The first 5 parts of this series has covered youth development, learning, coaching, club culture and gameday, and today we look at 52 1 liners relating to teaching.
Correct/Incorrect/Correct Model (John Wooden) – show the correct technique then show what the athlete did and how it was wrong and then show the correct technique again
Integrate/Isolate/Integrate (Lee Taft) – integrating 1st allows you to know what might need isolating later
Harold Gibbons – it’s not about perfect movement but about providing the organism with as many ways as possible to safely complete a task in any given situation
Positive Feedback (John Brandon) – neurons/synaptic connections actually grow/develop in area’s where we have the strongest brain activity so for someone really smart running data analytics and pointing out their poor people skills is giving feedback in the worst way possible so instead point out their strengths and give positive feedback
Coaching/Teaching (Steve Magness) – is not about prescribing/dictating but about creating situations where the athlete is challenged to figure it out and as the coach you can nudge them along but if you always give them the answer then you aren’t actually teaching and they aren’t learning
Here we have another couple of clips from the weekend, focusing on my beloved Sydney Swans.
Clip 1 looks at Sydney defending an opposition kick in (we looked at Collingwood doing the same yesterday) where they read the Gold Coast kick in and get numbers to that side.
Clip 2 looks at Sydney not only creating an outnumber but then having the shared mental models to utilise it for a deep forward 50 entry.
These notes come from a piece posted over at Inner Drive, a student learning research-based company from the UK, explaining the ins and outs of cognitive load theory.
At its core, CTL emphasises the fact that our working memory has a very small capacity so if new information isn't transferred to long term memory (which has infinite space), then it will usually be forgotten and what you see, or what you think you're seeing at training, is not transferred to games where it actually counts.
The rate of transfer can also be decreased if there is to much information being presented all at once, which results in cognitive overload which is already sky-high in games without any extra load being put on top of it via you're coaching methods.
Here are 10 ways to teach that take cognitive load theory into account for better learning and transfer.
#1 - WORKED EXAMPLES
When students are relatively new to a topic, all their attention goes to solving the problem but then they often don't remember how they did it so step-by-step demonstrations can help this
#2 - COMPLETION TASKS
Design partially completed examples with gaps to fill in that should get progressively harder
#3 – SPLIT ATTENTION EFFECT
Give them multiple sources of information simultaneously so they have to switch between different formats (written + diagram in the same graphic) which can create cognitive overload but you can minimise that by combining the information via integrated diagrams (results in 22% higher marks on average)
#4 – MODALITY EFFECT
Diagram + integrated text can still create cognitive overload as the learner has to process both types of information using the same visual store so use 2 different formats such as a diagram with the words on it and also read it out aloud which allows them to process the visual information separately from the auditory info, reducing risk of cognitive overload
#5 – REDUNDANCY EFFECT
Giving them irrelevant information just clogs up working memory so avoid that by giving them time to read it themselves, instead of saying it to them as people read and hear at different speeds
#6 – IMAGINATION EFFECT
For more experienced learners, give them a set of instructions and then ask them to imagine the process they need to solve the problem e.g. if the question refers to reading a graph to answer then they would first imagine how they would read the graph and what information they would need to take away from it and only then would they go about actually solving the problem which forms mental representations in the brain which helps interpret the worked around us as imagining instructions allows students to automate these schemas which therefore causes less processing in the working memory
#7 – ISOLATED INTERACTING ELEMENTS EFFECT
Some complex tasks require simultaneously processing many interacting elements before they can understand it and if the number of elements exceed working memory capacity, then learning may not take place so process some elements in an isolated way then bring them together
#8 – EXPERTISE REVERSAL EFFECT
This has to do with the amount of prior knowledge someone has, where support/instruction is useful for beginners but can have negative implications on experienced students who need to be met at their challenge point
#9 – GUIDANCE FADING EFFECT
Refers to reducing the amount of guidance you give as they gain more knowledge and also ensuring that you're meeting them at their challenge point which helps avoid the reversal effect via worked examples into completion tasks into solving the full problem
#10 – GOAL-FREE EFFECT
With an example being to calculate as many angles as you can v a specific goal by calculating a specific angle, this requires students to focus on the information they have and requires more problem solving skills and the type of wording used here requires low levels of cognitive load and helps facilitate learning
This study came out a couple of weeks ago and is a must-read for today's coaches, most of who has come through the coaching ranks with a direct instruction-based approach that doesn't assist players in the chaos of a game on its own. Instead it suggests how to also incorporate ecological dynamics approach for the best of both worlds and goes close to ensuring all players can receive the coaching they need at the level of development that they are at.
