The Talent Equation Podcast

My good friend William Anderson and I caught up recently to discuss the fascinating story of his 5 year journey to go from average player to international representation. It is a story of commitment, planning, relentlessness, perseverance and hard work. William shares how he used the skills and knowledge gained from a career as a specialist in providing experiential learning solutions for corporat...

Danny Newcombe makes a welcome return to the show to share his experiences since taking over the Head Coach role with the Wales Senior Men's Field Hockey programme. Danny is his usual very open and vulnerable self and his reflections are relevant to anyone taking a leadership role in pretty much any walk of life. As you would expect, the conversations meanders on to the specifics of coaching and w...

This is an 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) episode where I respond to listener questions that have been sent to me. I can't respond to every question but I will respond on here if it is a particularly interesting questions that requires a more thorough response than I have time to write. This one is all about CLA in coach education. Generally, I prioritise questions that come from people who subscribe to...

Sometimes the stars align and the article you have just published speaks perfectly to the next guest you booked on your podcast. This weeks episode I speak to Martin Erikstad who is a researcher at the Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, Universitetet i Agder in Norway. Martin has just published a fascinating case study about a football club called FK Bryne which is a small city of 1...

Casey Wheel studied Kinesiology at San Diego State University while also interning with the strength and conditioning department. He still lives in the San Diego area working as the strength coach for Pacific Ridge School. His passion lies with the development of young athletes and developing programs that build agility and something he calls 'athletic plasticity'. In this conversation Casey and I...

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players...

AMA - (Ask Me Anything) Dog Walk Diary where I respond to a great question from Rob Farrington about whether we should coach using an Information Processing approach if the athlete prefers it. Should we be athlete centred and respond to their preferences? If you would like to ask a question or become part of the Talent Equation Community then head over to my Patreon page and you can choose a donat...

Mark Bennett makes a return to the Conclave to explore some of the latest innovations in his Performance Development System (PDS) approach and to take some questions from the members of the group. In this conversation Mark shares; - Some evolutions to the famous 'rule of 3' called the '3 A's'. - How to enable players to learn to review rapidly in the moment. - The 12 (I think it was 12) types of l...

This podcast is a bit different. Not only was it the first podcast that I have recorded live, it was a podcast with 2 people who were riding stationary bikes doing a charity virtual bike ride! In this episode I talk with Gary Laybourne, CEO of Coach Core and Steve Mitchell, one of the trustees...to discuss the amazing work they do to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to start the...

This podcast is a bit different - I am on the other side of the mic and I am being asked the questions as this is my appearance on 'The Coach's Road' podcast hosted by Derek Read and Rick Schreiber. Both postgraduate students at Vierumäki University in Finland. Derek is 22 years old and in his fifth year of coaching. Originally from Colorado, he started coaching while completing his degree in comp...

Over Christmas I got to reading some books. The latest from Andreu Enrich '50 tips for intelligent players' spoke to me very deeply so I asked Andreu to come back on the show following his debut with me just before Christmas to talk me through some of the ideas in the book and let me check my understanding of some of the concepts. Although this book was originally written with Field Hockey players...

Joe Baker is Professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. He makes a welcome return to the podcast along with his research associate, Alexandra 'Sandy' Mosher. Joe's research team focuses on optimal human development to understand how someone gets to, and stays at, the highest levels of performance. His previous research in this area has considered various psychoso...

Skye is the founder of the Soccer Parenting Association with a mission of inspiring players by empowering parents. A former professional player, Skye has coached extensively in the youth and collegiate games she is also a sought after Coach & Parent Educator and Club Consultant. In this conversation we discuss the ways that coaches can develop strong relationships with players and parents. Skye ex...

Kasey Crider is Associate Head Coach for the Miami University Women's Volleyball Programme. His journey into coaching is an interesting one...he gave up a career as a professional athlete while still in his early twenties to pursue a career as a coach because he couldn't think of a more honourable profession. This is an individual with a genuine passion for supporting others and as such possesses...

Cal Jones is an advanced Judo coach from North Wales. He has been exploring the application of ecological approaches since he was exposed to the approaches as a participant by a coach who he describes as 'intensely likeable'. His post graduate research saw him create an assessment tool (called an RPAT) to assess how representative a practice activity in Judo is. In this conversation Cal and I disc...

Andreu Enrich is a Field Hockey Coach, Author and Coach Educator from Terrassa in Northern Spain. As a player he won eight Spanish national titles in 11 years with his home club Atlètic Terrassa – four of them as captain. He was also part of the Spanish National team that won the Champions Trophy for the first time in 2004. He has held trainer and assistant coach positions since 2013 with Pinoké (...

Dr Mustafa Sarkar is an Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His research focuses on the psychology of sporting excellence and its application to other high performance domains. His work addresses how high achievers thrive on pressure and deliver sustained success with a particular focus on team, and organisational resilience as well as personal a...

The best-selling author of 'Teach Like a Champion' and 'Practice Perfect' makes a welcome return to the podcast and has a new book out called 'A Coach's Guide to Teaching' https://amzn.to/2LMYKln Doug brings his considerable knowledge about the science of classroom teaching to the sports coaching world to support coaches on the court and field. The book is written brilliantly and makes core scient...

Peter Arnott and Greame McDowell run 'Golf on the Edge of Chaos' a unique coach development programme that allows golf coaches to learn and explore the applications of non linear pedagogy and the constraints led approach in golf. Ian Renshaw is a regular podcast guest and is a researcher and renowned author specialising in the constraints led approach based at QUT in Australia. They have just publ...

David Colclough is the Head of Member Education at the Professional Golfers Association in the UK. David is a PGA Advanced Fellow Professional. Following 14 years of coaching golfers of all abilities, at home and abroad, As Head of Member Education his main objective is to support PGA Members with their own personal & professional development, providing relevant training and education opportunitie...

Here is the link to support the fundraising effort for Kiran...any help would be greatly appreciated - https://uk.gofundme.com/f/a-chance-for-kiran This week's podcast is a bit of a different one...the Talent Equation Learning Community (we call it 'The Conclave') went on a field trip. We joined up with Rob Gray from the Perception and Action Podcast (the brainy older cousin of TTE!) and had a 'li...

Luke Regan is an LTA Level 4 coach with a real passion for exploring the applications of the constraints led approach in tennis. Luke is a member of the Talent Equation Learning Group 'The Conclave' and has been actively engaged in sharing his learning journey with others. In this episode we discuss: - Why Luke feels that he gets on much better with the people he coaches when he stops trying to co...

Craig Morris is a canoe slalom coach working within the elite performance pathway of British Canoeing. He has recently been shortlisted as a finalist in the Elite Performance Coach Category of the UK Coaching Awards. Craig's journey into coaching is not a typical one but what comes across in this conversation is an individual who is thirsty for information and learning, willing to be vulnerable in...

Dr Ed Cope is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Loughborough University in the UK. He has had lecturing positions in Sports Coaching at Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Hull. Ed has also worked at the English Football Association, where he was responsible for the design and development of their education courses. In this conversation Ed and I unpack an article that he has recently...

Adam Young is a golf coach and someone who defies easy categorisation. He is one of the most knowledgable people about the technical aspects of golf and has a real in depth understanding of physics, bio-mechanics and physiology but he eschews all of that in favour of a coaching approach which has very little of that information present in the learning environment for the participant. He works in a...