Understanding the Environment Guide

Think about growing flowers and how you create a nurturing environment for the flower. The physical spaces will be important: the soil quality, whether in the shade or direct sunlight and where in the garden you place them. But other factors are also crucial.

The cornerstones of a good environment are:

• Development: long-term, holistic focus that is challenging and supportive.
• Meaning: to hook participants' engagement and inspire them.
• Thriving: a meaningful and safe experience of development, support and well-being.
• Connected: internally and externally, recognising and enabling effective transitions.
• Motivation: links to Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, relatedness and competence).
• Learning: supporting independent participants with individualised, ongoing development.

You should aim to create and nurture an environment that reflects all the pillars in this guide. They must be appropriate and relevant for the age of the participants and their specific stage of development.

This means a thorough understanding of the individuals we coach and support, and their needs, is crucial.

Multi-disciplinary to interdisciplinary thinking

So, the starting point for you to consider is who is in your immediate and extended team, from those with the seemingly biggest roles to those with the smallest and least significant.

Understanding what each role entails, the contribution everyone makes and the skills they bring into your team (maybe from different walks of life), is the starting point to thinking holistically and creating an environment where teamwork is enjoyable and productive.

From a performance perspective, the entire team is like an engine made up of lots of complicated and interconnected parts. Sometimes it can be hard to see what role a single component plays in keeping the engine running, but we’d quickly find out if we removed it.

Extending the engine metaphor further, thinking holistically from an environment perspective is like considering the entire Formula 1 pit area. The engine and car are at the centre (like the participant) and the environment, both physical and individuals within it, are designed and created to enable maximum performance.

A similar way of understanding the performance engine/F1 approach is the shift from multi-disciplinary thinking towards an interdisciplinary approach. Simply being more aware of all the different elements within your team is the first step and encouraging them to interact with clarity is where effective interdisciplinary work happens.

The value of this type of thinking and working is to encourage a holistic view at all times, determining what the greatest needs are and which elements of the environment, or individuals within it, are best placed to support. Coaches who focus on a single approach arrive at a solution that they hope fits their participants’ problems. By embracing an interdisciplinary approach multiple solutions become available that you can adapt depending on the problem you are presented with.

The challenge with this approach is enabling channels and opportunities for productive discussions and that your environment and behaviours encourage everyone to engage. It takes effort, commitment and time.

An example would be the integration of a strength and conditioning coach’s activity within practice sessions. A detailed discussion between the coaching team and the strength and conditioning coach can ensure the appropriate work is included in the coaching programme. For junior hockey players, this might include decelerating and then keeping mobile in low, crouching, and tackling positions where there is a lot of strain on the hamstrings and the lower back.

These conversations ensure that training and conditioning remain representative of the game, that the participants are developing in the necessary areas for their specific sport and positional challenges and that the alignment between coaching and conditioning is central to discussions. This is the real essence of effective inter-disciplinary teamwork.

Setting an example

Six simple ways to set an example

Gareth Southgate has set a tremendous example with the England Men’s football team in building a positive culture and leading as a fantastic role model. In his book ‘Anything is possible’ these six points are a really nice reminder of how to embrace working in a team:

• Be friendly: Even small gestures like a warm smile or positive eye contact can strike the right note and set people at ease.
• Be engaged: Connecting with people means putting them first, which doesn’t take much. It’s about tuning into how they’re feeling as we speak and showing interest in them. Aim to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see things from their perspective.
• Be considerate: This is about showing respect towards other people, rules or conventions. It shows awareness and people will rate you for that.
• Be polite: Good manners go a long way with everyone. There's no need to be achingly formal all the time. Even just remembering to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ speaks volumes about your character.
• Be helpful: Offering up your time to help someone else with a task or a problem is a quality that can only invite respect. It shows generosity and genuine kindness, and it feels good when people recognise that quality in you.
• Be a listener: Even if you’re in charge of a team, the only way to truly understand your players is with a listening ear. Creating opportunities for people to voice their thoughts builds trust and invites respect. 

The Safe Uncertainty thinking tool

Safety is of huge importance for all coaching activity, whether that is physical or psychological safety.

The Safe Uncertainty quadrant provides a thinking tool to consider how you might look to tweak certain aspects in your environment. 

