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broader thinking
WIDE-SCIENCE TRANSFORMING COACHING, DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE
If athletes were robots, machines or performed in laboratories, coaches’ science-technology knowledge would be perfect, and that includes “social” sciences explaining the “best-ways” to coach [what to say, how to plan, how to motivate etc...] that also use lab principles. But they’re not, and they don’t.
Laboratory knowledge reduces to tiny parts. They have to. If the parts are any bigger, or there are too many, they can’t be proven accurate and trusted. But if you reduce what’s measured, everything else reduces too.
What’s seen, thought, done; what the problems/solutions are; what doing better is; and so on. It’s never clear how the parts connect; what part[s] are most important; how many are needed; how changing one part changes the whole; or how they change in real-life.
And if you prove what’s measured, everything fixes too and must always be done. Which is a problem because sport takes place in everyday real-life which is so dynamic, complex, messy, athletes need to adapt. It’s hard to flex what’s fixed, and there will never be enough “this-is-the-right-thing-to-think-and-do-in-this-situation” buttons to press.
And if there are, it will take too long to find the right ones. Most coaches know of these issues. But what they don’t know is social sciences have advanced to overcome them. That’s what we do, educate and apply the most progressive social sciences to coaching.
A NEW COACHING PERSPECTIVE
WHY A NEW COACHING PERSPECTIVE IS NEEDED
Humans experience the world through relationships and connections, none of which are ever simple, straight-forward and obvious. Thousands of unseen realities affect and shape what is thought and done, and they do so all the time.
Few coach educators know social sciences have advanced. Paradigms, or frames, guide the gathering of scientific knowledge. As more science is done, more problems are found, and the paradigm moves on, in ways overcoming those problems.
Social science paradigms are three frames moved on from those used in coaching. The old frames are never wrong, but the new frames combine sociology and psychology, to develop robust and systematic theories, sharpened by decades of fierce debate among the world's strongest minds, that explain real-life in depth: the unseen things.
So when science states X or Y, coaches also see.. a, b, t, d, m, o, k, l, r, h, e, z, q, and many, many more, and depending on the situation flex X to make better decisions.
Our coach education then moves coaches from lists of things to remember to do, to overarching guides for flexible thinking, bringing sciences’ many parts together, and re-thinking what to do: see-more, think-broader, do-better.
You help coaches find unique and creative ways of solving problems they always face, in ways I've never seen before.
Dr. Itay Basevitch, Anglia-Ruskin University
LINEAR
What we all think...
- development
- coaching
- sport
- exercise
- learning
- relationships
- and even performance is,
..what they actually are!
WOBBLY
It would be good then, to have "something"
explaining this ...to help you do that.
I can't emphasize enough, the wild changes to the clear ideas I had about coaching, in the last seven months, to those I have now.
Nikki Kenyon, USA Women's Rugby team
For a coach and staff willing to experiment with this work, even to a small degree, their would be instant waves on their team fostering dramatic change.
Andy Holmes, Power 5 Football S&C Coach
SOCIAL THEORY AS APPLIED SPORT SCIENCE
Social theories, have transformed all human academic disciplines, explains the practice part. They’ve just never been used as a sport science to improve performance: until now.
With no theoretical-intellectual [robust, systematic, trustworthy] explanations of practice, everyday real-life, or human-relational knowledge, coaches have to call themselves “pracademics”, or appeal to “art and science”.
Used to improve performance. social theory is a tool guiding us across the vast, open and bewildering everyday real-life spaces, just as GPS guides boats across vast, open, bewildering oceans. A wider science complimenting the precise ones. Good luck crossing the ocean without it.
Maybe that’s why, at the moment, in sport:
- abuse and bullying numbers are shocking;
- under-performance, injury, anxiety, mental health are common;
- tough love or verbal abuse are confused;
- drop-out is huge (more kids take up e-sports);
- coaching winners or coaching ethically are debated.. when they're
actually the same thing!
INTERESTED? See Module 1 (eight videos) below
Winning ethically
Learning is "a lot more" than giving-knowledge. True learning involves using-knowledge: trying, failing, resolving ambiguity, false starts, hands-on explorations, imaginations, deep engagement, trial and error, discovering new relationships, bringing elements together, and so on.
We run flexible and fluid workshops, clinics and communities based on our comprehensive research program informed by French post-structuralist philosophy. Nine theoretically guided areas of development crossing all sports sciences.
I thought it far-reaching at first, but the shift from individual solving his or her problems, to the environment being shaped to support and develop the individual... is powerful.
I have noticed both mine and my anxious friend's confidence dramatically increase.
Shelly Collins, Psychology Undergraduate, University of Calgary
Coach Education Workshops and Clinics
We work as consultants with individual, groups, teams or institutions, on any of our learning areas or specific coach-driven issues. We are fluid and flexible with the development we offer.
In our clinics/workshops, specific coaching issues are “workshopped”, or coaches bring their own issues to a clinic, and solutions guided by our theoretically-inspired coaching tools.
Coach learning communities (max no. 8) ensure personal, intensive, deep learning) meeting at pre-arranged times: read, think, discuss, debate, learn, read again and so on (think coach book club)
Cost: 6 session term $300 (run over 12 weeks)
High-performance coaching and leadership are synonymous. In the same ways we provide education for high-performing coaches, we do so for high-performing leaders too. Because at the moment, their education comes from the first paradigm of psychology: lists of fixed must-do" behaviours. We change that.
Coach Education Video Platform - Module one (below)
Taking advantage of the latest technologies, access our channel of easy-to-find-and-use video bolstered by a range of interactive, flexible and fluid learning resources. Pick and choose your learning and development.
Module one - Revealing more. Culture as an applied sport science is below. A further eleven modules coming soon.
Coach Education Curriculums - For NGO's, Institutions and Clubs.
To coach ethically and produce winning athletes, we offer Coach Education Curriculums based on our comprehensive applied research and teaching program informed by French post-structuralist philosophers. We have created a number of original and innovative learning activities in nine areas of development that theoretically guides and directs coaches in NSO's, sports organizations/institutions and teams:
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Identify inherent constraints in everyday coaching practices that could be compromising coach-athlete relationships;
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Explain how many current coaching behaviours could be disempowering and undermining their athletes' development';
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Think critically, look beyond the obvious or beneath the surface, ask the difficult questions that reveal what would otherwise be hidden;
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Implement fluid and flexible training practices that can be adapted to their athletes’ specific needs and situations;
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Demonstrate a critical and responsible use of data/technology;
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Develop long-lasting, truly ethical (which by definition is effective) cultures;
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Coach with a greater appreciation and awareness of how to be open-minded, inquisitive, comfortable with ambiguity, humble, collaborative, trustworthy, playful, patient, empathetic, creative, curious, courageous, confident, resilient, balanced and realistic.
So powerful, I honestly think this work will be
the new "John Wooden" for our insights into coaching wisdom.
Scott Caulfield, Director of S&C at Norwich University, Nations First Military College
TESTIMONIALS
“This has been the best class offered to us at the entire school
because it's changed what I thought was possible.”
Rachel Wilson, Sport Psychology Grad student, University of Denver
“It's only been three weeks and I'm such a different coach already,
I look back at the coach I used to be and I'm horrified."
Christian Davis, Lacrosse, Houston, U.S.
“I'm just trying to work out how we get this work to the athletes and
coaches in the high schools and colleges.”
Derek Schmidt, Volleyball, Colorado Springs, U.S.
broaderthinking
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