The Talent Equation Podcast

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.humankinet

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. T

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 'di

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

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