Spending too much time during activities and practice in the bottom two zones is undesirable and may ultimately be harmful.

As we move up the vertical axis towards safety, the experiences of our participants become more supported.

Importantly, this can vary significantly for each individual.

Safe and certain environments may be secure and steady for some people, helping them build competence and confidence. For others, this may feel more controlled and stifling, potentially too directive.

Moving experiences into the safe uncertain zone may open up opportunities for creativity and energy, may feel more ‘edgy’ and could lead to more effective learning opportunities.

Remember, it doesn’t take much for a small amount of uncertainty to spiral, which could then tip things into unsafe uncertainty with participants feeling uncomfortable and possibly vulnerable. It is also important to understand that some experiences in this zone could also be crucial learning experiences when planned, supported and reviewed appropriately.

Examples:

• Unsafe certain: participants' needs are not met, either through dangerous activity or damaging coaching behaviours.
• Unsafe uncertain: support is absent, and creativity is replaced by directionless and chaotic activities.
• Safe certain: the coach is more supportive, yet, likely to be in control, providing lots of feedback, offering solutions, and directing activities.
• Safe uncertain: participants are actively engaged in finding solutions, being creative, embracing uncertainty and being encouraged and supported.

The term ‘journey’ refers to each participant's path as they grow and develop. It starts in early childhood and continues through early adolescence, adulthood, and later adulthood.

As individuals travel on their development journey, various dynamic, non-linear pathways are impacted by personal situations, experiences and significant moments. The sport or physical activity, the player's degree of dedication, ability, access to resources, support networks and systems, and coach can all significantly impact these trips.

Every journey is unique to the individual and, although it may share certain features with others, it is shaped and developed by their growth, development, opportunities, and life experiences.

Development journeys are a combination of development and experiences as individuals pursue goals and hone their skills. Beginning with early exposure and multi-sport activities, participants develop fundamental movement and sport skills through exposure in a number of environments. As they progress to formalised coaching environments and exposure to competition in a variety of local, regional, or national events, often seeking specialised coaching and training to further refine their abilities. 

Throughout the journey, participants should be provided a holistic development experience which meets the individual's needs as a person, participant and performer. To meet these needs a coaching programme should consider the following in the design whilst ensuring the individual's stage of development remains central:

1. Safe Space: Includes various elements designed to protect the well-being of participants and create an environment conducive to their growth and development. A supportive environment that promotes mutual respect, inclusivity, and teamwork, where individuals feel valued and supported.
2. Skill Development: A wide range of motor skills and movement to develop fundamental skills through activities and practice sessions.
3. Appropriate Competition: Providing competitive opportunities which provide valuable experience and opportunities to monitor and measure progress, develop competitive skills and compete against others.
4. Mental and Emotional Growth: Opportunities to develop mental and emotional growth through practice and competition; learning about resilience, perseverance, teamwork, sportsmanship, managing pressure and coping with setbacks.
5. Personal Development: The coaching environment provides many opportunities to develop life skills and for individuals to take responsibility for their own development. These skills are transferable across life in general, including organisation, leadership, goal setting, planning and performance evaluation.
6. Specialised Training and Coaching: As individuals progress, develop and show potential, they increase their commitment to the sport or activity and engage in specialised coaching to further develop their skills and prioritise specific areas of development.
7. Higher Levels of Competition: For some individuals, the journey may involve competing at a higher level which provides them with opportunities to challenge themselves further.
8. Balancing Education and Sport: Particularly for youth participants, balancing studies with sporting activities is a significant aspect of their development journey. Finding ways to manage time effectively and excel in both areas is crucial.
9. Injury Prevention and Management: Injuries are an unfortunately common part of any athletic journey. Learning how to reduce the risk and manage and recover from injuries is essential for long-term participation.
10. Transition: At some stage, individuals will transition to a new coaching environment as they progress and out of competitive sport due to various reasons such as age, injury, or shifting priorities. This transition can be challenging, requiring individuals to adapt to new activities and find new outlets for their passion.

Developmentally appropriate

Coaching participants through their developmental stages requires a considered approach to the environment. Careful planning combined with an adaptable and flexible coaching style will create the foundations for a positive environment and experience for the individuals within the group.

