If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollectiveLink to Ian's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Coaching-Playbook-Cricket-Coaches/dp/B0FMNYQFBVIn this episode we introduce our new website and Ian's new book. We discuss the ideas behind the website, a hub designed to support coaches and practitioners apply skill acquisition principles in practice. And focus on Ian's book, a resource to support coaches in facilitating more effective learning environments.Enjoy!!
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#69 Podcast Summary 5 - Eric Brymer
If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollectiveIn this episode we explore Eric’s views on fear, risk, and why people actively seek out challenging or uncertain environments, not for adrenaline, but for meaning, connection, and personal growth. The conversation highlights how adventure-sport insights surprisingly overlap with team sports and coaching, especially around how athletes relate to their environment and how emotions shape learning. We discuss the value of helping people engage with uncertainty rather than protecting them from it, and how coaches can design environments that support exploration, authenticity, and self-discovery.Enjoy!!
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#68 The Value of Opposed and Unopposed Practice
In this episode, we dive into one of coaching’s most persistent debates: Should athletes learn through unopposed drills or through messy, opponent-driven, game-like action?A new paper entitled "The value of opposed and unopposed practice: An ecological dynamics rationale for skill development" argues that if we want athletes to develop skills that actually transfer to competition, we need to rethink traditional ideas about “technique first, game later.” We discuss how movement isn’t something athletes store and then retrieve, rather it emerges from the problems they’re solving in the moment. And because real sport is alive, unpredictable, and constantly changing, training needs to reflect that.However, the paper argues that unopposed practice isn’t useless. But instead of perfecting a single “correct” technique, it is suggested that using isolated work is useful to let athletes explore possibilities, experiment, and build confidence. The magic happens when we add aliveness: opponents, information, timing, space, pressure. That’s where athletes learn to become more skilful. Enjoy!Link to paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00336297.2024.2420759?needAccess=true
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#67 Stuart Armstrong
Stuart Armstrong is a workforce development system builder, learning innovation architect, skill acquisition specialist, and ecological dynamicist, and host of the Talent Equation Podcast. Enjoy!
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#66 Round Up 4
In this episode we discuss an article from The Athletic entitled “What is the CLA? Inside the revolutionary coaching method quietly fuelling the world’s best athletes.”We reflect on the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) in coaching challenging the notion that it’s a “revolution,” since the foundational work by Carl Newell is nearly 40 years old. The discussion explores:How CLA is rooted in motor learning and ecological dynamics.The contrast between individualistic coaching cultures (like in the U.S.) and collective, environment-centered approaches advocated by CLA.How traditional practices (e.g., rigid playbooks) can hinder athlete development by limiting adaptability and creativity.The importance of coaches framing learning intentions skilfully, shaping environments that invite effective exploration and self-organisation rather than prescribing fixed solutions.Enjoy!Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6665943/2025/09/29/sports-training-cla-coaching-wembanyana-ohtani/?source=user_shared_article
Our mission is to transform practice environments in sport by equipping coaches with the knowledge, understanding and skills to bridge the gap between skill acquisition theory and practice.
Ireland