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The Layering Approach to Coaching

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Because time is linear we often think of training plans as linear. First we do this, then that then finish with the other. But what if we didn't think of training plans in a linear way, but in layers? With the Layering Approach to Coaching, you are trying to see how many things you can work on at the same time. For example, your warmup might be to run 5 laps of the court. Then stretch. Then pepper. For 30 minutes total. The training outcomes will be to warmup the players physically, perhaps do some injury prevention, and work on skill development. But if you spent this 30 minutes layering training outcomes you could work on aerobic base, ball tracking and control, physical literacy, decision making, social development, skills and competitiveness. This warmup would be: Running with a ball, bouncing, catching, throwing, setting Aerobic base development ball tracking and control decision making social development physical mobility Lunges, thoracic mobility physical literacy injury pre
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Coaching Philosophy

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I believe in science. I believe there are things that people who are good at science don't know about yet. I believe in teaching games for understanding and I believe in game sense. I also believe in constraints based learning. I believe this has been a thing for 40+ years. I believe the inability to do the fundamental skills of a sport limit you. I believe as a coach your responsibility is to remove these limitations, by teaching good foundations. I believe the perfect technique is unnecessary. I believe that as athletes develop the building blocks for higher and higher level skills, care needs to be taken that they don't have any attributes which will limit them in the future. I believe that ultimately the best will rise through natural selection. I believe that athletes work things out themselves. I believe coaching only one type of athlete in one way limits the development of others with the potential to excel. I believe that many others can rise through t
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Coach Drills v Player Drills

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I've recently come up with a new term to describe drills: 'Coach Drills'. When I say that I've come up with it I mean that I've never heard the term in exactly the context I use, but, of course, that doesn't mean thousands haven't come up with it before! Coach Drills Drills which make a coach feel good but don't necessarily help the athletes improve. Athlete Drills Drills which are great for athlete learning but don't look neat and clean and make a coach feel good. Note I'm not saying there are only 2 types of drills and that there isn't a continuum. Anyone who suggests that in comments on social obviously didn't read this far and, as always, I know who you are ;) Introduction Like most conversations about coaching, let's start with....Brain Neurochemistry. We know that there is a lot of brain neurochemistry that goes into athlete enjoyment and learning: we know that acetylcholine is a 'focus chemical' which is released when t
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Three Types of Coaching

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The premise of this post is that there are three distinct types of coaching that coaches must understand and be cognizant of when they make decisions. Theoretical Practical Political I would also add that there are many many more types of coaching. So, anyone who responds to this post without reading it after seeing the headline in social media, and says there are more than three types, I know who you are! THEORETICAL This type of coaching is very important. It is evidence based and analytical in nature. It looks at problems and comes up with logical solutions. A couple of common examples in volleyball coaching are: Research shows it is better to land on 2 feet than one, so I will teach my players to land on two feet and correct them when they don't Research shows it is better to pass midline than outside your body so I will teach my players to move so they are always mid-lining the pass and correct them when they don't. PRACTICAL To follow on from the example above, when you w
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When is the right time to do Conditioning?

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There seem to be a lot of questions about 'when to do conditioning'. Or maybe questions about training plans asking 'what do I do after I start with conditioning?' These questions have always puzzled me. Today was a great day though, because it occurred to me for the first time the reason this always puzzles me. Firstly, I'm a really big believer in running drills which involve everyone all the time. That is, no lines of athletes waiting to do things. This is because of, well, science, and anecdotal evidence. Secondly, I never (rarely) do dedicated conditioning sessions because I can never think of what skill practice I would want to skip to do it. Thirdly, my warmups always include strength and conditioning aspects. So, what occurred to me? It occurred to me that if you spend a percentage of your practice time with athletes waiting in lines, they are not doing any conditioning. But if your trainings have all athletes involved in drills at all times, then they are d
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A Review of Olympic Sports

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Someone sent me this a long time ago and I thought now was a good time to publish it. I don't necessarily agree with it all but it is fun and interesting. If anyone knows where it came from please let me know, I'm very happy to attribute it. The original title was: Fool's Gold.
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What Type of Coach are You?

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Merriam-Webster , describes a coach as, "one who instructs or trains an acting coach a birth coach; especially : one who instructs players in the fundamentals of a sport and directs team strategy." There are two parts to this definition, one is a teacher, and one is a director. That is, one educates, and one commands. These different roles change depending on the environment, and are manifested mostly in competition. In fact, I think all coaches operate along a continuum with 'teacher' at one end and 'competitor' at the other. Some coaches clearly focus more on teaching, some more on competing. There is nothing wrong with a coach being at any point on this continuum. The problem exists when the coach is at a point that their athletes are not. The easiest example is where the result of a match in a junior competition is more important to the coach than the players. You can see this as it is happening. And you can imagine that coach berating the childr
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