You are an orchestra conductor, ensuring that all band members are playing at the right time to provide a fulfilling and challenging space in which they can grow and develop.

Whilst the individual components will differ based on the individual's needs and we know that this is and will be non-linear, there are a number of principles to consider:

• stage in the journey
• holistic approach; first, last and always
• individual evaluations: regularly evaluate and adjust training plans.
• progressive planning
• feedback.

The strength is in the consistency of applying these principles and ensuring that they are all collectively utilised. Individually they are good, and together they ensure an environment that meets the individual where they are currently at. 

Remember it’s not about getting to the end of the stage; it’s about enjoying the journey.

Stage in the Journey

• What have they experienced previously?
• What opportunities have they had before?
• What is next for the individual?

Considering these questions helps you identify where the individual is on their journey, areas of strength, positive experiences, increased areas of awareness as well as the areas to develop and prioritise. The programme should be designed to meet the individuals’ outcomes. There are often similarities and commonalities within the group enabling you to consider a broader framework; you can then apply the individual needs and development areas to this wider approach.

Changes occur because of a vast number of factors; a change in availability to train, commitment levels, competing life commitments, injuries, growth spurts, getting older, time away from sport and physical activity, and pregnancy, are just a few of the factors that influence development and progression.

Everyone’s journey will be different, leaps forward, steps back, progressions in one area and slow slog in another.

By considering these principles and implementing tailored strategies within your coaching environment, you can create a nurturing and effective space for your participants to develop and succeed at every stage of their journey.

Areas of concern

Barriers are the factors which stop an individual from participating in the first place. The word ‘dropout’ is used a lot when discussing youth sports. Dropout is different to participation barriers because those who drop out have already negotiated these initial barriers.

Dropout has many different meanings attached to it and certainly generates a lot of views and opinions. It’s a term used when an individual stops participating in sport or physical activity permanently. Research and insight highlight the long-term consequences for young people when they stop taking part, including the adverse effects on their health in the future.  

The reasons for young people and adults stopping participating can be grouped into three areas, intrapersonal factors, interpersonal factors and system and organisational factors.

Whilst these factors influence all participants, Sport Psychologist, Wayne Goldsmith highlighted the increased risk in children and young people with the ‘Sport Drop Out Zones’.

At each stage of the three drop zones, the individual's developmental, social, and other needs evolve, altering their relationship with and expectations from their sports experience.

Reports indicate that there can be consequences for young participants who drop out of competition. Certain ones can cause harm and may have an adverse effect on the person's health in the future.

Girls experience higher dropout rates than boys. The minority-majority gap develops because many minority girls never start with organised sports or physical activities, and some drop out more frequently. Minority girls and teenagers with lower socioeconomic status experience significantly higher rates of dropout and ‘disappear’ more evenly during recruitment and onboarding stages.

Types of dropout

• Volunteer dropouts left the sport or physical activity of their own choice to try other activities or life choices.
• Resistant dropouts who valued and enjoyed the sport or physical activity but found their current experiences or situation as negative.
• Reluctant dropouts who are forced to leave the sport or physical activity for reasons including long-term injuries, and cost change in personal circumstances. 

Shifting the dial on barriers

Coaching is always about context and the environment that you coach in will be different for everyone. Start to think with the term ‘flex’, what could you do differently to reduce the barriers to the participants and future participants in your local community?

• A martial arts club provided the uniform for participants when they began; offering a try before you buy approach after realising the initial outlay was too expensive for many. Later providing the option for participants to pay for their uniform in instalments.
• A community junior football club introduced a ‘boot room’; which was actually in the boot of a coach’s car. As participants' feet grew out of their boots, they could swap and trade in for a larger size.
• A badminton club moved venues to a sports hall that had better transport networks after noticing a drop off in later teen players and struggling to attract new players.
• Changing the times of sessions to coincide with lunch hours, around transport arrival times to make attending easier. An exercise professional moved their jogging club to start at the local primary school entrance after morning drop off, changing the times of sessions to coincide with lunch hours, around transport arrival times to make attending easier. This meant they were meeting participants where they were, saving time and creating a training habit from a regular routine.
• A rugby club found they were struggling to attract new female youth players. One of the current players commented that many parents or carers were concerned as the road to the club was unlit and had hedges on either side as they walked to the main road. The club raised funds and had streetlighting added. Two teams during the fundraising shifted their meeting and ending point for the sessions to the main road where the coaches could supervise the 150-metre walk, until the works were finished.
• You could try removing the rigidity of the sport or physical activity; playing music during the session, having an open ‘court’ for people to try during club sessions, removing the need for sportswear to be worn. Also impactful is the decision to play the game with the number of people that are present and available. A number of governing bodies in team sports now advocate adjusting the numbers to ensure that the game still goes ahead, prioritising participation over league rules. 
• A boxing club removed their pay per session rate and introduced pay what you can afford to their turn up and train sessions.
• Many sports have open sessions to encourage new participants, including bring a friend night to team sports, and personal trainers offering a free session for the participant as well as the new person they bring to the session.

