The Coaches Network Podcast Skill Aquisition with Dr Alex Lascu
Nov 11, 2022
Dr. Alex Lascu, a skill acquisition specialist and lecturer at the University of Canberra with a PhD in women's cricket, shares her passion for bridging research and coaching. She defines skill acquisition as unlocking potential and emphasizes that coaches don’t need to know everything to support learning. Alex highlights the importance of guiding attention, using curiosity-driven questions, and embracing messy learning. She encourages coaches to scaffold training effectively and to think beyond their sport by collaborating with researchers for deeper insights.
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From Volunteer To Coach Coordinator
- Alex started coaching at 14 after watching poor, forced instruction in junior cricket programs.
- She volunteered to give kids choice and enjoyment instead of mechanically copying coaches' movements.
Learning Over Teaching
- Skill acquisition means creating environments that let people learn, not just transferring techniques.
- Alex Lascu frames her role as helping people learn and unlock potential across contexts.
Use Constraints To Guide Attention
- Design training constraints to guide attention toward game-like solutions rather than handing explicit technique.
- Use scaled equipment and boundaries so players explore safe, functional motor patterns before match play.
