Experienced Senior Teacher @marsdenshs, QLD. Junior Technical Director @olympic_fc. Former Assistant Principal and Director of Sport @ErnestBevinColl, London.
Really insightful interview with Lee McGowan
Can’t believe World Cup final will have quarters and a 28 min half time and the manipulation by FIFA that sees Uruguay host the opening match of the Spain/Portugal World Cup allowing Saudi Arabia to host next. https://t.co/AGX1nKuxvR
In 2016, researchers compared the developmental activities of Bundesliga pros vs. national team players.
The difference was not in quality of coaching or innate athleticism.
Here’s what they found:
Representative Learning Design is one of the most important principles when designing practice tasks.
Want to GRASP Representative Learning Design?
This simple acronym will help you apply RLD in practice
Many coaches struggle to design training that truly prepares players for competition. Drills that look good in isolation often fail to transfer when the game gets chaotic. That’s where Representative Learning Design (RLD) comes in—and the GRASP framework can help you apply it in practice.
1)Guiding Role of the Coach
Coaches act as learning environment designers, shaping practice through constraint manipulations ****to help players discover movement solutions that work for them. Instead of prescribing techniques, coaches create environments that encourage exploration and adaptation.
2)Representative Information
Effective practice must include key information from the game, such as ball flight and opponent movement in tennis. Ensuring these elements are present helps players develop skills that are more likely transfer to competition. Without this, players might perform well in training but struggle in the real game.
3)Alive Tasks
Rather than isolating skills, coaches should create ‘alive slices’ of the game—practice scenarios that preserve key elements of the sport while maintaining decision-making and perceptual challenges . By designing game-relevant problems for players to solve, coaches help them develop adaptable skills that transfer to real competition.
4)Simplification
Instead of breaking skills into isolated parts (which removes real-game context), simplify by adjusting constraints—like reducing defenders or modifying space—while keeping perception and action linked
5)Progress and Challenge
Practice must be scaled appropriately and progressed at the right level of challenge . Training should stretch players—neither too easy nor too overwhelming. The key is scaling challenge appropriately so they stay in the 'Goldilocks Zone.
Another successful 'A' Diploma coaching course draws to a close 📚
2️⃣6️⃣ coaches have dedicated countless hours throughout the year in positive collaboration with FA and FQ staff to take their coaching to the next level!
📱 Find a course 👉 https://t.co/T2Gg2W1ndc
Due to severe weather disruptions last week, we were unable to complete the U18 Academy trials as planned. As a result, we will be holding two additional trial sessions next week at Goodwin Park.
Register your interest through the link today → https://t.co/B8f6dr2faa
Olympic Football Club is seeking dedicated and experienced coaches to lead our senior Academy teams in the 2025 FQ Academy League season.
Register your interest through the link today → https://t.co/ea3gRnHVLE
Here's my favorite LTAD / #Pathway story....
Tennis Australia was doing a detailed, national, sport review to try and figure out why their participation levels were falling.
They commissioned one of the big management groups to do the review - and it was exhaustive, detailed and took the best part of a year.
I was asked to contribute as an industry "expert".
I met two of the researchers towards the end of their review process - and they were NOT sports industry professionals - just very experienced, independent researchers - and I asked them "What do you think the problem is?"
One of them said, "The PATHWAY model".
I asked why he said that.
He replied - and this is GOLD for ALL sports: "We think the Pathway model is killing the sport because when we do interviews, focus groups and surveys, it's clear that players, coaches, parents and everyone else all believe that as soon as they pick up a racket, every kid is on the pathway to being Roger Federer".
He continued. "It just doesn't make sense. It's like making every kindergarten child hold a crayon in a very specific way and making them draw straight lines so that WHEN they become a brain surgeon they've developed the right skills to hold a scalpel".
And then - his final comment....."We don't understand - to extend the analogy - why you don't just let kids hold the crayon anyway they want to and let them draw anything they choose like rainbows and horses and bunnies. Then the ones who decide they love drawing will keep doing it and those who don't wont".
My friends - that story is pretty much where we are. When they love what they do, they will do what they love.
It's time for a different approach to sport.
https://t.co/SakYbVZFcY
Olympic Football Club are currently looking for coaches who are interested in joining our ever expanding Community and Advanced pathway football programs for the 2025 season 📷📷
Register your interest through the link today → https://t.co/Jpqv818kP2
On Tuesday, Our Junior Academy had a team building night hosted by Character Builders where they participated in team building activities that brought our players together.
It was a great night filled with great learning experiences for our players 🙌