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"Coaches can be big agents for change...but the decks are stacked against them..."

  • Dec 23, 2022
  • 1 min read

Chris Cushion is Professor of Coaching & Pedagogy at Loughborough University as well as the Head of Coaching at England Netball. Chris is one of the most well known researchers in the world of sports coaching and has published widely. Chris joined me to disuss the nature of 'direct instruction' which is often a contentious subject in the world of sports coaching. Chris and I have disagreed in the past about this subject so we thought it was high time we got together and had a proper discussion about it. Needless to say, we didn't stop there...we also discussed...

  • How poor coach education is as a means to effectively support coaches and develop thier skills

  • Why coach development is so under valued

  • Why technique led coaching is still so prevalent

  • Why the 'toolbox metaphor' limits coaching effectiveness

It was a really interesting and valuable conversation. Hope you enjoy




 
 
 

6 Comments


Unknown member
3 days ago

This conversation really hit home. Chris Cushion's frustration about coach education being undervalued reflects a much wider problem — we constantly underestimate how deeply systemic barriers limit the people who are genuinely trying to drive change. The "toolbox metaphor" point is so sharp; reducing human development to a set of techniques strips away all the nuance that actually makes coaching transformative. It's the same challenge students face when exploring complex behavioural and organisational topics — whether working through Marketing Dissertation Topics or studying leadership theory, the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application is massive. Good coaches, like good researchers, need environments that encourage curiosity and critical thinking, not just compliance with a framework. Until institutions properly invest in that…

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Unknown member
Mar 02

This conversation really resonates with me. Chris Cushion's point about coach education being inadequate and undervalued mirrors a broader challenge we see across professional development — the gap between theory and practical application is enormous. The "toolbox metaphor" limiting coaching effectiveness is especially thought-provoking; when we reduce complex human development to a checklist of techniques, we miss the bigger picture entirely. It reminds me of how business students often struggle with the same disconnect — learning leadership and organisational change in isolation rather than through real-world application. Those pursuing further study often rely on an MBA Assignment Writing Service UK to help bridge that gap and build deeper conceptual understanding. Ultimately, whether you're a sports coach or a business leader,…

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Oct 28, 2025

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