Tom Hartley is the Coaching Lead at UK Coaching and Foundation Phase Lead Coach at Oxford United women. In this very overdue episode (aren't they all!) I sit down with Tom Hartley to explore his extensive background in coaching and player development.Tom discusses his journey in coaching including pivotal career moments at clubs like Swindon Town and Arsenal, and unique experiences such as coaching in prisons and internationally. We discuss some of his coaching influences and also expore some of the creative ways that he develops coaches. 01:38 Career journey17:37 The role of a coach developer - 'having someone hold onto you while you lean over the edge'45:30 Creative coach development - 'jelly beans and cocktail sticks'49:45 How we can support community coaches to 'collect memories rather than medals'01:04:50 Designing effective individual development plans01:13:48 Parents as a 'multi-disciplinary team'01:16:41 Conclusion and future conversationsSupport the show on Patreon or join my learning community: https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support

In Episode 6 of the Coach Education is Broken series, I discuss the need for a significant shift in the way we think about and approach coach education by embracing the natural complexity that comes with people operating in a range of contexts. I represent the views of coach educators, system builders and coaches themselves that we need to move beyond linear development pathways, particularly if we want to engage those working in community settings with individuals that experience social and/or economic disadvantage. I would love to hear your thoughts about this and would be keen to help any organisations that are looking to tackle some of these challenges. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview01:57 Understanding the Linear Coach Development Journey04:43 Challenges in Recognizing Expertise in Youth Coaching09:52 The Need for Non-Linear Coach Development 12:03 Addressing Diversity and Inclusion in Coach Education16:21 Reforming Curriculum Design for Coaches19:34 Conclusion and Call to ActionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Alex Lascu is a cricket coach that has doen in depth acadmeic study in coaching and skill development before turning her attention to coach development. She now works for one of the major state sports associations in Australia. Alex joined me to discuss all things coach educationa and development having listened to my recent 'Coach Education is broken series'. Through the discussion we explore some of the 'system shifts' that I have been covering and how they manifest into her work within cricket. We look at some of the practical solutions that are being implemented and how they seek to address the need to reducce the burden on coaches through enhanced support. I hope you enjoy...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Reposting a classic episode!  ------- This was recorded to reflect on the journey of the England Football Team during the previous European Championships but it still feels apt today in the wake of another final appearance and Gareth Southgate’s tenure as Head Coach coming to an end. I have been fortunate to spend time with Gareth Southgate, the England Head Coach on a couple of occasions and I was able to glean some insights from those interactions that I think are relevant to the success that the team are currently enjoying and would be useful for any coach. Hope you enjoy! *GB actually won 1 gold medal in Atlanta (not 1 bronze as I said in the recording) among a total medal haul of 15. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podca....

In Episode 5 of the 'Coach Education is Broken' series,' I explore the importance of addressing systemic barriers in the sports workforce that mean that the worksforce continues to lack diversity. This episode delves into real-world examples of how local community engagement can drive participation, social impact, and talent development but how this can only happen by utilising the qualities, skills and attributes of coaches from within that local community. Through a compelling story of a martial arts club in a deprived area, I showcase the importance of localised, bottom-up approaches to coaching and education and the impact it can have on the lives of young people. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview00:23 Understanding Workforce Diversity01:55 The Importance of Local Community Coaches05:19 Challenges Faced by Unqualified Coaches11:27 Decentralising Education for Greater Impact14:44 Call to Action and ConclusionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

In episode 4 of the 'Coach Education is Broken' series, titled 'Fixing the Leaky Bucket,' I delve into the systemic and mindset shifts required to change and modernise the way that the sport sector develops it's frontline workforce. I call for better insight and data collection to inform decision making into coach education and I challenge the isector's over emphasis on recruiting new coaches instead of focussing on how we support and retain the skilled practitioners that we already have. 01:50 - The Problem with Coach Education insights02:44 - Understanding Coach Supply and Demand07:00 - Retention Challenges in Coaching08:55 - Shifting Focus to Retention and SupportBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Mauro van de Looij is a sports coach and performance psychologist from the Netherlands. He has worked as a youth coach at PSV Eindhoven and Willem II Tilburg and he teaches Performance Psychology at Fontys University of Applied Psychology and he coaches athletes, trainers, students and teachers. He also supports sports clubs, schools and companies in coaching and talent development. Mauro joins me to talk about his book 'https://amzn.to/3xJyG36' which is a book that is dedicated to supporting coaches to understand more about how they can unlock young athletes potential by recognising the psychological elements that are too often overlooked and can be so impactful on a young players career.  In this conversation we cover:  - How his own experineces dealing with pressure shaped his approach to coaching.  - How he got rid of the Relative Age Effect by not playing in age group teams.  - How we coined a new term - 'talent needs turbulence'.  - Why so many coaches would say to him "I wish I got this on the coaching badges".  Buy the book using this https://amzn.to/3xJyG36 (it helps to support the show.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Alex Sarama makes a welcome return to the podcast to discuss his fantastic new book 'Transforming Basketball' and to unpack some of the ideas that are within it. Although Alex is a basketball coach and the book is based on Basketball, it is actually a briliiant read for coaches of any sport, especially team sports. This conversation explores many of these ideas including: Why '2 ball dribbling' is a complete waste of timeWhy coaches are so dependent on blocked practice and drillsWhen, how and why to use set playsSome of Alex's brillient practice designs like 'floor is lava', 'mosquito shooting' and 'jungle shooting'. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Use this link to get a copy of Alex's book (I get a small commission which helps to support the show). Support the show on Patreon or join my learning community 'The Guild' hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

In this episode, I talk about the necessity for a system shift from a coach education system that is almost completely dominated by 'qualifications', which are no more than a demonstration of competence in a moment in time to a more development and progressive model that recognises the expertise of the practitioner along their developmental journey. A significant majority of coaches want the industry to recognised as a profession and would like the work they do to be recognised by the wider public. In order to do this coaches must understand that in order to be professional recognised they need to hold themselves accountable to a process of ongoing scrutiny of their skill set so that the public can be assured of their commitment to professional development and those coaches who do show commitment to personal development can be truly separated from those that don't. Hope you enjoy the podcast and look forward to comments or ideas. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Mark Bennett makes a welcome return to the podcast. This time to help me out with some challenges that I have experienced during my last season of coaching. How to establish an agreed set of performance behaviours with a group that is equally spilt between wanting to be recreational and wanting to be driven by performance goals. We also explore how you deal with people who are self deluded and think that they want to be performance driven but then behave like recreational athletes. Mark shares a few new tools that he uses when supporting a group to be self reliant and self organising inclusing the 3As I got a lot out of the discussion...I hope you do to...BTW - Mark has launched a new online training space with loads of courses, videos and resources check it out at https://www.needcentred.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Richard Burcuson and Dean Holden are the hosts of the Grass Roots Minor Hockey Podcast. A show dedicated to all things grass roots ice hockey in Canada and beyond... As they describe it... "A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game." The guys reached out to me following my latest series called 'Coach Education is broken' as it resonated with many of their own experiences as coaches and coach educators and we decided to do a 'simulcast' which would be jointly posted oon our respective podcasts.  Richard evoked the famous Monty Python sketch about a dead parrot when describing this topic so we decided to get all theatrical and do our own reading of the famous sketch...https://www.grassrootsminorhoc...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

In this episode I call for a complete rethink about the way that we think about support for coaches. I suggest that we need to 'turn the telescope around' and start to consider the skills, knowledge, and understanding that coaches already possess, rather than forcing everybody to obtain formal qualifications through coach education courses. I share a story about a brilliant coach I know who hasn’t gone down the route of formal certifications, yet their coaching abilities are second to none. They’re the kind of coach who, despite lacking the official badges, has that 'secret sauce', that ability to connect with people and make their experience memorable. We need a shift in mindset within coach education to appreciate and support people based on their current expertise and experiences. It’s about creating tailored learning experiences, recognising prior learning, and making coaching more accessible to a wider range of people. As I said in the episode, “It’s not about the piece of paper; it’s about the real-world impact a coach has.”Ultimately, the coaching community is calling for a more inclusive approach in coach education not the 'one size fits all' model that is still too prevalent. A move towards effective and personalised support, ensuring every coach can thrive and contribute in their own way. By doing this, we can build a stronger, more diverse coaching community.Hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. Let’s keep pushing for change and making a real difference in the world of coaching.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Episode 1 of 'Coach Education is broken' - 'Transformation not transaction' I take a hard look at the nature of coach education courses as a machanism to provide coaches with the kind of support they need. I criticise the thinking behind this approach and the 'culturally resient practices and beliefs' that fosters their continued use. This focus on efficiency means that coaches often get their qualifications without genuinely engaging with the material or retaining what they’ve learned. As a result, they’re left unprepared for the real-world challenges they will face in their coaching careers.I call for a shift towards newer, more agile and dynamic educational approaches that prioritise quality learning experiences and practical application.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

A new dog walk diary where I begin a new multi part series talking about all of the ways that coach education and development needs to change to meet the needs of a new generation of learners.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Scott Young makes an extremely welcome return to the podcast having written a new book about learning that follows up on the smash hit 'Ultralearning'. 'Get Better at Anything' has a different flavour as it takes us on a more practical journey to explore the development of skill in multiple domains. I was gripped by this conversation as we explored: What Tetris players can teach us about getting better.Why the mind is not a muscle! Why we should value variability over repetition.Why improvement is not a straight line. Why practice must meet reality. Amongst a whole heap of other things. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Link to Scott's podcast Link to the blog and newsletter Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

In this episode I am joined by Josh Peacock from 'Combat Learning' and the 'Combat Learning Podcast'. Combat Learning is about radically improving teachers and learners of martial arts using the ecological approach to training. They explore the little-known frontiers of skill adaptation, perceptual-motor learning, and human performance science for combat sports.As Josh says...."After teaching martial arts for several years, I realised that most instruction is based on unexamined traditions handed down from one instructor to another. Little to no science or research is ever incorporated…Hungry to explore ways to improve myself as an instructor, I set off to study educational psychology and motor learning. In that process, I discovered the games-based and constraints-led approaches to coaching, which are radically different methodologies than what I had seen anywhere in my career as a martial artist…In fact, these methodologies are built around designing practice exercises that allow students to explore the solutions to problems on their own, rather than teaching them solutions directly or having them do lots of technique repetitions". It's a fascinating conversation about the challenges of tackling tradition and culturally resilient beliefs. Hope you enjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

This episode features guest Kevin Mulcahy from Cork, Ireland, who is an S&C coach with experience coaching Gaelic Football and Hurling. The episode explores... The historical context of these sports and their contemporary changes, including rule standardisation and the impact of lighter balls on game dynamics.Challenges in youth sports development, such as facility access and the influence of successful teams on community participation. How ideas from ecological dynamics are becoming more prevalent across Irish sport and how that is translating to elite success as well as a growth in participation. Kevin shares insights into integrating human movement, strength, and conditioning into Gaelic football coaching and fostering leadership within teams.We explore design principles for training and practice - how Kevin integrates principles of human movement with principles of team dynamics and principles of invasion sports. We discuss how action capacities differ from action capabilities and also look into 'interaction capacities and capabilities'. Hope you enjoy. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Reflecting on my conversation with Mike Jagacki and some of the thoughts it threw up!!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

This episode is another in my new series focussed on having conversations with people I don't 100% agree with. Mike Jagacki joins me to explore the nuances of his basketball coaching philosophy which takes a 'best of both worlds' approach' trying to integrate ecological ideas with concepts from information processing. Key Themes Discussed:Balancing Coaching Styles: the importance of finding the right mix between structured and flexible coaching approaches. We delve into how aligning coaching philosophies within the staff and incorporating various styles can lead to optimal team performance.Influence of Mentors and Philosophy Integration: The episode highlights how mentors have played a crucial role in shaping Mike's coaching beliefs and practices. We explore the significance of building a solid defensive foundation and how integrating different coaching philosophies enhances player capabilities.Player Development Methodologies: Unpacking the balance between isolated skill drills and game-like contextual training, in fostering player growth. The focus is on the necessity of blending foundational skill-building with decision-making and real-game scenarios for effective skill transfer.Dynamic and Adaptive Training: Training methods that are not only dynamic and adaptive but also encourage creativity. These methods aim to refine specific skills while ensuring they fit within a structured sports system.Building Confidence and Teamwork: We examine the role of drills in fostering confidence, teamwork, and a positive player mentality. The episode also covers how pre-practice rituals can instill core values in players.Overcoming Challenges and Instilling Core Values: From desensitizing players to fear and hesitation to the use of specific terminology for smooth transitions from individual skills to team play. I enjoyed the conversation - I hope you do too. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

So this is a bit of a high risk podcast. I’m joined for my reflective time with Flo the dog by my wife Claire to talk about what it’s like to live with me!! She doesn’t hold back!! Hope you enjoy Link to my podcast with Jamie Edwards https://www.spreaker.com/episo...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Adrian Sapp is a basketball coach from Ontario in Canada. He runs a basketball programme called 'Eco Hoops' which states in it's mission statement..."EcoHoops, driven by a mission to transform youth basketball, places the utmost emphasis on nurturing the whole child. Central to our philosophy is the mental and emotional well-being of every young athlete, ensuring a positive, safe, and joy-filled basketball experience." I thought that I need to get Sdrian on to have a chat and explore his story. We delve into the following topics: How Steph Curry is a product of envionemntal constraints. Adrian's challenges to get parents and other coaches to embrace the appoach. How discovering the ecological approach helped him go from being critical and miserable to engaging and joyful. How learning about Growth Mindset from his child's school homework acted as the 'gateway' to an ecological worldview. Link to the Eco Hoops Website Link to the X account I hope you enjoy. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Today, I am thrilled to welcome Phil Kearney back to the podcast. Phil is a renowned figure in the field of sports science, with a particular focus on skill acquisition and talent development. He brings a wealth of experience from his work as the course director for a master’s program in applied sports coaching at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Key Takeaways:Impact of Coaches’ Beliefs: how coaches’ beliefs not only affect their coaching behaviors but also the transfer of life skills beyond the playing field. Phil underlines the necessity for coaches to critically assess their own beliefs and integrate evidence-based practices.Theoretical Understanding in Coaching: Understanding various coaching theories, such as ecological dynamics, cognitive psychology, and game-based methods, is essential for effective practice. Phil emphasizes the need for coaches to be well-versed in these theories to enhance their coaching styles.Professional judgement and decision making (PJDM) in coaching: we umpack this concept and debate it's value as a construct to support coaching practice. Hope you enjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

In this episode, we dive deep into the transformative world of talent development within England Hockey by welcoming back Brett Holland and Sean Kitson, two previous podcast guests and who share their experiences and approaches to nurturing young talent in the sport of field hockey.Main Themes:The shift from a centralised system to a more flexible, decentralized approach, recognizing the individuality of athletes’ development paths.The challenges and benefits of non-linear athlete development, emphasizing the need for multiple entry points and pathways for young players.The significance of customising coaching strategies to suit individual needs and the deliberate actions taken to enhance talent development.A clear understanding of objectives across different environments, such as school clubs and junior academies.Integration of competition into training as a means to measure progress and the importance of competition in sports overall.The necessity for a collaborative effort in the talent development ecosystem, guided by a comprehensive talent system framework.I hope you enjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Andrea Enrich popped by to chat about his new book, '50 tipe sof rintelligent players - Vol 2' It is brillient and full of really powerful insights for players of all invasion games. There are some specific elements to field hockey and stick based sports but most of it applies more generally. We talk about 'Leading like Michael Jackson''Rutuals are not superstitions''Using Video Intelligenly' 'Visualise tragendies not commedies'I hope you enjoy the conversationBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-talent-equation-podcast/support.

A proper deep reflection about a massive failure trying to be child first with a large group and it’s impact on my interactions with a neurodiverse child that I am still reflecting on and trying to come to terms with!

Graeme McDowall holds an MPhil degree in Sports Coaching Education from the University of Birmingham. He is a lecturer at the SRUC in Scotland and an associate lecturer in Sport and Exercise with the Open University. Graeme is made a welcome return to the show to explore the opportunities and challenges of using 2 touch in training. But before we get to that, we discuss his thoughts on golf coaching, how we can create better experiences by learning from the creative approaches of musicians and also some of the key insights from his new book 'The System' which explores the history of Scottish football and what it means for player development today. Subscribe to Graeme's substack here https://mcdowall.substack.com/Check out the new book 'The System: What we can learn when science and reason collide with scittish football'.Also check out Graeme's other book - 'A Constraints Led Approach to Golf Coaching'

This week's guest is Andrew Sheaff, a swimming coach who has embraced the concept of non linear pedagogy and the constraints led approach in to his practice. So much so that he was invited by Professor Keith Davids to collaborate on a book all about the constraints led approach in swimming. If you go onto Andrew's website you will see the following passage..."It is extremely challenging to help swimmers to develop the skills to win races...It's overwhelming to try to teach skills to every athlete, particlulalry when it seems like no on is listening...And everything that's learned seems to disappear when it's time to start training, or when it really counts in the championship races that matter...The solution isn't to get better at what you are doing...You don't need new drills, you don't need new cues, you don't need an expensive new video system...You need a different approach!" I couldn't agree more!!This is a fascinating conversation from a genuine coaching pioneer and innovator...a coaching outlier!

Dr Paul Gamble is the founder of 'Informed Practitioner in Sport' a platform dedicated to supporting talent developers with high quality information that help them to design better environments for young people to explore the limits of their potential (he's my kind of specialist!). Paul joined me to talk about his latest book 'Sports Parenting: Negotiating the challenges of the youth sports journey to help kids thrive'. 'Sports Parenting' takes a deep dive to explore how parents can best support young performers, whether they aspire to reach the highest level or simply wish to enjoy the positive social, developmental and life-long health aspects.The book aims to provide readers with the knowledge to discern the best ways to support kids to negotiate the various challenges they face in their youth sports participation. Beyond supporting the aspiring high performer, an over-arching theme is how we can help kids to stay on the path and prevent them falling through the cracks along the way.This is a great conversation that I found super inteesting. I hope you do too.

This episode features Christian Gompert an English Teacher and soccer coach from New Hampshire who is a long standing member of the Talent Equation 'Conclave' learning community. It is recorded in my car as Christian and I were driving from one venue to the next as he was on the UK filming a documentary on the constraints led approach for a study he was conducting for his school. The episode covers: The constraints and opportunities in teaching and coaching, emphasizing the importance of achieving results for students while also fostering growth as a practitioner and learner.Traditional expectations often mask the role of social and emotional learning in the educational process.The ethical implications of different teaching methods and emphasizes the importance of a humane learning environment driven by intrinsic motivation.Alternative approaches to learning are explored, highlighting the importance of creating enjoyable and engaging environments for both the teacher and the student.We discuss strategies to motivate passive learners and the concept of incorporating student choice and voice into the classroom setting.I hope you enjoy. Stuart

In today's competitive world, teamwork and leadership skills are essential for success in sports and life. In this episode, I speak with John O'Sullivan, co-author of "The Champion Team: Eight Timeless Lessons to Connect, Compete and Lead in Sports and Life," to explore the power of selflessness in sports and society, and how being outwardly focused can lead to greater individual and team success.One of the key factors in creating a champion team is to be selfless. It's about being outwardly focused and giving selflessly as a way to be successful, both in sport and in life. Popular culture often promotes a "get what's mine" mentality, and coaches and mentors can challenge this by teaching players to give of themselves in order to benefit the team. Individual greatness can be amplified when individuals learn to look out for their teammates first.Visualization and mindfulness are essential tools to optimize performance and prepare for high-stakes situations. By visualizing their performances before they happen and practicing mindfulness and meditation, athletes can improve their focus and concentration. Teams can also use adversity as an opportunity to grow and develop.Team habits, both positive and negative, have a significant impact on a team's success. Individuals can design their environment to discourage bad habits and encourage positive team habits, such as being focused and organized. Leadership plays a crucial role in creating a successful team environment. Leaders must lead by example and demonstrate the behaviors they wish to see in their team.A powerful concept discussed in the podcast is "petting the dragons," which refers to addressing team conflicts and issues while they're still small. This can be applied to locker rooms and teams, ensuring that minor issues don't escalate into major problems. Addressing team issues openly and honestly is essential for creating a positive and successful environment.In conclusion, mastering teamwork and developing a champion mindset is crucial for success in sports and life. By focusing on selflessness, visualization, mindfulness, and strong team habits, individuals and teams can transform their dynamic for the better. By embracing these strategies, you can elevate your teamwork skills, create a positive and successful environment, and become a true champion in sports and life.