Challenge assumptions and conventional wisdom. How creative could you be to remove the barriers in your locality?

When you point a finger, there are always three pointing back at you!  A great place to start as a coach is to reflect and consider how you may be contributing to the problem.

• Q. How well do you currently support participants with their transitions across teams, stages and programmes?
• Q. Do you co-create the sessions and programmes with your participants?
• Q. How do you communicate selection conversations? Do your participants have a voice the process?
• Q. Do you take the time to understand your participant's passion and drivers?
• Q. Is there flexibility in your session venues and timings?
• Q. How flexible could you be with your sessions?

Dropout may not be ‘final’ or ‘ridged’

If a participant has ‘disappeared’ how do you connect with them? Challenge or close off or seek to understand and support?

How do you close off the ending of a session or programme with a participant? Whilst acknowledging that their circumstances have changed, do you leave the door open for them to rejoin?

The introduction of talent systems has been considered to be a further contributing factor to the ‘dropout’ zone. given the potential for overtraining, overuse injuries, burn out and withdrawal after de-selection.

What is central to all these challenges is that they can be influenced by the coaching environment and coach behaviours. Participants have stated many factors that create a positive experience for them and why they enjoy sports and physical activities.

Why not take these statements and create a checklist for the environment?

1.  Are the participants having fun and enjoying the practice session?
2. Are the participants active throughout the sessions?
3. Is there appropriate competition and challenge for the participants?
4. Am I creating a sense of belonging for every participant?
5. Am I developing them holistically?
6. Am I developing a lifelong love of sport and physical activity?

Three worlds continuum 

The three worlds continuum offers a different perspective to the traditional twin-track approach, which is: a broad foundation of recreational participants feeding the higher selected levels of performance sport (pyramid model).

The three worlds continuum provides a framework for sport and physical activity, acknowledging that a participant's development journey is dynamic and non-linear. Participants travel their journey through multiple pathways as they progress. The flexible and transitional approach to the framework allows for an optimal journey for the individual, with exit and return routes, flexibility and a lifelong journey.

The framework highlights excellence and this is defined as:

• Elite Referenced Excellence (ERE): Excellence in the form of high-level sporting performance where achievement is measured against others with the ultimate goal of winning at the highest level possible, such as the Olympics, World Cup or international tournament.
• Personal Referenced Excellence (PRE): Excellence in the form of participation and personal performance, where achievement is more personally referenced, such as completing a marathon, taking part in an obstacle course race (Tough Mudder) or improving a personal best.
• Participation for Personal Well-being (PPW): Taking part in physical activity to satisfy needs other than personal progression. Examples of motivations might include the improvement of an individual's social life (making friends), enhancing social status and identity (being a member of a high-status club), personal mental well-being through an activity which is fulfilling and the maintenance of self-concept (staying health and in good shape).

Important within the framework is the interconnectedness between each of the worlds, enabling participation through efficient transitions throughout the life course. The framework removes age-related boundaries and stages of development.

The holistic nature of development allows the effective integration and alignment of the biological, psychological and social domains within the worlds. The focus and balance between domains will change based on the participant's focus (ERE, PRE or PPW), combined with environmental and personal characteristics, as participants transition through the worlds.

