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/TheConstraintsCollective

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to develop your coaching craft. Coaching isn’t a set of techniques, it’s a lifelong process of learning, reflection, and refinement. We break down why great coaches stay curious, how authenticity builds stronger relationships, and why context and deep listening matter more than any one-size-fits-all method.

If you’re committed to becoming a more adaptable, self-aware, and impactful coach, this conversation will give you practical ideas to elevate your practice.

Enjoy!

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/TheConstraintsCollective

In this episode we are joined by Mark O'Sullivan, Associate Professor of Football at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. Mark is also a coach, coach educator, researcher and former DJ, music producer and recording artist.

Enjoy!

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/TheConstraintsCollective

In this episode we explore how sociocultural constraints shape the way athletes learn and perform. Using cricket examples like playing conditions in Australia and the current Ashes competition, playing styles, and how different environments create different types of players. Discussing how context and culture drive skill development and performance behaviours.

We also discuss England Rugby Union's winning streak and former All Black Jeff Wilson's comments about overly structured game models and plans.

Enjoy!

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/TheConstraintsCollective

Link to Ian's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Coaching-Playbook-Cricket-Coaches/dp/B0FMNYQFBV

In 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!!

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/TheConstraintsCollective

In 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.

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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

Stuart Armstrong is a workforce development system builder, learning innovation architect, skill acquisition specialist, and ecological dynamicist, and host of the Talent Equation Podcast.

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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