In this episode I chat with Andy Hailey, Director of Swimming at Brighton College, about his unique coaching philosophy and innovative training techniques. In this episode, we dive into the world of ecological dynamics, constraint-led approaches, and the benefits of implicit learning in swimming. Andy shares how his journey, from a PE teacher to an aquatics professional, has been shaped by key mentors like Rick Shuttelworth, and Andy Kirk, who have helped him challenge traditional beliefs and techniques in swim coaching.Andy's journey has been shaped by key moments in his career, such as when Andrew Kirk challenged him to explain how he individualises his coaching. Andy has learnt to challenge his own beliefs, and how energy systems and skillful swimming techniques can be used to help younger athletes reach their full potential. We discuss the challenge of energy-based sports and how Andy, has been an outlier in the aquatics world. We talk about the importance of intention in coaching, and how constraints can help with skillful swimming. We also look at how the LTAD model can contribute to burnout, and how governing bodies are increasingly looking to an aquatics-focused rather than swimming-focused approach.We explore the concept of a reductionist approach to getting a strong kick. Changing the focus can help keep motivation up, as well as the idea of using heart rate and time to help swimmers find their cruiseing speed and learn to listen to their heart. We also discuss a golf set, and how the constraints of stroke rate and time can help athletes maximize propulsion from each stroke.We discuss the concept of co-design in swimming and how it can be used to give swimmers more freedom and control over their training. We explore the challenge of introducing swimmers to a new culture and setting, and how this can require more individualization. We consider the benefits of structure and order for some swimmers, and how this can be balanced with the need for expression in team sports.

Wayne Goldsmith's journey began with packing boxes and evolved into a successful career in coaching and talent development. A chance encounter and someone's belief in Wayne's potential led him to pursue a career in sports science.Wayne has worked with organizations like Swimming Australia, Triathlon Australia, and the Wallabies.He conducted research on the post-host phenomenon surrounding the Olympics and the factors that influenced some countries to thrive while others struggled after hosting the games.Wayne emphasizes the importance of looking beyond our own sports for inspiration, such as the All Blacks coaching team seeking guidance from the New York Ballet.The role of parents in helping their children become the best they can be is crucial, and Wayne discusses the importance of creating a safe environment for kids to fall in love with their sport.Dyslexia and ADHD can present unique strengths and weaknesses, and Wayne shares his own experiences with these conditions.Misinterpretation and implementation of long-term athlete development (LTAD) may not always serve the best interests of children, and Wayne explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding LTAD.The declining participation in organized competitive sports highlights the need for creating positive, safe, and engaging experiences for kids and their families.Wayne's insights and perspectives on youth sports, parenting, and LTAD provide valuable lessons for coaches, parents, and athletes alike.

Back in the UK following my trip to the US where I was speaking to an amazing community of Ice Hockey Coaches at the USA Hockey Level 5 coaches symposium. Sharing reflections of the event and the great work that the organisation does!

Mark Bennett MBE makes a welcome return to the podcast. Mark has been a very popular guest in the past and he is back by popular demand. Mark was part of the physical training team within the Royal Marine Commando training school before taking his ideas about human development into civiian life with a major focus on sport. As always, it is a fascinating conversation...in this episode we cover...- Performance Development Systems (PDS) aims to help athletes and coaches achieve their full potential by focusing on behavioral and attitudinal aspects of human development processes. - The distinction between individuals with a 'Performance' mindset from individuals with a 'leisure' mindset. - 'Performance' orientated individuals commit to being the best they can be in all aspects of their lives, including sleep, nutrition, and wellness. Leisure athletes may only commit to aspects they enjoy and when supervised. 'Leisure' orientated athletes might be committed at certain times but will not do this at all times or in all areas of their life. - Establishing clear expectations and understanding in coaching is important, particularly in defining acceptable, unacceptable, and exceptional behavior.- The baseline game helps athletes identify the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, encouraging communication, decision-making, and ownership of their performance and development.- The rule of three in coaching helps athletes self-regulate their behavior, interactions, and focus during practice, emphasizing mindfulness and observation from the coach.- Identifying a team's "lighthouse" or reference point enables coaches and athletes to design and execute sessions that align with their desired goals and outcomes.- Committing to change and pursuing excellence through PDS can lead to growth and success in both personal and professional aspects of life.- Coaches and athletes should hold each other accountable for their actions and ensure they align with their aspirations and goals.- Reassessing goals and adjusting expectations based on reality data and individual capabilities can help prevent giving up on goals altogether.- Performance Development Systems offer extensive resources, workshops, and master classes to help coaches, athletes, and individuals achieve their goals and improve their lives.

Chris Kilmurray is a renowned coach in downhill and enduro mountain biking, with a background in sports science and coaching education having spent time working all over the world as a coach educator for the UCI. We had a wide ranging conversation that felt like we we were on a mountain bike going downhill at great speed!! We had a healthy discussion / debate about the realative applications and limits of the ideas that are proposed by ecological psychology and cognitive psychology in his coaching. These are the key points from our discussion...- Downhill mountain biking is a gravity-fed sport, similar to downhill skiing, where potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.- Chris's coaching philosophy involves 'not breaking the raw material', helping athletes 'amplify' themselves, and balancing professionalism with the extreme sports culture..- Coaching philosophies and curriculum development should focus on putting the athlete first, considering their unique needs and sporting environment.- Traditional coaching education tends to focus on idealised parameters and standardised approaches, which may not always be effective for individual athletes.- The historical and cultural influences on coaching and education are slowly shifting away from traditional hierarchical teaching methods, but cultural inertia and path dependency still impact how sports and languages are taught.- The benefits of ambiguity and system dynamics in coaching can be explored through various perspectives, such as ecological psychology, cognitive psychology, and complexity theory.- A holistic approach to coaching involves adapting methods to suit individual athletes and situations, as well as balancing performance-driven goals with the overall well-being of the individual.- Long-term relationships between coach and athlete are valuable, and coaches should be open-minded to different approaches and engage with original research to develop a well-rounded coaching philosophy.

Joe Baker makes a welcome return to the podcast to talk about his latest book 'The Tyranny of Talent'. We had a great conversation and covered a LOT of ground including...1. Talent in sports is a far more complex concept than most people assume, and the traditional understanding of talent as a fixed, simple, and unidimensional capacity is flawed.2. Coaches often lack training in talent evaluation and prediction, making it difficult for them to accurately identify and develop potential in young athletes.3. Long-term athlete development (LTAD) models can be useful but have limitations, and should be considered as a starting point rather than an end goal.4. A more nuanced approach to athlete development is needed, taking into account various domains such as child development, behavioral, neurological, and physical needs.5. Predicting talent in professional sports drafts is challenging, and early selections can have a significant impact on an athlete's long-term development.6. Survivorship bias can lead to an overemphasis on the success stories of athletes who made it through a particular development system, while neglecting the many others who did not.7. Diversity and variability in youth sports are crucial for creating inclusive, accessible opportunities for all young people, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.8. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child can provide a framework for ethical decision-making in sports coaching, policy-making, and athlete development, ensuring that children's needs and interests are prioritised.9. Addressing athlete maltreatment and promoting transparency and accountability in sports environments can help create a safer, more empowering space for young athletes.10. Challenging traditional ideas and approaches in coaching and athlete development can lead to more effective, inclusive systems that better support the long-term success and well-being of all young athletes.

-Talent Equation Conclave is a group of ecological explorers that get together once a month to discuss coaching challenges and co create solutions. This month we had a book club featuring guest Rob Grey, author of "How We Learn to Move." and his new book 'Learning to optimise movement'Here are the key takeaways... - Affordances are invitations from the environment, conveyed by information, and are relative to an individual's action capabilities.- A common misconception is treating skills as action capacities, which can lead to issues in skill development and application.- Agility is a skill that relies on information and functional goals, while change of direction is an action capacity.- Equipment can impact an athlete's perception and adaptation, with changes in size, weight, or length forcing adjustments in movements and problem-solving skills.- Direct perception argues that all necessary information is available within the environment, and there is no need for additional internal processing.- Engaging athletes in the training process and using constraints can help shape their performance and skill development.- Scaling equipment and fields for young athletes is important, but often not accounted for in a gender context.- Focusing on specific cues and stabilizing gaze, such as the "quiet eye" technique, can improve tracking and success in making contact with a ball in sports.- Understanding the relationship between affordances, action capacities, and skills can help coaches and athletes better navigate the complexities of skill development and performance.

Phillip O'Callaghan (@mrtenniscoach on Twitter) hosted another one of his Twitter Spaces discussions recently and I was asked to join with Marrianne Davies, Alex Lascu and Cal Jones to talk all about isolated practice. Here are the key takeaways...1. Skill and technique are distinct concepts; technique refers to a movement pattern, while skill is the application of technique in response to a problem presented by a sport, activity, or game.2. Isolated practice tasks can be effective in skill acquisition if they allow athletes to couple perception with action, but they must maintain relevant information for proper skill development.3. Representative design is crucial in creating effective training sessions that closely resemble real-game scenarios, helping athletes develop problem-solving skills in context.4. Scaling in sports training involves altering equipment size and game parameters to impact an athlete's actions and problem-solving abilities, ensuring the learning environment is tailored to their skill level and capabilities.5. Decomposing specific skills and techniques within a sport can create more focused practice tasks for athletes, allowing them to improve their skills in a more targeted and forgiving manner.6. The concept of "repetition without repetition" emphasizes the importance of quality practice and exploration over mere quantity, allowing athletes to develop their skills more effectively.7. Over-challenging athletes in training can prepare them for competition, but it's essential to consider the individual learner's needs when designing tasks.8. Allowing athletes to discover solutions for themselves, rather than simply being told what to do, can lead to a deeper understanding and ownership of their skills.9. Guided discovery approaches in coaching can be beneficial, but isolated tasks may have limitations; representative and context-specific training environments are crucial for effective skill development.10. Understanding the context and specific problems to be solved in team sports is essential for coaching practices, with a focus on communication and effective interactions between players.

Hey there!I just finished recording an incredibly insightful conversation with Nick Smallridge, whose journey from playing soccer in his small hometown to experiencing the professional setup in Finland has given him unique perspectives on coaching and player development. We discussed the transformative experiences that led Nick to adopt the ecological approach, and the challenges faced when implementing this approach. Throughout our conversation, we touched on the complexities in gameplay, the role of vulnerability, and the importance of fostering exploration and learning in soccer coaching while remaining mindful of the constraints and influences that can affect players' development. Here are some key highlights from the episode: 1. How Nick's experiences in Finland and Uzbekistan shaped his coaching journey and sparked his interest in ecological dynamics. 2. The importance of experimentation and embracing failure in coaching soccer. 3. The impact of coaching demeanor and the environment on players' exploration and growth. 4. The role of positioning in coaching and its influence on the learning process. 5. The complexities in team sports and how an ecological dynamics mindset can help teams face new and unknown problems.0:09:15 - Exploring Alternative Approaches to Soccer 0:18:48 - The Powerlessness of Coaching 0:21:11 - Exploring an Alternative Coaching Process 0:30:29 - Managing Resistance to Change 0:36:13 - Testing and Probing Solutions 0:40:34 - Recognizing Success and Attempts in Games 0:42:50 - Exploring the Value of Failure 0:53:36 - The Benefits of Neutral Coaching 1:12:54 - The Journey of Adaptability and ResiliencyHope you enjoy

In this episode I am joined by Shawn Myszka and Tyler Yearby from Emergence to disuss their recent paper co-authored with Keith Davids entitled 'Being Water: how key ideas from the practice of Bruce Lee align with contemporary theorizing in movement skill acquisition'. We discuss his famous quote 'fear someone who has practiced one kick ten thousand times' and explore how he may have meant for us to adapt and be 'like water', rather than trying to perfect technique. We also touch on the philosophical boundaries of an ecological worldview, the concept of 'one-touch play' in soccer, Finally, we explore Bruce Lee's work and words, and how they are a testament to his ideas.Chapters:(0:05:59) - Exploring Bruce Lee's Movement(0:10:51) - 'Jeet Kune do' Origins and Meaning(0:24:56) - Adaptability and Ecology in Martial Arts(0:32:02) - Exploring the Principles of Ecological Dynamics(0:37:32) - Exploring Ecological Dynamics(0:51:20) - The Challenges of Evolving Ideas(1:00:36) - Bruce Lee's Influence on Movement(1:11:32) - Exploring Philosophical Boundaries Through Dialoguehttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/367319646_Being_Water_how_key_ideas_from_the_practice_of_Bruce_Lee_align_with_contemporary_theorizing_in_movement_skill_acquisition

Flo the dog helps me to make sense of recent controversy I created by calling a practice a ‘form of cruelty’ during one of our morning walks. I explain my rationale for saying this and share whether I think that the provocation was justified.

Tom Shields boasts an impressive resume. His bio on the STA Soccer website reads... "A native of Hull, England, Technical Director Tom Shields joined STA with an exhaustive list of previous coaching and educational experience, making him one of the most progressive young coaches in the country. Holding both a Masters in Sport Psychology and an Undergraduate Degree in Sport Coaching, alongside experience as a University Professor in Sports Coaching and Sport and Exercise Science at Leeds Metropolitan University, and countless published articles, Tom helps STA blend together the worlds of education and coaching. The former Head Coach of Hull City Ladies (FA Women’s Premier League) and the University of Hull, an Assistant and NCAA Division I Title Winning Coach at Central Connecticut State University, The Director of Player Performance and Pedagogy at Rutgers University, US Club Soccer Boys ID2 National Staff Coach, ODP and Region I Staff Coach, United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Associate National Staff Coach and former Development and Community Coach at Hull City, Leeds United and Bradford City, the experiences that Tom can draw upon to share with our membership are significant. In addition, he holds a USSF A Youth License, USSF National Youth License, NSCAA Premier Diploma and NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma along with a number of FA and LMA certifications." Tom joins me after our recent attendance as speaking at the United Soccer Coaches Convention to discuss how he works as a leader of a local sports organisation and develops his coaching workforce to be the best that they can be using the ecological dynamics as the theory of learning and human development as the basis of their approach - with considerable success. I really enjoyed this conversation...I hope you do too. https://www.stasoccer.org/staf...

Jennifer Dunaway runs www.soccermomsanddads.com, a website dedicated to supporting parents to navigate the compelx and challenging world of youth soccer in the US. I met Jennifer and her husband, Nick at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia and we got to talking...her story was just jaw dropping!! She told me about how she was a completely 'bat shit crazy' soccer mom that was completely out of control until a number of moments made her rethink things and completely turn round her worldview and approach. This is an emotional and heartwarming story of rehabilitation and redemption that places the human aspect of children's sport at the centre stage. I hope you enjoy. You can read Jennifer's honest and vulnerable reflection blog here

Dr Zöe Wimshurst is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology within the School of Psychology, Sport and Physical Activity at AECC Univirsity College in Bournemouth, England. She is a Chartered Psychologist specialising in visual performance in elite athletes. She also runs the consultancy 'Performance Vision' and has worked with Sir Clive Woodward among others..Zöe has worked with many Olympic and professional athletes to help them improve their performance by improving their perceptual capabilities. The athletes she works with have gone on to win Olympic medals, World and European championships, as well as set many personal best achievements.In this conversation we cover the following: The challenges of working with U8sWhy her own talent journey was curtailed by poor coachingHow visual perception and agility are intertwinedWhy the phrase 'you can't teach that' is nonesenseThe biological reason why players 'revert to type'Why video games are great for developing visual abilitiesand so much more!!It's a great conversation - I hope you enjoy

Alex Sarama is the Director and Head Coach at the 'College Prep' Basketball Academy in Borgomanero in norther Italy. The College Prep website states:"College Prep exists to help young men between 16 to 20 years old fulfil their complete potential in basketball and life. College Prep is a complete academy program for players wishing to pursue collegiate and professional basketball opportunities. The program at College consists of basketball, mindfulness, athletic performance, education and life skills. At College Prep, players work with coaches who are extremely passionate and curious about their learning, with the program embracing all the latest research and evidence before our experiments are shared with the basketball world!". Alex is a committed Eco-Dynamicist and has taken the philosophy and ideas to new levels by embedding them throughout the whole programme at the academy. It is a case study in how powerful ecological dynamics can be in shaping a talent development and learning environment. It is an absolutely staggering project and the story that Alex tells is fascinating. I hope you love this as much as I did.

I caught up with Trine Falnes - CEO of Spond at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadephia and we 'got to talking'. I pressed record on my podcast gear and we explored how her company's coaching app 'Spond' has transformed my life as a coach by making it so much easier to manage all of the teams that I coach and also supported with the running of the club. We also discuss how the app is reducing coach drop out and has enabled me to ensure that I keep the voices of the young people I coach at the forefront of my coaching practice.

On my travels across the United States I made the trip to see John O'Sullivan from Changing the Game Project and the Way of Champions Podcast. We had a great time and decided to record a podcast to talk about some of the things that we had discussed while I was there. In this podcast we discuss the application of skill in varied environments (including my limited ability at powder skiiing!) We also explore the challenges that coaches face in an increasingly hostile world where parents and other stakeholders seem only to eager to challenge coaches for any perceived slight on their child. What can coaches do about this, how can they protect themselves and what measures can they put in place to prevent or manage a landscape with increasingly high expectations.

I caught up with Julian after my presentation at the United Soccer Coaches Convention and we reflected on some of the questions that were raised by the audience.

Chris Cushion is Professor of Coaching & Pedagogy at Loughborough University as well as the Head of Coaching at England Netball. Chris is one of the most well known researchers in the world of sports coaching and has published widely. I asked Chris to join me to disuss the nature of 'direct instruction' which he argues has some to mean something in coaching that is not an accurate way to depict it. Chris and I have disagreed in the past about this subject so we thought it was hight time we got together and had a proper discussion about this area. Needless to say, we didn't stop there...we also discussed...How poor coach education is as a means to effectively support coaches and develop thier skillsWhy coach development is so under valuedWhy technique led coaching is still so prevalentWhy the 'toolbox metaphor' limits coaching effectivenessIt was a really interesting and valuable conversation. Hope you enjoy

In this dog walk diary I think aloud about work I am doing at the moment to support a reconceptualisation of coaching for children by evoking the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Leanne Norman is a Professor of Sport and Sociocultural Studies and Director of the Research Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society at Leeds Beckett University. Her research utilises a critical sociological lens to examine sport organisational and coaching cultures to address gender equity and diversity within sport coaching workforces.Ellen Jones is a lecturer and the academic lead for all tennis performance modules and the Performance Director of Tennis at Cardiff Metropolitan University.They join me to discuss a paper that they had written that explained some of the challenges faced my both male and female coaches who had experienced mental health issues and burnout linked to the dominant 'performance narrative' that has become so prevalent across sport. Here is a link to the paper - https://t.co/Kl6I4mNq7ZI hope you enjoyStuart

After a monster twitter discussion about the relative value of 'two touch' as a constraint I invited some of the protagonists to join me for a live streamed discussion where we could circle around the problem in a more conducive situation than the limits of Twitter. It's a proper CLA geek out but I think we made some good progress and shared some good ideas. Hope you get some new insights from it

Callum Murray has worked in youth football for the last five years with some of the most talented and respected players of their age in the country, including working in men’s first-team recruitment for a professional club. With a background in sport psychology and a deep interest in football and talent development, he has researched football- talent hotbeds in England exhaustively, speaking to experts and some of the most influential people in this field. 'Something in the Water' uncovers the secrets of the football-talent hotbeds of English football: past, present and future. It takes a look behind the scenes of the traditional working-class northern town hotbeds and the emergence of south London as the new-school hotbed, to explore the key characteristics that helped to develop players such as Sancho, Zaha, Gerrard and others.Hope you enjoy

This is a bit of a different episode, it is the recording from my 'Twitter Spaces' conversation organised by Philip O'Callaghan to explore 'Representative Learning Design'. The chat features a range of people who have all featured on the podcast in the past, Alex Lascu, Marianne Davies, Cal Jones and Mark O'Sullivan. It's an interesting conversation that wanders all over the map of Representative Learning Design and also gets into coach education (because Mark tries to get me into trouble by baiting me into saying something about it - and I can't resist!)I hope you enjoy

Rob McGarr is a YouTuber who has been documenting the ups and downs of his journey of improvement in golf for several years. His honest video diary has seen him travel all over the UK and Europe in search of information that will help him reach his goals of playing consistent scratch golf. His channel is fantastic and I really enjoy it but I have also been struck by the interactions he has had with many coaches, and the different philosophies that they adopt and the approaches they take and how this has affected his performance, adversely or otherwise. I decided to reach out to him to have a conversation about his journey and to explore some thoughts about coaching and skill acquisition that might help him make sense of all of the information he has received. It's a long one...but I think that it is a goody...whether you are into golf or not. Enjoy!!

Some thoughts about a question that was posed to me recently as to how you can justify using a non linear / ecological approach to coaching.

