The Coaching Toolbox: For

Coaches….& Teachers!

A Practitioner’s Viewpoint

Alan MacPherson

& Murray Craig

Session Plan: Abraham & Collins’

Coaching Toolbox • Intro – Who we are and our relationship with the topic

- Alan applied / research

- Murray – Physical & Coach Education

• Understanding knowledge(s)

• The toolbox

- Short explanation of the tools

• Underlying theories

• Q&A - How does this relate to what you do?

• Concluding Remarks

Why do experts standstill, go

backwards, or work hard to become

and remain expert - ? Abraham & Collins (2011)

“When faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and

proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on

proof.” (Galbraith, 2002)

Quote from Abraham & Collins (2011b)

Procedural

Knowledge

Declarative Knowledge

Tacit Knowledge

Types of Knowledge Underpinning the

Toolbox

Why am I doing what

I’m doing: Undervalued?

How to do – what

I’m doing (Coach): Vital – yet

problematic

Knowledge that is difficult to

tell…acquired through immersion in

a domain … composed of different

experiences: Vital – yet problematic

Toolbox Basics: How it works

Offers methods / options / combinations

3 Golden Rules

1. Make the content as personally relevant as possible

2. Promote athlete understanding wherever possible

3. For rapid short-term results make the session ‘easy’;

for longer-term development focused on retention/

transfer make it ‘harder’.

(Abraham & Collins, 2011)

The Tools (Abraham & Collins, 2011)

1. Knowing your performer

2. Assessment

3. Goal-setting

4. Physical guidance

5. Verbal instruction

6. Demonstration

7. Q&A

8. Command words

9. Feedback

10. Practice

Relationship &

Understanding

Communication

Skill Development

Environment

Physical Practice

Abraham & Collins, (2011a)

Coaching Toolbox – Practice

Continuum

Timescale -

Short term

Decision

Continuum

Timescale -

Long term

Expert

Demonstration

versus Coping

Demonstration

More versus Less Feedback

Instruction versus Questions &

Answer

Consistent versus Varied Practice

Massed versus Distributed Practice

Abraham & Collins, (2011 a, p. 223)

Coaching Toolbox for Coaches??

Underpinning Theory

• Classical Decision Making& Naturalistic Decision

Making

• Professional Judgement Decision Making (PJDM)

Classical & Naturalistic Decision-

Making

• Classical Decision

Making :

• Naturalistic Decision

Making Defined as:

CDM – Formal Knowledge

NDM – Intervention Knowledge Source

Micro

Macro

DM

Sty

le

Abraham & Collins (2011b)

Compare, contrast

options in advance –

not time critical

Recognise cues –

adapt – to the

environment: time

urgent

PJDM & The Toolbox

• Exploring tacit assumptions

• Tacit assumptions greatly influence coaching

behaviour

• Effective coaches looking to develop their

expertise have developed a mechanism to

challenge their own tacit assumptions

• Experience is really useful – if you harness it! Abraham & Collins, (2011b)

Lewis Hatchett –

Professional Cricketer Arik Armstead –

1st Round Draft Pick

Concluding Comments

• Why do experts standstill, go backwards, or work

hard to become and remain expert - ? Abraham & Collins (2011)

• We think it’s because there isn’t always a

framework for coaches to develop their

declarative knowledge – and interrogate their

own tacit assumptions about their coaching

practise.

Useful References

Abraham, A. & Collins, D. (2011a). Effective Skill Development: How should

athletes’ skills be developed? In D. Collins, H. Richards, & A. Abbott (Eds.),

Performance Psychology: A Practitioner’s Guide. Elsevier: Edinburgh.

Abraham, A. & Collins, D. (2011b). Taking the next step: Ways forward for

coaching science. Quest, 63, 366-384.

Martindale, A., & Collins, D. (2013). The development of professional judgement

and decision making expertise in applied sport psychology. The Sport Psychologist,

27, 390-398.

Abraham, A., Collins, D., & Martindale, R. (2006). The Coaching schematic:

Validation through expert consensus. Journal of Sport Sciences, 24, 549-564.

Session Plan

• Reflection on research (critical consumer)

- common sense / uncommon practice

• The study:

• Upside of verbal instruction

• Downside of verbal instruction

Workshop Session: Interpreting

Research • Designed to determine the effect acute verbal

instruction

• Critical Consumer’s are - sceptical not cynical!

• Work out the implications?

Acute effects of Verbal Instruction (Bobrownicki, MacPherson & Sproule).

Acute Effects of Verbal Instruction:

Results (Bobrownicki, MacPherson & Sproule).

Figure 1.3. Mean angular velocity averaged across participants for

the six experimental conditions

Figure 1.4. Mean throwing time averaged across participants for

the six experimental conditions

Figure 1.1. Mean maximum elbow flexion averaged across

participants for the six experimental conditions

Figure 1.2. Throwing accuracy averaged across participants for the

six experimental conditions

Javelin Case Study

• Contrasting Mental Focus between elite and

international throwers

• Examine the link between the variability in joint

movements and reported mental focus of these two

groups of athletes

• What is being used by the elite thrower?

Variability indexes for key kinematic variables Subject

Level Knee & hip Left knee-hip &shoulder Elbow – Hip

&shoulder Throwers’ reported

mental focus in event Comp. Training Comp. Training Comp. Training

E 1 5.0 7.1 7.8 8.1 8.1 10.9 “Rhythm… just rhythm.

I have to hear the

music.”

I 1 14.5 9.3 9.7 5.0 5.0 14.5 I have an emphasis on a

‘fast arm’ as my key

point. It’s my best

feature, my springiness.

I try to keep that going

in the event.”

I 2 17.0 15.4 15.3 13.1 13.1 9.8 “I just try to keep form,

stay on the floor and get

a good block.”

I 3 17.5 12.6 18.8 15.9 11.3 25.8 “When I am under

pressure, I always

concentrate on a giving

it a good ****. Get it

away quickly and things

stay respectable.”

Bespoke Instruction: Javelin Case Study

MacPherson, Morriss, & Collins (2008).

Bespoke Instruction: Javelin Case Study In

tern

ati

on

al

l S

tan

da

rd T

hro

wer

MacPherson, Morriss, & Collins (2008)

Bespoke Instruction: Javelin Case Study E

lite

S

tan

dard

Th

row

er

MacPherson, Morriss, & Collins (2008)

Workshop Session: Interpreting

Research • Two case studies - taken together – implications

for the toolbox?

• Thoughts?