The Constraints Collective #68 The Value of Opposed and Unopposed Practice
14 snips
Nov 14, 2025 This conversation tackles the long-standing debate on opposed versus unopposed practice in coaching. A pivotal paper emphasizes that skill development is best served through dynamic, game-like scenarios rather than rigid techniques. While unopposed drills have their place for exploration and confidence-building, real learning flourishes with the unpredictability of competition. The hosts advocate for a balanced approach, prioritizing representative practice to enhance athletes' adaptability and performance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Movement Emerges, Don’t Retrieve It
- Movement emerges from solving problems in the moment rather than retrieving stored techniques.
- Training must reflect sport's unpredictability to improve transfer to competition.
Use Unopposed Practice As Exploration
- Use unopposed practice for exploration, experimentation and confidence building, not as final preparation.
- Add 'aliveness' (opponents, timing, pressure) later to improve skill adaptability.
Fabien Otte’s Goalkeeper Workarounds
- Fabien Otte often trains goalkeepers separately in small groups, forcing mostly unopposed practice.
- He uses equipment and varied deliveries to simulate pressure and randomness for transfer.