Dr. Tom Parry is the founder and owner of Kestrel Performance Psychology. He has a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Indiana University with specializations in Skill Acquisition and Psychology.He wears many hats including Professor, Father, Coach and Consultant. These roles have blessed him with a detailed understanding of human behaviour from various perspectives and the nuanced nature of performance.Tom and I get into the weeds to explore how we can connect the wider coaching world with some of the counter intuitive aspects of non linear pedagogy. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with some of these ideas and explore the way Tom thinks about coaching and skill development. Listen to the end to find out about how to play 'Zombie Tag'. https://kestrelpsychology.wixsite.com/kestrelpsychology

JP Nurbun makes a welcome return to the podcast. JP is a fellow podcaster as host of 'The Coaching Culture' podcast. He is also an author, his first book 'Calling Up' was a real hit and I really enjoyed it. This time round he has gone one better having written 'The Culture System' which is fascinating. In this conversation we delve into some of the key elements of The Culture System and unpack them to get to grips with how they are applied and who applies them. It's a super powerful conversation that I took a lot away from. I hope you do tooJP's podcast - https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/k2pt3-6258f/Coaching-Culture-PodcastJP's book - https://www.myculturesystem.com/

Dan Lycett and Ross Williams are on the PE staff at St David's College in LLandudno in North Wales. They have been very public in sharing their approach to PE and school sport with the world and have been very active in creating learning spaces for other practitioners. In this conversation we delve into the alternative approach that they take to increase engagement in PE and school sport by turning the curriculum on it's head and working backwards from a child centred approach. The results speak for themselves as I hope you will agree from the discussion.Link to my conversation with Stephen Rollnick about Motivational Interviewing https://www.spreaker.com/episode/20445243

Will Roberts makes a welcome return to the podcast joined by a colleague at University of Gloucester, Kirsten Wing. You will remember Will from a previous podcast talking about the fantastic programme called 'Boing' which is looking to take an ecological approach to the development of movement for children.Kirsten has been studying the effect of Boing on coaching practice and on the way that children have responded to the approach with some fascinating findings - not least of which the link between the digital space and the physical space. I invited them on to talk me through it and explore some of the real world ramifications, it's a really interesting conversation that I really enjoyed...I hope you will too. Link to the research report here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360561628_Operationalising_Physical_Literacy_Boing_Practitioner_Education_Programme_Technical_Report

Greg Clements is a friend and a colleague. Greg has worked at Sport England for more than 12 years in various roles and he reached out to me because he has been coaching a football team which his son is involved in and they have reached a cross roads in deciding how to group the teams for next year. Having done a bit of research within the sports world he found very little to help shape thinking so he reached out to me for a conversation and he was good enough to let me record it. It's a really interesting area and one that affects a lot of coaches so I hope that you get something out of it.

Mia Palles-Clark is a British show jumping coach and coach developer. She is the England Home Pony Team Chef d'Equipe and the British Army team coach and was awarded British Show jumping coach of the year in 2017.I am joined by my co host Marianne Davies from UK Coaching and Dynamics Coaching https://dynamics-coaching.com/home/marianne-davies/ to explore the cross over between the equestrian world and the human world. In this conversation we explore how humans treat children and horses in the same way by robbing them of agency and choice about what happens to them in the sporting arena. We delve into some common practices and beliefs from the equestrian world and discover some startling parallels with the youth sport domain. This is a 'simulcast' with Marianne's new podcast project 'The River Tiger Podcast' be sure to check it out. https://open.spotify.com/show/3aS0XlrTdt5Pn4nLeSw1ig?fbclid=IwAR2YiYbtocoIrCOJr0qvEZ1PfdykZ-kM9ghDAV6VeFepYuPbIZtj4b1fjdI

It’s so challenging to have conversations with other coaches or parents about what your approach to creating participation opportunities could or should be. Should be be inclusive, should focus on outcomes, should you prioritise development. In this ‘think aloud’ audio blog I share a framework for thinking about this that might help to clarify thinking and make for more productive conversations.

Sharing some thoughts about a session I ran trying to explore how to improve passing in a group of players. Some mistakes I made and what you can learn from them.

Ian Brunnschweiler is a Head of Technical Development at Southampton football club, he is a friend of the show and a previous podcast guest. Dr Mark Jarvis, is making his debut, he is High Performance Manager at the club and his previous experiences were with the English Institute of Sport where he had the role of Director of Performance Solutions. They join me to share insights on the holistic way that Southampton go about coaching, player development rooted in the principles of Ecological Dynamics. They also share some insights from the new project that they have launched called the 'Learning Lab' which is committed to intentionally studying the impact of ecological approaches on their ability to support player development. It's a really fascination and open discussion about working in a talent development environment with loads of insights that are applicable in any developmental context.

Neil Plimmer is a golf coach and the co founder of 'JOLF', a golf coaching organisation dedicated to providing brilliant experiences for children. In the past year JOLF has been enjoyed by more than 12,000 children in schools, community settings and and at golf clubs around the country. The concept and what they offer continues to change as they learn and grow.Neil has been invited to speak across the world to about JOLF and share his knowledge and experiences. He is happiest with a group of 30 children in a school delivering sessions and coming up with different experiences that will engage children and create a love for golf, and sport in general.

I can hardly believe that I have reached the milestone of 200 episodes of the Talent equation Podcast. To celebrate I was joined by several previous guests, some members of the Conclave Community of Learning group and some members of 'The Ecological Explorers Club'. We reminisced about some favourite things about the podcast and then discussed some topical issues that we face into the future.

Jonathan Harding makes a welcome return to the show to share insights from his new book 'Soul: Beyond the Athlete'. Jonathan describes himself as "A sports writer who cares about the person and the player, the coach and the community. I speak German, am a father and try to look after the planet. Seagulls and San Francisco."Jonathan's first book 'Mensch' which explored the sophistication of the German Football Coach Education System...was a massive hit and is still one of my favourite books on coaching. His follow up book 'Soul' delves deep into the footballing sub cultures of some of the environments around the world that are bravely standing up against the tide of 'premature professionalism' and a 'perform at all costs' mentality that has not only affected professional football but also seeped into the grass roots. It's a great conversation. I hope you enjoy.

Phillip O'Callaghan is a tennis coach from Cork in Ireland. As he says in this podcast, people from Cork are very humble (even though Cork might well be the most represented city on my podcast!) so he describes himself on his bio on his website www.mrtenniscoach.com as being..."Really passionate about learning how to be a better coach and spend a lot of my free time learning about coaching. I'll be sharing lots of content here that will also help you improve or learn more about coaching". This doesn't really explain properly what Phillip does...he actually takes really dense academic articles or book chapters and creates simplified blog posts and twitter threads that the rest of us could understand...he is a great source of knowledge. Follow him on Twitter at @Mr_tennis_coach https://twitter.com/Mr_Tennis_Coach

Dr Amy. E Whitehead, PhD is Reader (Associate Professor) in Sport Psychology and Coaching at Liverpool John Moores University. Amy also delivers sport psychology support and coach development to a range of athletes and coaches, and also brings this work into her teaching in the classroom.Jenny Coe is Head of Performance and Wellbeing with West Ham United Women’s Team. She also works across a number of Olympic sports as a high performance coach developer and performance analyst. Her athletic career spanned 15 years of international basketball, and she also has a wealth of experience coaching internationally. On the back of that, she is a founding member of the company Impact the Game that aims to support athletes and coaches in all areas of performance. She is an advocate for mental health and women in sport, and she continues to support and influence change in these areas.'Myths of Sport Coaching' is an edited book that brings together international researchers and practitioners sharing theoretical and practical guidance by challenging some commonly held perspectives and ideas that have become resilient in coach education.

Happy New Year - welcome to 2022!!Ian Renshaw and Peter Arnott make a welcome return to the podcast. If you haven't heard them before then I recommend checking out these other episodes where they have made appearances before (Links below). In this episode we discuss Ian and Peter's latest project 'Swing Like Tiger' which is a course that they have created for players and coaches to learn all about the little known secrets of how Tiger became so great. This isn't just a golf podcast - there are lessons galore. Listen to the end to get a discount code from Peter to access the course. Peter, Ian and Greame MacDowell https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/improving-impoverished-practice-environments-a/id1209549739?i=1000502085156Ian https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/exploring-representative-practice-design-a/id1209549739?i=1000499156547Peterhttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/when-i-am-coaching-on-the-range-i-can-feel-myself/id1209549739?i=1000499156452

Jia Yi Chow is the Associate Dean within the Office of Teacher Education at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Jia-Yi is most well known for being one of the originators of the concept of 'Non-Linear Pedagogy' which was articulated in a seminal book he co wrote with Keith Davids, Ian Renshaw and Chris Button in 2015 https://amzn.to/3GXgdPAIn this podcast we dive into the key concepts of non linear pedagogy and explore applications and some common misconceptions related to this theory. This was a great conversation to end the year on. Hope you enjoy.

Martyn Rothwell is a lecturer in sports coaching at Sheffield Hallam University. He is the national coach for the England Wheelchair Rugby League team and has worked in the fields of coaching and talent development since 2003. His latest research looks into the practices and behaviours of coaches in professional rugby league academies and explores how stated aspirations around the development of creative players actually manifest when the coaches are at work.

Olympic Champion, Amy Williams MBE joins me to explore the entire sporting journey from someone with potential to Olympic glory. Using her own experiences & those of some of Britain’s greatest athletes to help young athletes turn their ability into performance.We talk about mindset, confidence, teamwork, overcoming barriers & setbacks, dealing with injuries, longevity, training & preparation. We also take a deep dive into what it takes to drive a skeleton bob sled, the skill involved and the embodied cognition that is required. You can buy the book here https://amzn.to/3DSV2wJ (this is an affiliate link using this link helps the show as a small contribution is made)

Jack Rolfe is the founder of 'The Coaching Lab' a hothouse of coaching innovation including the creation of the Coaching Lab 'Matchplay Cards'. MatchPlay Cards support coaches to change the game and coach through games, add in-game challenges and set player missions. Jack shares his story about how he created these cards and also the research and theory behind them. We also geek out on various ways that we apply these ideas and actually design a session in the course of the discussion. The cards can be purchased here https://www.thecoachinglab.org/Hope you enjoy

Stephen Griffin is a former certified accountant who became an angel investor and fund manager into community sports organisations and companies. His journey took him into some of the shady underbelly of sports organisations that are outwardly providing positive community physical activity experiences but are actually acting corruptly and dealing in illegal immigration, people trafficking and inhumane working conditions. It is a shocking story that serves as a stark reminder of what can happen when corporate greed meets community sport and physical activity. Stephen's book can be bought here https://amzn.to/32drOuv (this is an affiliate link - using this helps to support the show!) If you would like to support the show and/or would like to join my community of learning 'The Conclave' then head over to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation?fan_landing=trueHis experiences led him to write FRONT ROW SEAT - Greed and Corruption in a Youth Sports Company. and LOST LOCKER ROOM - The Collapse of Global Premier Soccer. The books explore the growth of the youth sports market and some of the characters who seek to exploit it.

Rob Gray is a regular guest on The Talent Equation and should be well known to regular listeners. Rob is an associate professor in human systems engineering in the Polytechnic School at Arizona State University as well as the host of the brilliant 'Perception and Action Podcast' (I like to think of it as the 'brainy cousin' of this show!). In this conversation Rob drops by to talk to me about the content of his new book 'How we learn to move: a revolution in the way we coach and practice sports skills'. We cover a lot including: Why Rob thinks that dribbling round cones has no functionHow he 'self organised towards self organisation'Why the idea of 'one repeatable perfect technique' is a mythHope you enjoyUse this link to buy the book for yourself and all of your coaching friends for Christmas (it is an affiliate link and helps to support the show) https://amzn.to/3DlvMip

Andy Pitchford is the Head of the Centre for Teaching and Education at the University of Westminster in London. His research is in the fields of education, pedagogy and community sport. In the early 2000s, Andy was part of a team of researchers who investigated safeguarding in sport, and particularly in football, and this led to a series of publications including a book - Child Welfare in Football - that was published by Routledge in 2007. More recently, Andy has worked with colleagues on another Routledge text, 'The Handbook of Authentic Learning', which reflects more recent interest in pedagogies that give students power and agency. In this conversation Andy shares some of the insights from a new paper that he has written that is currently in review called 'Playing Uphill and Into the Wind: Counter Cultural Coaching in Youth Football.' The conversation explores the experiences of coaches that have tried to work in a child centred way and how challenging it has been for them to overcome a culture that has become dominated by notions of performance and toxic hyper competitiveness.

Dr Andrew Wilson (@psychscientists) is an internationally recognised expert in perception, action and embodied cognition. His research interests are broadly in the area of perception and action, with a particular interest in learning and theories of embodied cognition.Andrew joined the talent equation learning community aka 'The Conclave' to share some of his latest projects working with Southampton Football club including the development of a new coaching curriculum. The session allowed Andrew to 'think aloud' about some of the applications of the ecological approach in this context and to play with some ideas as to the best ways of implementing some of these ideas. It's a fascinating discussion that I hope you enjoy.

Jamie Munro is a Lacrosse coach who has found a fascinating way to coach his sport through film. His method is to use free play as the basis for learning and to then use reflection through watching the film of these sessions with athletes to observe what might be useful as a tool for learning. Jamie is a free play evangelist but as he say's this doesn't remove the place for the coach, in fact the coach is really important in free play....just important in a different way...."the Free Play model doesn't remove good coaching from the development equation. Good coaches have tremendous value as mentors, as teachers, and as tacticians, but coaches can't teach "Feel". Only the game can teach "Feel" and the "Feel" is the whole key!"Jamie has a podcast too so we decided to have an exchange of ideas and to post the outcome on our respective shows...You can find out more about Jamie and his approach here... https://www.jm3sports.com

Laurence Cassoe Halsted is a two-time Olympic fencer, having competed for Team GB in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games. Following his retirement from competitive fencing after Rio he has been in the role of Performance Director for the Danish Fencing Federation. Laurence is also engaged with a charity called The True Athlete Project as Director of Mentoring. ​In this conversation we dive into Laurence's experiences as an athlete, coach and performance director and how they have shaped the writing of his new book 'Becoming a True Athlete'. We discuss how coaches and parents can help young people to unleash far more of their potential as individuals and groups, through a better understanding of what drives us as humans tapping in to our deepest sense of purpose and meaning in life, while connecting us more closely with nature and with each other.https://www.laurencehalsted.comhttps://www.sequoia-books.com/catalog/halsted/

Dr Josephine Perry is a chartered psychologist working with those in sport and on the stage and in business to help them overcome their barriers to success so they can achieve their goals.Josie has a background in communications and behaviour change having worked for many years in journalism, marketing, public relations and crisis communications across private corporations and government. She has a MSc in Communications, a MSc in Psychology and a MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. She also has a PhD in Political Communications. In this conversation we explore some of the key takeaways from her new book 'I Can: A Teenage Athletes Guide to Mental Fitness' and cover a range of subjects including athlete wellbeing, toxic environments, why mental toughness is all wrong and how parents and coaches can avoid falling into the 'expectations trap'. https://performanceinmind.co.uk/https://performanceinmind.co.uk/shop/#ican

Craig Morris joins some members of The Talent Equation learning community 'The Conclave' and myself from his hotel room in Slovakia (where he is preparing for a world championships with his athletes) to share some reflections from his experiences at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games. It is an open and honest insight into the preparation for the games during the pandemic and the ways that he and the athletes were forced to adapt their training to address this...he also shares some of the experiences of the games themselves and what he took away from the experience.

Andy Kirkland is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport at the University of Stirling in Scotland. He leads the MSc. in Performance Coaching at the university as well as being a Chartered Scientist and a BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist (support & pedagogy).Andy has worked as a sport physiologist, a coach developer at British Cycling and support others in developing performance environments. He is also a practicing high performance triathlon coach. This conversation was stimulated by an article that Andy wrote that created some challenges for the coaching industry in the UK. We explore some of his ideas and I share some perspectives from my role leading coaching system transformation at Sport England (this is a bit of a departure for me as I usually keep the podcast quite separate from my day job but in the this case I felt that the discussion warranted publication here. You can read the article here. https://spark.adobe.com/page/p8LN8wGMqTC6V/Hope you enjoy

David Hinchliffe makes a welcome return to talk about his coaching experiences working with a constraint led, ecologically driven model within a school environment within mixed ability groups. We explore motivational challenges, 'false gamification', co-designing practice and loads of examples of activities and practice types linked to various types of striking games. David also does some counselling for me to help me work through the challenges that I have been facing coaching u13s (including my son!)Hope you enjoy

It's been a while since my last DWD but I had to record an episode to reflect on the journey of the England Football Team during the European Championships ahead of the final on Sunday. I have been fortunate to spend time with Gareth Southgate, the England Head Coach on a couple of occasions and I was able to glean some insights from those interactions that I think are relevant to the success that the team are currently enjoying and would be useful for any coach. Hope you enjoy*GB actually won 1 gold medal in Atlanta (not 1 bronze as I said in the recording) among a total medal haul of 15.

Professor Sean Cumming is internationally recognised as a leading expert on the subject of growth and maturation in sport and exercise. Adopting a biocultural perspective, his research seeks to understand how biological and psychosocial factors impact athletic development and the maintenance of health behaviours during adolescence.Sean joins me for a discussion about the science behind adolescent development and some of the latest thinking in relation to the ways that young athletes could be grouped for competition and selection which would provide for a more effective and inclusive athlete development experience. Hope you enjoy

In this podcast, the tables get turned on me as instead of being the one asking the questions and framing the discussion I am in the hot seat as the subject of a conversation with the awesome Skye Eddy Bruce from the 'Soccer Parenting Association'. We talk about how coaches and parents can work together to develop athletes and the role that parents can play as the first coach of their children. We explore skill development, maturation and how the creation of a motivational climate. Hope you enjoy

Adam Kelly is a Senior Lecturer and the Course Leader for Sports Coaching and Physical Education at Birmingham City University. He consults with international institutions and organisations in a number of professional sports, including football, rugby union, cricket, swimming, squash, and ice hockey. In this conversation Adam and I explore the latest research into non linear and more equitable talent development and competition frameworks. We discuss the relative merits of 'Birthday Banding' , Bio Banding', 'Average Team Age' and 'Playing Up/Down' approaches. Hope you enjoyLinks to research articles 'Birthday Banding' - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2020.573890/full 'Playing Up / Down' - https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/27544?show=full'Average Team Age' - https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003163572-10/average-team-age-method-potential-reduce-relative-age-effects-jan-verbeek-steve-lawrence-jorg-van-der-breggen-adam-kelly-laura-jonker 'Bio Banding' - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03014460.2019.1640284?journalCode=iahb20 'Reversal Effect' / 'Underdog Hypothesis' - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7933505/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2015.1119297

Adam Haniver is a boxing coach and coach educator that works in the England Boxing talent pathway. He is also the co founder of 'The Box Gathering' - a community of learning for coaches in the boxing world to come together and explore ideas. Adam is a coach that is passionate about learning and improvement and this conversation was stimulated by him reaching out to me with a question following a podcast I recently published with Coach Casey Wheel which touched on deceptive actions. We look at the applications of ecological principles in boxing and get practical as we explore different practice concepts that could be used in a 1 to 1 opponent situation. Hope you enjoy

Ben Bell is a football coach that is also a Masters Student studying the applications of the Constraints Led approach in Football. His studies led to him to write a book which he hopes will bridge the gap between the theory and the application. 'Introduction to the Constraints-Led Approach: Application in Football' is a coaching resource football coaches can use to understand key theoretical underpinnings such as ecological dynamics, perception-action, degrees of freedom and complexity theory. Examples are then provided within theoretical chapters to assist readers in their practical application. Over 30 designed practices using the constraints-led approach show readers how the theory translates into practice. It was a great conversation...I hope you enjoy.

In this episode the tables get turned a little as I am joined by Tim Marshall who is starting a post graduate course looking at all aspects of coach education and he asked me if he could interview me for an assignment he has coming up. I agreed on the proviso that we could record it and share it on the podcast. So here is a look at the history of coach education, how we got to where we are and where we need to go to next. Hope you enjoy

My good friend William Anderson and I caught up recently to discuss the fascinating story of his 5 year journey to go from average player to international representation. It is a story of commitment, planning, relentlessness, perseverance and hard work. William shares how he used the skills and knowledge gained from a career as a specialist in providing experiential learning solutions for corporate clients and sporting organisations to develop a plan to achieve his dream of representing England. There are so many takeaways that apply to all aspects of human development. I hope you enjoy. Check out William's website and blog here https://www.the-teamworks.co.uk/

Danny Newcombe makes a welcome return to the show to share his experiences since taking over the Head Coach role with the Wales Senior Men's Field Hockey programme. Danny is his usual very open and vulnerable self and his reflections are relevant to anyone taking a leadership role in pretty much any walk of life. As you would expect, the conversations meanders on to the specifics of coaching and we explore a range of subjects related to practice design, individual practice, game based approaches, over constraining, co adaptation....the list goes on. Lots and lots to be taken out of this conversation. Hope you enjoy.

This is an 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) episode where I respond to listener questions that have been sent to me. I can't respond to every question but I will respond on here if it is a particularly interesting questions that requires a more thorough response than I have time to write. This one is all about CLA in coach education. Generally, I prioritise questions that come from people who subscribe to the website or support the show through Patreon....if you would like to support the show in this way (buy a cup of coffee a month) head to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation

Sometimes the stars align and the article you have just published speaks perfectly to the next guest you booked on your podcast. This weeks episode I speak to Martin Erikstad who is a researcher at the Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, Universitetet i Agder in Norway. Martin has just published a fascinating case study about a football club called FK Bryne which is a small city of 12,000 people in North West Norway which is defined as a talent hotbed. The study follows the journey of a team of young players that included Erling Haaland (the young super star striker that plays for Borussia Dortmund and has been linked with every top club in Europe) and their coach and the remarkable environment that they created which led to amazing outcomes in terms of retention, progression and personal growth of the young players. It is a real life Norwegian version of Coach Carter. It's telling that the club motto is "We will enjoy football, cultivate talent and perform miracles". https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/tsp/aop/article-10.1123-tsp.2020-0107/article-10.1123-tsp.2020-0107.xml?content=fullHtml-6977

Casey Wheel studied Kinesiology at San Diego State University while also interning with the strength and conditioning department. He still lives in the San Diego area working as the strength coach for Pacific Ridge School. His passion lies with the development of young athletes and developing programs that build agility and something he calls 'athletic plasticity'. In this conversation Casey and I explore his approach to developing movement within a framework that is mainly grounded in principles associated with non linear pedagogical thinking. He shares his layering system for practice types and explains why agility is not the same as 'change of direction'. He shares some cool games (that I have already stolen!) and we talk about movement deception and why agility work is like the 'rap battle' of physical activity and is full of 'movement banter'.Its a cool conversation....Hope you enjoy

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players in mind, it has significant cross over and transfer to a range of other invasion sports. The tips are written for players but they have huge potential for the development of coaches as they ask questions about the kind of environments that are required to support the development of 'intelligent players'. In part 2 we cover 6 of the later chapters that I handpicked because they were particularly interesting to me. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

AMA - (Ask Me Anything) Dog Walk Diary where I respond to a great question from Rob Farrington about whether we should coach using an Information Processing approach if the athlete prefers it. Should we be athlete centred and respond to their preferences? If you would like to ask a question or become part of the Talent Equation Community then head over to my Patreon page and you can choose a donation amount. https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation?fan_landing=trueIf money is an issue then just drop me a line and I will get you access. I don't want money to stop people joining.

Mark Bennett makes a return to the Conclave to explore some of the latest innovations in his Performance Development System (PDS) approach and to take some questions from the members of the group. In this conversation Mark shares; - Some evolutions to the famous 'rule of 3' called the '3 A's'. - How to enable players to learn to review rapidly in the moment. - The 12 (I think it was 12) types of live review- Why coaches should train for team and individual interaction. This is a full on, high octane ride through the world of PDS. Buckle Up!!

This podcast is a bit different. Not only was it the first podcast that I have recorded live, it was a podcast with 2 people who were riding stationary bikes doing a charity virtual bike ride! In this episode I talk with Gary Laybourne, CEO of Coach Core and Steve Mitchell, one of the trustees...to discuss the amazing work they do to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to start their career in the world of sports coaching...all while Gary is riding his turbo trainer 202 miles from London to Manchester on Zwift....It's a unique but also humbling and amazing conversation...Hope you enjoyIf you would like to contribute to the fundraising effort here is the link to the Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gary-laybourne

This podcast is a bit different - I am on the other side of the mic and I am being asked the questions as this is my appearance on 'The Coach's Road' podcast hosted by Derek Read and Rick Schreiber. Both postgraduate students at Vierumäki University in Finland. Derek is 22 years old and in his fifth year of coaching. Originally from Colorado, he started coaching while completing his degree in computer science at the university of Colorado at boulder. After his degree he moved to vierumäki, Finland to pursue his passion of coaching youth Hockey and move towards his goal of becoming a coach developer. Rick is 23 years old and has spent his youth playing hockey in Berlin, Germany. After finishing his high school degree, he moved to Dresden to do a volunteer social year for the Eislöwen Juniors. During that year, he gained his first coaching experiences. he moved to Vierumäki in 2018 to follow his passion and goal of coaching in a competitive environment one day. Currently, he is in his fourth year of coaching. This was a rollercoaster of a conversation that got me into all sorts of areas of discussion. Hope you enjoy...https://www.thecoachsroad.com/podcast

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players in mind, it has significant cross over and transfer to a range of other invasion sports. The tips are written for players but they have huge potential for the development of coaches as they ask questions about the kind of environments that are required to support the development of 'intelligent players'. In part 1 we cover 6 of the early chapters that I handpicked because they were particularly interesting to me. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Joe Baker is Professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. He makes a welcome return to the podcast along with his research associate, Alexandra 'Sandy' Mosher. Joe's research team focuses on optimal human development to understand how someone gets to, and stays at, the highest levels of performance. His previous research in this area has considered various psychosocial and environmental factors influencing athletic skill development across a range of sports to catalogue the extensive range of factors affecting an athlete's capacity to maximize their potential. In this episode with unpack some fascinating new research which challenges the commonly held suggestion that early specialisation is "the villain of talent development", how it might be possible to experience 'healthy early specialisation' and why the link between early specialisation and burnout and injury is not what we think it is. It is a fascinating discussion...I hope you enjoy

Skye is the founder of the Soccer Parenting Association with a mission of inspiring players by empowering parents. A former professional player, Skye has coached extensively in the youth and collegiate games she is also a sought after Coach & Parent Educator and Club Consultant.In this conversation we discuss the ways that coaches can develop strong relationships with players and parents. Skye explains a framework that she uses to support the creation of positive connections through the '4 dimensions of a 'sense of community''. This is a fascinating conversation full of fascinating insight into the key relationships between coaches, parents and athletes.

Kasey Crider is Associate Head Coach for the Miami University Women's Volleyball Programme. His journey into coaching is an interesting one...he gave up a career as a professional athlete while still in his early twenties to pursue a career as a coach because he couldn't think of a more honourable profession. This is an individual with a genuine passion for supporting others and as such possesses an insatiable drive to learn and improve. In this conversation we discuss how his dissatisfaction with the traditional approaches that dominate his sport led him to seek out alternative answers and the challenges he has experienced ever since. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Cal Jones is an advanced Judo coach from North Wales. He has been exploring the application of ecological approaches since he was exposed to the approaches as a participant by a coach who he describes as 'intensely likeable'. His post graduate research saw him create an assessment tool (called an RPAT) to assess how representative a practice activity in Judo is. In this conversation Cal and I discuss the application of ecological approaches to Judo and the challenges to applying these approaches in certain contexts and against a set of culturally resilient expectations that are hardwired into the psyche of the Judo community. Its a fascinating conversation. Hope you enjoyQuick warning...there is some poor sound early in the episode but it doesn't last for long and we get it fixed...its worth persevering!

Andreu Enrich is a Field Hockey Coach, Author and Coach Educator from Terrassa in Northern Spain. As a player he won eight Spanish national titles in 11 years with his home club Atlètic Terrassa – four of them as captain. He was also part of the Spanish National team that won the Champions Trophy for the first time in 2004.He has held trainer and assistant coach positions since 2013 with Pinoké (Netherlands), Atlètic Terrassa, the Spanish Hockey Association, Hamburger Polo Club, Leuven and he is now the Head Coach at Mannheimer HC in Germany. In this conversation we discuss why Andreu is a 'radical' when it comes to rejecting drills in his practice and his devotion to the use of small sided games that can create a 'heatmap of affordances' for players to create a genuine understanding of the way that the interact in the complexity of a game. We also delve into his ideas around the ways that players experience moments of flow in sport through their immersion in representative learning environments so that 'direct perception becomes a habit'. Hope you enjoy. Links to Andreu's excellent books can be found here (these are affiliate links which help to support the show). https://amzn.to/3b7p6cE (UK)https://amzn.to/353fk7t (UK)https://amzn.to/3b17uiu (UK)

Dr Mustafa Sarkar is an Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His research focuses on the psychology of sporting excellence and its application to other high performance domains. His work addresses how high achievers thrive on pressure and deliver sustained success with a particular focus on team, and organisational resilienceas well as personal and team growth and thriving. In this conversation we explore Mustafa's own experiences as an aspiring athlete and his own challenges with responding to performance pressures. We also explore the nature of resilience and discuss to working models to help coaches to design environments that stimulate growth while maintaining athlete wellbeing. It is a really interesting conversation...hope you enjoy...

The best-selling author of 'Teach Like a Champion' and 'Practice Perfect' makes a welcome return to the podcast and has a new book out called 'A Coach's Guide to Teaching' https://amzn.to/2LMYKlnDoug brings his considerable knowledge about the science of classroom teaching to the sports coaching world to support coaches on the court and field. The book is written brilliantly and makes core scientific concepts accessible and practical.... it prepared to explore ideas from a range of theoretical perspectives to open discussion about some key areas that are still hotly debated today. You will hear me exploring some of this with Doug as some of the ideas don't necessarily map on to my perspective on coaching but we show how these things can be accessed by coaches. https://amzn.to/2LMYKlnThis is a great Christmas present to yourself so go ahead and get stuck in.

Peter Arnott and Greame McDowell run 'Golf on the Edge of Chaos' a unique coach development programme that allows golf coaches to learn and explore the applications of non linear pedagogy and the constraints led approach in golf. Ian Renshaw is a regular podcast guest and is a researcher and renowned author specialising in the constraints led approach based at QUT in Australia. They have just published a new book to demonstrate how their practice is driven and inspired by their alignment to a CLA, @A Constraints-Led Approach to Golf Coaching' includes case studies and examples of how constraints are manipulated to induce adaption in the technical, tactical (or put in golf terms, course management), physiological, and psychological development mechanisms needed to improve at golf. In this conversation we discuss how they apply the principles and seek to support golfers on their journey. We explore some of the the approaches that they use with young players, elite amateurs and also aspiring professionals. It is a fascinating conversation. The book can be purchased here https://amzn.to/34s5ETQ (This is an affiliate link...using it helps to support the show)

David Colclough is the Head of Member Education at the Professional Golfers Association in the UK. David is a PGA Advanced Fellow Professional. Following 14 years of coaching golfers of all abilities, at home and abroad, As Head of Member Education his main objective is to support PGA Members with their own personal & professional development, providing relevant training and education opportunities which are reflective of the knowledge and skills required from the various roles they have throughout the golf industry.In this discussion we explore: - How coach education in golf has moved away from prescriptive approaches. - Some of the great innovations of golf coaches and their brilliant methods - How the professional coach 'form of life' affects the way that they coach (but why this could change for the better for them)- The difference between 'surface level' learners and 'deeper level' learners - and the methods that tend to be used with themHope you enjoy

Here is the link to support the fundraising effort for Kiran...any help would be greatly appreciated - https://uk.gofundme.com/f/a-chance-for-kiranThis week's podcast is a bit of a different one...the Talent Equation Learning Community (we call it 'The Conclave') went on a field trip. We joined up with Rob Gray from the Perception and Action Podcast (the brainy older cousin of TTE!) and had a 'livestreamed conclave meeting' where we discussed Rob's recent video series exploring the difference between Ecological theory and Information Processing theory. Here is a link to the original video which I would recommend checking out before listening to this..https://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/single-post/why-drills-don-t-work-in-an-ecological-approach-to-skill-development

Luke Regan is an LTA Level 4 coach with a real passion for exploring the applications of the constraints led approach in tennis. Luke is a member of the Talent Equation Learning Group 'The Conclave' and has been actively engaged in sharing his learning journey with others. In this episode we discuss: - Why Luke feels that he gets on much better with the people he coaches when he stops trying to coach them. - Why the technique led model of coaching is bad for business and bad for tennis- The ways that he applies the approach with different clients - How Luke has really helped me with my tennis (he even gives me a verbal coaching session as we explore some of my challenges with the game!)Hope you enjoy

Craig Morris is a canoe slalom coach working within the elite performance pathway of British Canoeing. He has recently been shortlisted as a finalist in the Elite Performance Coach Category of the UK Coaching Awards. Craig's journey into coaching is not a typical one but what comes across in this conversation is an individual who is thirsty for information and learning, willing to be vulnerable in approaching the application of ideas and completely committed to the needs of their athletes. Key topics discussed include: - Why you need to be meticulously planned to enable fluid (no pun intended) transitions in practice- Whether planning fits an ecological approach to coaching- The importance of leaving things open to challenge by the athlete- Why coaching is like improvised comedyI hope you enjoy

Dr Ed Cope is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Loughborough University in the UK. He has had lecturing positions in Sports Coaching at Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Hull. Ed has also worked at the English Football Association, where he was responsible for the design and development of their education courses.In this conversation Ed and I unpack an article that he has recently written with Prof Chris Cushion about 'Direct Instruction' which leads to some surprising conclusions about how we might think about instruction (hint: it's not instruction at all). Link to the article - https://impact.chartered.college/article/a-move-towards-reconceptualising-direct-instruction-sport-coaching-pedagogy/Link to an article about the principles of direct instruction - https://teacherhead.com/2018/06/10/exploring-barak-rosenshines-seminal-principles-of-instruction-why-it-is-the-must-read-for-all-teachers/

Adam Young is a golf coach and someone who defies easy categorisation. He is one of the most knowledgable people about the technical aspects of golf and has a real in depth understanding of physics, bio-mechanics and physiology but he eschews all of that in favour of a coaching approach which has very little of that information present in the learning environment for the participant. He works in an extremely 'task led' way and uses constraints as a way to support a golfer to learn how to become more proficient in the game. His approach has built a significant following online and his book 'The Practice Manual' https://www.adamyounggolf.com/book/ is a fantastic companion to anyone wanting to learn the game. I hope you enjoy our conversation about coaching...

Carl Woods PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. He also works with high performance sports teams as a coach and consultant with his main focus sport being Aussie Rules Football. In this conversation we explore a range of issues related to how ecological principles can be used and adopted and applied by coaches. The range of subjects include...- Why coaches need to have a good grasp if what they are doing and why they are doing it- The difference between 'knowledge of' and 'knowledge about' sport and why that is essential for coaches to understand- How technology can seriously undermine skill acquisition- How to design learning environments using 'fishtanking' It is an extremely rich and varied conversation. Enjoy

Mark Williams is an academic and one of the world’s leadingauthorities on expertise and its acquisition in sport. He has published18 books and written over 500 scientific articles on how peoplebecome skilled and achieve success in sport. Mark's new book is called 'The Best: How elite athletes are made' is a really interest delve into the science of athlete development told through the stories of elite athletes and coaches. In this episode Mark joins me for my regular monthly conversation with the learning community called 'The Conclave' for a live podcast recording and question and answer session. In the conversation we discuss: Deliberate Practice and 10,000 hours - what does the science tell us now? Why specificity, variability and representativeness are essential to athlete developmentThe role of coaching and how to improve it. and so much more...Here is a link to the book https://t.co/n1eX7N1f0PHope you enjoy...

Iain 'Brunchy' Brunnschweiller is the Head of Coaching and Player Development at Southampton FC. His work seeks to improve the development experience for the players within the academy so that the club can continue it's impressive record of supporting the development of some of the countries most able young players. In this conversation we explore the ways that Iain has evolved his coaching approach and how his experiences as a professional sportsman have influenced his development as a professional coach developer. We also spend a bit of time exploring the unique role of 'keepers' in a range of sports and how their development presents some unique challenges fro those wanting to develop their abilities in a non linear way.I hope you enjoy the discussion.

I was invited by Ivan Cobb and Adam Haniver to join the community of boxing coaches that they convene to talk about skill acquisition, ecological dynamics and the constraints led approach. It is a wide ranging discussion where I am responding to questions and exploring the ways that a 1 to 1 combat sport could utilise ecological principles and apply the constraints led approach. Hope you enjoy

Greg Spencer has spent a good proportion of his life afloat...he is a paddler...he is passionate about all forms of self propelled floating water craft...he particularly loves canoes and he loves helping other people to fall in love with canoes. In this conversation, Greg and I explore how canoe coaching sets so comfortably with the ecological approach and how it has influenced the ways in which he works to develop a club environment that is about "people learning from people". We cover a lot of ground including...- Why young people make the best coaches- Why the least psychologically safe space for kids is an age grade team- How he wants to develop clubs that are 'nested social learning spaces' - The role of the coach as a facilitator of learning - a 'guide by the side'I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I didCheck out www.singleblade.co.uk for more information on the work that Greg is doingStuart

This weeks podcast comes from a 'Breakfast Club' session that I did with the Mark Cairns, one of the founders of 'Coach Logic' and Dr Ed Coughlan. In this conversation, Ed walks through his ideas about helping coaches to develop using a 'cut, bleed and bandage approach' and we then explore various other methods and some ways that coaches can commit to their development and learning. Hope you enjoy.

Kathy Sierra is the name behind the fabulous @intrinzen Twitter account and the @Pantherflows Instagram account. Kathy has an amazing backstory including time as an exercise physiologist and owner of one of the biggest gyms in California to a career in video game design. More recently she spends her time using ecological principles to develop the movement capabilities of horses. As her website puts it..."We use the principles of exercise physiology, motivation science, and neuroscience in a specific, unique way to develop a horse that is intrinsically motivated to “dance” in true self-carriage. Not for us, but for himself. And all of the wonderful experiences we have the horse — from ground work to riding — are the beautiful, organic side-effect of helping the horse develop autonomy, mastery, and purpose through powerful postures and movements".It is absolutely astounding...as is this conversation....it really doesn't matter if you are into horses or not...trust me...you will not want to miss this conversation...

Gérard Jones is Elite Coach Educator with the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (Moroccan Football Federation). He is also published author and professional football coach with over 14 years coaching experience across the world. He recently served as a Grassroots Instructor with USSF and Director of Coaching in the US, having also been a Head of Academy Coaching at EFL League One side Bristol Rovers FC, where he was responsible for coach and player development.In this podcast we discuss Coach Education, Non Linear Pedagogy, 'Priming to attune' and a range of other subjects. Enjoy

Jamie Edwards from 'Trained Brain' makes a welcome return to the show to explore some of the challenges being presented by the current lockdown and how coaches can help themselves to deal with the effects of social isolation as well as helping athletes to work through it. In this episode Jamie meets 'The Conclave' the Talent Equation's monthly learning community to answer questions. It is a really interesting discussion. If you would like to find out more about the work Jamie does then head over to https://www.trained-brain.com/If you would like to join The Conclave...you would be more than welcome...just head over to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequationStay safe...

Mark Bennett from 'Performance Development Systems' and Alan Keane, Head Coach of Reading Rockets Basketball Club make a welcome return to the show to share some of their latest thinking around coaching and coach development. The conversation centres around why they have moved away from the term 'athlete centred' or 'player centred' coaching towards 'need centred or needs led' coaching. We explore what this means, why it is important and how it is applied. In this discussion we cover the following: - - - Why asking questions doesn't make you an athlete centred coach- How to help athletes define what the WANT is compatible with what they NEED- The 3 'A's' of 'The rule of 3'- Why 'selling the why' is so importantMark and Alan are embarking on an extensive engagement programme to support coach learning while everyone is in lock down. Head to www.pdscoaching.com to find out more.

I caught up with Shawn Myszka and Tyler Yearby, the co-founders of 'Emergence' a www.emergentmvmt.com, a dedicated resource and community for coaches and movement specialists looking to explore the ever growing world of skill acquisition through ecological dynamics. In this conversation we explore why 'emergence' was set up and the impact it is having for coaches looking to learn more about this branch of the coaching world. We also dig into what this means for coaches working day to say and I challenge the guys to come up with some solutions for parents at home as to the kinds of things that they could do to keep their kids active. Join the guys at one of their 'movement meet ups' at www.emergentmvmt.com

This week I catch up with Marianne Davies, Tyler Yearby and Rich White for an episode of the 'Book Club'. This month we explored a research paper which has questioned the way that sport and physical activity is experience for people who are often marginalised from the sporting world. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338454051_Re-conceptualizing_embodied_pedagogies_in_physical_education_by_creating_pre-text_vignettes_to_trigger_pleasure_'in'_movementFind out more about how you can join Tyler and his colleagues for some of the movement meet ups here https://emergentmvmt.comCheck out Marianne's amazing blog which has a short article exploring this paper here https://dynamics-coaching.com https://dynamics-coaching.com/coaching/inspiring-engagement-by-finding-pleasure-in-movement/

This week I get together with 3 of the organisers of the Movement Skill Acquisition Ireland conference, Phil Kearney, Olly Logan and Alan Dunton along with 2 of the speakers from the event, Keith Davids and Nick Winkleman to reflect on what has happened in the world of coaching and skill acquisition since the first event 2 years ago. In this episode we explore the ways in which coaching has evolved and is now embracing much more skill acquisition theory in day to day conversation. We also reflect on the ways that coaches and researchers are working together to improve the way that coaching is delivered. Its a fascinating conversation...

