The Talent Equation Podcast

Russell (Rusty) Earnshaw is back and this time he is with his partner in coaching John (Fletch) Fletcher. Together they make up two thirds of 'The Magic Academy' along with a secret partner they refer to as 'Magic Stig'. As you might expect, the guys and I cover a lot of ground in this one including: - How the guys are taking a 'games based' approach to coach development using challenge cards. - H...

Shane Pill describes himself as an 'accidental academic'. He is a PE teacher and coach who found himself in the world of academia and has spent his career studying various pedagogical approaches to learning in sport and PE. In this fascinating conversation we discuss: - Why Shane advocates a 'pragmatic' approach to coaching that he calls 'Sport Literacy'. - The difference between a game and an 'op...

I don't think it would be hyperbolic to describe Ted Kroeten as a pioneer. His approach to player development is one of the purest examples of adopting an ecological, child centred approach to how young people experience sport I have ever heard. The programme is called 'Joy of the people' www.joyofthepeople.org and it provides over 1500 hours of free play opportunities for children per week at no...

Dan Peterson and Len Zaichowsky PhD have written a great book called 'The Playmaker's Advantage' that is full of practical information backed up by scientific research to help coach to create environments that will foster the creative abilities of young athletes. Dan has a background in the technology industry but he is a passionate sports parent and has worked really hard with Len to make the sci...

Andrew Wilson is a researcher from Leeds Beckett University in the UK who co writes about his research in a fascinating blog 'Notes from two scientific psychologists' http://psychsciencenotes.blogspot.com In this fascinating and insightful conversation Andrew and I explore various aspects of Ecological Psychology and try to apply them to real world problems in coaching. We explore the following: -...

Simon Robinson is a basketball coach working with athletes with intellectual disabilities. In this fascinating discussion he explains why a constraints led methodology is essential for him to effectively help these individuals learn and improve. In this podcast we discuss... - The challenges of working with athletes from different cultures and different levels of impairment - How the developmental...

Phil Kearney is a researcher, lecturer and coach. He is based at the University of Limerick in Ireland and is one of the 'Great Triumvirate' of Irish skill acquisition leaders along with Ed Coughlan and Olly Logan. In this episode we really dig into some of the research behind skill acquisition and its application including... - Looking at Fundamental Movement Skills in a different way - The limit...

Richard Cheetham MBE (aka @twowheelprof on Twitter) is Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester in the UK. His research focus centres on a more holistic approach to coaching with time spent since 2013 at Saracens RFC within the Academy programme and at Fulham Football Club. In this conversation we cover a LOT of ground including... - Richard's approach to developing creativ...

Happy 4th of July to all of my American listeners!! It seems only fitting that we have one of America's favourite sports featured on the show this week so I invited someone from the NBA to come on and have a chat. Alex Sarama is the Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA across Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is responsible for making sure that young people get to experience basketball and u...

Paul Bell is the national coach for Scottish Squash. He is an extremely thoughtful and engaging individual that reached out to me while I was at the UK Coaching Conference to see if we could have a chat over a coffee. 90 minutes later we had covered a lot of ground. Paul's story is fascinating...he has become a national coach at a relatively young age mostly through determination, hunger and a wil...

Juan Gonzalez-Mendia from www.sudamericacoaching.com is a coach and coach developer that is working to bring non linear approaches to South America. He works with schools, clubs, provincial associations and national governing bodies to help them to embrace player centred development philosophies and approaches. In this episode we explore... - The issues that people have with embracing non linear a...

At the Talent Equation we like to innovate and try new things. In keeping with this spirit of innovation this week's episode is a bit of an experiment. Rob Gray from www.perceptionaction.com and The Perception Action Podcast stopped by for a chat and was game enough to allow me to include a live (virtual) studio audience in the shape of members of my private mastermind group 'The Conclave'. This i...