The compelling reasons for understanding and applying the principles of the three worlds into your organisation or club (and sporting governing body) include:

• Holistic nature of development.
• Multiple journeys available based on participants' needs.
• Reduces factors that lead to younger participants stopping participation.
• Eases and minimises the ‘luck’ factor in talent development selection.
• Transitions based on individual readiness over age banding.
• Retention of participants through effective and efficient journeys.
• Opportunity to focus on psycho-behavioural characteristics across worlds.
• Social benefits of remaining and interacting with peers at multiple points.
• Greater flex to accommodate educational options.
• A Rugby League Club example of an organisation that applies these principles across their environments.
• Rocky’s Giants (Under 5 fundamentals and fun sessions).
• Age-grade teams (leagues).
• Youth skills academy (non-competitive skills development opportunity).
• Open age teams, male and female at different playing levels.
• Access to professional club pathway (club is a member of the talent pathway).
• Fitness through rugby (social member to access the training, not competition aspects of adult sessions).
• Social mixed touch rugby.
• Touch rugby in a competitive league.
• Masters rugby (full contact derivative). 

The three worlds continuum offers a wider approach to the complex nature of participant development and journeys, while others notably follow a physiologically biased route or are heavily focused on the social aspects. A flexible model where people can switch between different levels of participation and performance throughout their life course. 

Talent identification, talent selection, talent development

Talent identification programmes (sport talent pathways) are designed to identify young participants with the potential for success in senior elite sport.

Key terms:

• Talent is “an individual's potential for success in a domain.”
• Talent identification is the “early recognition (relative to being an adult)” of that potential.
• Talent development is the nurturing of the potential through the provision of appropriate training and resources. The aim is to effectively identify and develop the characteristics (skills, knowledge, behaviours) deemed to be necessary for achieving future senior international success in sport.

The challenge with the above is that we may not see evidence of some or all these characteristics and abilities until a participant reaches maturity and their physical characteristics are stable.

A coach may meet their development needs through a holistic approach, but others may have limited opportunity to train in a way or an environment appropriate to their personal needs.

We know that performance (competition results and winning), particularly at a young age, does not necessarily equal talent for many sports. A system that confines itself solely to the identification of talent based on current performances (such as winners of junior competitions) will not necessarily identify, select and then develop those with the most long-term potential.

Talent development

Talent development is non-linear, and complex, must meet the individual's needs and often requires some luck. What we do know is that talented participants don’t achieve success on their own and this is how you as the coach and the environment you create can help, providing everyone with the opportunity to progress.

The individual should be developed holistically and provided with opportunities to grow, develop and test themselves as a whole person. Ensuring that your coaching programme provides a wide and varied range of development opportunities gives everyone within the environment with the best chance to succeed and maximise their potential.

Whilst each sport and setting, along with the individuals, will be different, some key foundations should be considered in the environment and within the planning of the coaching programme:

• A Personal Development Plan:
  
  
  • a long-term plan that is both flexible and adaptable; it provides your ‘north star’ for coaching conversations and reviews
  • remember it’s their plan and not yours
  • include all key stakeholders, including their wider support network
  • review regularly.
• Holistic approach:
  
  
  • think whole person: develop the skills, qualities and behaviours for them to navigate the journey and excel when they arrive
  • think wide and broad, there is plenty of time to narrow down later
  • sport progression: physical (including wider athletic development), technical and tactical development (such as game intelligence, positional awareness, and principles/rules of the sport)
  • personal progression: social, emotional, psychological, mental and physical well-being and life skills (such as communication, organisational, nutritional literacy, and teamship)
  • career progressions: performance skills*, education
  • they should be delivered in a variety of ways: informally, formally, implicitly within the programme and session design and explicitly.
• Cocreation:
  
  
  • encourage and guide your participants to own their journey, take responsibility for their development
  • include them in the programme planning and session design
  • enhance their self-regulation and reduce their dependency on you as the coach over time.
• Appropriate competition opportunities for development:
  
  
  • opportunities to ‘benchmark’
  • solve problems and face competitive challenges
  • exploit understanding and skills.

* Performance skills are the skills a participant needs to be a high-performing athlete. This includes competing realistic performance evaluations, reflecting on their performance, creating routines, clean sport, rest, recovery and prehab routines. 

Whilst the list isn’t exhaustive it does ensure a strong foundation for you to adapt and flex to meet your situation and the needs of the individuals you coach.