Another Dog Walk Diary...this time focussed on the challenges coaches often feel when confronting self-doubt or a loss of confidence. This has been stimulated by a number of conversations that I have had recently with people in a range of contexts and explores how we can use this as fuel for our development.

Dog Walk Diary - Thank you mum

Ben Strafford is studying for a PhD at Sheffield Hallam University under the guidance of the legendary Keith Davids. He is exploring how Parkour could be a 'donor sport' to a load of other sports in that it provides a range of dynamic action possibilities that are not based on 'movement norms' like gymnastics or athletics but are more about a human being interacting with an environment to develop novel movement solutions. This episode is a slightly different show in that I am joined by Marianne Davies (@Dynamicscoachi1) and James Vaughan (@jimivaughan) to discuss Ben's recent article about his research and pose some questions. Needless to say we veer off the track and explore some very interesting aspects!!Here is a link to the article http://shura.shu.ac.uk/21446/1/Strafford-ParkourAsDonorSport%28VoR%29.pdfHope you enjoy

Scott Sievewright is an martial arts coach from Milwaukee in the US. He is originally from the UK but moved to the U.S. in 2005 where he discovered martial arts and has never looked back. He designs his approach to coaching as... "we design our curriculum and practices based on well-established principles of motor learning, skill acquisition, and human motivation. We believe learning is best achieved through principle-based coaching and guided discovery, and that each athlete must have a sense of autonomy and competence to truly flourish."In this conversation we explore...- Why he doesn't use protective equipment in his practices- How he develops the skill of anticipation in fighters- How he navigates the challenge of maintaining representativeness in combat sportsI hope you enjoy

Scott Mowberry and Mark Edwards from the http://thesoccercoachingpodcast.com/ are two coaches that believe that one of the best methods of player development is coach development and have worked to develop a podcast that facilitates informal learning so that coaches can be progressive, engaging and effective in their delivery.They are both experienced grass roots coaches who have embraced the games based approach and are constantly working to improve the experience for young people. In this podcast we discuss: - The coach as a 'concept facilitator'- Their thoughts on the competitive experience for young people and how this can destroy player development- How they coach within the game using a 'game within the game' approach- Their form of 'tactical periodisation' using the 'Out Think, Out Play, Out Work' frameworkand loads more...Its a great chat with two fantastically enthusiastic coaches are prepared to get down and dirty in the quest for new learning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Join me at 'The Talent Equation Live' in Edinburgh on the 14th April - https://www.esms.org.uk/sites/default/files/TheTalentEquationLive2020.pdf

John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx https://youtu.be/VXw0XGOVQvw, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe.In this conversation we discuss John's latest book, 'Every Moment Matters : How the world's best coaches inspire their athletes and build champion teams' and dig into some of the gold nuggets that are locked inside...I know you will enjoy it....

Stephen Rollnick provides consultancy, mentorship and training on the subjects of motivation, change, teamwork and Motivational Interviewing. He an Honorary Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine in Cardiff University, Wales, UK with a research record focused on good practice in efforts to promote change and behaviour change among patients, clients and the practitioners who serve them.Stephen's new book 'Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sports' reveals why conventional ways of giving feedback and addressing conflict are often counterproductive, the book presents tried-and-tested methods for getting through to athletes and helping them to thrive. In this fascinating conversation we explore: - Why connecting with people is simple but very hard- How to roll with resistance- The secret to 'empathic listening'- How to avoid becoming a 'deficit detective'Here is the link to the publisher's of Stephen's Book, you can get a 25% discount by using the code AFSPO at checkout. https://www.guilford.com/books/Coaching-Athletes-to-Be-Their-Best/Rollnick-Fader-Breckon-Moyers/9781462541263To access the 'bonus episode' which I recorded with Dr Tim Anstiss in a web workshop with the Conclave learning community head over to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation

Throughout her career as one of the world's top athletes, Annie Vernon struggled with a question about the purpose of sport in our society: why do we do it? What is it about our psyche that makes pushing the mind and body to their limits in order to win a foot race, a swimming race or a rowing race such a basic human desire? Having retired from competition, Annie decided to look for answers to these questions in the world of mind games. What is the psychology behind sport at an elite level?Through interviews with leading sports stars and the latest scientific research, 'Mind Games' discusses elite sports psychology in a way that is interesting to the watching public, sports fans and sports-haters alike, with Annie drawing on her own first-hand experiences to walk them through this fascinating subject.In this conversation we explore...- The value of competitiveness- Whether 'talent needs trauma' after all- The surprising truth about motivation (it's about chickens or pigs!)- Why coaches shouldn't try to be wizardsIts a great conversation that I am certain you will enjoyThe book is available to purchase here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Games-Determination-Insiders-Psychology/dp/1472949110

John Kessel works for USA Volleyball, as Director of Sport Development. He currently serves as the staff liaison for Disabled Programs & USA Deaflympic Teams. His main goal is to help make all coaches more efficient, positive and creative, no matter what level - 7 year olds in an elementary school program or National team players and programs. He challenges old ways of thinking and help coaches create what they need, while having fun in the process. In this fascinating conversation we discuss...- 'Training in reality and the quest for faster, denser motor learning- Why drills don't work (because humans aren't robots)- The 'white belt mentality' - What coaches can learn from surgeonsIt is a great conversation...I hope you enjoy Links Get my 'visual show notes' at http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/podcastsJohn's Blog - https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Features/2016/November/01/IWantYouToMakeMistakesAustin's Butterfly - https://youtu.be/hqh1MRWZjms

James Vaughan returns to the podcast to share some of his latest insights into the world of talent development, skill acquisition and coaching. James is a coach at AIK Stockholm and is one of a team of experts that are leading a transformation in the way that the club engages with the community and with the young people within it's academy. It is a talent development environment that is very much 'bucking the trend'. In this conversation we explore...- How AIK are ensuring that what they are trying to do is being experienced by young people, coaches and parents. - How they utilise the 'Skilled Intentionality Framework' to shape their coaching activity. - Why 'The Cobra Effect' should be considered when making any kind of policy shift. - Practical considerations when applying 'The rule of 3' I hope you enjoyYou can find James' previous conversation on the show here https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/in-search-of-creativity-a-conversation-with-james-vaughan/id1209549739?i=1000411664849)

Ted Suikonen is a Skill Development Specialist Coach that has been working in professional ice hockey for most of his career. He is currently the skill development coach with Locomotiv Moscow in Russia and boasts an impressive track record of developing players to play at the elite level in Russia many of whom have been drafted into the NHL. In this fascinating conversation which we recorded when Ted was in the locker room straight after a session (forgive the background noise!) we explore a broad range of topics related to skill acquisition including: - Why every player is like a snowflake- Why technical skills camps are a scam- How to develop players with 'perceptual radar'- How Ted encourages players to coach other players to beat themselvesI hope you enjoy it as much as I did

James Stafford has a strong interest in how information guides movement. Questions like how can we judge a gap between cars when crossing a road and how does a cricketer successfully intercept a ball travelling at 90 mph led him to working with Professor Cathy Craig on a PhD at the Movement Innovation Lab at Queen's University Belfast. James wrote a fascinating thread on Twitter about the Australian cricketer, Steve Smith and the way he has developed a method of batting that is explained through ecological principles. https://twitter.com/JamesStafford94/status/1169619675656916992?s=20 that is well worth a read. We discuss this in this episode as well as a range of sports including the fascinating work he is doing using VR to develop goalkeeping ability by improving a goalkeeper's ability to perceive ball flights. It's a really fascinating conversation...I hope you enjoyhttps://incisiv.tech/ https://cleansheet.incisiv.techDon't forget to check out the new course for sports parents and parent coaches that I have put together with Non-Perfect Dad https://non-perfectdad.co.uk/talentequation/

Richard Shorter (AKA Non Perfect Dad) is back to help me celebrate 'Parents In Sport Week' and also because we have a special announcement to make about a new free course that we have created called 'Conversations 4 Growth' that is designed to support sports parents and coach parents to navigate the complexity of supporting and guiding young people through their sporting journey. The course comprises of 10 short 2-3 minute conversations between Richard and myself exploring a challenging discussion topic that we have faced in our interactions with our children. The course can be accessed at www.conversations4growth.co.ukIn this podcast episode we cover a LOT of ground...- Why most parent engagement is the equivalent of 'cones and drills' or 'beige food at parties'- Actionable steps to create a more inclusive and engaging environment for parental engagement- The 'Iceberg approach' to tackling challenging parental behaviours - Using Professor Jeff French's behaviour change framework to support parental engagement - how to use a 'firm nudge'Hope you enjoy

Rob Gray is Associate Professor of Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University and host of the highly regarded Perception - Action Podcast. This is Rob's third appearance on the show and once again, he brings his 'A-Game' by providing a depth of insight and knowledge and also being very patient in answering my questions and helping me think out loud. In this conversation we cover the following...- A response to the accusation that ecological approaches to coaching are just 'old wine in new bottles'- Why a lot of 'constraints based' coaching is actually just 'unprincipled, atheoretical manipulations'- How developing 'functional variability' is the route to skillful performance- Why 1 v 0 is very different from '1 v unrepresentative 1' from an ecological perspective Hope you enjoyLink to Rob's website http://perceptionaction.com/

Marianne Davies' coaching experience includes more than 20 years of working in sports, academic and corporate environments. She is a coach educator, assessor and national trainer. Marianne spent eight years in the role of Coaching Manager for Canoe Wales and before that was responsible for participation development. Marianne worked for many years as a full-time senior adventure sports coach during which time she was responsible for the design and delivery of a two-year practical-based module for a Sports Science & Outdoor Education degree course at Bangor University. As well as training and assessing other coaches. In this conversation we discuss...- How to use constraints in the sport of canoeing - An ecological approach to equestrian sports- How to facilitate learning that is in the 'ugly zone'This is a great conversation, I hope you enjoy. https://dynamics-coaching.com/articles/learning-in-the-ugly-zone/

Ross Tucker is Professor of Exercise Physiology with the School of Medicine of the University of the Free State. He is the scientific and research consultant to World Rugby, ambassador and scientific advisor to Virgin Active and Adidas, and a published author, opinion leader and consultant to numerous elite sports teams and organisations.In this conversation we explore Talent ID and the 3 big mistakes that most talent system builders make. We also explore the phenomenon of cheating in sport and whether coaches should help players to use gamesmanship to gain an advantage. Finally, we look at Ross's work to use science to improve player welfare in rugby and explore the challenges of bringing about behaviour change in professional sport. Ross's website is https://sportsscientists.com and he can be found tweeting at @scienceofsport and podcasting at 'The Real Science of Sport Podcast' - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast/id1461719225

Ben Galloway is back from his sabbatical running a football academy in Uganda and came to stay with me ahead of a trip north to join Keith Davids and colleagues for a conference on changing lives, community sport and skill acquisition research.Ben came to coach with me and we then sat down to reflect on the session and to discuss his recent experiences in Africa and some of his latest thinking around ecological dynamics, learning design and how the 'form of life' of a coach can affect they way that they act. Hope you enjoyIf you are interested in getting hold of the bonus recordings from the conference and our reflections from it then that will be made available to Patreon subscribers. Go to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation to become a subscriber

Ian Renshaw is back and he has a new book out that he wrote with Danny Newcombe, Keith Davids and Will Roberts. The book (link below) is designed to introduce coaches to the concepts, principles and language of the Constraints Led Approach and offers practical examples of how the approach can be used to support athlete development. In this conversation we delve into some of these principles including: - The difference between representative task design and variability - The importance of information in the environment and the folly of removing this information - How to design practices to feel like the real thing- An exploration of 'affordance led coaching'I hope you enjoyhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Constraints-Led-Approach-Constraints-Based-Methodologies/dp/1138104078/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QUYL3PY38Z9H&keywords=the+constraints+led+approach&qid=1567450257&s=gateway&sprefix=the+constra%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1

Matt Young is an entrepreneur, coach, film maker and advocate for youth sport. He has been working with the United States Olympic Commission to develop a new framework for children's sport in North America which led to him making a documentary about the challenges facing young people in sport called 'The Cost of Winning' https://vimeo.com/potentialpictures/costofwinning In this episode we cover a lot of ground including...- How he made $97 Million dollars by developing a personal training business that placed the participant experience at the heart of the provision- The 5 F's of a great youth sport experience - Why we all need to understand that we are 'all in sales'- The 6 factors driving drop out of youth sportIt is a fascinating discussion that I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Jonathan Harding is a freelance sports journalist who specialises in German football. He writes predominantly for Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, but has also contributed to the likes of FourFourTwo, Rabona Magazine and 11 Freunde. Germany has a reputation for being the place where young footballers get the chance to develop, but what about coaches? Speaking to different coaches and members of staff across the country, Jonathan's book 'Mensch - Beyond the cones' outlines the attributes that make the German coach development system special. In this conversation we explore many of the insights contained within the book including: - How coaching in Germany goes beyond the stereotypical view of German culture towards a holistic human centred philosophy. - How coaches are innovating and using technology to identify 'talent that whispers'.- The way the German football system is embracing a game based philosophy at the grass roots using ideas devised from the world of field hockey. Hope you enjoyA link to Jonathan's book is here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mensch-Beyond-Cones-Jonathan-Harding/dp/1910906182

Jonny McMurtry runs a brilliant blog called www.coachingthecoaches.net. His articles cover some fascinating subjects that really challenge thinking and stimulate debate. He is currently researching coaching at the University of Queensland exploring athlete motivations and what this means for coaches looking to ensure that players remain engaged and reduce drop out. In the conversation we cover the following....- What his research found that was important to players and how coaches had lost sight of this. - His views on the nature of the sports experience for young people in talent pathways- Why 'dynamic thinking' might be at the heart of players centred coaching experiences - What 'Self Determination Theory' can tell us about athlete motivation and how it can help us provide better coaching experiencesHope you enjoy

JP Nerbun is a coach and coach mentor that specialises in transformational leadership. He is the host of the 'Thrive on challenge' podcast and the author of a great new book called 'Calling Up - Discovering your journey to transformational leadership'. In this conversation we cover A LOT of ground but some of the highlights include...- Why we can't just be the 'accountability police'- How JP advocates 'transformational discipline' instead of 'transactional discipline'- Why a change towards a more positive coaching approach brought about a nose dive in his win loss record but also brought other big winsThis is a doozyEnjoyIf you would like to learn more and develop your skills as a coach then please consider joining 'The Conclave' - The Talent Equation's very own learning community. Just head to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation to join

Alex Lascu is a researcher and Cricket Coach from Australia. She has dual Bachelor's degrees (Exercise Science & Psychology) from the Queensland University of Technology and is now studying a PhD at the University of Canberra. Alex is passionate in the pursuit of research in sport, focusing on talent development of female cricketers. In this conversation we explore some of Alex's thoughts about coaching and athlete development in cricket as well as delving into some of the really interesting findings of her research. In this conversation we cover the following...- Alex's approach to assessing the level of variability in practice sessions- Why here PhD supervisors can't believe the fact that the practices she studied are all exactly the same- Her thoughts on the role of emotions in the creation of learning environmentsAlex's Medium page https://medium.com/@lascule

This week I managed to navigate timezones and scheduling and technology challenges to 'facilitate' a conversation with Ted Kroeten from Joy of the People, Joey Peters from Game-Play-Learn and Debbie Sayers from Salisbury Rovers to discuss everything about Free Play and the sports experience for children. It is a fantastic conversation full of useful insights and reminders of why we do what we do. Enjoy

Will Roberts is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise at the University of Gloucestershire. His teaching and research interests revolve around two key areas; the sociology of sport, and coaching pedagogy. His PhD examines the role coaching has in providing social and personal change. In this conversation we explore the challenges that coaches face when adopting a constraints led approach to coaching, we also discuss the importance of a strong understanding of human movement and bio-mechanics is important to support effective practice design.We also delve into a project that he is leading that adopts a non linear approach to the development of physical literacy for children in schools and clubs. Linkshttp://www.boingkids.co.uk/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Constraints-Led-Approach-Constraints-Based-Methodologies/dp/1138104078/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B25QUU3TDNRA&keywords=constraints+led+approach&qid=1561498587&s=gateway&sprefix=constrants+%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1

Tyler Yearby is a movement skill coach who is part of a growing community of movement specialists that are challenging orthodoxy within coaching in the U.S. Tyler has been heavily involved in supporting Shawn Myzska in creating the Sport Movement Skill Conference. Tyler has worked in a range of sports but his main focus is American Football and he has a range of clients that are playing professionally in the Canadian Football League. In this conversation we explore the ways that Tyler uses ecological principles to guide his coaching and help athletes to develop the skill to perform at their sport. We discuss the challenges of working using a non linear approach and explore ways that we design environments that allow athletes to discover skilful performance strategies. This is a great discussion that I really enjoyedhttps://tyinspiremovement.com/

Sam Jarman is back and this time he is really challenging some of my conceptions of what we understand to be the reality of the youth sport experience. In this episode we delve into philosophical psychology as we explore whether what we value in sport is actually a product of social and cultural constructs which restrict us from genuinely exploring the nature of our experiences and limiting our abilities to tap into genuine human well-being through play, creativity and exploration. This is a mind bender, and you will hear me trying to get my head around some of the ideas and try and bring them to life through relevance to my own experience. Have fun!!Link to Sam's latest book https://samjarmangolf.com/product/take-relief-paperback/

Gunny is back with his unique brand of coaching conversation. As always, Gunny is on point exploring all things engagement and coach development. In this conversation we explore why Gunny feels that coaches should embrace 'Maslow before Bloom' in a reference to meeting an athlete's needs before learning can occur. We also discuss how indigenous games can be used to develop skills and how traditional game forms have been lost from the youth sports experience. It is a conversation full of 'Gunny Gold Nuggets and one not to be missed. If you want to come and learn with Gunny and myself while he is over in the UK then click on this link to register. http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/eventsOther links Gunny's Youtube Channel 'Gunn Engagement' - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gunn+engagementGunny's website - https://www.craiggunn.org/

It was fantastic to welcome Coach Reed Maltbie back to the show. Coach Reed has been really busy since his last visit. He has just been part of a team that coordinated a massive global youth sports Think Tank called GO! Chase Excellence and he is now engaged in providing mentoring and coach development support for a range of sports organisations including U.S Sailing, Ontario Volleyball and Soccer Shoots FC. In this conversation we explore how Reed uses 'Positive Discipline' in his coaching as well as how he uses 'we' language to create connection and engagement. We also explore how we approach coach development and mentoring and share some of our successes and challenges. It's a great conversation that I am sure you will enjoy

Ben Franks is a researcher in skill acquisition at the University Campus in Football Business (UCFB) based at Wembley in London and he is also a goalkeeper coach. His research studied visual search behaviour in elite goalkeepers and sought to explore how they use their eyes to help them with anticipatory decision making. This episode is made of 2 halves. The first half delves into the research and explores a range of challenging topics in ecological dynamics. The second half is more practical where we explore the implications of this research for coaches and how we can better create learning environments that help players with decision making and anticipation. Hope you enjoy

Olly Logan is 'Analysis Lead' at British Swimming. This is a rather misleading title as it doesn't really do justice to the role that Olly plays in supporting the development of elite British swimmers. As you will see from this conversation Olly's role is about using analysis, data, research and skill acquisition knowledge to devise interventions that will help the best get better. In this fascinating conversation we explore a range of topics including: Why all road cyclists should do cyclo-crossWhy we should keep the 'technical groove' as shallow as possible for as long as possibleHis very different take on 'the rule of 3'The ways he helped an existing Olympic Champion to become even better This is one not to be missed...

