Categories
Development

BLOCK vs RANDOM PRACTICE: READ, PLAN, DO

How to Optimize Your Practice with Motor Learning

Key Points

Game skills are complex
Every time you do a skill in a game, regardless of sport, you have to read, plan, and do. We call this process the “total skill


It’s all about transfer
Transfer is the word motor learning scientists use to describe real learning. When they study practice and how it impacts skill acquisition they always look at what the people can do the next day rather than the improvements they can see during the practice stage.

Transfer=How much of the improvements made in practice actually show up the next day or in the game.

Block Practice
A traditional approach to practice that involves getting a high number of reps repeating the exact same movement over and over and over again (hitting 10 putts from the same spot).

Random Practice
A practice approach that randomizes reps – you never do the exact same thing twice (hitting 10 putts from different spots on the green).

Random leads to wayyyyyy more transfer – why?
In all of the studies we see a huge difference between block and random practice during the transfer test (the one that measures real learning). This happens because during random practice (when we never do the same thing twice) we are forced to read, plan, and do before every single rep.

During block practice we simply repeat the previous movement and the reading and planning are eliminated from the equation.

Block is easier to do, obviously, and will make us look better in practice. However, if we want to prepare to perform in an actual game, random is the better option.

Post Content by Trevor Ragan and Train Ugly.com

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Categories
Educating

One of a Number: Surviving football’s ruthless system

Millions of children dream of being the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but the reality is that only a tiny percentage will ever make it pro in football.

Great documentary showing how ruthless and uneducated the industry is!

By Goal.com @goal on twitter!

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay

Categories
Irish Grassroots Football

Good Reads this week:

Youth Sport and COVID-19: Contextual, Methodological, and Practical Considerations

  1. The unique circumstances surrounding COVID-19 offer an opportunity to reflect on existing youth sport provision. What defines a “real” sport? What are those key ingredients needed for sport to occur? Sport systems can often be resistant to change because this “is how we’ve always done it.” Now is the time to challenge that approach.

https://www.frontiersin.org/…/fspor.2020.584252/full…

2. “The science is clear – this can all be done safely. Other jurisdictions have done it. The Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, France – these are all countries where youth sport is being preserved through accredited sports clubs right now. They recognise it’s safe. They’ve looked at the science.”https://www.irishtimes.com/…/frustration-grows-among…

3. 100% agree with Benny. I’ve been coaching children since July at our childcare facility and we haven’t had 1 child out sick with a flu or cold, never mind covid! Lots of Children are regressing and our government don’t seem to care. Absolutely we need to take care and practice safe protocols for the safety of everyone, however we can’t lock children and adults away from their sport & exercise any longer. It’s mentally draining being stuck in a house all day without any social interaction with your peers. Children, people need social interactions. https://www.irishnews.com/…/-kids-are-crumbling-and…/…

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay

Categories
Coach Talk

Coach John Wooden

“Essentially, I was always more of a practice coach than a game coach. This is because of my conviction that a player who practices well, plays well.” – Coach John Wooden

Coach John Wooden

Training was where Wooden always felt he really made the difference to his teams. Each day before training Wooden and his assistants would spend near to two hours planning the day’s session. The planning would sometimes last longer than the session itself. Once done, the notes for that session would be made on a small card that he carried in his pocket.

Not only did this keep them handy, but he could also write down extra notes during the session as things developed.After practice, he would transfer all his notes into another notebook.

His notebooks were an essential part of his coaching toolkit, and he would add notes after games as well.Your practice sessions are the most important part of the week.

Make them count!

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay

Categories
Irish Grassroots Football

“The more sports you can play from a younger age, the better

“The more sports you can play from a younger age, the better” @offtheball @nathanmurf Stuart Lancaster on the ‘specialisation vs generalisation’ argument in underage sport 🏉#OTBFuture

  1. The more sports you can play from a younger age, the better;
  2. They become more rounded;
  3. The best players players are the ones who had the broadest experiences in different sports;
  4. Playing to space, identifying space in different sports, the more you play the better you get that feel for it;
  5. The best decision makers are the ones who played the most sports;
  6. U16s international was stopped as only 10% made it to u20s. It creates false hope & impressions on players.
  7. You can only identify talent at around 20 years;
  8. Rocky Road Study: Athletes who had setbacks, not selected, injuries = better achievements rates, resilience, determination.
  9. Full Video ➡️ bit.ly/2KWwexA

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay

Categories
Irish Grassroots Football

@RvN1776 Ruud Van Nistelrooy

@RvN1776 Ruud Van Nistelrooy a few years ago talking to @OxfordUnion

⚽️ Education is the most important thing;

⚽️ The environment is pushing kids into that dream that hardly anyone makes;

⚽️ They are tired of playing by 14/15;

⚽️ Let kids be kids;

⚽️ The best will grow & develop into the players they will be!

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay

Categories
Coach Talk

@JamesJClaffey

Really insightful hour with @JamesJClaffey and thanks to @ancoraemparo @CelticLourdes for organising it!

Your Why ➡️

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We always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say or content to share, please comment below or email me coach@thecoachdiary.com 

If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary and @LetTheKidPlay