PDP Lead Researcher James Vaughan highlights recent experiences adapting to new environments to discuss the research around affordances, forms of life and scorpion kicks. At PDP we often talk about the importance of the player development environment. We encourage coaches, clubs and parents to take a holistic view – a view that considers the immediate and long-term influence of cultures, societies, organisational structures and global systems. However as well as this zoomed out view, a holistic approach also incorporates a deep appreciation of the environment. The…
Affordances
This Masterclass Webinar replay is a fantastic opportunity for you to explore the research behind scanning and awareness in football with Dave Eldridge, UEFA A licensed coach & lecturer at Chichester University in England. “I spend the entire 90 minutes looking for space on the pitch. I’m always between the opposition’s two holding midfielders and thinking, ‘The defence is here, so I get the ball and I go there to where the space is.” – Xavi The best players seem to always have time on the…
In this Masterclass Webinar replay, the PDP team host Skill Acquisition and Coach Development expert, Ric Shuttleworth for a wide ranging discussion. Ric has worked at both the Australian Institute of Sport and with England Rugby as well as other top sporting organisations. Player Development’s Project’s coaching team of Dave Wright and Dan Wright sit down to tackle a number of topics with Ric, including: This is a fascinating and thought provoking conversation with a world leader in the area of skill acquisition. Bring your…
Coach and researcher, Ben Galloway shares a video about the importance of opposition in session design and of interactions between players in skill acquisition. In his video below, ‘Attuning to Others’, Ben outlines how football interactions emerge as a result of a wide range of environmental influences; most importantly, the presence of other players. The video above is designed to provoke thought and reflection. Some viewers may disagree with the practice design approach I have discussed, while others may share this view of coaching….
Ludvig J. T. Rasmussen, Lars D. Ostergaard, and Vlad Glaveanu The Big Idea Few sport coaches would deny player creativity as an essential component of a winning game performance. Nor would they deny that facilitating in-game creativity is typically a significant component of practice sessions. In other words, when creativity is valued it is understood to be an end to be achieved; and it is measured by serendipitous or improvisational performance. But in this research paper published in the journal, Sport, Education and Society (2017),…
What are affordances? PDP contributor and associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, Ben Franks shares his work on affordances, what the term means and examples to bring the concept to life. Affordance is a new ‘in vogue’ term, and appears to be replacing the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) as the modern evolving coaching methodology. Similarly to the nature of a CLA, affordances exist – they are properties of the environment that are ‘real’, emerging and decaying naturally. By definition, an affordance is the key origin…
Fundamental movement is crucial to well being and player development. PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan discusses some of the myths around specialisation and the advantages to looking outside of conventional sport to ensure your players get educated in fundamental movements. On June 18th, 2016, Nick Levett (FA Talent Identification Manager & regular PDP contributor) highlighted some of the myths that still dominate football development: The myths of specialisation. These myths can lead to some pretty harmful consequences, particularly physical and psychological burn out. I’ve experienced both: I played football…
PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines the simplicity vs. complexity debate using one of the great quotes from Johan Cruyff and asks if we have misinterpreted its true meaning. “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Consider how this famous quote influences your training session design when the emphasis is placed here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Or here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” I think this…
Zlatan Ibrahimovich is one of the great characters and creative players of modern football. PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines some of the reasons why. Watch this… Zlatan is the best example of affordances in action. Ibrahimovic sees and plays passes that very few players can because he sees the opportunity to move in ways that most people can’t. This allows Zlatan to make passes and score goals that no one else can. He is one of the most unpredictable, innovative and therefore creative players of…