Culture is a complex and multidimensional concept. It is often described as what someone will see, hear and feel about a group or organisation. It is the group’s identity, sense of belonging and lens through which the members view, interpret and navigate the world.

Culture is dynamic and constantly evolving as it interacts with external influences and adapts to changing circumstances.

• Cultural memory and footprint are the shared history and collective view of stories, events and experiences that are remembered and celebrated by the organisation and people within the group.
• Behaviour within an organisation is driven by the expected norms and rules, which are often unwritten and informal, yet very important to the group. They define what is considered acceptable or unacceptable and drive the social order and balance within the group or organisation. These are often described as the ‘non-negotiables’, and ‘team pledge’ and may also include formal rules and an agreement or contract. Groups may describe these as their trademarks and how they want others to see them.
• Language is a critical element of culture, acting as the means of communication and the source of shared knowledge. It includes spoken, written, and non-verbal forms of communication.

Organisations within business, education and sport or physical activity like to champion their values. These are often displayed on posters, coffee cups and promotional material; often in the form of a memorable slogan to act as a reminder to members. However, it can be argued that values run much deeper than surface-level statements like these and that we can’t just create our values, but we can discover them.

As people, we live in a world that reveals itself to us through our values. Our framework of perception and what we direct our attention towards tends to be determined by what we deem important and of value. Often this can be subconscious as we have little control over what we focus our attention on (until we realise that we’re doing it!).

Thinking about these questions may give you an idea as to the things that you value and are important to you. For example, you might listen to yourself coaching and notice that you tend to praise or recognise certain traits, actions, behaviours and efforts. You might begin to examine what other participants focus on when observing and feeding back to each other. This could start to reveal the natural emerging value structure within your coaching practice and environment.

Culture can be a confusing word with many different connotations and is something that performance and professional coaches can often be heard speaking about in media events and interviews. Culture is an invisible, shared, collective, group phenomenon that is learned from the environment and affects us all the time.

One person doesn’t represent a whole culture and a culture does not represent one person. However, a group of people from one culture are more likely to act in a way that is appropriate for that culture, as this is what they see as their ‘normal’. So, people from the same culture tend to act similarly, especially when they are together. 

Take a moment to consider this from the perspective of your coaching environment or organisation. If someone looked in on your environment, how would they describe your culture? What would they see, hear, feel?

As a coach within the environment, you have a significant and influential impact on the culture and practices within the group.

How do you act and react as a group:

• during practice?
• when socialising?
• travelling to competition?
• in your changing room and areas?
• during competition?
• with the opposition?

Culture can be thought of as being represented in layers, like an onion:

All these layers combine to manifest themselves as the culture within our environment and shape the subsequent expectations. One way of thinking about cultures and their expectations is through tight and loose.

All cultures have social norms, unwritten rules that guide behaviours that sometimes become formalised as rules or laws. These help us to coordinate and predict each other’s behaviour. We follow social norms all the time, often without realising, and society couldn’t exist without them.

All groups (including yours) have social norms. Some are stricter and have greater sanctions for people who violate them. These are called ‘tighter cultures’. They tend to:

• have more order and monitoring
• be more coordinated
• have more self-regulation, self-discipline and rule-following.

‘Looser cultures’ are more permissive when it comes to rules and have wider variation and tolerance for rule-breakers. Loose cultures tend to be:

• more open
• more tolerant of diversity
• more creative
• more adaptable.

Within tight and loose cultures, some people are rule-makers, they notice a lot of rules and try to prevent mistakes. They like structure and order. Other people are rule-breakers, and they perhaps don’t notice rules as much or choose to ignore them. Rule-breakers may be more risk-taking and impulsive and be more okay with uncertainty. You may have some of these within your organisation, group or team.

All cultures have elements of tight and loose; it’s helpful to think of their default approach and the way they generally lean. Just like there is no single one way to coach, there is no single right or wrong culture. All cultures have specific advantages and disadvantages.

An optimum culture is perhaps one that takes advantage of the best of both tight and loose aspects. Cultures that are too tight or too loose can become dysfunctional. Innovative cultures require both tight and loose elements.

