The Constraints Collective

Duarte Araujo, director of Expertise in Sport at the University of Lisbon, shares his insights on the critical role of cognition in athletic performance. He delves into how cognition and ecological dynamics intertwine, pushing for a holistic understanding shaped by environmental interaction. Duarte discusses the complexities of memory, emphasizing its significance beyond muscle memory. He critiques traditional coaching methods, advocating for future-focused learning that enhances athletes' adaptability and problem-solving skills in dynamic situations.

This week we are joined by Paul Garner live from the Manchester Festival of Coaching. Paul is an Assistant Professor in Sport Coaching and Player Development at the University of Birmingham. Paul has represented Great Britain as a member of the British Alpine Skiing Demonstration Team, and has worked extensively in snow sports as a performer, coach, coach developer and assessor. Paul continues to work closely with a number of governing bodies to drive excellence in coach education, development and assessment across the coaching landscape. Enjoy!

Join Craig Morris, a British Canoe Slalom coach, as he shares his journey from athlete to coach. Explore his coaching philosophy evolution towards a constraints-led approach, emphasizing athlete involvement, game design, and performance analysis. Discover the challenges faced and the importance of evolving coaching practices and building relationships with athletes. Dive into the publication of an academic paper on skill training periodization for the Olympics, highlighting collaboration between academia and practitioners.

Marianne Davies, Senior Coach Developer for UK Coaching, shares insights from her 25+ years in adventure sports and education. She discusses how an ecological perspective is shaping coach education, addressing the disconnect between qualifications and real-world challenges. Marianne emphasizes the importance of flexible frameworks, self-directed learning, and research integration. The conversation promotes creating supportive, personalized learning environments and encourages collaboration among coaches and athletes for enhanced development.

In this episode we are joined by Véronique Richard from the University of Queensland. Véronique specialises in performance psychology and creativity, working across research and applied environments. She is currently conducting applied research combining creativity and movement sciences to optimize performance, health and wellbeing. In her prior roles as a mental performance consultant for Canadian national sport organisations and Cirque du Soleil, Véronique observed the challenges of balancing high-level performance and well-being for sport and performing arts stakeholders. To tackle this challenge, she designs enriched movement activities to build creativity supportive environments, while examining the impact of such environments on creativity-related cognitive, affective, and socio-cultural variables. We discuss how the framework of ecological dynamics influences her work and informs intervention designs across all levels of sport.Enjoy!

In this conversation, Pete Arnott, a performance coach consultant and host of the Practice Thinkers podcast, dives into the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) in golf. He discusses how emotional dynamics can impact performance, advocating for emotional training during practice. Pete emphasizes the importance of environmental awareness and decision-making under pressure, sharing anecdotes from famous golfers. He also explores recognizing cues from opponents to enhance competitive strategies and the value of tailored coaching techniques, encouraging an exploratory environment for player growth.

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.

Noah LaRoche, basketball expert, discusses maximizing efficiency in training through representative learning design and adaptability. Topics include evolving team strategies, adapting individual skills, exploring movement solutions variability, enhancing coaching frameworks, coaching netball, and integrating leadership in sports.

Tyler Yearby and Shaun Myszka from Emergence discuss bridging theory and practice in athletic development, a new teaching methodology in sports education, balancing authenticity and safety in rugby training, enhancing sports training through aliveness and spatial awareness, the impact of early sport specialization, optimizing athlete development through constraints led coaching, and engaging discussion on performance adaptation and gratitude.

Noah LaRoche, a basketball coach, shares insights on individualized coaching sessions, mental challenges, and engaging activities. He discusses the importance of placing the individual at the heart of coaching and explores innovative basketball training methods, team coordination, and the concept of the Mistake Maker's League. Noah also touches on the journey of Integrity Hoops and the significance of adaptability and openness in coaching and development.