4to7Zone

This is the Twitter page for Dr Colman Noctor’s latest book The 4 to 7 Zone which will be available from April 27th

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

“Adulthood is rarely linear; it is messy, unpredictable, and full of changes of direction, wrong turns, disappointments, reinventions, and moments of uncertainty.
That isn’t failure; it’s life”

https://t.co/jqOFjHMBNM

[4to7Zone @Zone4to7]

Well worth a listen for anyone involved in children’s sport 👇👇👇

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

This podcast has received some great feedback, so thank you. Its great to hear that it has been shared in coaches and parents WhatsApp groups… John is a fantastic interviewer and it’s an essential listen for anyone involved in children’s sport.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

This podcast has received so much positive feedback from parents and coaches of young people.

It's worth taking an hour to listen and fully digest some of @colnoc77 key points

Share with anyone who would benefit from listening across your coach networks
https://t.co/B66pJgngdM

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

Very few of us fully “live up to our potential”. Not because we fail, but because potential is an ever-moving target.

https://t.co/iTBr5A6Ton

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

Many thanks to my colleagues in SETU for spreading the word of my recent TedTalk. Much appreciated. An important message that we are not talking about. It’s only 10mins long , so won’t take up too much of your time 😉

https://t.co/ktWZCZ5VDE

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

“If a group of adults is standing around chatting, they are socialising. But for a group of teenagers, doing the same thing is often perceived as loitering”

https://t.co/vAg8XECGzQ

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

In the 1990s, groups regularly dominated the charts. Analysis of the UK charts shows that since the late 2000s, groups have accounted for fewer than one in five No 1 singles, while solo artists now dominate, taking close to 90% of top spots.

https://t.co/hFPR3CwcDV

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

Growing up, bedroom walls were covered in posters, shelves were stacked with CDs, ticket stubs tucked into mirrors, & band names written on school bags. Music wasn’t just something we consumed; it signalled identity, belonging, and sometimes rebellion.

https://t.co/hFPR3CwcDV

[Kevin Mulcahy @movementcoachkm]

The problem with children’s sport is an adult problem.

“An hour later they are back on their bike and have forgotten about the game”

Coaches have to remember the outcome we are looking for is they come back, not that “we” win the next game. (We win nothing btw, players win, we facilitate)

The inability to discern differences in approach between childrens, youth, youth representative, adult social and adult competitive sport is growing all the time.

If you are a “competitive” coach (which there is absolutely no problem with btw) you should start by helping out or learning with competitive teams. Not kids. It’s not for you, and that’s ok.

NGB’s haven’t helped by presenting coach education as a linear pathway from u7’s to pro sports in a chronological way. It makes no sense and causes a lot of hassle.

The one heuristic I do say to people if they want to find out what they like is to go and help out with a girls u13-15 team or a boys u15-16 team (about similar maturity) and that will tell you a lot about what you want to go and if coaching is for you at all!

*brilliant podcast on this subject. It’s great to get an outside but professional view on coaching from someone like Colman, well done @fhsperformance

[Dr. Colman Noctor @colnoc77]

“There needs to be a reason, such as going somewhere or doing something. Gathering simply to pass the time together has largely disappeared”

https://t.co/m6KGCfrr29

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

Sport does far more for children than improve their fitness.

It builds character, develops relationships, teaches resilience, and shapes how they handle disappointment and success.

Recent podcast with @colnoc77 explored all this for parents & coaches 🧵

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

We discuss all of this and more on the latest episode with child and adolescent psychotherapist Colman Noctor.

Spotify: https://t.co/FkMtaMw6AL

YouTube: https://t.co/9gg7VwkGkX

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

A six-year-old and a sixteen-year-old have completely different needs in sport.

Most coaching decisions around when to introduce competition, scoring, and specialisation are not well informed by what the child actually needs at that age.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

Sport has become a replacement for the street, the road, and the green where previous generations grew up.

The difference is that sport is adult-led.

Children are getting less practice at making their own decisions and working things out themselves.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

The most important non-physical benefit of sport is social.

The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of your relationships.

For many children, their local club is where those relationships are built and maintained over years.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

The biggest risk in youth sport is removing the fun too early.

When performance, metrics, and pressure replace enjoyment, children who joined because they loved it find a reason to leave.

The challenge is keeping both in balance.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

The goal of children's sport is to keep as many as possible playing for as long as possible.

When planning or reviewing seasons, ask yourself: does your club serve the community, or does the community serve your club?

The answer should shape future actions.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

If you coach your child's team, the bias does not always go the way people think.

Many coaches substitute their own child first because it is easier than taking someone else off.

Your child notices this and it has a cost.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

If you coach one child's team and not another's, the child you are not coaching will notice.

Match schedules will invariably clash, you have to choose, and they make that known.

There is no clean answer to it, but it is worth thinking through before you commit.

[John Murphy @fhsperformance]

Children need to be coachable by adults who are not their parents.

It is a life skill. If yours has only ever been coached by you, look for at least one activity where that is not the case.

The unfamiliarity is the point.