In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Alex Lascu - a coach, researcher, and learning designer whose work sits at the intersection of skill acquisition, coach development, and practice design. Alex has worked across community and performance sport, has researched talent development and skill acquisition in cricket, and is currently connected with the Queensland Academy of Sport and the University of Canberra. Across her work, she focuses on bridging the gap between research and real-world coaching.
I love spending time with Alex, and this was a really fun conversation, but also one with plenty of depth. We explored what coaches can learn from thinking like gardeners, why the environment matters so much in practice, and how laughter, challenge, and co-design can all tell us something meaningful about learning.
In this episode we cover…
Coaches create conditions, they do not control learning
Alex opens with a brilliant analogy: the coach as a gardener.
The point is simple, but powerful - coaches do not “make” learning happen on command. Instead, they shape environments where learning is more likely to emerge.
Better practice starts with better design
A huge part of the conversation centres on constraints, representative practice, and the relationship between the person, task, and environment.
Laughter, challenge, and waiting longer
There’s a real thread here about trust: trust in players, trust in the process, and trust that learning does not always need rescuing.
A few standout ideas from the episode
If this episode gave you something to reflect on, whether that’s practice design, player voice, or simply the reminder to hold back for 10 more seconds I’d love to hear from you.
Use the feedback form to share your thoughts, suggest future guests, or tell me what topics you’d like us to explore next on the podcast.