Lucy Moore is a coach, coach developer and coach development professional. The is the Coach Development Manager at Sport England working to support coaches and members of the professional workforce in the England Talent Pathway. In this conversation we explore her career journey and why she loves working in sport and helping others to coach. We discuss approaches to coach development and explore ways that we can have more honest conversations with athletes and other coaches by searching for 'radical candour'. We also discuss when is the right time to 'tell' people something to do instead of always using questions. The 'radical candour' model can be seen here https://mk0radicalcandov3r1t.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2x2-white.gif Hope you enjoy

Sion Kitson is an international Futsal Coach and Coach Developer working with the England Futsal Teams. Sion has been working in the Futsal for many years having stumbled across the sport at University and falling in love with the sport after representing GB as a player and getting beaten by Portugal 20-0!! In this fascinating conversation we explore how Futsal has developed and how the game demands different experiences of players and how he has adapted his coaching to meet the unique demands of the sport. Hope you enjoy

Gregor Wood was one half of the intrepid duo that worked with me to organise the live learning event that we hosted at Stewart Melville's College in Edinburgh recently. We got together to record a podcast to discuss our reflections on the event and to share our key takeaway messages from the speakers and practical sessions. Hope you enjoy.

The podcast panel is back. This week I am joined by Loren Anderson, David Hinchliffe and Ed Coughlan. In this great conversation we start by discussing a challenge that Loren faces with getting children to attune to the visual cues that will help them perform more effectively and then begin to explore a range of topics including a fabulous 10 minute rant from Ed on his views on a new sporting development framework in Ireland. Hope you enjoy

Calvin Betton is back. As always, Calvin isn't short of an opinion or 2 about the word of tennis. Calvin came on to the show because he had listened to the recent podcast panel and wanted to explore some of the areas that were discussed around the use of instructions to get some clarification based on some recent experiences. He also shares his love of music and we discuss the development of musical skill and how this relates to sport. It's a great conversation and it really helped me to clarify a few things in my mind too!! Enjoy

Jamie Edwards is a performance coach...he helps people to become the best versions of themselves. He has worked with some of the most famous sports stars that the UK has produced but that is only half of the story. The real work is the work he does with young people to help to equip them for the journey ahead...Jamie has had a profound impact on my life in so many ways and some of his teachings have helps me to support someone close to me to recover from a serious crisis. His stuff is good, it is practical and it works!! In this episode we discuss the difference between chats and conversations, the power of 'de-labeling', how psychological archetypes and metaphors can enhance performance and how to help people to develop the tools and skills to help them navigate through the challenges that they will face in sport and life.It's a long one...but I think its worth the investment in time.

Nick Davey is a full time field hockey coach that works in the North West of England. He has been on a fascinating learning journey and has been really committed to his development. This podcast came about because Nick and I were in conversation about some of the challenges that have been presented by the recent discussions around 'it depends'. In this conversation we explore his philosophy and search for authenticity. We also discuss methodology and the ways that he works with different audience groups. He also puts some robust challenges in front of people that are working in a linear way to be able to justify that approach. It's a great conversation with a highly committed practitioner. Hope you enjoy

Kendal McWade came over for a visit. While he was here we did some work on my golf game and he also did some work with my son. As has become customary, we went for a meal and the conversation started to flow, we got home and had a coffee in my kitchen and I pressed record to capture some of the areas we were exploring together. We delve into the skill acquisition process, how we can enrich individual practice and also how we help players to become creative problem solvers. I hope you enjoy

This week's podcast is a bit different I am joined by some guests who have made appearances on the show previously to discuss topical issues that are on their minds. On the panel this week is Mark O'Sullivan, Nick Levett, David Hinchliffe, Rob Grey and Andrew Wilson. Key themes covered include...Whether coaching using a mixed methods approach is actually just a cop out?What Ringo Starr can tell us about the way we learn in the physical domainThe difference between understanding 'in' the game rather than just understanding 'of' the gameHow you can use instruction within the ecological approachHope you enjoy

Alex Twitchen has spent all his life in coaching. It is something that he has been able to combine as a career and as a practitioner. He is passionate about learning and development and is as passionate about helping other coaches develop as he is about the development of the players he coaches. His most recent career move has seen him working in the 'University in the Cloud' so that he can bring more opportunities to help more coaches learn and develop. We cover a lot of ground in this episode but here are some of the nuggets you will take away by listening... - Jelly Tot Football- Trachcan Challenge- The 'Open Box' curriculum for coaches- His new project to help coaches to develop other coaches- The flow between games based and constraints led approachesLots to take away!! Hope you enjoy

Anastacia Long has had an amazing coaching journey. In this enthralling story (that is straight out of the Hollywood archives), she tells us all about her journey from going from being an elite high board diver to the novice rugby coach of a group of under 15 boys with no previous rugby experience and how they went all the way to the finals of England Rugby’s national schools’ competitions. In this episode she shares the way in which her coaching approach has evolved and developed and describes the ways in which she creates an environment which asks the players to lead the activity, self-organise. The story is fascinating but also the lessons that we can take away a very powerful. I hope you enjoy

The Superbowl is coming this weekend!! As my excitement increases in the build up to the amazing global showcase of sporting endeavour and razzmatazz, I thought it was the perfect time to invite the human encyclopedia of all things movement skill in the NFL, Shawn Myszka (aka @movementmiyagi on Twitter) and author of the amazing blog 'Football Beyond the Stats' https://footballbeyondthestats.wordpress.com/author/shawnmyszka/ back on the podcast to share some of his insights on some of the star players of the season and geek out about skill acquisition and coaching. In this discussion, Shawn shares some of the challenges he has faced this year facing up to some limitations in his coaching repertoire supporting athletes who are "hyper adaptable on the field but not hyper adaptable off the field!" He also dissects some of the star movers of the year, shares his approach to challenging players and taking them outside their comfort zone and we explore some deeper concepts around adaptability. This is one not to be missed.Go Pats!!

Sarah Kelleher is the Head Coach of the England U18 Girls Field Hockey team. She is one of the most creative and playful coaches that I have ever had the pleasure to meet and coach with. We worked together in the England Hockey talent pathway and it was one of the highlights of my coaching journey so far. She brings creativity and joy to to everything she does, even the process to planning, session design and reflection!In this conversation we discuss how she uses a range of approaches to creating a motivational climate that is joyful, creative and playful while at the same time being focused on excellence, performance and 'grit'. I really hope you enjoy this conversation because I know I did!! If you would like to hear Sarah talk more about the development of a motivational climate and actually see her in action then you are in luck. She is speaking at the 'Talent Equation Live' conference that I am hosting in Edinburgh with the support of the fine people at Stewart Melville's College. Go to my events page to get more details http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/events or go to https://www.esms.org.uk/sites/default/files/ESMSTalentEquationLive2019.pdf to get more details.

Professor Keith Davids is Professor of Motor Learning at the Centre for Sports Engineering Research at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. Keith is one of the 'founding fathers' of the 'ecological approach' to skill acquisition and motor learning in sport. His research investigates the role constraints play on coordination tendencies in athletes and sports teams which he defines as 'complex adaptive systems'. In this conversation in the cafe at the University (Keith's office) we explore the world of skill acquisition, 'Non Linear Pedagogy' and the 'Constraints Led Approach'. We are joined by Ben Galloway from the brilliant 'Opposite Direction' YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsVkH7793RMAhYqKLXle_vQ. (check out these videos for an explanation of some of the concepts we discuss). It is a fascinating conversation, I hope you enjoy...Link to Keith's book is available herehttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Nonlinear-Pedagogy-Skill-Acquisition-Introduction/dp/0415744393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547632194&sr=1-1&keywords=nonlinear+pedagogy

Chris Panayiotou is the Global Technical Director for Rush Soccer, a worldwide soccer coaching network that has 50,000 players across the globe. Chris is originally from the UK and has been based in America for a number of years and has committed his coaching career to supporting other coaches within the Rush Community to improve and develop to provide the best possible experience for children in their programmes. In this conversation we reflect on our learning from the 'Future of Coaching' conference which we both attended over the weekend and Chris also shares some valuable insights into his approach and methodology which has seen him named as one of the top coaches in America by the Positive Coaching Alliance. EnjoyLink to Chris's Peom called 'Football Done' herehttps://youtu.be/vP9uSGPx_kAEnd of Average Book https://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Average-Succeed-Values-Sameness/dp/0062358367http://www.varush.com/

This week's podcast is the final one of 2018...hasn't the year flown by!! For this episode I asked some of the guests I have had on the show over the year to drop by for a little Christmas sin dig so that they could share their reflections and learnings from the year. It is a bit of a crazy whirlwind of a conversation with people coming and going and we cover a lot of ground but there is some gold in these reflections. I hope you enjoy it and have a fantastic Christmas and an amazing New Year. Thanks Stuart

This week's podcast is another experiment in sound recording. I am travelling in my car, Mark has just come out of the gym, Juan is in his office at school and John has just got back from taking the children to school. But we still managed to record a conversation!! You join us as we are planning our forthcoming conference 'The Future of Coaching' as we finalise how we are going to be delivering the sessions and running the conference as well as discussing some of the themes that we will be covering. We then delve into a couple of hot topics that are facing many of the coaches that we work with and explore some of the ways in which we can address them. It is a great conversation and has really whetted my appetite for the discussions to come in the New Year!!Tickets can be booked for the event through the link below.https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-of-coaching-with-john-osullivan-stuart-armstrong-mark-bennett-mbe-tickets-49934657906

Andrew Gillott describes himself as a Coach Developer. I would describe him as a genius learning architect. Andrew has been instrumental in leading and creating opportunities for coaches to learn and develop and his passion for learning and development has meant that he has led some of the most innovative and creative programmes of development for coaches up and down the UK talent system. In this conversation we explore the inevitable 'drills v games' debate, how he uses an ecological approach to help coaches to appreciate their effect on athletes and why context is important when understanding the behaviour of coaches. Hope you enjoy

Dr Amanda Visek is a researcher from George Washington University in the U.S as well as being an active sports coach and someone who is passionate about the role that sport can play to improve children's lives. Her research provides a fascinating look into what makes sport fun for children and the results will surprise you. In this super interesting conversation we delve into the way that she gathered the information and then used 'concept mapping' techniques to provide a visual reference as to the key elements of fun for children. She then shares some of her latest unpublished research that compares how parents and coaches rank certain elements and how this is not necessarily aligned to the way children rank things!! The research can be found here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4201634/A presentation on the fun maps with visuals can be found here https://appliedsportpsych.org/site/assets/files/14874/visek.pdfI hope you enjoy the conversation

Scott McNeill is a Performance Coach Developer for GB Hockey, a Performance Director for the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland as well as a mentor for the Premier League. He has been part of a group of people that have led a transformation within GB Field Hockey to redevelop the player development system in line with the principles of Ecological Dynamics. In this fascinating conversation, Scott describes the journey of bringing about this change within the sport and some of the key pillars of embedding these concepts and ideas into the psyche of the playing and coaching community. While this discussion explores how this is done on a whole sport scale, the ideas and approaches that are shared by Scott apply to anybody looking to foster a player centred environment which allows players to thrive and develop. Even though I have been on this journey with Scott and his colleagues as a coach and coach developer, I still found the conversation fascinating and insightful. I know you will too!!Enjoy!!

Richard Shorter has spent his life committed to supporting families to improve their communication and relationship dynamics. He set us www.non-perfectdad.co.uk to provide a space for sporting parents to help to navigate the dynamic world of sport for young people. In this illuminating and energising conversation Richard unloads 20 years of knowledge about the challenges of parenting into an hour and a half conversation that is rich with valuable ideas! Many of these ideas have been encapsulated in Richard's new book 'Conversations for the Journey - 40 ways to build sporting character' which can be purchased at his website using a special promo code especially for Talent Equation subscribers. Use the link below to get your discount. https://non-perfectdad.co.uk/talentequation/The book has been really useful for me in the few short weeks that it has been in my possession so I can't recommend it highly enough. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!!

Sergio Lara-Barcial has committed his life to improving the coaching experience for young people. As a coach, researcher and policy maker he is working hard to give himself and others more opportunities to learn, develop and improve. In this conversation we discuss his role as a national team coach and how he had to find strategies to ensure that the stress didn't affect him. He shares his research into the characteristics of serial winning coaches and he also shares the insights into his latest project...a global campaign and movement called 'icoachkids' designed to improve the sports experience for children by supporting coaches to be the best they can be. Sergio is a genuinely inspirational figure in the word of coaching...i know you will enjoy listening to his story as much as I did. Find out more about icoachkids and take the pledge at www.icoachkids.eu

Jack Shakespeare is the head of UK Active Kid a 'not for profit health body' that is focused on tackling the growing epidemic of inactivity among young people in the UK. In this conversation Jack and I explore the ways that they are taking a 'socio-ecological' approach to creating communities and environments that support young people into a more physically active life. This is a fascinating conversation with a passionate and skilful operator working to achieve some pretty extraordinary things. I hope you enjoy.

Sam Jarman is an ex professional golfer he is now a golf coach but his interests and knowledge go far wider than a single sport. I would describe Sam as a 'Human Experience Specialist'. In this episode we get deep into an exploration of what makes us human and how we operate in the world. Sam blows apart some common held ideas about how experience shapes us and proposes some ideas that could have profound insights as to how we can better support young people on their journeys through life and sport. This episode made my head hurt...it still makes my head hurt!! There is a lot in here and it is pretty dense...it's not for the fainthearted but it is worth the ride as there are some key ideas in here that could re-frame the way we think and act in a youth sports context. Good Luck!!

Debbie Sayers is one of the founders of Salisbury Rovers. A youth football club that has taken the concept of 'child centred' sport to a new level. In this fascinating conversation we discover how the club came about, the approach that the coaches have taken to ensure that the children are benefiting from the best experience possible and why they have opted out of formal competition structures in order to protect the integrity of their child centred philosophy. This is a group of people that deserve great admiration for the commitment and dedication that they display and the conversation demonstrates a truly fascinating story about perseverance and commitment to a cause. Hope you enjoy...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There are a couple of conferences coming up in the new year to learn from some of of my guests on the podcast. Go to http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/events to find out more.

Dr Don Vinson is a researcher and lecturer at Worcester University in England. He is also a practising coach who is working with the U16 England national girls hockey team and a damn fine bloke!! I dropped by to Don's office as i happened to be in his neck of the woods and was fortunate enough to find out that he had a free space open up in his diary and could spend some time with me talking about our combined passions...helping young people be the best versions of themselves, helping coaches to be better, researching and understanding the theories behind what makes us who we are and coach the way we coach. We really get into the weeds in this one but come up for air now and again to bring the ideas to life from a practical perspective. Hope you enjoy!!

It's national Parents in Sport week!! https://thecpsu.org.uk/upcoming-events/parents-in-sport-week-2018/So it is only fitting that I had a conversation with Gordon MacLelland of Working with Parents in Sport https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk. In this conversation I am actually being a sport parent and recording the podcast on my phone while watching my son play his first game of 'proper football' (this gets me into trouble so stay listening until the end to hear me try and make amends with my son for not paying enough attention to his first game....bad Dad!!!)Gordon and I explore the challenges of being a sports parent, we also look into how parents can navigate the increasingly competitive and ruthless world of talent identification as well as looking into some practical ideas around how coaches can build better relationships with parents. If you can cope with the sounds of enthusiastic parents in the background and my occasion outburst as my son does something good in the game then I am sure that you will get a lot from this.Enjoy!

David Hinchliffe is back...and this time he has a list of topics to talk about!! In this episode we cover a lot of ground including, why English batsmen can't play spin bowling, the difference between teaching and coaching, why sport is still undervalued in society, why competition is killing children's sport. I will warn you now...it's a bit of a rant fest!!Hope you enjoy it.

Peter Prickett is a coach that is passionate about the role that games can play in the child's sports experience. So much so that he has written a book that is dedicated to playing games. But not just any games...specifically 3 v 3 games as he believes that they offer the most representative football experience and provide the richest opportunities for learning. In this super interesting conversation we cover...- How 40 different 3 v 3 games could become 140- His views on the development of creativity in players- How his club has turned the tables and ask the coaches to do trials and get the kids to select them if they are suitable- Why paying coaches is the model that they have adoptedThere is a lot of interesting stuff in here. I hope you enjoy. Peter's Book can be pre ordered on Amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Developing-Skill-Guide-Soccer-Coaching-ebook/dp/B07H957SYD/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537296772&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=peter+prickett+3+v+3Come to the 'Future of Coaching' event with John O'Sullivan, Mark Bennett and myself on the 4th - 5th January 2019. Tickets can be purchased here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-of-coaching-with-john-osullivan-stuart-armstrong-mark-bennett-mbe-tickets-49934657906?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing

Nick Heard is a teacher and coach that has committed to being the best he can be for his students and his athletes. He set up www.relentless-optimism.com in an attempt to convey a message to those in tasked with supporting young people to explore their potential are also striving to be the best they can be. Nick took time out of his holiday (you can hear the coffee machine in the background) to have this conversation with me where we explore how young people interact with their environment and deal with challenges, setbacks and those well meaning but misguided adults (us!) that are causing more problems than they are solving. I very much enjoyed this discussion, I hope you do too!!

Dr Suzanne Brown is a clinical psychologist who is fascinated by the dynamics of human development. She is exploring the challenges faced by young athletes and supporting coaches and other leaders to develop environments where young people can thrive instead of just survive. In this fascinating conversation we discuss...- Why emotions are not a bad thing. It's just that society has labelled them as good and bad- The key ingredients of a nurturing sporting culture - The changes that take place in the adolescent brain and what you need to know about how to address them- How ecological psychology is a framework for developing positive development experiences in sportIt is a really interesting discussion, I'm sure you will find it as fascinating as I did. Enjoy

Russell (Rusty) Earnshaw is back and this time he is with his partner in coaching John (Fletch) Fletcher. Together they make up two thirds of 'The Magic Academy' along with a secret partner they refer to as 'Magic Stig'. As you might expect, the guys and I cover a lot of ground in this one including: - How the guys are taking a 'games based' approach to coach development using challenge cards. - How this podcast with Amy Price https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-clumsy-pig-using-sandbox-in-fishtank-conversation/id1209549739?i=1000408126686&mt=2 inspired the gamification of coaching and coach development- How they devised the CARDS approach and how they bring it to life in their coaching- How they use a principle of 'beating the game' to help players develop awarenessThis is a fascinating romp through the minds of two of the most creative minds in coaching and coach development. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Shane Pill describes himself as an 'accidental academic'. He is a PE teacher and coach who found himself in the world of academia and has spent his career studying various pedagogical approaches to learning in sport and PE. In this fascinating conversation we discuss: - Why Shane advocates a 'pragmatic' approach to coaching that he calls 'Sport Literacy'. - The difference between a game and an 'open drill' (it's still a game in my book!).- Arnold's 'in-through-about' model of learning in sport.- The difference between 'guided discovery', 'divergent discovery' and 'convergent discovery'. It is a conversation that challenged some of my thinking...I hope it does for you too! Enjoy!!As always, if you like the podcast and are enjoying the podcast, I am hoping that you might support it. You can do this for free by leaving a review or telling your friends about it on social media. If you would like to support further then you can become a Patron by clicking on the Patreon link https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation. You can join for as little as the price of a cup of coffee and can ask questions that may feature in some future 'ask me anything' episodes. Thank you for your support.

I don't think it would be hyperbolic to describe Ted Kroeten as a pioneer. His approach to player development is one of the purest examples of adopting an ecological, child centred approach to how young people experience sport I have ever heard. The programme is called 'Joy of the people' www.joyofthepeople.org and it provides over 1500 hours of free play opportunities for children per week at no cost.In this episode we discuss...- How the concept came about and the journey to establishing JOTP from idea to reality- The challenges that have been faced in establishing a model like this- The principles behind the approach and the way that the coaches facilitate learning- The successes that they have seen and the way that the children are developingIt is a genuinely fascinating and inspiring story that I know you will learn a lot from. Hope you enjoy

Dan Peterson and Len Zaichowsky PhD have written a great book called 'The Playmaker's Advantage' that is full of practical information backed up by scientific research to help coach to create environments that will foster the creative abilities of young athletes. Dan has a background in the technology industry but he is a passionate sports parent and has worked really hard with Len to make the science accessible and usable for coaches and parents alike. I think you will agree that they have done a great job!! The book is available for pre order at the link below. http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Playmakers-Advantage/Leonard-Zaichkowsky/9781501181863

Andrew Wilson is a researcher from Leeds Beckett University in the UK who co writes about his research in a fascinating blog 'Notes from two scientific psychologists' http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com In this fascinating and insightful conversation Andrew and I explore various aspects of Ecological Psychology and try to apply them to real world problems in coaching. We explore the following: - The difference between affordances and information - Why "context isn't noise...it is signal"- How information is the key to effective transfer - Why motor control researchers are to blame for the lack of understanding of the ecological approachThis conversation has a lot of theoretical heavy lifting in it but stick with it as it will be worth it. Enjoy

Simon Robinson is a basketball coach working with athletes with intellectual disabilities. In this fascinating discussion he explains why a constraints led methodology is essential for him to effectively help these individuals learn and improve. In this podcast we discuss...- The challenges of working with athletes from different cultures and different levels of impairment- How the developmental history of athletes can get in the way of their improvement- How he manages the challenge point so as not of create too much mental and emotional strain- How modifications to children's sport could really help their later developmentThis is a fascinating listen for all coaches working with any athletes of any ability. Enjoy

Phil Kearney is a researcher, lecturer and coach. He is based at the University of Limerick in Ireland and is one of the 'Great Triumvirate' of Irish skill acquisition leaders along with Ed Coughlan and Olly Logan. In this episode we really dig into some of the research behind skill acquisition and its application including...- Looking at Fundamental Movement Skills in a different way- The limited transfer that comes from low variability movements - Understanding the 'dose requirement of skill acquisition - How the constraints based approach can help to develop practices that will do the teaching for youAnd a whole lot more...Hope you enjoy.

