Part 2- Scanning – perception and why you may not be coaching it
Rather than instructing players to scan or make better decisions, design training in such a way that these behaviors become necessary and meaningful.
https://t.co/uPQmH3bM6m
New article- The art of diagonals
I explore how diagonal perception is a gateway to a new understanding, football’s third dimension
Diagonality isn’t just diagonal passes, it’s a way of making sense of self organizing structures & attacking intentions
https://t.co/pOHz6WaRpI
Here are 5 essential defensive drills every team should train —
not because of the shapes,
but because these phases appear in every match. 🧵
#SundayShare@SundayShare10
One common rate limiter among novices is the inability to keep the head up while solving movement problems. This small limitation has a big impact on how an individual perceives & responds to their environment. Unfortunately, most traditional training environments unintentionally reinforce this “head-down” strategy, overly structured, predictable drills that lack real perceptual demands.
When youthletes don’t need to scan, read, or respond, they lose touch with the very info that should guide movement decisions. The result: individuals who move well in isolation but struggle when the context becomes dynamic.
A simple shift in task design can change that. For example, the 1v1 lateral mirroring activity, where two participants respond to each other’s movements, naturally promotes:
▪️ Keeping the head up
▪️ Eyes focused on relevant info
▪️ Appreciation of space
▪️ Self-organization
▪️ Lowering the center of gravity during direction changes
These small adjustments, like adding perception-action coupling through live, variable scenarios, unlock major improvements in how novices learn & move.
Developing the ability to keep the head up isn’t just about positioning, it’s about cultivating movement intelligence.
We often hear about the importance of Positional, Numerical & Quantitative Superiority
But there are other types of superiorities that aren’t explored or understood by coaches
In this thread I’ll explain the importance of
Socio-affective and Dynamic advantage 🧵
New: On the topic of education in a corresponsive sport science.
https://t.co/nXJvsyFYtI
Here, we carry our earlier ideas on by advocating for a educative approach in the sport sciences that foregrounds the sensibilities of response-ability, differentiation and curiosity.
We should rewire our conception of tactics so that it is understood more as the emergence of shared perceptions and understandings by players, and less as pre-ordained planning and execution of coaches' instructions.
*How do different practice tasks impact how goalkeepers make saves?*
Myself, @AnthonyWhite91 and @danieljbevan wanted to see how different practice tasks (i.e service types, sequencing) impacts how goalkeepers search for visual information during saves.
A big thread...
For years , I coached the way I was coached ! I did more drills than Dewalt 😬. It took me a while to understand my WHY. When I did It was the most powerful shift in the way I work & interact with players.
New article- Big picture vs Small picture
I explore how coaches can promote self organization
Relational & group tactic solutions
alternative frameworks for the attacking phase (collective & group)
The effect of player autonomy in tactical strategy
https://t.co/rlzGQu9dSf
I see ‘diagonality’ as such a vital concept.
It’s interesting to consider the ways diagonality is conceptualised through the lens of Positionism/Relationism.
Is it more: structures (like diamonds) to afford the diagonals, or is it free-diagonals to afford emergent structures?
Throughout the season I've made some tactical analysis video clips of Hansi Flick's Barcelona.
Here they are in a quick thread.
https://t.co/PmaXAvVC6v
The tactical advantages of the inside diagonal are so clearly observable in Flick's Barca.
I think that developing our understanding of this concept is absolutely key to becoming better at coaching the combination play that characterises relational styles.