Do you understand the context of your coaching environment? PDP contributor and associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, Ben Franks discusses the issues around the ongoing unopposed vs. opposed training debate and explains why context is key in a learning environment. Going Beyond the Opposed vs. Unopposed Dualism Unopposed vs. opposed, technique vs. skill – these arguments are forever plaguing Twitter, Facebook and coaching platforms. Some arguments come from theory, others from years of coaching experience, but all seem to be missing a really obvious point: everything pertains to context….
skill acquisition
Luca Oppici; Derek Panchuk; Fabio R. Serpiello; and Damian Farrow The Big Idea If this study does nothing else, it should reinforce a couple of useful ideas hovering over our sporting life. First, there is inherent relevance for the power of field research to inform our sports practices. Second, we are learning that our sporting practices, where possible, need to be as game-specific as we can make them. This study is field-based in both its design and technical sophistication; it is not simulation, but fact-based…
Keith Davids, Duarte Araújo, Vanda Correia, and Luis Vilar The Big Idea For this research reviewer, who is also an ex-youth soccer coach, occasionally there are uncomfortable moments arising from summarizing research papers for our PDP coaches and readers. This is one of those moments. You see, this paper essentially points out to modern youth football coaches the crucial differences between coaching the practice and coaching the game. We confess to this: Our personal coaching history is testimony to the weaknesses of traditional coaching practices. They were something…
P.R. Ford and A.M. Williams The Big Idea The American golfer Arnold Palmer (1929-2016) once said “It’s a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get.” Risking over-simplification, Palmer’s witty observation is a fair one-sentence summary of this discussion on what research tells the coach about developing elite soccer players. Risking over-complication, the deeper question isn’t how much one practices, but how much one practices the right kind of practice. The authors of this paper urge coaches and players who strive to be in…
Mark Williams and Nicola J. Hodges The Big Idea These authors celebrate growth of sport science over the years. But their concern is that especially in the sport of soccer “sport science” is construed to mean the physiology of it all and little else. In this research review light is thrown on the behavioural and social sciences as an example of the contribution to the larger world of the “sciences of sport.” The subject of this study is the incredibly important scientific study of the…
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…
Daniel Kirschenbaum, Arnold Ordman, Andrew Ordman, and Robert Holtzbauer The Big Idea This study is not of this decade or even of the 21st Century (1982). But no matter because it is a classic example of the early days of psychological research into what is called self-regulation theory. The big idea is to figure out how and in what ways and under what conditions we can guide our own behaviors. This study concerns self-monitoring, and especially what is called differential self-monitoring. Its potential lesson is still relevant to modern sports skill acquisition and development….
How can play impact performance? PDP Lead Researcher & International Futsal player, James Vaughan examines how important play is when it comes to finding solutions in a high performance setting. Last month New Zealand played against the Solomon Islands in the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers in Fiji. Tied at the top of the table this game was the tournament decider, the game that determined Oceania’s representative for the upcoming World Cup in Colombia. Four years of preparation and sacrifice on the line during 40…
In this Live Webinar replay, Mark Upton joins us to discuss the non-linear journey of player development, constraints based coaching, skill acquisition and more. Mark is co-founder of myfastestmile and is one of the UK’s top coach education researchers. Mark will join the PDP Team, regular hosts Dave Wright & Jimmy Vaughan for an engaging discussion about topics from both Mark & Jimmy’s research. We break the conversation down into a number of key topics around non-linear pedagogy and athlete development. This is a must watch for…
Expert researcher and PDP contributor, Mark Upton of myfastestmile discusses the 7 principles of non linear pedagogy. Mark examines how to create an ideal environment for players to focus on task mastery using a constraints approach. How do players best learn to select & control their actions to meet the demands of a dynamic environment as found in football/rugby/hockey/basketball/netball etc? To help answer this question, below are my interpretations of the key principles from Chow’s (2013) notion of a Nonlinear Pedagogy. Considered through the lens of 15…