Richard Cheetham MBE (aka @twowheelprof on Twitter) is Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester in the UK. His research focus centres on a more holistic approach to coaching with time spent since 2013 at Saracens RFC within the Academy programme and at Fulham Football Club. In this conversation we cover a LOT of ground including...- Richard's approach to developing creativity in players and also in coaches - How play should have a a bigger place in coaching session (for children and adults!!)- How to create effective warm ups- Is your coaching like 'pick and mix' or like 'cod liver oil' - The 4 parameters of playI certainly got a lot out of this discussion so I know you will too.Enjoy!!Some articles related to the discussion...Cheetham, R.J. (2012). The Importance of Creativity and Innovation In Coaching: Possibilities and Implications for Performance. The Journal of Cycle Coaching 2. 6-9Critchell, M. (2012) Play to learn and learn to play. A fresh approach to coaching young players. (Contributing chapter and consultancy from Richard Cheetham). Reedswain. Spring City US.

Happy 4th of July to all of my American listeners!! It seems only fitting that we have one of America's favourite sports featured on the show this week so I invited someone from the NBA to come on and have a chat.Alex Sarama is the Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA across Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is responsible for making sure that young people get to experience basketball and uses the power of the NBA brand to engage them in the sport. His passion for helping young people to achieve their potential shines through loud and clear in this conversation as Alex asks me to explore the challenges of adopting non linear, constraints led coaching approaches within his sport and how he might encourage others to embrace the concepts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As always, if you would like to support the show please consider leaving a review in your favourite podcatcher, by telling your friends and colleagues about it or by becoming a supporter by heading over to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and clicking on the 'Become a patron' button at the top of the page.

Paul Bell is the national coach for Scottish Squash. He is an extremely thoughtful and engaging individual that reached out to me while I was at the UK Coaching Conference to see if we could have a chat over a coffee. 90 minutes later we had covered a lot of ground. Paul's story is fascinating...he has become a national coach at a relatively young age mostly through determination, hunger and a willingness to do anything to help him improve and develop.His commitment to learning and helping his athletes improve comes shining through and his willingness to share the discussion with the world speaks volumes about his commitment to behaviours that foster improvement and openness. I hope you enjoy it.

Juan Gonzalez-Mendia from www.sudamericacoaching.com is a coach and coach developer that is working to bring non linear approaches to South America. He works with schools, clubs, provincial associations and national governing bodies to help them to embrace player centred development philosophies and approaches. In this episode we explore...- The issues that people have with embracing non linear approaches - How to help a boss or leader to recognise that they need external support to improve their teams coaching- The challenges that he faces in developing coaches that are resistant to change (we have a little but of fun role playing this)It is a fascinating conversation and a great insight as to how the ecological approach is spreading across the globe. Enjoy- How

At the Talent Equation we like to innovate and try new things. In keeping with this spirit of innovation this week's episode is a bit of an experiment. Rob Gray from www.perceptionaction.com and The Perception Action Podcast stopped by for a chat and was game enough to allow me to include a live (virtual) studio audience in the shape of members of my private mastermind group 'The Conclave'.This is a great (and long overdue) conversation where Rob talks with me and also takes questions from members of the group. In the episode we cover: - Some of Rob's latest research into the relative effectiveness of different learning approaches in coaching. - Why the Constraints Led Approach is not like an 'all you can eat' buffet. - Some of the challenges of researching in this area brought on by limitations in experimental approaches - His call for more coaches to share their 'field notes' of the 'experiments' that they are conducting.- Rob's thoughts on some of the real world problems that coaches are facing. It's a fascinating discussion and I am glad that the experiment pretty much worked out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. All the best and remember #ditchthosedrills------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you would like to join the Conclave then there are some spots still available. Go to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click on the 'Become a Patron' button at the top of the page.

Brett Holland is a self confessed coaching geek!! He is a full time coach at one of the most prestigious sporting universities in the UK and he has one of the best jobs in the world!In this conversation we explore his methods, philosophy and approaches and get under the hood of his experiences as a coach both positive and negative.Our discussions include: - His 4 principles for creating an inclusive and progressive environment- How he approaches the psychological side of development - How he gets player feedback to improve his programme- How he manages 'the team behind the team' to provide 'unrivalled holistic support'This was a great discussion and one that is full of takeaways for any coach working at any levelEnjoy-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you value this content and would like to support the continued production of the blog and the podcast then please consider becoming a Patron 

Mark Upton is a professional people developer. I say that he is a 'people developer' because even though the bulk of his work is with coaches. He also works with a range a people across the sporting landscape and is now supporting sports bodies with their organisational development. Mark's extensive experience and wealth of knowledge really come through in this wide ranging conversation where we cover topics as diverse as: - Why he thinks SMART objectives are garbage- How he uses representative learning design in coach development activity- How he uses 'destabilisation' to develop opportunities for learning- His latest thoughts on the Constraints Led Approach and Ecological DynamicsAnd a whole lot more...I really home you enjoy this as much as I did. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you would like to support the Talent Equation Podcast then please consider leaving a review on your favourite podcast player or sharing it with your friends and colleagues. If you want to go further with your support then head over to www.patreon.com/thetalentequation and you can buy be a monthly cup of coffee or get involved in the Conclave learning space.

Jason deVos likes a challenge! He also doesn't give up until he achieves his goals!! He is an object lesson in GRIT, Growth Mindset, Resilience...and all that stuff!! Not only does he come back from being dropped by his provincial football team at age 12 to captain his country. He gives up a lucrative job as a TV pundit to become the Head of Football Development at Canada Soccer. This is a man who is committed to helping people succeed and he will do his level best to making Canadian Soccer the best it can be. In this conversation we discuss...- What his Dad said to him on the long drive back from the trials where he was told he wasn't going to progress. - His blueprint for improving the environment for children in Canadian soccer clubs- How he want's to make the system in Canada more challenging for players rather than having a 'culture of entitlement'- His plans to change the coach development system in Canadian soccer. - My thoughts on how he could do some of these things. I hope you enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you would like to support the podcast please head over to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation and join the discussion.

James Vaughan is a coach at the AIK Academy in Sweden. He is a colleague of Mark O'Sullivan and Dennis Hortin (both previous podcast guests) and is a regular contributor to the fantastic website 'Player Development Project'. James has a rich background as a coach and as a researcher and has been fortunate to study under the guidance of some of the leading academics in the field of skill acquisition, constraints led coaching and games based coaching. In this episode we delve into creativity and explore the way that social and cultural constraints influence the way we think, feel and act when trying to lead the development of young people in sport. It is an illuminating and in depth conversation. In the episode we discuss...- Why Brazilian culture emphasises skill - How Barcelona differs from Stockholm in the way they view human development- Myths about talent and creativity - How James applies constraints to influence positive, creative action rather than minimising errorGet your notebook ready!!If you would like to support the podcast then please head over to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click on the 'become a Patron' button at the top of the page.

Mark Bennett is back! He's been off travelling the world working with professional sports teams and community clubs. PDS is taking off in a big way!! In this podcast we cover a LOT of ground reflecting on the challenges of adopting a truly athlete centred approach to coaching. Topics of discussion include: - Why most coaches look at the wrong things in training. - Why saying nothing is not athlete centred- Why reflection doesn't work (very well most of the time)- How to identify the areas to work on that are going to bring the biggest return on investment - How coaches are using questioning in a way that is no better than telling- Using the 'Rule of 3' to develop a positive culture in sessionsAnd SO much moreEnjoy!!

Mark O'Sullivan is back fresh from his global travels and work to write a PhD!! As always, Mark isn't short of a few thoughts on the state of play in coaching and sport for children. In this conversation we delve into...- How 'culturally resilient beliefs effect us all and can limit our effectiveness if we aren't aware of them- How 1 v 2 can bring about a world of development opportunities- Why he tries to make his coaching sessions feel like a skate park- Why working towards 'ideal technical models' can be harmful for children- Why he feels that his coaching approach is like being a sculptor or painterEnjoy If you want to support the show please leave a review or become a hero and head over to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click on the 'become a patron' button at the top of the page.

David Hinchliffe likes a challenge. He is a full time cricket coach in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the rainiest cities in the UK. He is also an example of adaptability and resilience, often coaching in sub zero temperatures with groups of youngsters in his unheated indoor centre. In this conversation we discuss:- Why you never say to David "I just want to hit balls"- How to use the constraints led approach in a sport like cricket which often demands technical input- How he creates contextualised learning experiences in artificial environments - Why he doesn't do "standard nets"Hope you enjoy

I got together with friends of the show Ed Coughlan and Shawn Myszka to reflect on the recent movement and skill acquisition conferences that they ran on either side of the Atlantic. As you would expect, it was a great conversation that meandered all over the place as they guys tried to make sense of the various things that they took away from the events. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride...I hope you do too!!

Ken Martel is the Technical Director at USA Hockey (ice not field!!) and has been leading change in the development of the sport of Ice Hockey across the USA for over a decade. His passion and commitment to make the experience for young people as good as it can be shines through in the conversation. Areas we discuss include: - How Ice hockey went from being a sport where 60% of kids quit by age 11 to a sport that now has a 90% retention rate. - How they developed their player development framework, the 'American Development Model'. - How the principles of Non-Linear Pedagogy are embedded in their development programmes - The challenges they faced in implementing the framework and working with volunteer coaches- Some ideas about how to develop movement agility while keeping perception and action coupled. Its a great conversation, hope you enjoy

Amy Price is a football coach that is fascinated by games. She lectures on coaching at St Mary's University and is studying for a PhD on the topic of the application of the learning principles associated with video games as applied to sport. This conversation really got me thinking...we discovered that we were both using games in our coaching but we were coming from very different theoretical perspectives. It was really interesting and you will hear us both struggling to come to terms with it. In this episode you will hear us exploring: - Using a 'sandbox' to eliminate risk- Using a 'fishtank' to develop technique - Why games promote learning by providing meaning - The 4 C's of mission based learning - Why the whole concept of 'ball mastery' is missing a trickEnjoy!!

Steve Hooper is the owner and head coach at 'Inclusion Coaching', A football coaching organisation that is committed to enabling children to learn through a games based approach. It is fair to say that Steve's education as a coach has been a trial. At many stages he has had setbacks but each of those setbacks have served to define him as a coach. It is the very definition of 'non linear coach development' and serves to highlight all of the things that still need to be improved in coach education. In this episode we cover...- How Steve had to bite his lip to pass the UEFA B course - The challenge he faces with the 'perception of non coaching'- Is the games based approach is the equivalent of junk food?- The ultimate measure of whether the games based approach works or not......and much moreEnjoyhttp://www.inclusioncoaching.co.uk

Paul Eales is a professional golfer, coach and broadcaster. He has spent his life in the pursuit of excellence in his chosen field. His journey as a play shaped him as a coach as his experiences as a performer challenged him to look for answers to help him find a way to improve. In so doing he found an approach to learning that took him on a journey that he now uses in his coaching with aspiring players. His story is illuminating...I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Daniel Coyle is one of my favourite writers. Not only is he an amazing story teller but he has a knack of zooming in on the things that aren't obvious and bringing it to life. He studies human nature and then delves into the science in order to work out what is going on. He shot to prominence with 'The Talent Code' which was a complete game changer for me. It resonated so closely with so many of my experiences and helped me make sense of so much about talent development and coaching. In his latest book 'The Culture Code' he answers so many of the questions that were left unanswered by the Talent Code when he delves into: - What makes a great team environment great? - How do we shape a culture to allow people to thrive? - What are the characteristics and abilities of great leaders that make this all work? Nick Levett is asking the questions with me so you get 3 for the price of 1. Enjoy

Ben Galloway runs 'Opposite Direction, a YouTube channel that has taken the world of constraints led coaching by storm. His short videos have helped to demystify the concepts within ecological dynamics and make them accessible to coaches that are exploring working using 'non-traditional methods'. In this conversation we explore some of the ways that Ben thinks about the 'ecological approach' and his passion for helping young people experience 'backyard games' as well as sharing how he is currently researching how he can use constraints to create 'adaptive dribblers'. Enjoy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsVkH7793RMAhYqKLXle_vQ

Peter Arnott is a golf coach that has broken away from the traditional models of golf coaching by embracing non-linear, ecological and constraints led pedagogical approaches. In this absorbing conversation we explore the various challenges that he has faced when adopting this approach, we delve into his methods for helping golfers to become better performers by coaching on the golf course and the issues he faces when he isn't coaching in this environment. We also dig into some of his research into the lives of elite tour players and uncover some fascinating insights about the way elite players approach performance. We are talking golf...but there are applications across the sporting landscape in this fascinating discussion. Enjoy------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you enjoy these conversations and they are helping you to improve then please consider supporting the podcast. Supporters are provided with bonus material and content that won't be available anywhere else. To sign up go to https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation

Mark Bennett is back by popular demand!!This is a bit of a bonus episode where Mark and I sat down for a cup of coffee and I decided to hit record to see where the conversation took us. We really got in deep as to how we as coaches can measure our effectiveness and also how someone developing a coach should look to guide their development. We are in a cafe so there is quite a bit of background noise but I think you will agree that it is worth persevering!!You can support these podcasts and buy me a cup of coffee by going to the website at www.thetalentequation.co.uk and clicking on the 'become a patron' button at the top of the homescreen. All the best Stuart

Born Barikor is an inspiration....He is the charismatic leader of www.ourparks.co.uk a social movement in the UK that has a mission to help people who are inactive to take their first steps into the world of physical activity through the provision of free fitness activities provided in Parks throughout London. Born's infectious personality is transmitted through the episode where he explains the ingredients that go into the phenomenal success of OurParks which has seen over 60,000 people taking part in exercise classes staffed by a 300 strong team of coaches. In this episode we discuss....- How the Our Parks and Disney share the same ethos around the customer experience- The way the the OurParks coaches create connection that lasts beyond the session- How OurParks is finding coaches that have the natural empathy with their target audienceThis is a different context than is usual for The Talent Equation but there are so many takeaways that are important for anyone trying to build a motivational climate for people to help them change their behaviour. As Born's coaches say...."Even in the rain we train".

Dr Edward Coughlan is a researcher, lecturer and coach at the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland. He has spent his career studying skill acquisition and applying what he is learning on the training field. In this fantastic discussion we explore a whole world of topics including: - How he works to make coaching have a strong representation to the game- The difference between the 'practice effect and the 'performance effect' and why so many coaches get seduced by it. - Using consequences to improve performance - How he improved his coaching by paying attention to the 'decision load' in his sessions- Why failure is so important for learningThis is an episode that is extremely dense in information...I recommend a notepad for this one!Enjoy!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The costs of the running the podcast in time and money are quite considerable. If you would like so support the podcast and help to keep it going then please consider heading over to the my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation and become a supporter! You will be helping greatly and it will allow me to keep bringing you great content!! Thank you!!

Kendal McWade from Instinctive Golf is back. Recently, he dropped by for a visit for 2 days. He came to watch me coaching my regular Wednesday night group and then he coached a friend of mine as well as working me on my game and also coaching my son. After dinner, we recorded some reflections of our experiences and shared our thoughts on our respective approaches and methods. Some themes in this conversation are: - How to praise without giving praise- The difference and similarity of approach between team games and individual games - The nature of feedback and how most coaches and players are 'outsourcing feedback' - Our different approach to questioning- Why coaching sessions should make the player's head hurt....and a lot moreEnjoy------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you enjoy these podcasts and you would like to support it then please head over to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click on the 'become a patron' button at the top of the page. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

Shaun Larkin is a player development specialist working in professional baseball with the LA Dodgers. His role involves helping players to enhance their skills and a big part of that role is to challenge coaching practice to maximise the impact that they can have to prepare players for performance. In this episode we explore: - How professional baseball recruits and develops talent- Some of the limitations of the talent development system in baseball- The crazy competition schedule and the constraints in puts on coaching - The challenges he faces trying to shift away from 'traditional coaching methods'Shaun can be found on Twitter at @slarkin04

This podcast is a bit different...in this episode the tables are turned...and I am doing most of the talking ("how is that different?" I hear you cry!). In this episode Mark Peters interviews me about Creativity for a research project he is undertaking. In the episode we cover a lot of ground including....Why most people misunderstand what creativity is and limit the development of creativity in players as a result. How Pep Guardiola thinks about creativity (probably) and the strange reasons why that is deemed to be so unique and abnormalThe biggest mistake coaches make when working to develop creativity and the simple tip that can help to navigate it. What evolutionary biology can teach us about developing more creative players. How an ecological approach to creativity and problem solving should be used to create team cohesion. Why methods adopted in a high performance context shouldn't be adopted in a talent environment if we are passionate about developing creative players. I hope you enjoyStuart

Happy New Year everyone!! Ron Smith has a lifetime of experience in coaching and player development. He started coaching full time at the age of 24 and has held positions with the Australian Institute of Sport and as the National Coaching Director for football in Malaysia. In this discussion we dig into his approach to coaching and debate the applicability of various coaching methodologies. Ron has questions about the games based approach to coaching and wanted to challenge some of the common beliefs that seem to have infiltrated the world of coaching and player development. What a great way to set up the New Year!!Enjoy!

Dan Abrahams is a coach that specialises in a different kind of skill acquisition...Dan specialises in the acquisition of mental skills. He is a consultant to England Rugby, AFC Bournemouth as well as several elite athletes from around the sporting world. He is the author of a series of books such as 'Golf Tough', 'Soccer Tough', 'Soccer Tough 2' and he is extremely active on social media, etc. In this highly informative conversation Dan and I discuss...- Why he thinks the FA's Four Corners Model is flawed- How to get players into the 'Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning' (IZOF)- Why most athletes are susceptible to 'Paradoxical Thinking' about the way they train and prepare for competition- His method of 'stretch and support' to help human growth- How he uses mataphor and analogy to help players get a 'Game Face' ready for competition- His approach to establishing goals with athletesThere is a lot in here that is essential listening to anyone serious about helping young people to unleash their potentialEnjoy

Loren Anderson of Rise Volleyball makes a welcome return to the podcast. In this episode you will hear Loren and I get deep as we question our efficacy as coaches and also explore the ways that we manage ourselves so that we can get into the optimal state to make sure that we are coaching at our best. We also discuss the often quoted term "Talent needs trauma' and explain why we think that it is a flawed concept and explain how this idea should be considered. I really enjoyed this conversation...I hope you do too.

This is a great chat with FA Coach Development Manager, Jack Walton. Jack has a wealth of experience in coaching and working with coaches so he has seen and experienced many of the challenges that most coaches face...In this episode we discuss:- How Jack challenged me when he was listening to one of my workshops- How he helps coaches to develop coaching philosophy- His clubs approach to developing players - His thoughts on Nurture v Nature - Why decision making is so difficult to develop in players and loads more....EnjoyStuart

Rus Smith is not your ordinary kind of coach...nor is he your ordinary kind of coach developer. Rus works to develop potential, Rus is a true developer of talent...but not in the way that many might think. The kind of talents that Rus develops are found in people that live in places that a lot of other people wouldn't go with people that a lot of other people wouldn't want to engage with. Not Rus...Rus has a talent for developing people...he has a passion to find the spark inside them and to ignite that spark. He is damn good at it too...In this conversation we cover a lot of ground including...- What FA Technical Director, Dan Ashworth taught Rus about working with people when he was the Academy Manager at West Bromwich Albion- How he trained police officers to become coaches and reduced crime in their neighbourhood by 70%- How he trained 'Helen the Belly Dancer' and how she wrote her session plan on a yoga mat- His key beliefs about people development including his mantra 'a person in sport...is a person out of court'. - His 'Catch you in' programme which engages young people in sport and coaching be rewarding them for the good things that they doThis is high performance work delivered in a community context. The skill and dedication is so impressive. Enjoy

Calvin Betton has the life that would be the envy of many. He travels Europe coaching and helping young tennis players to strive to break into the professional ranks. It's a tough life but somebody's got to do it...right? Not necessarily...In this episode we get an inside picture of the life of a tennis coach working at the cliff edge of the talent space...the key transition zone from promising junior to top level adult. In the episode we cover...- The big gap in coach education that meant that skill acquisition was only covered at level 5!- The questions he asked a tennis legend about the advice he was giving to aspiring players to use drills to become better tennis players- Why people don't understand what good coaching looks like- How he creates intensity using 'pressure training' - His innovative method of giving feedback called 'bandwidth feedback' - His approach to 'challenge point theory' called 'training on the edge'There is a wealth of insight in here that we were able to benefit from because of a rainstorm in Greece!Enjoy

Craig 'Gunny' Gunn is an Australian Rules Football Coach based in Brisbane Australia. He has been practising his own brand of games based, constraints led, coaching which has been affectionately nicknamed 'Gunny Madness' or 'Gunny Chaos'. Two terms which should be treated as the highest form of praise which you will see in this episode. In this episode with go on a magical conversational journey that covers..- Why some parents made an official complaint about his coaching not teaching technical skills - His way of using the constraints led approach - The challenges of coaching in this way and the challenges of educating other coaches to work in this way- Using the Whitmore's GROW model as a way to provide feedback- Why decision making, perception and technique must always we developed together- Why indigenous populations in Australia are over represented in professional Aussie Rules and Rugby League (Hint- it's the chaotic unstructured bush games that they play!!)As Gunny would say...this one's a ripper!!Enjoy!!