The task for coaches is not deciding what approach (direct instruction v a constraints-led approach) is better and only coach that 1 way, but to determine the approach/learning principles that best suit the athlete’s learning requirements
Coaching is not an exact science so you need to be open/adaptable/flexible in your approach
For a gymnastics coach teaching a 6yr old how to perform a basic handstand they would need to think about what instructions should they provide to facilitate safe technique, how do they balance athlete expectations of the timeline of progress, is the athlete motivated to engage in the current training schedule or are they expected to participate by their parents, and this is just a fraction of the diverse influences in the coaching process
These factors are not static with some being more/less prominent at certain times and with others taking their place
A constraints-led approach refers to the self-organisation around interactions between individual, environment and task v skill acquisition via int movement representation
Skill acquisition is now often coined skill adaption
Each approach can be broken down into the same 5 categories x perception (internal memory representations v a variable environment), motor control (memory interactions v self-organisation in real time), skill acquisition (explicit v implicit instruction), movement variability (low v high) and practice (decomposition v simplification)
Formal coach education opportunities are dominated by traditional approaches where coaches are then at risk of not developing the appropriate tools on how to coach and the knowledge of why a particular principle should be applied, instead coaching how they were coached previously
Set clear intentions for training
Align instructional content to the individual needs of the athlete/s and learning outcomes of the coaching context
Balance the amount of movement variability in practice
Allow more opportunities to to make mistakes in training
Set flexible practice structures to allow for the non-linearity of learning
Appropriately represent the demands of competition environments in practice
Simulate critical information sources to develop connections with relevant performance information
Instructional Delivery x use explicit instruction early to reduce cognitive load to establish a basic movement pattern + use implicit instruction to encourage exploration of individual movement patterns.
Movement Variability x introduce it by manipulating task constraint (ball size etc) to encourage athletes to adapt movements while maintaining a high level of success + monitor how constraint manipulation influences task difficulty and see whether it introduces too much movement variability that is detrimental to performance
Skill Acquisition x deviations that interfere with task achievement can be corrected in line with the minimal intervention principle which allows task variability in practice and the ability to remain flexible to certain movement deviations as they emerge over time + in a constraints-led approach, movements that might interfere with behavioral goals can be leveraged to facilitate the development of individual movement solutions + athlete safety is always prioritised so any incorrect movement patterns that increase injury risk will need to be explicitly corrected
Training Specificity/Representiveness x task complexity early in skill acquisition can be overwhelming so you can use task simplification/drills to maintain athlete motivation + where appropriate, aim to introduce critical components of performance contexts (small sided games) to facilitate transfer of learning into competition + this might include purposeful manipulation of task constraints (increase/decrease ball size etc) to encourage the exploration of different movement solutions
Quantification of Workload x drills may better represent appropriate game intensities so provide appropriate stimulus to elicit physical adaptations + utilise technology/GPS etc + consider the quantity/quality of training goals and the balance that is needed between repetition and a constraints-led approach design
Development of Perceptual-Cognitive, Decision-Making and Tactical Skills x lower level athletes can use independent practice (video review etc) to reduce cognitive load + different skills/athletes may require different levels of complexity meaning technical skills may be practiced in isolation before adding tactical/strategic elements + monitor/evaluate training/performance outcomes to understand whether training could be adjusted to include the concurrent execution of technical/perceptual-cognitive skills
I was appointed to coach an under 18 team for 2024 but we couldn't quite get the numbers early enough (it's a junior club only, no seniors at all) so I'll be assisting the under 16's as well as helping other coaches at the club for training and potentially games as well.
We had a practice game 2 Sunday's ago but with school holidays we were missing about 8 players but had round 1 with a full list this past Sunday.
Our under 16's won the Grand Final in their division last season so there's some very handy top-age players from 2023, and some very good bottom age players who came up from the under 14's.
We were playing a team who also won a grand final in under 16's last year and whose under 14 team was also right up there so were expecting a close one at least.
In the first half we had the majority of the play around but were not capitalising on our chances, but they were getting very clean center bounce exits most of the time.
Even with our general play dominance we were only a a couple of points up at half time.
Here's what I saw for our center bounce set up in the first half with us being the blue team going to the right of image...
This is a quick clip looking at Brisbane defending a Melbourne slow play off an intercept mark and how 1 Brisbane player defends 2 Melbourne players, and the most dangerous space, all at the same time while making the least damaging kick for the ball carrier undeniable which all enables to help Brisbane keep their defensive shape in front of the ball.
A great clip to show your players as it doesn't rely on any great skill or ability.
I'm club coaching this year with another coach for an under 16's team as my appointed under 18 team didn't have the numbers to get through the season so we called that last week.
We've been training as a combined group anyway since we started in Jan so everything I taught the 18's has been taught to the 16's so it's a smooth transition from a coaching and teaching point of view.
One of the earliest tactics I introduced was front press defense which I first noticed by used by Sydney back in 2021, Collingwood and Geelong AFLW in 2022 and now a few more teams in both AFL/W are using it.
