The Talent Equation Podcast

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 m

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

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

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 o

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

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 co

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 ove

-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 athl

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 le

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' explorat

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

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 Coa

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 conversat

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 ab

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.