Nick Winkelman is the Head of Athletic Development at the Irish Rugby Football Union. He is a man on a mission to change the way that athletes are developed to be able to move and perform more effectively in sporting contexts. You will struggle to find someone more committed to his craft and dedicated to enhancing human performance. In this conversation with cover a range of subjects including: - Why the NFL Combine is not a talent ID process- His secret formula for athlete development (now called the '4 P + 2' approach)- Why he thinks that players are developed in the wrong way - Why 'perception-action coupling is the 'hard problem' of skill acquisition- Why 'sometimes what is best for the athlete is not giving them your best'There is a lot in this discussion so sit back and enjoy!

Jonathan Henderson is the Academy Manager at Bristol Rovers FC. He is someone that takes the process of talent development very seriously. After all it is his profession and also his livelihood. In this context you might expect it to be all about winning and results and the training methodology to be all about structure and organisation...Far from it......if anything Jonathan's academy goes in the opposite direction...the focus is on player development it is an environment that tries to live and breathe the philosophy of 'player centredness'. This is someone who is right at the coaclface of talent development and understands that the best way to develop players is to foster a playful, creative environment where players are free to explore and stretch themselves without fear of failure. In this conversation we discuss: - Why he refers to his academy environment as 'The performance playground' and what that means- How the research for his Masters qualification saw him focus on self directed activity as a source of motivation- How the academy mimics street football because children don't play on streets any more- Why technical development is done at home- The creative ways he has used competition to provide an optimal learning environment This is an excellent conversation from a master practitioner that will be full of ideas and new thinkingEnjoy

Russell 'Rusty' Earnshaw is on a mission...His mission is to develop coaches. No, his mission is to develop 'coaching wizards'!! And he is a Grand Wizard! 'Rusty's' coaching sessions are nothing short of magical...so much so that he created a community on Edufii called 'The Magic Academy' where a committed following of disciples come together to cast their spells and concoct new potions. In this fantastic conversation we discuss...- Why we should avoid limiting the athlete's future by "putting the software of today on their hardware" - Why some of his coach development sessions have coaches looking like "they have seen fire for the first time"- His definition of what makes a coaching wizard- How England Rugby are transforming coaching by using CARDS- How a night club doorman's clicker could be the most powerful behavioural regulator for adults ever invented - How to use consequences in coaching by the coach doing the press ups "kids love coaches doing press ups"- Creating games within the game to challenge and developLet these conversational spells and incantations weave their mystical powers on you and transform your coaching!!Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!

A few days ago I became another year older!!Like lost of us of a certain age, these events are greeted with a mixture of happiness (as my wife and children give me some lovely presents and spoil me a bit) and despair (at the relentless march of time!!). This year was all good and was made even better by the fact that 3 of my good friends in the world of coaching and children's sport took time out of their schedules to join me for a chat about all of the things that we are all so passionate about. What a brilliant way to spend my birthday...I hope you enjoy the discussion!!

By popular demand....Mark Bennett is back!In this episode we discuss how you define excellence with athletes and the process of reviewing to maximise influence with players. We get into a lot of detail on this one and get deep exploring this very important aspect of performance coaching. In the episode we cover...- Maximising the impact of our time with players - How to make ourselves redundant by enabling the players to lead themselves - Using 'The rule of 3' to transition players to full ownership of their learning environment - Establishing unacceptable, acceptable and exceptional behaviours and actions as a guide for creating a performance culture - A framework to guide players self review processThis is a meaty one!!Enjoy If you would like these podcasts beamed into your inbox sign up for the newsletter and never miss an episode http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/sign-up-for-our-newsletter

Nick Ruddock is a busy guy! He is travelling all across the world providing coaching advice and coach education for gymnastics clubs and global federations. He is widely regarded as one of the leading coaches in his field but his journey is not a typical one. In this episode we discuss...- How he spent £8,000 on his initial coach education - Why he thinks that coaches should own their own learning and stop waiting for the system to feed them- Why coaches are magnetised to learning all the wrong things- Why he thinks that the UK underachieves when it comes to talent development - His views on talent transfer and how more coaches should let go of their ego and enable their athletes to progress There is plenty to get stuck into here...Enjoy

Dan Cottrell is an extremely experienced coach with over 25 years at the coal face. He has been writing and discussing coaching for over a decade as the editor of Rugby Coach Weekly, an online magazine for rugby coaches which has allowed him to learn from some of the game's best practitioners. Dan came to the podcast with a specific question about the best way to coach kids when there is an element of safety that needs to be attended to. Needless to say...we didn't stay entirely on topic but the conversation was richer for it. In the podcast we cover...- Why Dan believes that children shouldn't play organised sport younger than age 10- How he uses 'free time' to enable children to truly 'play' without adult intervention- How he uses games to let children learn key movements - Intervention strategies to guide learning and ensure safety- Insights from some of the worlds best coaches and coach developersThis is a conversation rich with information for those trying to improve what they do on a weekend with youngsters as well as having significant implications for those working in talent environments. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Dr Ian Renshaw is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the constraints led approach to developing skill in sport. His research and publications have had a profound effect on the sports coaching world and opened the eyes of many coaches to an alternative approach to developing players. In this episode we discuss...- How Ian helped his son Matthew to develop skills in Cricket using a constraints led approach which culminated in him representing his country as a senior international - Ian's thoughts on competition in kids sport and how it is driving coaches to use methods that aren't allowing children to fully explore their skill potential- Why he thinks that most coach education is sub optimal and doesn't help coaches learnAnd so much more...I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

A slight change of pace in this episode. I am joined by regular contributor, Nick Levett who unloads his brain with me on all manner of topics related to the youth port experience. In this episode we cover: - What is the point of coaching for kids? Is it actually doing them any good? - Is adult risk aversion ruining play for children.- Why formal competition for youngsters should be banned.- Why adult conceptions of what should feature in a child's sport experience may be destroying their enjoyment and harming their chances of progression. - Practical methods to enable children to develop skills through games using an approach called 'Playperation' And so much more....Hope you enjoyPlease join the debate at http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/sign-up-for-our-newsletter

Alan Keane coaches the England boys U18 basketball team. Alan Keane has been on a journey! I know it's a cliche but if ever the phrase was applicable it with Alan. In this remarkably honest and refreshingly candid conversation Alan shares his transformation from being a coach that only cared about results, tactics, techniques and compliance to becoming a coach that cares about the person, their learning, their development and their ownership of the process of development. Highlights from the discussion include: - Alan's developmental journey and how he has a 'triangle of influences' that guide his learning. - How he had to get more vulnerable than he thought possible to expand his horizons- How he called a time out and only said 3 words "talk to me"- How letting the players guide their timeouts led to transformational insights (from the quietest player on the team)- His experiences of taking what he had learned into his work environment as a teacher and the unbelievable results for the teachers and the pupilsThere is so much in this podcast...I challenge you to take it all in in one sitting!!Enjoy

Joe Baker is a professor at the school of kinesiology and life sciences at York University in Toronto, Canada. He is one of the most respected and well published researchers in the field of expertise, talent development and lifelong physical activity. In 2013 Joe was a key player in contributing to a the creation of a consensus statement on talent for English Rugby. This document went on to become a central pillar in bringing about a lot of change throughout the talent system for young rugby players in England. In this fascinating conversation we cover a lot of ground including...- Joe's take on the 10,000 hours of deliberate practice debate.- His theory that deliberate practice may assist in the talent identification process. - How 'confirmation bias' can affect our decision making and leave talented athletes deselected.- His surprising research that shows that experienced coaches aren't necessarily better than ordinary people at identifying talent.- Why he doesn't have much time for coaches that think that they "know a player when they see one".- Why he thinks professional leagues should stop throwing money away at talent ID and start investing in intellectual capital to make people better at itJoe can be found on Twitter at @bakerjyorkuEnjoy the show

Nick Hill is probably one of the most committed coaches to his personal development that I have ever met. His quest for continuous improvement has taken him to all corners of the globe from Brisbane, to Canterbury to Chile and the US. If coaching expertise was measured in air miles then this guy has to be in the premier league! Nick's career has seen him working in talent environments for most of his career and his dedication to his craft really shines through in this episode. In this conversation we discuss...- How being coached by Brian Ashton while representing England U19s was a turning point in his career. Driving him to become a coach and do it better than he had done before. - His journey from being a drill based, instructional coach to a players centred, game based coach. - How he overcame the language barrier while working in Chile by tapping into the 'language of rugby'- His methods for getting buy in from groups of players. - How he allows techniques to develop by being patient and using clever practice design. - The challenges of introducing a new set of players to his approach and how he overcomes negative responses. Happy listening

This is the first in a series of 7 mini podcasts that I will be rolling out over the next few weeks 'in between' the main feature episodes. This episode looks at the role that compteition plays in stifling teh development of talent.

Ric Shuttleworth is a unique individual with an unparalleled wealth of knowledge and insight into skill acquisition and coaching. While Ric has a strong academic background and has worked within the sports science domain for a good part of his career, he is very much a practitioner and has spent most of his life on the sidelines working directly with athletes and coaches. Ric is currently working with elite coaches across a range of sports as a coach developer and he shares a series of high quality insights and 'knowledge bombs' that will really challenge the coaching and talent community to re-imagine the way that they develop the capabilities of the athletes they guide. In this episode we discuss...- How to avoid falling into the pitfall of 'comparative coaching' - Why trying to develop a 'shared mental model' can destroy creativity - Using a 'principles based' coaching approach- How coaches should be part of the learning system not in control of it- Why following a plan is the worst thing you can do- Eddie Jones secret - the "cut - bleed & bandage' approach- Using an 'explore - discover - adapt' approach to player and coach learning- How to move away from overly structured coaching towards a more reactive model that Ric describes as an 'interactive action' approach- How you could be part of a learning and development community that is being run by Ric and Mark Upton. I highly recommend having a notepad handy when you listen to this or at the very least listening to it more than once. Enjoy

Mark Bennett is someone that has had the most profound effect on my coaching, my parenting, my management style and my life. Mark is an expert people developer and has worked with people from all walks of life from elite sports coaches to teachers working in primary schools. His approach to helping people to follow a path of excellence is extremely powerful and I was really keen to make sure that he shares some of his insights with the Talent Community. In this great discussion we cover: - How to decide whether you are on a journey of performance and self improvement or on a journey of self delusion- How Mark tries to make himself redundant by ensuring that coaches and athletes make good behaviour choices whether he is there or not- Using 'covert tests' to help you ensure that learning has taken place- Why most coaches need to take 70% of the content out of their session plans- How to ensure that athletes make a commitment to the goals that they establish for themselvesThis is an episode that you won't want to miss. Enjoy

Reed Maltbie is a coach that takes his craft seriously. Alongside a lifetime of experience and ongoing learning he also has 2 masters degrees in Psychology and Child Development so when it comes to developing children in sport....he knows a thing or two!His passion for coaching and for the impact that a coach can have have on children led him to deliver a TED talk on the subject of communication which you can check out belowIn this great podcast episode Reed explains how he develops positive environments for young people to thrive within. We cover a lot of topics including: - The impact of words on people- How an email from a parent 'cut him in half' and nearly made him quit coaching - Strategies he uses to build positive relationships with parents including having a 'lollipop parent' patrolling the sidelines to manage behaviour- How 'the why' of coaching is the most important thing that a coach can have to help them navigate player and parental relationships- The 3 'V's' of communication - Visual, Verbal, Values- How to stop being a 'joystick coach'. This was a super enjoyable conversation packed full of quality information, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Dennis Hortin is the academy manager at AIK, one of Sweden's oldest and most respective professional football clubs. Mark O'Sullivan is a friend of the podcast and needs no introduction except to say that he has now joined AIK and is working within their coaching set up. In this brilliant discussion we learn more about why AIK has taken the brave step to back out of the crazy situation that has been emerging where football clubs are trying to select players younger ad younger to be part of their talent academy programme. AIK has been inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and has decided that the best way to help develop players and take a truly 'player centred' approach is to make sure that the kids have a great experience free from pressure until at least the age of 13. It is an inspired move and one that all talent developers should take note of. This is a watershed moment and an opportunity for others to follow in their footsteps and end the crazy commodification of children in sport!

This conversation with Stuart Wilkinson challenged some of my thinking about optimal talent development approaches and made me consider if we can sometimes become too dogmatic in our thinking about a specific way to approach the development of young people in sport. Stuart has a rich background in talent development having worked in several professional club academies in Rugby League as well as working as a pathway manager for the National Governing Body. He is currently working as a lecturer in sports coaching at the University of Central Lancashire and is working towards his PhD in Talent Development. The conversation covers the following: - The 'synoptical approach' and how it can be used to create a more multi dimensional athlete way of developing young people- How the use of games that don't look like the sport can be effective in supporting development - Stuart's manual for talent developers that he is currently writing- Why using specialists from other sports can have limitations - Karl Newell's model of 'Assembly - control - optimisation'

Stuart Morgan from www.stuartmorgangolf.com was the Director of Instruction at the International Junior Golf Academy in the USA. Stuart has spent his life helping young golfers to develop and has a wealth of knowledge to share with the talent community. We focus on the experiences he went through with developing a young female golfer called Emily Price and her journey of success towards several amateur titles and the way that the engagement with the family is all important. In the episode we cover: - How Stuart works with young players on the course and in context as mush as possible. Designing challenges and using constraints to challenge their skill set. - How the relationship with the parents is all important but the relationship is built in having clearly defined roles. - How a delayed specialisation model was used in Emliy's development. How keeping her away from the system until the right moment played an important role in her development. - Creating an ecological environment around her in order to develop resilience and the characteristics required for excellence. - How Stuart's book 'Gifted Junior' can help parents and coaches to navigate this process. Enjoy the episode

Doug Lemov has dedicated his life to helping young people to strive for the exceptional. His work within Uncommon Schools has helped some of the most disadvantaged young people to achieve things within their lives that few thought would be possible. He understands a thing or two about unleashing potential. His quest to help students succeed led him to discover that the major factor in helping young people was the best teaching. He set about to find out what set apart the best teachers from the rest and decided to record the methods that these teachers adopted to share with others. The book 'Teach like a Champion' was born. In this episode we discuss: - How to use questioning really, really well. - How to avoid question fatigue - Why most CPD doesnt work- Why teacher training leaves teachers without the necessary skills to be excellent teachers- The ingredients of a high quality talent environment like uncommon schools

Loren Anderson is the head coach at Rise Volleyball (@risevolleyball www.risevolleyball.net). In this enthralling conversation Loren and I discuss our respective coaching journeys and share some of the challenges and joys of working in a non linear way with young people. In the episode we discuss: - Why coaches should be like gardeners and not like carpenters- A better use for timeouts - Why matches should be time off for the coach- Why kids who don't fit the mental model a coach has of the right kind of players with the right techniques usually get punished through less game time. - Why we want players that can solve problems not players that can repeat movementsI really enjoyed the conversation and I hope you do too!

Shawn Myszka aka @movementmiyagi on Twitter is a human movement specialist that has been using the ecological approach to the development of elite NFL players for the past 5 years. In this honest and illuminating discussion Shawn shares his journey from being a "biomechanics junkie", largely driven by physiology and technique towards an approach that develops athletic abilities through the creation of scenarios which challenge the athlete's movement in relation to the activities if others. It's a fascinating journey...

Danny Newcombe is Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Physical Education at Oxford Brookes University as well as being Assistant Coach to the Wales Men's Hockey Team and coach to Southgate Hockey Club Men's first team in the England National Hockey League. He is a genuine 'pracademic' in that he has the theory and he puts it into practice as well. In this epidode we discuss...- The evolution of practice design from drills to games and everything in between - The 'practice design framework' and how you can use it to devise practices that have the optimal amount of chaos and instability to facilitate learning (link to practice design continuum here http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/tools-resources)- How to ensure that you individualise your coaching by viewing each athlete as a different 'species'

Dr Richard Bailey is one of the most widely respected researchers and academics in the world of sport. He currently works at the global policy making body the International Council for Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) where he gives talks all around the world on matters related to the development of sport and physical activity. In this episode Richard pulls no punches in exposing the world of coaching for adhering to practices and educational models that have no evidence base or have proven to be false. We talk about...- Why we have 'the worst system in the world - barring all the others'- His latest research which shows that 60% of coaches have been taught that there are 'learning styles' (Bull***t!)- His challenge for the coaching industry to professionalise- His views on drills within coaching and why they have no place in a learning enironment.

In this great conversatiom with Marc Bourhill, A career talent coach that has coached elite national age group teams in Hockey we cover a range of issues stimulated by Marcs own coaching journey. - How Marc has been transformed since adopting a dynamical systems approach to coaching. - The way he uses the approach with elite players and recreational youngsters- Why he doesn't let his young players compete in tournaments- How allowing for self organisation builds learning- How techniques can be developed within a game context- How many young players with ability have been over coached so that they become uncoachable

In this episode Nick and I go off piste and reflect on our learning journeys as coaches. We both explore the process we went through to move from being technically driven to being person driven.

In this episode I answer a question that came in from a parent who wanted to know how much of a role luck played in the talent world. How much was a persons development just down to the opportunities that are afforded to them by their circumstances and how much the NFL hence can we have over luck?

Joey Peters is an ex international soccer player from Australia who has represented her country 110 times. She talks about her fascinating learning journey from international athlete to working with U9s and the transformation that she needed to go through. In the episode we discuss: - How she had to cure herself of the 'ex player desease' - How knowledge can be a strength and a weakness- Taking the 'matrix pill' and seeing a whole new universe of coaching approaches. - How she did an experiment with drills to test how players responded- Actually involving the children in the design of the session and engaging them in learning. - A brilliant idea for a game called 'The Goalie Game' and much more....

In part 2 of my conversation with Kendal McWade we go into more detail about the approach that Kendal uses and how he engages with his athletes and help them achieve peak performance. In the cast we cover...- The difference between 'guided discovery' and 'guided exploration'. - Going from asking 82 questions per session to asking less questions and better questions- Coaching an athlete without looking at the outcome of what they do.Why positive feedback might just be coaches stroking their egos- How to "help the player get to the place where learning resides"

In this 2 part episode, I talk to a genuine master practitioner, Kendal McWade. Kendal is a golf coach who works with some of the most able young players in England as a regional coach for England Golf. His methods and his approach are truly captivating and this episode was a genuine eye opener for me. In the epidode we cover...- Why throwing golf clubs is a good way to get better- The difference between 'technique out' versus 'environment in' coaching approaches- How a focus on performance can get in the way of developing skill. - How to help athletes to reach a flow state while in training.

I this episode I respond to some of the criticism I received from some quarters of the academic community for my recent episode (episode 2) 'The War on Drills' and explain the rationale behind this stance.

My Co-Host - Nick Levett and I get into the subject of managing parental behaviour. In this episode, we focus on strategies to ensure a positive environment when parents are spectating so that they don't ruin the experience for the kids and they allow for a learning culture for the players.

In this episode I explain why coaches are addicted to drills and why drills should have no place in the talent development landscape.

In this episode, I talk with Mark O'Sullivan from the amazing blog https://footblogball.wordpress.com/ about talent ID in sport and the scary scenario where children as young as 4 are being invited to 'Talent ID' sessions. What can we do about it? What should we do about it? How can parents, coaches and administrators push back against this development and take back children's sport?