The main point of trying to use this type of defense is to turn the ball over as close to your goal as possible so you're not trying to transition all the way from your defensive 50 all the time.
In my 6th session of this year I introduced a very basic version of this which is also part of the Collingwood Training Activities package from last season, of which there are 5 - 6 versions of this
This clip shows how it can look in a game and just look at the 4 - 5 layers of front press defense that Collingwood put on the Blues here.
The level 1 version strictly focuses on closing down the space between the defender's initial position, and the ball carrier - the ball carrier and defender are going straight to each other pretty much so there's no real decision to be made by the defenders as it pretty condensed and there's not much time to make another decision but what's directly in front of you right now.
We had pretty high defensive success when we did this which is expected in the condensed area...
As a coach you've probably read of AFL head coaches using theme's for games and even seasons.
In past years Damian Hardwick used a Band of Brothers theme for one of Richmond's premiership seasons based off a Bruce Springsteen song, and only last year Craig McRae used the Take the Steps theme with Collingwood again to a premiership win. Luke Beveridge at the Bulldogs is also partial to a gameday theme.
These notes come this article on how to go about theming, whether that's for a single game, a string of games, or for an entire season.
Why do you want to theme?
What are you trying to dig into?
What do you feel you’re going to get out of theming?
Find a story that you belong to
Why is this a story that’s going to reasonate with you and your players?
How is this going to strike with the group you’re working with?
How does it capture what you’re trying to achieve?
Consider some of the landmarks of the story – the key individual's and events – and how are you going to tell that story?
You don’t have to do it chronologically
Your players might know the story so you've got to find angles/aspects they haven’t heard before, or are lesser-known
Totems are physical objects that can help bring the theme to life where Richmond players were each given rocks to wrote their why on and Collingwood had the ladder that they built throughout the season
Language is powerful in theming and it needs to be driven by everyone, not just the head coach
The first 4 parts of this series has covered youth development, learning, coaching and club culture with Game Day being the focus today which is a mix of mostly game day tactics used by teams/coaches picked up from social media, footy analysis shows and footy commentary but also some idea's from coaches from other sports that still fits the AFL model.
Holding Teams Back – tardiness, selfishness, complaining, not finishing, blaming others, making excuses, energy vampires, lackluster effort, no team cohesion, poor team leadership
Defensive Line – the position of the ball determines where the defensive line is and the defender closest to the ball is the one who sets the line regardless of their position
Hawthorn Forwards Box – 2 at the back who lead up towards the ball and 2 at the front that double back but crossover as well so the kicker has 4 options
Clarko’s Cluster – to defend a kick in position a 4 man diamond from the man on the mark, wingers fall in behind the wide points of that diamond and then there's 2 big forwards behind those wingers just outside 50 so if they manage to get past layers 1 and 2, then there’s still pressure from behind
On the Bench – have players write down what they’re seeing out there
We're just days away from, or already have completed, round 1 for 2024 and everyone is obviously pretty pumped about it.
The success of your games comes of the back of your ability to teach your players, and thus your players ability to learn - as a direct by-product from what and how you teach.
Players can't execute skills they don't have or have ever tried, not can they play to tactics that they have never been taught.
The ability for your players to transfer what you do at training to actual games will pretty much determine your win-loss record going forward unless your cash-splashing to win on talent alone.
Here are 2 frameworks you can use to level up your training day coaching to ensure greater transfer to games.
Most coaches will go straight to a training activity as the what and how they'll do something and then go to the why but that's backwards thinking - from Gary Piggott, we'll look at the what/why's first then look at the how.
What x have a clear learning focus, what do the players need help with?
How x progressions, the end game, ensure repetition of focus throughout
Why x reason for the session, is it what the players need to develop? Is it game related/simulation?
Challenge/Motivation x appropriately stretch/challenge the players, is each athlete being motivated every session? Is the challenge point correct where it's not too hard nor easy for any player?
Player Ownership x are you giving players all the information throughout or do you allow them to learn on their own?
Simplicity x don’t over-complicate, keep your message/s concise
Core Coaching Skills x how will you organise, manage, communicate, and observe during training?
Once you've got a brief outline of what you need to do and why, only then can you start to look at how you will deliver the individual session but also, how you'll develop a game concept over multiple training sessions and time periods. This is from Chris Fraser:
Differential Practice x varied tasks to develop adaptability, decision making and creativity by changing stimulus, equipment and/or task
Random Practice x mimic unpredictability to enhance players’ ability to think fast, react quickly and thrive in games while keeping them guessing by altering focal areas, conditions, space etc
Isolated Practice x master fundamentals and specific skills in controlled environments to build technique, precision and muscle memory
Conditioned Practice x set constraints and challenges to simulate games that pushes players to adapt, problem solve and excel under pressure
Massed Practice x concentrated repetition to accelerate skill acquisition that can build confidence with maximum reps in a minimal amount of time reps
Whole-Part-Whole x start with the big picture to inspire and then break down to refine the skill/s required and then bring it back together
Linear Practice x progress step-by-step while mastering the skill before moving to the next
Interleaving Practice x enhance retention and adaptability, mix and match drills, intertwine skills, challenge players to switch gears seamlessly and embrace variety, stimulate the mind and elevate performance
Non-Linear Pedagogy x mix it up, jump between skills, keep players on their toes, embrace chaos and encourage adaptability to unlock creativity
You'll definitely have used some of these before without knowing it but which new idea's here jump out at you?
