I came across Philip some years ago as he began his search on mastering a constraints-led approach to his tennis coaching.
He's based in Ireland so also expect some references to various Gaelic sports.
Since than he has posted his journey of learning and now implementing everything he has learnt and posts very easily digestible bits of content that often has immediate take-aways you can put into your very next coaching session.
I myself have also posted a fair bit on the constraints-led approach so you might recognise some of the subjects and terms already.
PLAYER KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge about the game can be giving verbal responses and can help with initial experiences...Knowledge of the game is showcased in players movements, behaviours and actions
CONSTRAINTS-LED APPROACH
Intentions shape coaching decisions and serves as a guiding constraint that influences player/team cognition’s so ensure tasks are designed with clear/meaningful intentions to align actions with desired outcomes to enhance understanding/engagement...Instead of looking for optimal movement patterns, look for functional/complex dependent solutions/adaptability...Movement is an ongoing problem solving activity as athletes navigate their environment via perception (seeing/hearing), cognition (thinking/decision making) and action (moving/responding) so design alive practices...Enrichment can be improved via design rich/varied experiences requiring adaptability to push each player's individual challenge points...Self-regulation is where coaches guide learners’ attention towards relevant environmental features, deepening/enhancing the relationship between the individual and the environment and by guiding athletes attention to specifying information that can help them become more aware of the affordances available to them enabling them to adapt their actions based on immediate constraints of their task/environment/action capabilities...Start with small player numbers so there’s not as much information for athletes to process and they’ll be better-abled to see and act on affordances...Movements are dependent on action capabilities/environmental opportunities/sociocultural influences and as they improve then so do the affordances that are presented to them...Use task simplification while maintaining the tight connection between perception/action...Design to observe and observe to design so be flexible in your planning and what you’re seeing in front of you...Principles of play help direct attention of athletes without overly constraining the movement options that supports their decision making and enables them to discover/exploit opportunities and helps them connect better with what’s happening in front of them instead of telling them what to do
TASK SIMPLIFICATION
Refers to making movements easier to perform while still maintaining game form/perception-action coupling...Are the rules/equipment/spaces that define the activity the same as the game?...For tennis you can implement this via lower compression balls that travel slower, smaller/lighter racquets that are easier to control and higher/lower nets
WAYFINDING
Exploration is the key to skill development...Emphasises the importance of athletes learning to navigate the challenges of an ever-changing environment by exploring/interacting with it while adapting to emergent problems...The key to wayfinding is self-regulation which is the ability to adjust actions, perceptions and emotions in the performance environment...Coaches can assist this by guiding athletes through tasks designed to encourage exploration rather than dictating specific solutions...Design activities that mimic real challenges...Create practice tasks reflective of the complexity of competition...Encourage self-regulation x creating activities where athletes must adapt their actions based on the feedback from their environment...In tennis vary the starting position of the opposition so they will need to problem solve...Use targeted questioning to guide exploration such as asking them to reflect on what they notice in the environment (gaps in the defense etc) to encourage athletes to discover opportunities themselves...It isn’t knowing before we go but knowing as we go
DETERMINANTS OF FUN
I think these are the results of a mammoth youth athlete survey and their comments about fun in sports.
Trying Hard x trying your best, working hard, exercising/being active, getting/staying in shape, playing well during games, being strong/confident, competing, making a big play in games, setting/achieving goals, playing hard...Positive Team Dynamic’s x playing well together, being/giving support, showing good sportsmanship, getting help from teammates, warming up/stretching as a team...Positive Coaching x treats everyone with respect, knows a lot about the sport, a positive role model, encourages the team, getting clear/consistent comms, listens/considers players opinions, allows mistakes while staying positive, you can talk to easily, nice/friendly, gives compliments, participates during practice, jokes around...Learning/Improving x being challenged to improve, learning from mistakes, improve athletic skills, plenty of ball touches, learning new skills, using skill learned in practice in a game, playing different positions, going to sports camp, copying moves/tricks of pro’s...Games x getting playing time, playing favourite position/s, playing against evenly matched teams, being known by others for your skills, playing on a nice field, playing in tournaments...Practice x well-organised, water breaks, play time, lots of different activities, game simulation, partner/small sided games, practice with specialty coaches/trainers...Team Friendships x getting along with teammates, being around friends, having friends outside of school, being part of the same team every year, making new friends, talking/fooling around with friends...Mental Bonuses x keeping positive attitude, winning, relieves stress, ignoring the score...Game Time Support x consistent referees, good parental behaviour, being congratulated for playing well, making people cheer at the game, having your own parents there, getting complimented by parents...Team Rituals x showing team spirit, high 5/fist bumps, end of season parties, going out as a team, doing team rituals, carpooling with teammates after the game, doing a cool team cheer...Swag – nice team gear/equipment, earning medals/trophies, travelling to new places to play, wearing special/cool uniforms, eating snacks/treats post-game, staying in hotels for tournaments, getting pictures taken
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS
Encourage exploration, have a clear session intention, solve the prob in many ways, highlight/exaggerate opportunities for action and reduce rigid instructions to leave space for creativity/decision making...Views humans/groups as complex adaptive systems with non-linear properties where variation in movement is not a negative...Affordances can invite athletes to take action, especially if they align with their current capabilities...Behaviours/actions are always context dependent...Repetition without repetition is how athletes should practice...With experience and the right practice design, athletes can become highly skilled at perceiving and exploiting the most relevant affordances
NON-LINEAR MOVEMENT PRACTICES
Movement learning does not happen the same for all athletes where individuality, variation and adaptability are essential...School PE coaches need to address the conflict between learner-centered pedagogy and traditional assessments...Recognise that there are many ways to succeed so they should be provided with varied movement challenges...Opens up space for multiple learning outcomes and athletes will achieve different results that are equally valuable
SCORING
Scoring a goal/making a pass/hit the winning shot isn't about perfect technique, it's about adapting to the conditions of the moment
SCALING
Refers to the right adjustments to equipment, space and challenge levels that can help players learn faster/perform better...Allows you to adapt training while keeping it game relevant...We need to present problems to the players that match their current abilities/stage of learning while keeping key information present...Equipment x larger/lower compression balls to slow down game pace and bigger balls that are easier to hit...Oppo/Pressure x number advantage small sided games to delayed opposition pressure...Rules/Scoring x guide them towards key skills that encourages exploration - 2nd serves increases exploration from reduced consequences and to get them to net, give them 3pts for net volley’s etc...Playing Area x match to suit individual action capabilities and game intensity index = pitch area/player numbers
CONSTRAINTS-LED APPROACH
You can use unopposed practice but not to isolate technique, but to guide exploration/support skill development through CLA...To practice hitting a deeper/higher shot in tennis use a high fence as a constraint, devise a scoring system for different landing zones, minimise instruction/let them explore and to bring in repetition without repetition, vary ball feeds slightly and the athletes starting positions so they aren’t repeating the same shot yet they are still learning to adapt the solution
SKILL
Improving is about enhancing the connection between what they see/can do and a player may not attack space but not because they don’t want to do, but because they don’t see it or have the ability to do so
CONSTRAINTS
They don’t dictate - they guide by highlighting the possibilities while still leaving the decision making up to the player
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