The first step to evolving a culture in your coaching practice is to begin to understand yourself. This then helps to view others and understand their differences, which allows you the opportunity to discuss and negotiate with participants about what the expectations are in your culture.

Some sports or physical activities may naturally lean tighter or looser whilst clubs, teams and individuals within those sports or physical activities may often show differences. The key is to recognise context and to match your culture to the requirements of the people and the sport or physical activity. The best coaches manage to find the balance between freedom and constraint in the expectations of their culture and can adapt to situations.

For example, a coach trying to influence a culture to move from tight towards loose may need to give and encourage participants the freedom to explore and push back at times.

On the other hand, in a culture that needs to tighten up, the participants may need more structure and clarity of expectations to help to understand the rules, as well as more individual and collective accountability.

Independent learners tend to:

• be more self-reliant
• be aware of their strengths and weaknesses
• take responsibility
• make informed decisions about their learning.

Creating and nurturing environments that enable participants to develop, practice and refine these learning skills is crucial.

Effective decision-making comes from many hours of purposeful practice. Encouraging participants to make and have confidence in their decisions is an important part of holistic development and you should seek to maximise decision-making opportunities inside and outside of formal coaching sessions.

Below are eight suggestions that you can use to stimulate decision-making:

1. Involve participants by empowering them to develop creative training activities.
2. Create training sessions that put participants in unfamiliar situations, so they have to develop solutions to the problems posed.
3. Increase the complexity of activities to increase the number of options, choices and therefore decisions a person has to make. Increasing or reducing space, time and number of opponents can challenge the decision-making further.
4. Encourage participants to question each other and provide feedback on their performance.
5. Encourage deliberate practice with feedback. Apply four times the amount of praise to criticism and use positive reinforcement to challenge participants. Warning…make deliberate practice participant-centred and enjoyable!
6. Maximise exposure to as many representative competition situations and the challenges that can and may arise as possible. Constant reinforcement of these scenarios improves intuitive decision-making.
7. Avoid too much structure with younger participants and encourage them with deliberate play in a wide range of sports and physical activities to improve pattern recall and recognition in later stages of development (pattern recall and recognition is the ability of a player to access information stored in memory and then reconstruct in response to a given event).
8. Playing sports or activities of a similar type, for example, invasion games such as hockey and basketball can help develop core sports skills and has been found to enhance all-around decision-making ability.

Exploring the motivational climate of our learning environments

Climate in this context refers to the prevailing mood, attitudes, standards, and tone established in your environment. You should consider how to create a positive and motivational learning climate that meets the developmental needs of your participants. Where they are on their journey, their needs and motivations and the overall context of your setting will influence your thinking.

Motivational climate can be divided into two different factors:

• a mastery climate (also known as a task-oriented climate)
• an ego-oriented climate.

Within a mastery climate, the task to be performed is the goal for the participants, so the focus is on exerting effort and improving personally in a specific task.

Where ego dominates, the focus is mostly on demonstrating superior performance compared to other participants.

Read our Understanding Your Coaching Practice guide to explore developing independent learners further.

What are transitions in sport or physical activity, coaching and life?

The dictionary definition is ‘the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another’. Quite often in sport, we think about moving from one age group to another or maybe joining a new physical activity, but transitions happen across our lives.

The following graphic demonstrates how the ability to cope with a set of specific demands or challenges is connected to the available resources and coping strategies and hindered by various barriers.

‘Available resources’ might include:

• your own experiences
• those in your social network
• your family and friends.

Types of transitions

The significance of perspective is a crucial point to consider. Every individual will experience transitions differently due to their varied resources, experiences and coping strategies.

Whilst one child might cope well with the move to junior school, the next may be extremely unsettled and take a while (and much more support) to become settled.

How you respond and react to these situations in your role as a coach is crucial, and it is also important to be very aware and considerate about how other people within the environment will react, such as parents or carers, other coaches, and other participants.

Transitions Top Tips

• Remember that everybody will experience transitions differently. There is no one ‘silver bullet’ to help, but by getting to know yourself and or your participants better you will have more information to work with.
• Creating a plan can help as you approach an anticipated transition. Consider the type of transition, its impact and context and what resources there are available to help.
• Take time to reflect on transitions you have experienced, what worked for you and why, and what might you do differently next time.