As always remember that these training activities simply have a brief description and that's it - no images, diagrams and pictures to accompany them. Let's get to activities 71 - 90.
As much as it pains me to do so, here's how Richmond stifled the Swans transition and ball movement yesterday which was evident while I was there and more so watching the replay.
I can't use my wife's Ipad to do my normal video so I'm on back up analysis tech but it'll do the job.
The goal from the Tigers was to get right in the face of the Sydney ball carriers/receivers as fast as possible in numbers, which they did, but even when we did get control of the ball their team defense was elite as these multiple examples show.
Note - if analysing games then being able to recognise patterns of play is crucial as I've been able to do here.
If particular focus is the Tigers creating a defensive box cutting off any sort of 45 degree corridor kick backed up by a crowding of the space behind that as well.
The "stand" rule has been in for a few years now and it has made a huge difference to how teams can transition from end to end which I believe has been a huge positive for the game.
Some teams use it more than most in the AFL but that's probably being more of their specific game style (keep the ball in motion v stoop-start build ups) then deliberately trying to exploit it at all times.
If you have it in your league, then you should definitely be doing just that and if you have in under 18's then you should be preparing your players for senior footy next year by exploiting it as well.
In the video below I give you the 3 most important tips to exploiting the stand rule to give you it's full advantage...
The Sydney Swans are back in a big way so far with our ball use culminating in a ridiculous amount of goals from the defensive half which puts us in fast play and thus is very hard to defend when the ball is moving around so quick and so accurately.
Essendon still struggle mightily with defending transition and although their clearance game was elite, especially in the 1st half (+12). once we were able to even that up i the 2nd half (+1) they were on toast.
This video takes a look at 1 single transition offense fast play that ended in a full ground transition and goal that specifically shows:
How Sydney use width to create corridor
Lane running to create outnumber opportunities, and
Errol Gulden beating 10+ Essendon players on his own
Remember, these are training activities that I just have a short description of with no videos, images or diagrams but you'll still be able to follow them so lets get to activities 51 - 70.
The first 3 parts of this series has covered youth development, learning and coaching, with club culture being the focus today.
How To Win (Phil Beckner) – you can beat 50% of your comp by consistently showing up and working hard, 40% by doing things with urgency and detail and the last 10% is simply a dogfight
Cody Royle – if you’re culture crumbles when 1 person leaves then you haven’t built a good culture and if your team crumbles when 1 player leaves then you haven’t built a very good team
Success (Kaillie Humphries) – success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently
Environment (Cody Royle) – whether someone is an a-grader depends on your environment, not on their skills or past results
Winners (Daniel Abrahams) – the difference between winners and those who finished 2nd is often that the latter lose focus on what they can control...
This 5min video looks at and explains Sydney moving the ball horizontally, by hand, v the Pies Friday night.
In junior/local footy the ball moves vertically 99% of the time and by extension, makes it extremely easy for the opposition to defend and then transition into offense upon intercepting.
I also explain what this allows the other players off the ball to do and how it can really stretch the opposition.
This short 5min video looks at how quickly Collingwood transition once they regain the ball and how all 3 lines stay impeccably connected during that transition.
In the video I show how it develops, what it should look like but also what we usually see in local footy...
New Post - Opposition Mark/Free Kick Inside our Forward 50
This is a pure formation slide which if performed correctly should really limit what player movement needs to occur apart from some minor horizontal or vertical shifting if the opposition are able to find short to medium players to pass to.
I'll go line-by-line as usual but there will probably be players from 1 line filling positions from the lines I list below, but most players from that line will be in what I lay out but refer to the image and you can plug in as many players on each line as you prefer.
I must preface that this set up is designed to funnel the opposition to 1 - 2 dominant marking players so if you've got them, then this is a great set up but if not, then you might need something more aggressive defensively that can create turnovers closer to our goal.
Here are the basic player movements to assume the formation:
So far we've covered youth development and learning and today we look at coaching.
Programming Philosophy – 70 - 80% of a session is of what I know works, 10 - 15% is what I’m pretty sure works, 5% is what I’m experimenting with and 5% of what the athlete/s want
Player Development Profiles (Gary Curneen) – what they do + what they could do + what they want to do + when they will be ready to do it
Buy In – happens when players feel like their input matters, are involved in problem solving, their concerns are identified/addressed, are confident with roles/responsibilities and receive constant individual feedback
Mechanical Output (Gerry Defilippo) – if we improve mechanical output then operational output (times in games where we’re not at our max) is less taxing on our aerobic system
Coaching (Andy Ryland) – create situations, not drills...
