In episode 4 of the 'Coach Education is Broken' series, titled 'Fixing the Leaky Bucket,' I delve into the systemic and mindset shifts required to change and modernise the way that the sport sector develops it's frontline workforce. I call for better insight and data collection to inform decision making into coach education and I challenge the isector's over emphasis on recruiting new coaches instead of focussing on how we support and retain the skilled practitioners that we already have. 


01:50 - The Problem with Coach Education insights
02:44 - Understanding Coach Supply and Demand
07:00 - Retention Challenges in Coaching
08:55 - Shifting Focus to Retention and Support


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Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Mauro van de Looij is a sports coach and performance psychologist from the Netherlands. He has worked as a youth coach at PSV Eindhoven and Willem II Tilburg and he teaches Performance Psychology at Fontys University of Applied Psychology. Mauro coaches athletes, trainers, students and teachers and also supports sports clubs, schools and companies in coaching and talent development.

Mauro joins me to talk about his book 'https://amzn.to/3xJyG36' which is a book that is dedicated to supporting coaches to understand more about how they can unlock young athletes potential by recognising the psychological elements that are too often overlooked and can be so impactful on a young players career. 

In this conversation we cover: 

- How his own experineces dealing with pressure shaped his approach to coaching. 
- How he got rid of the Relative Age Effect by not playing in age group teams. 
- How we coined a new term - 'talent needs turbulence'. 
- Why so many coaches would say to him "I wish I got this on the coaching badges". 
Buy the book using this https://amzn.to/3xJyG36 (it helps to support the show.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Alex Sarama makes a welcome return to the podcast to discuss his fantastic new book 'Transforming Basketball' and to unpack some of the ideas that are within it. 

Although Alex is a basketball coach and the book is based on Basketball, it is actually a briliiant read for coaches of any sport, especially team sports. This conversation explores many of these ideas including:

• Why '2 ball dribbling' is a complete waste of time
• Why coaches are so dependent on blocked practice and drills
• When, how and why to use set plays
• Some of Alex's brillient practice designs like 'floor is lava', 'mosquito shooting' and 'jungle shooting'. 

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. 

Use this link to get a copy of Alex's book (I get a small commission which helps to support the show). 

Support the show on Patreon or join my learning community 'The Guild' here

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

In this episode, I talk about the necessity for a system shift from a coach education system that is almost completely dominated by 'qualifications', which are no more than a demonstration of competence in a moment in time to a more development and progressive model that recognises the expertise of the practitioner along their developmental journey. 

A significant majority of coaches want the industry to recognised as a profession and would like the work they do to be recognised by the wider public. In order to do this coaches must understand that in order to be professional recognised they need to hold themselves accountable to a process of ongoing scrutiny of their skill set so that the public can be assured of their commitment to professional development and those coaches who do show commitment to personal development can be truly separated from those that don't. 

Hope you enjoy the podcast and look forward to comments or ideas. 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Mark Bennett makes a welcome return to the podcast. This time to help me out with some challenges that I have experienced during my last season of coaching. 

How to establish an agreed set of performance behaviours with a group that is equally spilt between wanting to be recreational and wanting to be driven by performance goals. We also explore how you deal with people who are self deluded and think that they want to be performance driven but then behave like recreational athletes. 

Mark shares a few new tools that he uses when supporting a group to be self reliant and self organising inclusing the 3As 

I got a lot out of the discussion...I hope you do to...

BTW - Mark has launched a new online training space with loads of courses, videos and resources check it out at https://www.needcentred.com/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Richard Burcuson and Dean Holden are the hosts of the Grass Roots Minor Hockey Podcast. A show dedicated to all things grass roots ice hockey in Canada and beyond...

As they describe it...

"A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game."

The guys reached out to me following my latest series called 'Coach Education is broken' as it resonated with many of their own experiences as coaches and coach educators and we decided to do a 'simulcast' which would be jointly posted oon our respective podcasts. 

Richard evoked the famous Monty Python sketch about a dead parrot when describing this topic so we decided to get all theatrical and do our own reading of the famous sketch...

https://www.grassrootsminorhoc...

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

In this episode I call for a complete rethink about the way that we think about support for coaches. I suggest that we need to 'turn the telescope around' and start to consider the skills, knowledge, and understanding that coaches already possess, rather than forcing everybody to obtain formal qualifications through coach education courses. 

I share a story about a brilliant coach I know who hasn’t gone down the route of formal certifications, yet their coaching abilities are second to none. They’re the kind of coach who, despite lacking the official badges, has that 'secret sauce', that ability to connect with people and make their experience memorable. 

We need a shift in mindset within coach education to appreciate and support people based on their current expertise and experiences. It’s about creating tailored learning experiences, recognising prior learning, and making coaching more accessible to a wider range of people.

As I said in the episode, “It’s not about the piece of paper; it’s about the real-world impact a coach has.”

Ultimately, the coaching community is calling for a more inclusive approach in coach education not the 'one size fits all' model that is still too prevalent. A move towards effective and personalised support, ensuring every coach can thrive and contribute in their own way. By doing this, we can build a stronger, more diverse coaching community.

Hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. Let’s keep pushing for change and making a real difference in the world of coaching.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Episode 1 of 'Coach Education is broken' - 'Transformation not transaction'

I take a hard look at the nature of coach education courses as a machanism to provide coaches with the kind of support they need. I criticise the thinking behind this approach and the 'culturally resient practices and beliefs' that fosters their continued use. 

This focus on efficiency means that coaches often get their qualifications without genuinely engaging with the material or retaining what they’ve learned. As a result, they’re left unprepared for the real-world challenges they will face in their coaching careers.

I call for a shift towards newer, more agile and dynamic educational approaches that prioritise quality learning experiences and practical application.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

A new dog walk diary where I begin a new multi part series talking about all of the ways that coach education and development needs to change to meet the needs of a new generation of learners.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation

Scott Young makes an extremely welcome return to the podcast having written a new book about learning that follows up on the smash hit 'Ultralearning'. 'Get Better at Anything' has a different flavour as it takes us on a more practical journey to explore the development of skill in multiple domains. 

I was gripped by this conversation as we explored: 

• What Tetris players can teach us about getting better.
• Why the mind is not a muscle! 
• Why we should value variability over repetition.
• Why improvement is not a straight line. 
• Why practice must meet reality. 

Amongst a whole heap of other things. 

I hope you enjoy as much as I did. 

Link to Scott's podcast 

Link to the blog and newsletter 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation