Alfonso Del Percio The Big Idea Perhaps an analogy might bring home the big idea of this research paper. In the world of Western Pleasure Horse Competition, the competitor is penalised if the horse swishes its tail. Although now illegal, it was a common practice among competitors to eliminate this possibility by “nerving” the horse’s tail. Nerving was essentially deadening the tail by cutting the nerves in the tail. This prevented the horse losing points for the rider in the show. Now this abuse caused…
football
What is the Future of Academy Coaching? PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan discusses his experience from a trip to the Applied Psychology in Football Conference in Bilbao earlier this year. James shares some of the key questions and notes from the event. Earlier this summer I was lucky enough to attend the AIPAF III International congress of Applied Psychology in Football, held in Bilbao, Spain. This blog is based on the notes that I took at the congress, which were transcribed from discussions translated live from Spanish. The reason I…
Play is a fundamental human right for children. It is even recognised in article 31 of the UN Convention of Rights of the Child. So, why is it that adults feel the need to interfere with this? John Haime from New Edge Performance discusses the impact of parents and coaches living vicariously through young players and outlines a few steps to make positive change. In my work, I see a lot of games, a lot of athletes and a lot of interesting coach and parent behaviour….
PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines the influence of corporations on football. Highlighting the danger of economic incentives he looks at how Leicester City’s story could be catalyst for a revolution in the global football story. Where do you think future of the game (football) is going? Question posed by Eduardo Rubio (Head of Academy Coach Development at MK Dons, England) at a panel discussion entitled “Building a learning culture in a football club” at the 2016 AIPAF: III International congress of Applied Psychology in…
The NextGen Series came to it’s conclusion on Monday May 16 with a great turn out of local football fans, eager to watch the home team, Ajax and check out some of the excellent young talent on display. The day started with Galatasaray taking on PSV followed by a semi-final clash of arguably the two form teams of the tournament in Ajax vs. Tottenham Hotspur. The intensity of the match was noticeably higher with Spurs trying to press and play with real speed. We…
Day two of the NextGen Series was the longest of the tournament and showcased just how some of the top youth teams from around the world dealt with the added pressure of fighting for semi-final places going into the final day. Day two of the NextGen series saw Tottenham Hotspur lose their first fixture to Ajax Capetown a team who have proved to be high energy and exceptionally determined, attacking with speed and vigour. Spurs came back later in the day and put on…
Grassroots football is where all players begin: it’s the heart and soul of player development. Recently, the football world has been lit up by Manchester United’s bright young talent, Marcus Rashford. Jon Hoggard caught up with David Horrocks, Development Officer & Skills Coach at Fletcher Moss Rangers to discuss what’s happening at this humble club to produce so many pros. It is a corner of the world which rarely garners headlines, a collection of football pitches nestled in south Manchester by the River Mersey a…
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…
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…
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…
Player Development Project Assistant Editor, Jon Hoggard asks when is creativity deemed disrespectful? Do coaches have double standards or show bias depending on who is brave enough to take the risks that lead to some of the great moments in football. Twitter went mad. Opinions flew all over social media. Newspaper columns were written, some praising, some condemning. Readers commented back and forth, for and against. What caused the furore? Barcelona scored a penalty in a run-of-the-mill 6–1 win against Celta Vigo. It was the…
PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan recently attended a seminar by Joan Vila Bosch – Head of Methodology at FC Barcelona. Speaking in Christchurch, New Zealand – Joan described how and why FC Barcelona are breaking down the coaching language of war surrounding football. Moving away from what he called ‘the language of war’, Joan’s department is using scientific principles to define FC Barcelona’s game and crucially the language they use. Joan explained: “As people we are defined by our words” The language of football transmits the ideas, beliefs and values…
Todd Beane has been a contributor to The Player Development Project since our inception. A Co-Founder of Cruyff Football and the Cruyff Institute, Todd has a passion for positive player development. We caught up with him to ask about his latest venture, TOVO International and what his philosophy involves. Todd, you’ve got an obvious passion for player development. What has inspired you to create the TOVO training program? My ambition reaches far beyond the development of talented athletes. I want to nurture capable leaders who…
Pressure. What is it and where does it come from? Former professional golfer and President of New Edge Performance, John Haime examines this challenging concept, investigating how you can harness the power of pressure and turn it into a positive. Does pressure in soccer really exist? Well, according to some researchers and experts, it really doesn’t. It’s all dreamed up by you to make it difficult for you to perform when it counts. According to a noted study (Beilock 2010) people create pressure for…
The sporting dilemma. Nick Levett, Talent Identification Manager at The FA, discusses the moral questions that sport can throw up. Whether it’s within or outside of the rules of the code, when does winning become the focus and should it be at all costs? The Moral Mankad Maze… It was one of those things that occurs occasionally in the world of sport that I love observing from a variety of different perspectives. The way people share their views from polarised positions, taking into account a whole host…
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…
Are we measuring the stuff that really matters or focussing too much on hard data that neglects the human element of development? Former FA Talent Identification Manager & now Head of Talent & Performance at UK Sport, Nick Levett discusses the impact of sports science. So I was having a trip round a Professional Sporting Academy, being given the behind-the-scenes tour by the Academy Manager. We walked through the indoor area into the next room to “where the sports scientists live” I was told. And…