The Talent Equation Podcast

Sometimes the stars align and the article you have just published speaks perfectly to the next guest you booked on your podcast. This weeks episode I speak to Martin Erikstad who is a researcher at the Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, Universitetet i Agder in Norway. Martin has just published a fascinating case study about a football club called FK Bryne which is a small city of 12,000 people in North West Norway which is defined as a talent hotbed. The study follows the journey of a team of young players that included Erling Haaland (the young super star striker that plays for Borussia Dortmund and has been linked with every top club in Europe) and their coach and the remarkable environment that they created which led to amazing outcomes in terms of retention, progression and personal growth of the young players. It is a real life Norwegian version of Coach Carter. It's telling that the club motto is "We will enjoy football, cultivate talent and perform miracles". https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/tsp/aop/article-10.1123-tsp.2020-0107/article-10.1123-tsp.2020-0107.xml?content=fullHtml-6977Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Casey Wheel studied Kinesiology at San Diego State University while also interning with the strength and conditioning department. He still lives in the San Diego area working as the strength coach for Pacific Ridge School. His passion lies with the development of young athletes and developing programs that build agility and something he calls 'athletic plasticity'. In this conversation Casey and I explore his approach to developing movement within a framework that is mainly grounded in principles associated with non linear pedagogical thinking. He shares his layering system for practice types and explains why agility is not the same as 'change of direction'. He shares some cool games (that I have already stolen!) and we talk about movement deception and why agility work is like the 'rap battle' of physical activity and is full of 'movement banter'.Its a cool conversation....Hope you enjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players in mind, it has significant cross over and transfer to a range of other invasion sports. The tips are written for players but they have huge potential for the development of coaches as they ask questions about the kind of environments that are required to support the development of 'intelligent players'. In part 2 we cover 6 of the later chapters that I handpicked because they were particularly interesting to me. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

AMA - (Ask Me Anything) Dog Walk Diary where I respond to a great question from Rob Farrington about whether we should coach using an Information Processing approach if the athlete prefers it. Should we be athlete centred and respond to their preferences? If you would like to ask a question or become part of the Talent Equation Community then head over to my Patreon page and you can choose a donation amount. https://www.patreon.com/thetalentequation?fan_landing=trueIf money is an issue then just drop me a line and I will get you access. I don't want money to stop people joining.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Mark Bennett makes a return to the Conclave to explore some of the latest innovations in his Performance Development System (PDS) approach and to take some questions from the members of the group. In this conversation Mark shares; - Some evolutions to the famous 'rule of 3' called the '3 A's'. - How to enable players to learn to review rapidly in the moment. - The 12 (I think it was 12) types of live review- Why coaches should train for team and individual interaction. This is a full on, high octane ride through the world of PDS. Buckle Up!!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

This podcast is a bit different. Not only was it the first podcast that I have recorded live, it was a podcast with 2 people who were riding stationary bikes doing a charity virtual bike ride! In this episode I talk with Gary Laybourne, CEO of Coach Core and Steve Mitchell, one of the trustees...to discuss the amazing work they do to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to start their career in the world of sports coaching...all while Gary is riding his turbo trainer 202 miles from London to Manchester on Zwift....It's a unique but also humbling and amazing conversation...Hope you enjoyIf you would like to contribute to the fundraising effort here is the link to the Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gary-laybourneBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

This podcast is a bit different - I am on the other side of the mic and I am being asked the questions as this is my appearance on 'The Coach's Road' podcast hosted by Derek Read and Rick Schreiber. Both postgraduate students at Vierumäki University in Finland. Derek is 22 years old and in his fifth year of coaching. Originally from Colorado, he started coaching while completing his degree in computer science at the university of Colorado at boulder. After his degree he moved to vierumäki, Finland to pursue his passion of coaching youth Hockey and move towards his goal of becoming a coach developer. Rick is 23 years old and has spent his youth playing hockey in Berlin, Germany. After finishing his high school degree, he moved to Dresden to do a volunteer social year for the Eislöwen Juniors. During that year, he gained his first coaching experiences. he moved to Vierumäki in 2018 to follow his passion and goal of coaching in a competitive environment one day. Currently, he is in his fourth year of coaching. This was a rollercoaster of a conversation that got me into all sorts of areas of discussion. Hope you enjoy...https://www.thecoachsroad.com/podcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players in mind, it has significant cross over and transfer to a range of other invasion sports. The tips are written for players but they have huge potential for the development of coaches as they ask questions about the kind of environments that are required to support the development of 'intelligent players'. In part 1 we cover 6 of the early chapters that I handpicked because they were particularly interesting to me. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Joe Baker is Professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. He makes a welcome return to the podcast along with his research associate, Alexandra 'Sandy' Mosher. Joe's research team focuses on optimal human development to understand how someone gets to, and stays at, the highest levels of performance. His previous research in this area has considered various psychosocial and environmental factors influencing athletic skill development across a range of sports to catalogue the extensive range of factors affecting an athlete's capacity to maximize their potential. In this episode with unpack some fascinating new research which challenges the commonly held suggestion that early specialisation is "the villain of talent development", how it might be possible to experience 'healthy early specialisation' and why the link between early specialisation and burnout and injury is not what we think it is. It is a fascinating discussion...I hope you enjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Skye is the founder of the Soccer Parenting Association with a mission of inspiring players by empowering parents. A former professional player, Skye has coached extensively in the youth and collegiate games she is also a sought after Coach & Parent Educator and Club Consultant.In this conversation we discuss the ways that coaches can develop strong relationships with players and parents. Skye explains a framework that she uses to support the creation of positive connections through the '4 dimensions of a 'sense of community''. This is a fascinating conversation full of fascinating insight into the key relationships between coaches, parents and athletes.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.