So far I've dropped 2 edition's of these series containing 20 training activities each but with house moving tomorrow, a severe lack of time, and it being 11:27pm, here's another 10 to tie you over for now.
Remember, these are training activities that I just have a short description of with no videos, images or diagrams but you'll still be able to follow them so lets get to activities 41 - 50.
Last week we started this series with youth development and today we roll with learning:
Motor learning can increase by 20% in the first 3 – 9 sessions
Mistakes (James Clear) – make mistakes of ambition (failing on a big goal, creating something nobody wants) over making mistakes of a sloth (not attempting a big goal, consume instead of creating)
Performance (Courtney Porter) – performance during practice does not necessarily reflect learning which may emerge at a later time or under different task constraints
The better technical athlete will always out-do the better conditioned athlete
The accumulation of too much fatigue during training can inhibit the learning of motor skills...
I've got 100's of pages of research I've compiled over about 20 years on training and coaching just sitting there, with the intention of being used as content but rarely does.
As I'm in the middle of packing and then moving house next week, this is the perfect opportunity to utilise some of it.
This new series is called "1 Liners from my Research Files" which is exactly what it suggests.
In the next few weeks there will also be posts on learning, teaching, sport psychology and other aspects of sports coaching.
Today I've pulled all 1 line pieces of info from my files on everything youth development, training and coaching + I'll link to Twitter accounts of those I have noted the author of so feel free to check each of them out and greatly extend your learning space.
Training Don’ts (Shane Smith) x long runs, large sided games, aggressive instructions, long lines, demanding silence, long warm ups, long duration stretching, having only a winning focus, being too serious, focusing on skill technique over coaching, making it about you
Shane Smith – consider those who don’t get a lot of the ball in games, who don’t stand out or are too shy to call for a pass and give them extra time, encouragement and opportunities
Be child centered, be holistic, be inclusive, fun/safe, prioritise the love of the sport over learning the sport, focus on fundamental skills over sport specific skills, engage parents positively, plan progressive programs, use different methods to enhance learning, use competition in a developmental way
.01% of youth athletes will be world champs but 99.9% will hopefully be lifelong supporters/lovers/contributors to their sport, so coach accordingly
Grant Jenkins – kids don’t specialise at school so why should they at sport?
Because a kick out is a closed play action and about the only time where time isn't a factor besides set shot goal kicking, it's 1 of the most controllable moments of the game.
Most teams will defend a kick out with a 3/4/5/5 zone or something similar so what you'll be kicking into is pretty much the same.
The most important thing to do as the offensive team is determine where the ball is going to be kicked, whose going to be directly involved and then what the other players do off the ball.
Otherwise you have 17 players calling for the 1 ball, and there's actually too much information for the kicker which can be as bad as not enough information, and decision making can be greatly affected.
Not much to this one really,just set it up and go although you'd have some of your own strategies/tactics you'd want to use off of a kick out so include them in your cueing when explaining the activity.
Footy's back and about time as my brothers fill the family chat with every cricket game happening on earth when footy isn't on and it's going on right now!
Collingwood had their first hit out against opposition today so I tuned in to see what they kept from last year and anything new I could find in the game style.
Although North Melbourne dominated the game for various reasons (wanted/needed to more, ridiculous center clearance work and fast handball chains from defense for deep forward entries), the Pies still showed their best is going to be up there, without important players and managed game time for others.
Below is a 12min video from today showing staples from last year such as:
I've posted about mastery v ego before so in a nutshell it's:
Mastery - locating, finding and completing a pass to the best, usually most open and easy target available.
Ego - ignoring the most open and easy target to attempt a pass with a low chance of being completed and that puts our team at a huge disadvantage if not completed.
1 will usually go unnoticed but does wonders for your team's performance and the other is all about being noticed by everyone, and bragging about it later.
These notes touch on the different levels of mastery, compiled by Paul Gamble, who I'm pretty sure I've posted notes of before.
You'll have players in all of these 5 categories and it's your job as coach to know which players are in what category and then how you'll coach differently to reach and improve them.
Identifying what stage you’re at can help reveal blind spots and weak areas, and what it will take to get to the next stage
The 5 stages are novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert
Novices are entirely reliant on what they’re explicitly taught and blindly follow procedures/templates for how to practice, irrespective of it’s quality
Advanced athletes are more aware of the gap between what they’re taught and what works in practice, and they start to recognise scenarios and how they each require a variation of the plan, but their pattern matching is flawed/prone to error
Competent athletes are deliberate and analytical in their approach who can now formulate plans to fit the situation but tend to rigidly follow through with the plan once in motion and can't switch course as the situation evolves
Proficient athletes are less formulaic and can now custom-fit to each situation while improvising and being highly adaptable/flexible in their responses to unforeseen developments
Experts are fluid, adaptable, intuitive in how they practice/make decisions on the fly and have superior judgement/tacit knowledge which means they see things others don’t and detect anomalies sooner
I would strongly guess that most of your players are in the top 2, possible 3 categories but also, what category do you, the coach, sit in, and what do you need to do to also move up a level or 2?
The player movements/formations that will allow this to occur frequently will be evident in future posts as we reach the end of the loop which starts this new loop (that made sense didn't it?), but of course it helps immensely if you have a great contested mark in your defensive 6 but still, we should have equal or more numbers than the opposition from how we're setting up...
These notes come from this Gaelic football Twitter site, that looks at what we're actually all aiming for during and from training - learning.
There's so much focus on the "doing" of training but that's mainly because that's what coaches know - they know what they want to see and design their activities for that to happen but that rarely equates to actual learning and thus, minimal transfer to games.
I post a lot on teaching/learning which I get from reading a lot of school-teaching and learning science content, and I strongly urge you to get your hands on some of this too because you haven't taught anything until it's learnt, and in footy that learning is presented in how players perform in games, not in training.
Here's a 10-step framework you can use to ignite your players' level of learning from your own training.
A couple of weeks ago I dropped the first edition of this and with pre-season being the time to road test and refine new training activities, here's another 20.
Remember, these are training activities that I just have a short description of with no videos, images or diagrams but you'll still be able to follow them so lets get to activities 21 - 40.
Again the starting formation is up to you and is hugely dependent on if you have a dominant tap ruck or not which can be out of your control, but what happens after that is still very controllable so here's what I would like to happen...
I've got a file over 100 pages that I constantly take and add to which makes up the training activities membership.
Usually a training activity will have videos and/or images included to it but today we're going streamline!
These are training activities that I just have a short description of with no videos, images or diagrams but you'll still be able to follow them so strap in.
I literally just recorded this off the TV 2mins ago, with the TNT crew off Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O' Neal and Ernie Johnson talking about the boost that comes with being named a first-time all-star, and the first game coming off of that which in this case is Jalen Brunson and Tyrone Maxey with both having huge games today after the announcement.
The part that was really interesting was when they were talking about confidence but I want to break this down into a specific skill acquisition terms which may help you in your own quest of developing your own, or your players' skill development.
Here's the video:
KENNY'S CAR ANAOLOGY
If I ever had to explain affordances to a complete stranger, I always thought I'd use this analogy for ease of explanation, so points to the Jet on this one but I'd like a stab at breaking this down even more.
As Kenny says, you're driving on the freeway and you want to change lanes and whoever has the most confidence will do it first.
What initially develops this confidence in the first place though?
First you've got individual action capabilities which is what you are capable of at different levels of confidence.
Then you've got affordances which are the opportunity of action/s that are available to me right now.
Ill park this here for now.
ALL-STARS SEE THE SAME THINGS AS EVERYONE ELSE BUT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE
At the elite level most players will perceive the same (as Kenny mentions - "we all the saw the guys' open"), or similar things, in a single play as they have all received elite-level coaching, but the best players see and then act on them far quicker.
At local level footy this is extremely varied and has huge implications on the 2 points above - action capabilities/affordances.
"I CAN MAKE THIS PASS" (Barkley)
This is a great example of knowing one's action capabilities in that moment of time.
Charles saw the teammate open, and deciding on the passing option based on his body position, confidence levels and what action capabilities he posses there and then, whipped this pass off down the court (54sec mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFoOjZYeKe4
CAR ANALOGY PART 2
Getting back to this, personally I drive shit-box with poor acceleration so if I'm wanting to change lanes here's my process, linking with Kenny's process from above.
I'm assertive, but not aggressive driver and will change lanes/overtake when needed with high confidence I can do so at any time but that alone can decide when I can do these actions on the road.
With my poor acceleration, I need to have what I perceive as enough space and time to do so, with the action capabilities I have (poor acceleration).
If I'm in a brand new car with great acceleration, I'm now seeing the exact same affordances (space and time) but with far better acceleration capabilities now have higher confidence to use smaller gaps in space and time to make the same move, and this opens up far more affordances to me as a result.
PICKED AS AN ALL-STAR
If you are able to make it to the level of an NBA all-star, then that represents that you have been able consistently perform at an extremely high level over a decent period of time.
This banking of repeated high performances has been based on developing your own action capabilities (rounding out your game etc) which presents more affordances for you to potentially act on (greater skill set).
At extreme times of performance you are in the zone, or in a state of flow which surpasses what even high confidence is, as it is an unconscious action for the most part.
