I have been following Rob McGarr on You Tube for some time. His videos are a refreshing and honest insight to the challenges of improving in sport (it just so happens that he is a golfer). As I have followed along with the ups and downs of Rob's search for answers to the challenges that the game presents, I have watched him engage with several coaches with very different philosophies and approaches and then observed as he tried to take the knowledge and embed it into his game.
I found it harder and harder to watch - I saw Rob struggle with conflicting technical information and I also saw how his mindset suffered as a result...so much so that he ended up giving up the game for a period of time!!
I had to reach out! I couldn't stand by and see this struggle any more...I sensed that he was at a cross roads...he had a sense that this stuff wasn't working for him but didn't really know what the alternative was.
So we set up a couple of Zoom calls. The first was a 'get to know you call' the second we recorded.
I turned it into a podcast and Rob just published this video on his channel...
I'd love to here your thoughts on the conversation.
Rob McGarr is a YouTuber who has been documenting the ups and downs of his journey of improvement in golf for several years. His honest video diary has seen him travel all over the UK and Europe in search of information that will help him reach his goals of playing consistent scratch golf. His channel is fantastic and I really enjoy it but I have also been struck by the interactions he has had with many coaches, and the different philosophies that they adopt and the approaches they take and how this has affected his performance, adversely or otherwise. (for evidence of his commitment to improvement, watch the crazy video of him in freezing rain and wind below)
I decided to reach out to him to have a conversation about his journey and to explore some thoughts about coaching and skill acquisition that might help him make sense of all of the information he has received.
It's a long one...but I think that it is a goody...whether you are into golf or not.
Enjoy! Link to Rob's YouTube Channel
Adam Kelly is a Senior Lecturer and the Course Leader for Sports Coaching and Physical Education at Birmingham City University. He consults with international institutions and organisations in a number of professional sports, including football, rugby union, cricket, swimming, squash, and ice hockey.
In this conversation Adam and I explore the latest research into a range of more equitable talent development and competition frameworks that recognise the 'non linear' nature of talent development and allow for more individualised development opportunities for young athletes.
We discuss the relative merits of 'Birthday Banding' , Bio Banding', 'Average Team Age' and 'Playing Up/Down' approaches.
Hope you enjoy...
Links to research articles
'Birthday Banding' - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2020.573890/full
'Playing Up / Down' - https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/27544?show=full 'Average Team Age' - https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003163572-10/average-team-age-method-potential-reduce-relative-age-effects-jan-verbeek-steve-lawrence-jorg-van-der-breggen-adam-kelly-laura-jonker
'Bio Banding' - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03014460.2019.1640284?journalCode=iahb20
'Reversal Effect' / 'Underdog Hypothesis' - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7933505/