Brett Holland is a self confessed coaching geek!!  He is a full time coach at one of the most prestigious sporting universities in the UK and he has one of the best jobs in the world! In this conversation we explore his methods, philosophy and approaches and get under the hood of his experiences as a coach both positive and negative. Our discussions include:  - His 4 principles for creating an inc...

Mark Upton is a professional people developer. I say that he is a 'people developer' because even though the bulk of his work is with coaches. He also works with a range a people across the sporting landscape and is now supporting sports bodies with their organisational development. Mark's extensive experience and wealth of knowledge really come through in this wide ranging conversation where we c...

Jason deVos likes a challenge! He also doesn't give up until he achieves his goals!! He is an object lesson in GRIT, Growth Mindset, Resilience...and all that stuff!! Not only does he come back from being dropped by his provincial football team at age 12 to captain his country. He gives up a lucrative job as a TV pundit to become the Head of Football Development at Canada Soccer. This is a man who...

James Vaughan is a coach at the AIK Academy in Sweden. He is a colleague of Mark O'Sullivan and Dennis Hortin (both previous podcast guests) and is a regular contributor to the fantastic website 'Player Development Project'. James has a rich background as a coach and as a researcher and has been fortunate to study under the guidance of some of the leading academics in the field of skill acquisitio...

Mark Bennett is back! He's been off travelling the world working with professional sports teams and community clubs. PDS is taking off in a big way!! In this podcast we cover a LOT of ground reflecting on the challenges of adopting a truly athlete centred approach to coaching. Topics of discussion include: - Why most coaches look at the wrong things in training. - Why saying nothing is not athlete...

Mark O'Sullivan is back fresh from his global travels and work to write a PhD!! As always, Mark isn't short of a few thoughts on the state of play in coaching and sport for children. In this conversation we delve into... - How 'culturally resilient beliefs effect us all and can limit our effectiveness if we aren't aware of them - How 1 v 2 can bring about a world of development opportunities - Why...

David Hinchliffe likes a challenge. He is a full time cricket coach in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the rainiest cities in the UK. He is also an example of adaptability and resilience, often coaching in sub zero temperatures with groups of youngsters in his unheated indoor centre. In this conversation we discuss: - Why you never say to David "I just want to hit balls" - How to use the constraints led...

I got together with friends of the show Ed Coughlan and Shawn Myszka to reflect on the recent movement and skill acquisition conferences that they ran on either side of the Atlantic. As you would expect, it was a great conversation that meandered all over the place as they guys tried to make sense of the various things that they took away from the events. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride...I h...

Ken Martel is the Technical Director at USA Hockey (ice not field!!) and has been leading change in the development of the sport of Ice Hockey across the USA for over a decade. His passion and commitment to make the experience for young people as good as it can be shines through in the conversation. Areas we discuss include: - How Ice hockey went from being a sport where 60% of kids quit by age 11...

Amy Price is a football coach that is fascinated by games. She lectures on coaching at St Mary's University and is studying for a PhD on the topic of the application of the learning principles associated with video games as applied to sport. This conversation really got me thinking...we discovered that we were both using games in our coaching but we were coming from very different theoretical pers...

Steve Hooper is the owner and head coach at 'Inclusion Coaching', A football coaching organisation that is committed to enabling children to learn through a games based approach. It is fair to say that Steve's education as a coach has been a trial. At many stages he has had setbacks but each of those setbacks have served to define him as a coach. It is the very definition of 'non linear coach deve...

Paul Eales is a professional golfer, coach and broadcaster. He has spent his life in the pursuit of excellence in his chosen field. His journey as a play shaped him as a coach as his experiences as a performer challenged him to look for answers to help him find a way to improve. In so doing he found an approach to learning that took him on a journey that he now uses in his coaching with aspiring p...

Daniel Coyle is one of my favourite writers. Not only is he an amazing story teller but he has a knack of zooming in on the things that aren't obvious and bringing it to life. He studies human nature and then delves into the science in order to work out what is going on. He shot to prominence with 'The Talent Code' which was a complete game changer for me. It resonated so closely with so many of m...