Everything feels effortless, you can't miss, you;re racking up possessions at will, you're seeing everything before it happens and unfortunately you actually remember much of the process of how it happened and is hard to replicate.
In Barkley's case here, he had 43 points in a game at Madison Square Garden against as a New York team lead by Patrick Ewing - it's fair to say he had surpassed confidence and entered a flow state at some point during this game and that pass above showed that specifically.
PUT THIS IN FOOTY TERMS PLEASE
Players will often see the same thing, but it's who see's it first and then acts on before anyone else that is better-performed. For example I have the ball and see a free option to pass to but at the same time an opposition player also see's them open. I need my kick to get there before the opposition player but can I kick it low/hard enough to do that or does my action capabilities not allow this and it's a loopy/slow kick that gets cut off?
On the other hand I'll be the defender in the above scenario. The free player is a wide option but I'm also keeping an eye on a more central option, essentially caught in between them and non-committal to either. I'm angling towards the central option and giving teasing distance to the kicker, I'm close enough to where I feel I am fast enough to get there if they decide to kick there. I'm not really worried about them going the wide option as it's to a less dangerous spot for us to defend. Now the kicker has my decision to make above - can I dart that central kick without it being cut off or do I need to go the safe option,based on my action capabilities?
Going deeper, I have already hit a central option this quarter so my confidence is higher then before so if I see a similar affordance/option again, my current perception of my action capabilities provide me the confidence to give it another crack.
If I had missed that affordance/target earlier, then my current perception of my action capabilities can decrease and that affordance is now closed to me, as I look for more open/safer affordances/targets to kick to - this is what we perceive as confidence.
When we are high on confidence our action capabilities increase which then also increases the amount of, and type of, affordances we see.
If this is repeated over time then hopefully this will allow us at times, to enter a flow state during games, but you'll rarely stay in it for the entire game, especially footy which is over about 3hrs from the start of prep to post-game such as Richmond's Nathan Brown kicking 5 goals in the last quarter v Collingwood to win the game after being goal-less to 3 quarter time.
Here's a framework you can use to guide skill acquisition development which I'll go into next week:
1 - What are their current confidence levels (decided by a million factors!)
2 - What information/affordances are they perceiving/processing during the game?
3 - What individual action capabilities do they have to choose from to use in this situation, based on first 3 points?
4 - What action did they choose?
5 - Was it successful? Unsuccessful?
6 - Does confidence increase/decrease because of the outcome?
I first learnt about game models about 5 or 6 years ago via Fergus Connolly, a coach who has had his hands in every sports pie you can imagine, including EPL, NFL and NBA.
I believe they are a must-have for ALL coaches but especially local coaches as they are not as resourced as elite or even-semi elite coaches as far as assistant coaches are concerned, and it can help establish roles and responsibilities within a team/large group setting.
Most teams have a game style but a game model goes far, far deeper then that.
Over the next few weeks I'll post some quick examples of how game models can be used and hopefully you'll see the benefit in developing them yourself.
Today we're going to look at center bounce clearances.
What formation you decide you use is up to you but ultimately you'll win it, lose it, or neutralise it into a secondary stoppage which then allows more players to surround the ball and it's a different play altogether.
This training activity is about moving the opposition which then opens up the space they just vacated, for your team to take advantage of.
In the AFL you'll rarely see a player give a handball before forcing the defender to commit to them, freeing up the receiver to take ground once they take possession but it hasn't really translated to local footy yet.
Instead players give handball at the 1st sign of pressure but without committing that opposition, the lone defender is then able to defend 2 players at once and then you're at a disadvantage as it's a 2v1 number superiority, but you don't have the positional superiority to go with it.
This game encourages players to commit the defender towards them at game speeds so the decision making process matches up with games and transfer is far more likely to occur.
There are numerous layers that can be added on to that are detailed below the video.
12 Month Membership (All Levels 1 to 4) equates to $264, now $198 (1 time payment, 12 month membership back dated to October 2023 and runs until the end of September 2024).
Do not buy from the information link for each product, purchase from the register link from the 12 month membership link or you won't get the discounted price.
These prices will go back to normal Monday night so don't miss this opportunity to greatly improve your coaching in season 2024.
Yesterday I was watching some Youtube while on my daily treadmill and I clicked on yet another ex-NBA and now-NBA commentator JJ Redick talking with Portland young stud Anfernee Simons about what was the biggest change/s for him coming from high school to the NBA.
Simons was used to shooting any shot he wanted in high school which included a lot of mid-range shots which is a dead art in the NBA these days, and the adjustment he needed to make was to decide what sort of shots does he want which in accordance with the NBA game in 2024, is 3 pointers and lay-ups/dunks.
He mentioned a short framework he used to simplify the game to make this in-game adjustment way easier (watch to the 3:45 to 5:10min mark):
As stated by Simons, a framework is something that can simplify the game, or a specific scenario in a game. In his case it's receiving the ball off of a screen and instead of keeping all options open which slows down decision making time, he narrows the options down to just 2 - shoot or pass.
