of a chain of reflexes (Evarts 1980), (Lacquaniti et al. 2012). Indeed, thinking or reasoning about…
We associate Albert Einstein with physics, but he was also a great teacher. Coach & analyst, Sam Polak discusses what we can learn from Einstein’s approach to learning, creating environments and how we can encourage the development of composed decision-makers. There isn’t a lot that physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson and former American President, Teddy Roosevelt have in common. However, both individuals understood that they could go further in their field by not limiting their studies to just their chosen discipline. Teddy Roosevelt read books…
Joseph P. Mills and Jim Denison The Big Idea While this research topic is specific to endurance running coaches’ practices, these authors believe their findings have implications for all sports. The more obvious sports would include those with family resemblances to endurance running, such as triathlon, rowing, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing. But their findings could easily apply to the wider range of sports where human performance limits are not the primary impact on success. The topic these authors pursue is the relationship between how conventional…
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…
Richard Tinning The Big Idea The subject of this paper is what Richard Tinning calls “the idea of physical education.” In one form or another Tinning argues, physical education is universally familiar. As a cultural manifestation, we find it early on. In ancient Greece, it was institutionalized for the all-around education of male citizens. Since then, even if in fits and starts, wherever formal education in general is valued we find in one form or another a physical component attached to it. The question Tinning…
In this Masterclass Discussion we are joined by Sean Reed, former first team coach at Fulham FC. Sean shares some crucial lessons from his coaching journey so far, which has taken him from the academy game to first team. Sean’s extensive experience has made him a wealth of knowledge. Some of the key topics we discussed were: Image Source: depositphotos.com
PDP Video Session Plans are adaptable sessions designed by academy coach, Dave Wright. All sessions show key focus points, set up, and progressions so you can use them in your next practice.
PDP Video Session Plans are adaptable sessions designed by academy coach, Dave Wright. All sessions show key focus points, set up, and progressions so you can use them in your next practice.
Hugo Sarmento, Antonio Pereira, Maria T. Anguera, Jorge Canpanico, and Jose Leitao The Big Idea What separates this research paper on coaching football from so many coming before it is the decision of method. If you are looking for yet another theoretical and quantitatively-driven model of how coaches should coach football, keep looking. In this paper, the reader will certainly find a suggested model; but it is one that doesn’t depend on theory-building or statistics. Instead it is derived from the practices and reflective voices…
Dan P. McAdams and Jennifer L. Pals The Big Idea One chronic problem with depending on research results as an aid to coaching practice is the practice of research itself. All too often researchers are engaged in an on-going competitive practice of their own: grand theory building. The theories themselves are generally not that complicated, but the continuous defence of them against adversaries creates a good simulation of a contact sport. A consequence is perpetual uncertainty regarding whether there is progressive improvement in our understanding…
PDP Video Session Plans are adaptable sessions designed by academy coach, Dave Wright. All sessions show key focus points, set up, and progressions so you can use them in your next practice.
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…
Enfield Town’s disability side have started a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to raise fund for new kits and training gear. Player Development Project spoke with their Coach, Shane Tant, to find out more about the club and what they hope to achieve with their fundraising efforts. Enfield Town Disability Football Club has been running for five years. It was set up with help from Enfield Town FC and funding from the Tottenham Hotspur FC Foundation, and now boasts a successful first team which plays…