The Talent Equation Podcast

Ric Shuttleworth is a unique individual with an unparalleled wealth of knowledge and insight into skill acquisition and coaching. While Ric has a strong academic background and has worked within the sports science domain for a good part of his career, he is very much a practitioner and has spent most of his life on the sidelines working directly with athletes and coaches. Ric is currently working with elite coaches across a range of sports as a coach developer and he shares a series of high quality insights and 'knowledge bombs' that will really challenge the coaching and talent community to re-imagine the way that they develop the capabilities of the athletes they guide. In this episode we discuss...- How to avoid falling into the pitfall of 'comparative coaching' - Why trying to develop a 'shared mental model' can destroy creativity - Using a 'principles based' coaching approach- How coaches should be part of the learning system not in control of it- Why following a plan is the worst thing you can do- Eddie Jones secret - the "cut - bleed & bandage' approach- Using an 'explore - discover - adapt' approach to player and coach learning- How to move away from overly structured coaching towards a more reactive model that Ric describes as an 'interactive action' approach- How you could be part of a learning and development community that is being run by Ric and Mark Upton. I highly recommend having a notepad handy when you listen to this or at the very least listening to it more than once. EnjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Mark Bennett is someone that has had the most profound effect on my coaching, my parenting, my management style and my life. Mark is an expert people developer and has worked with people from all walks of life from elite sports coaches to teachers working in primary schools. His approach to helping people to follow a path of excellence is extremely powerful and I was really keen to make sure that he shares some of his insights with the Talent Community. In this great discussion we cover: - How to decide whether you are on a journey of performance and self improvement or on a journey of self delusion- How Mark tries to make himself redundant by ensuring that coaches and athletes make good behaviour choices whether he is there or not- Using 'covert tests' to help you ensure that learning has taken place- Why most coaches need to take 70% of the content out of their session plans- How to ensure that athletes make a commitment to the goals that they establish for themselvesThis is an episode that you won't want to miss. EnjoyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Reed Maltbie is a coach that takes his craft seriously. Alongside a lifetime of experience and ongoing learning he also has 2 masters degrees in Psychology and Child Development so when it comes to developing children in sport....he knows a thing or two!His passion for coaching and for the impact that a coach can have have on children led him to deliver a TED talk on the subject of communication which you can check out belowIn this great podcast episode Reed explains how he develops positive environments for young people to thrive within. We cover a lot of topics including: - The impact of words on people- How an email from a parent 'cut him in half' and nearly made him quit coaching - Strategies he uses to build positive relationships with parents including having a 'lollipop parent' patrolling the sidelines to manage behaviour- How 'the why' of coaching is the most important thing that a coach can have to help them navigate player and parental relationships- The 3 'V's' of communication - Visual, Verbal, Values- How to stop being a 'joystick coach'. This was a super enjoyable conversation packed full of quality information, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Dennis Hortin is the academy manager at AIK, one of Sweden's oldest and most respective professional football clubs. Mark O'Sullivan is a friend of the podcast and needs no introduction except to say that he has now joined AIK and is working within their coaching set up. In this brilliant discussion we learn more about why AIK has taken the brave step to back out of the crazy situation that has been emerging where football clubs are trying to select players younger ad younger to be part of their talent academy programme. AIK has been inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and has decided that the best way to help develop players and take a truly 'player centred' approach is to make sure that the kids have a great experience free from pressure until at least the age of 13. It is an inspired move and one that all talent developers should take note of. This is a watershed moment and an opportunity for others to follow in their footsteps and end the crazy commodification of children in sport!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

This conversation with Stuart Wilkinson challenged some of my thinking about optimal talent development approaches and made me consider if we can sometimes become too dogmatic in our thinking about a specific way to approach the development of young people in sport. Stuart has a rich background in talent development having worked in several professional club academies in Rugby League as well as working as a pathway manager for the National Governing Body. He is currently working as a lecturer in sports coaching at the University of Central Lancashire and is working towards his PhD in Talent Development. The conversation covers the following: - The 'synoptical approach' and how it can be used to create a more multi dimensional athlete way of developing young people- How the use of games that don't look like the sport can be effective in supporting development - Stuart's manual for talent developers that he is currently writing- Why using specialists from other sports can have limitations - Karl Newell's model of 'Assembly - control - optimisation'Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Stuart Morgan from www.stuartmorgangolf.com was the Director of Instruction at the International Junior Golf Academy in the USA. Stuart has spent his life helping young golfers to develop and has a wealth of knowledge to share with the talent community. We focus on the experiences he went through with developing a young female golfer called Emily Price and her journey of success towards several amateur titles and the way that the engagement with the family is all important. In the episode we cover: - How Stuart works with young players on the course and in context as mush as possible. Designing challenges and using constraints to challenge their skill set. - How the relationship with the parents is all important but the relationship is built in having clearly defined roles. - How a delayed specialisation model was used in Emliy's development. How keeping her away from the system until the right moment played an important role in her development. - Creating an ecological environment around her in order to develop resilience and the characteristics required for excellence. - How Stuart's book 'Gifted Junior' can help parents and coaches to navigate this process. Enjoy the episodeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Doug Lemov has dedicated his life to helping young people to strive for the exceptional. His work within Uncommon Schools has helped some of the most disadvantaged young people to achieve things within their lives that few thought would be possible. He understands a thing or two about unleashing potential. His quest to help students succeed led him to discover that the major factor in helping young people was the best teaching. He set about to find out what set apart the best teachers from the rest and decided to record the methods that these teachers adopted to share with others. The book 'Teach like a Champion' was born. In this episode we discuss: - How to use questioning really, really well. - How to avoid question fatigue - Why most CPD doesnt work- Why teacher training leaves teachers without the necessary skills to be excellent teachers- The ingredients of a high quality talent environment like uncommon schoolsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Loren Anderson is the head coach at Rise Volleyball (@risevolleyball www.risevolleyball.net). In this enthralling conversation Loren and I discuss our respective coaching journeys and share some of the challenges and joys of working in a non linear way with young people. In the episode we discuss: - Why coaches should be like gardeners and not like carpenters- A better use for timeouts - Why matches should be time off for the coach- Why kids who don't fit the mental model a coach has of the right kind of players with the right techniques usually get punished through less game time. - Why we want players that can solve problems not players that can repeat movementsI really enjoyed the conversation and I hope you do too!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Shawn Myszka aka @movementmiyagi on Twitter is a human movement specialist that has been using the ecological approach to the development of elite NFL players for the past 5 years. In this honest and illuminating discussion Shawn shares his journey from being a "biomechanics junkie", largely driven by physiology and technique towards an approach that develops athletic abilities through the creation of scenarios which challenge the athlete's movement in relation to the activities if others. It's a fascinating journey...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Danny Newcombe is Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Physical Education at Oxford Brookes University as well as being Assistant Coach to the Wales Men's Hockey Team and coach to Southgate Hockey Club Men's first team in the England National Hockey League. He is a genuine 'pracademic' in that he has the theory and he puts it into practice as well. In this epidode we discuss...- The evolution of practice design from drills to games and everything in between - The 'practice design framework' and how you can use it to devise practices that have the optimal amount of chaos and instability to facilitate learning (link to practice design continuum here http://www.thetalentequation.co.uk/tools-resources)- How to ensure that you individualise your coaching by viewing each athlete as a different 'species'Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.