Constraints led approach.

What is a constraint ?

With this model of coaching constraints are not always considered to be negative factors that may hinder performance. They are simply any number of factors that have an influence learning and performance. The individual personality or attitude of a athlete , as well as the environment such as the pitch surface and finally the task itself , perhaps whether or not the athlete engages with a particular exercise or if he would rather be doing something else.

With the contraints led approach the factors that usually are the limiting factors with coaching , instead can be manipulated to provide effective coaching , the individual qualities of an athlete, the task and the environment can all be manipulated for more effective approaches. 

Different players have different needs ! We often try and coach everyone under one blanket and if they struggle to meet targets or outcomes , we look at the players for fault , coaches need to appreciate that just like learning in school or revising for an exam , everyone has their own way of doing it. For this reason coaches should try their best to allow participants to develop their own ideas , their own interpretations of instructions and solve their own problems. Often a limiting factor of coaches sessions is demonstrations.

DEMONstrations.
Demonstrations are such common place in coaching routines and sessions that we often do not think about the implications of them. Every coach will explain what they want players to do , but then they will offer them a demonstration as well. The demonstration effectively acts as a solution for the players , if they were slightly unsure of the method in which they were meant to do something , then after watching a demonstration all they have to do now is copy it to assure success , effectively KILLING CREATIVITY.  Players will focus on repeating the demonstration not creating their own solutions , nine out of ten times , if you ask the players to perform a turn , then demonstrate a Cruyff turn , the majority of the participants will all perform the same turn.

Below is a complete run through of the constraints led approach from Triathlon New Zealand website. 


Demonstrations may actually limit potential as they can be constraining and force the learner to adopt a movement pattern that may not be the most effective for them.

A demonstration should 
always be coupled with its outcome (i.e., what happens) so that learners are encouraged to problem solve and determine how their actions and effects are related.

Allow learners to observe a range of people doing demonstrations so they can appreciate subtle variations in technique and how it alters outcomes.

The problem solving approach (setting problems for athletes to solve, or
posing questions) encourages learners to take more responsibility for their learning.

There are different ways to achieve the same end result and learners should be encouraged to explore these opportunities so as to develop flexible and adaptable movement patterns.

Performance in practice should not be seen as a sole measure of the
effectiveness of coaching. The most appropriate measure is to observe the learner in competition.

Practice should be as variable as possible so that learners can explore and discover their own solutions.

The practice session should mimic the range of variations experienced during a competition. 

Blocked practice helps to develop confidence in the initial stages of learning. 

Blocked practice is repetitive practice to develop a technique or skill.

Providing feedback on every practice attempt limits learning potential as it prevents the learner from searching for solutions. 

Encourage learners to increase their own ability to use intrinsic feedback
(feedback about their own movements).

Very prescriptive coaching (i.e., telling, telling, telling) may be detrimental to learning. Rather, using guided discovery enables learners to take more responsibility for their own development.

Coaches should manipulate the individual, environmental and task constraints to help shape the learners performances through guided discovery and self-exploration.

Sport or game intelligence can be developed by the use of competition-related activities.


Reference
Williams, A.M. & Hodges, N.J. (2005). Practice, instruction and skill acquisition: Challenging tradition. 
Journal of Sport Sciences, 23(6), 637-650