I've seen another video featuring Steph Curry coaching a youth team and he was saying you've got .5secs to make a decision once you receive the ball so it's shoot, drive and shoot/pass or pass which matches up with Simons above.
Once the framework is embedded, then you can become more creative off of it and you can start using different options on top of the shoot and pass options, depending on what you're seeing from the defense.
OK, now let's get to footy.
Harry McKay is known more for his goal kicking woes than anything else, which is a bit of a shame as his 2023 stats showed that for a tall forward he was above average for disposals, kicks, inside 50's, shots at goal, goal assists, score involvements, marks inside 50, meters gained and elite in marks, contested marks and marks on a lead.
The bad news is he was below average in goal accuracy (37.7% against a career % of 48.1 - still below average though) and goals (1.4 v 1.9 - above average).
We're all well aware of his goal kicking woes but what stands out to me is a lack of framework he has in deciding what kick he does in what scenario and attending 2 Carlton finals in 2023 in person, I know Blues fans are extremely frustrated by it.
There's plenty going on in his goal kicking routine and even searching Google for an image to use here brought up numerous shots of a bent leg finishing across his body (like the one above but then look at Plugger in his heyday):
I'm going to focus on his decision-making for this framework.
A simple framework for big H would be as simple as...
Post-Xmas pre-season training is about to start back up this month so it's time to take stock of your current coaching practices and isolate areas of improvement, with this post focusing on where most coaches waste the most time during practice.
This wasted-time results in less ball rolling time which is the % of your session where a ball is being used.
The points I bring up are Talking, Have a Plan/No Laps, Warm Up, Isolated Skills, Take Data, Going Further.
Learn at the Edges of your Current Ability to Stretch, but not Overwhelm
Expand Your Search and Exploration Area
No Right or Wrong Answers
Suitable for Coaches and Players of All Levels
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Aussie Rules Training Game Intelligence Challenge.
“You cannot teach skills without knowledge...skills are an accumulation of knowledge” - Daisy Christodoulou (Director of Education, No More Marking)
What this challenge will focus on is the building your game intelligence through improving your knowledge-of-the game which is the ability to identify patterns of play before, and while, they are occurring, as well as being aware of what you’re affordances (opportunities for action) are, in a given situation.
“Self-regulating players can think for themselves and can solve game situations through their communication with the game environment and their decision-making as well how they interact with the game” – David Garcia, Coach Educator
By developing your knowledge-of-the-game you can dramatically improve your knowledge-in-the-game, which means a decrease in your decision making time, giving you more time to physically act, resulting in you being involved in more game interactions, and then having more impact when you’re in them.
“Understand how small events can have significant consequences and amplify the chaos on and off the field” – Fergus Connolly, Elite Performance Coach
There are 3 levels to the Game Intelligence Challenge with each level fielding question/scenarios relating to the back line, wing/ruck positions, the midfield, the forward line and around the ground interactions.
I have my own answers to each question but there are no right or wrong answers – your answers will be based off what YOU see in front of you, what YOU have been exposed to in your playing/coaching experiences and the playing/coaching philosophy YOU have towards footy right now.
“Your real job as a coach is to create more leaders, not more followers”
There will be answers you have that I don’t have and vice-versa, and that’s what a growth mindset is all about – being open to new knowledge that might go against what you currently believe, but being open to differing opinions and beliefs.
As a way to scaffold the content, a proven way to effectively deliver learning material, the challenge will be delivered 1 level at a time.
There is no “marking” of anything, making this a safe zone for thoughts and exploration, especially if some of this is new to you. You’ll give me your answer and then I’ll provide feedback based on that, with the aim to guide you towards a potentially more effective solution if I have one!
Above all this is aimed at being a challenging, but fun, activity which is where we can enter a flow state, which is the optimal state for higher level learning.
Questions and answers for all 3 levels are spread across written, image based, video based and some where you will be required to draw out the answer so get yourself a whiteboard and some different colored markers, which will also help you greatly in working through most of the other questions.
There are 24 questions in level 1, 35 in level 2 and 45 in level 3 for a non-rounded total number of 104 in total.
This is a stand alone product so anyone can purchase it with or without a current membership, and you'll receive it in a PDF via email once payment notification hits my account but I have to email it manually, but it will be on the same day as your purchase so you won't have to wait long.
You can send your answers to my email and/or messenger (preferred as you can more easily send videos and images).
Feel free to go into as much detail in your answers you like as this a process-driven project far more then it's an outcome-based project.
Now just to help you out with how I would go about answering the visual questions, let's refer to the 1st game clip in this video:
On an image-based question you can either draw it up like above and answer, or print the image out and draw over it, take a photo/video of your answer and send it in.
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