Play for Performance

Article

Play is not the opposite of performance, it is the pathway that leads to it. Play helps athletes show up consistently, because they enjoy sessions, are motivated and have a desire to engage. This provides the foundations for their stage of learning and development through a safe environment to explore, adapt, make mistakes, learn and improve.

Play is part of the essence of sport

Talent development coach and coach developer, Joel Enoch, understands the importance of play in developing performance athletes.

Watch as Joel explains why play matters in sport at every stage of an athlete’s journey from early participation to high performance. Hear how the experience and environment, along with coach behaviours, impacts their motivation and development plus their identity as a person, participant and performer.

In the video, Joel highlights a practical way of understanding what your athletes want from their sporting experience. He also explores designing sessions that protect the benefits of play while using competition with care in your programme and pathway.

A word cloud of common themes that Joel Enoch sees in using Play for Performance. Enjoyment, growth, and friendship are among the most prominent words

Where has my coaching environment become “a plate full of salt”, too much focus on results and competition, and what would it look like to reintroduce purposeful play?

What do my athletes find engaging and motivating right now? (Ask them!) What type of play, challenge, or competition draws out their best effort and keeps them coming back for more?

Community drives learning and development

Top tips

Remember everyone enjoys play, sometimes we just need to give adults ‘permission’ to play
Protect the ‘essence of play’. Keep space for curiosity, creativity, and enjoyment even when the long-term goal is performance
Be purposeful with competition. Add it to enhance motivation, engagement and challenge, not to replace learning opportunities
Design ‘safe to try’ activities and sessions. Create opportunities where athletes can explore, make mistakes, rework, find solutions in a flexible way. Set problems, not the solutions and create the freedom to explore
Use play as the coaching tool for effort when physical and mental demands or challenges are high for your athletes. Hide the effort within the play
Co-design the balance with your athletes. Ask what motivates them and what “play” looks like in your environment. The right mix differs by person, age, stage of learning and development as well as the environment

A flow chart summing up purposeful play: Play, Joy, Consistency, Goal.

Takeaways

Ask your athletes what they want from participating in sport
How much enjoyment and satisfaction do your athletes gain from your session?
Smiles count
How many ways can you bring play into your sessions?
Do you create an environment where your athletes rush to get through the door?

In your next session give your athletes permission to experiment, be creative and play. Shape your sessions around trying new things, experimenting with different approaches, failing and going again, learning new solutions to existing problems.

What simple change could increase creativity without losing structure and session design?

How can your coach behaviours and language help encourage this? Is your language playful?

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