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
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….
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…
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…
Dave Wright discusses the power of play and how a learning environment that allows play and creativity but challenges players to grow through adversity and failure is key to long term success. In issue 1 of Player Development Project Magazine, I wrote an article called Fighting the Fear Factor, challenging the environments that many coaches still create despite the knowledge we have in modern football and coach education. It’s an absolute passion of mine to develop environments for players where they can be free, to learn,…
The Pschology of Coaching Are you a scientist or more of an artist? Is coaching an art or science? These were questions asked of UQ’s coaching and sports psychology research group last week and this post explores the possibility that science and accounting are hijacking football and slowly killing the art of coaching. The simple answer to the art vs. science question is that coaching is an ever-changing mixture of both, but after a little digging some additional and pretty fundamental questions emerge. Precisely, what…
In this Live Webinar replay, Founder of Fit Across Cultures, Susan Salzbrenner & UEFA Pro licensed coach, Mads Davidsen discuss the idea of cultural intelligence and the benefits of coaching abroad. PDP Editor, Dave Wright is joined by PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan as they discuss Cultural Intelligence in Football with Susan & Mads. Susan is an expert into the impact of cultural difference & transition in sport, has written the book, Play Abroad 101 and founded Fit Across Cultures – a consultancy for athletes…
Forged by a history of social injustice, the beautiful game is inseparable from the rebellious spirit and deceptive artistry of its people. In this article, James Vaughan explores the development of the beautiful game by highlighting the fundamental role of culture. Football is not the beautiful game; the beautiful game is only one form of football – a form devised within a particular movement culture and shaped by a unique combination of socio-cultural constraints and movement opportunities. In Brazil, poverty, unstructured street play, samba and…
In a time when self promotion and self celebration seem to be the focus of an entire generation, Lara Mossman explains why teamwork is still the most effective game plan of all. Nick Levett, FA National Development Manager, says that first and foremost we should be building good character in young people. It is sound advice for players developing their dream style of play because character plays an important role in goal achievement. The field of positive psychology has identified 24 character strengths that can enable…
What is coaching? PDP Editor & UEFA A licensed coach Dave Wright talks about the ups and downs of his career as a football coach. From technical and tactical lessons to the spoils of victory on the field, the real rewards come from shaping the lives of young players in whose reflection we often see ourselves. Since 2002, I have only gone one season without coaching a football team. Throughout that time, I can remember nearly all of the players I have coached, many of…
Using Barcelona’s dynamic attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar as the example, PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines the impact of a positive organisational culture. How do we create value driven organisations that allow creativity and a shared understanding to thrive, both on and off the field? Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Luis Suarez are the attacking trident spearheading FC Barcelona’s charge towards a 2015 treble. They looked unstoppable in their Champions League demolitions of Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich. Tormenting defenders, each…
What are the challenges creativity poses? PDP Lead Researcher James Vaughan challenges the place of this important ingredient in human development. The problem with creativity is that our world is not designed for it…however, before we get into that, a few disclaimers: 1. This blog post may be viewed as controversial, confronting and a bit annoying (but it is all evidence based). Therefore, when I want to make an important point, I’ll use an academic reference (peer reviewed) and, where possible, I’ll include a full…
How do groups shape our identity? Founder of Fit Across Cultures and Cultural Intelligence expert, Susan Salzbrenner discusses the impact of groups on social identity. Do you mock people that are showing up in their favourite team jersey the day after a victory? Or those with a bunch of bumper stickers telling you all you need to know about their life? Think twice next time! Did you know that cheering publicly for a team is a great boost for your self-esteem? …Well, given the fact…