Episode 7: Revisiting the origins of the constraints led approach
May 29, 2024
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The podcast delves into key papers by Carl Newell and the Constraints Collective, discussing motor behavior and interdisciplinary research. Topics include coordination patterns in sports, safety in youth sports, constraint manipulation in sports performance, control parameters in coordination patterns, and the transition to an interdisciplinary approach in sports science. The hosts emphasize the impact of environmental constraints on athlete performance and the importance of adapting to various constraints for optimal performance.
01:27:15
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Quick takeaways
Interaction quality with the environment shapes coordination development, challenging traditional views.
Task and environmental constraints influence behavior, highlighting the importance of their interaction.
Understanding constraints at different timescales guides coaching strategies for skill development and performance enhancement.
Deep dives
Influential Work on Coordination Development
The podcast revisits Carl Newell's 1986 paper and a 1994 paper authored by an integral part of the Constraints Collective. Newell's work challenges traditional views of coordination development, emphasizing the quality of interactions with the environment over prescribed maturation timelines. For example, changing an infant's orientation impacts the display of reflexes. This shift towards individual-environment interactions has practical implications for coaching and practice design, focusing on manipulating task constraints to enhance skill development.
Environmental and Task Constraints Interaction
The discussion touches on the distinctions between task and environmental constraints, with Newell categorizing the latter as ambient constraints in the surroundings. Task constraints are depicted as specific to the current activity, such as aquatic conditions for swimming or positioning for catching a ball. The concept of interacting constraints is highlighted, emphasizing how personal, task, and environmental constraints operate together at different timescales to shape behavior.
Unpacking the Dynamics of Constraint Interactions
The importance of understanding constraint interactions at varying timescales is underscored. While task constraints are immediate and specific to the current activity, broader constraints like development, aging, and cultural influences operate over longer periods. This dynamic perspective emphasizes that constraints from different timescales play a role in shaping behavior, guiding coaches and practitioners towards a comprehensive understanding of skill development and performance.
Exploring Constraints in Coaching and Teaching
Understanding interacting constraints is crucial for improving coaching and teaching practices. By identifying and considering constraints, such as individual, task, and environmental factors, coaches can design more effective training strategies. For instance, the example of Greg Rutherford mastering jumping into the wind highlights the importance of recognizing and utilizing constraints for performance development. Coaches should focus not only on manipulating task constraints but also consider factors like emotions and environmental conditions to enhance athletes' adaptation and performance.
Integrating Interdisciplinary Approaches and Control Parameters
The podcast discusses the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in sports science to enhance athlete development. It emphasizes the concept of control parameters in motor behavior, where systematic changes lead to qualitative shifts in coordination patterns. Control parameters provide essential information for individuals to adapt their movement patterns and achieve task goals. By integrating various theoretical perspectives like ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches, coaches and practitioners can create more effective and tailored training programs for athletes.
In this episode we start where we left off in episode 2, and continue the discussions about Newell's 1986 book chapter entitled "Constraints on the Development of Coordination". We also discuss a 1994 paper that started to introduce the ideas of ecological dynamics entitled "The natural physical alternative to cognitive theories of motor behaviour: An invitation for interdisciplinary research in sports science?"