From Practice to Competition: A Coach's Guide for Designing Training Sessions to Improve the Transfer of Learning(Professional Development in Sport Coaching)

About the Book

Practice may arguably be the most important predictive factor of athlete success in sport. As such, designing and conducting effective practice sessions should be an essential element of coach education and development efforts.

In From Practice to Competition: A Coach's Guide for Designing Training Sessions to Improve the Transfer of Learning, Gibson Darden and Sandra Wilson provide practical, research-based recommendations for coaches to help them get the most out of their athletes at every practice. Easily transferrable across a variety of sports, this guide explores and applies “transfer of learning” concepts that coaches can use to better design and structure their training sessions. When implemented, these techniques yield greater positive transfer of their practices to the game.

Featuring sample scenarios, real-world examples, potential difficulties, and helpful tips for each of the key “transfer of learning” concepts, this book is the perfect guide to help coaches answer the important question of “Will it transfer?” when designing and conducting each and every practice session.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Chapter 1The True Purpose of Practice
Chapter 2The Science of Transfer
Chapter 3The Foundation for Transfer
Chapter 4Designing Practice for Transfer
Chapter 5Practice Analysis for Transfer
Chapter 6Skill Instruction that Transfers
Chapter 7Repetitions that Transfer
Chapter 8Feedback that Transfers
Chapter 9The Games that Transfer
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors

About the Author :

Gibson Darden is professor of motor behavior at Coastal Carolina University. Dr. Darden has taught courses in motor learning, motor development, sport psychology, youth sport, and coaching education at four different universities. He has served on several national task forces to establish best practice standards and assessment in teacher, sport, and coaching education. A former collegiate athlete, he has coached at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. Darden has authored over 30 publications and conducted more than 35 presentations related to practice and motor skill learning.

Sandra Wilson is an associate professor of kinesiology at Coastal Carolina University. Dr. Wilson has taught courses in coaching education, sport psychology, youth sport, physical education, and motor learning. She has more than 25 years of experience training, supervising, and mentoring pre-professional coaches and teachers at three different universities. A former collegiate All-American field hockey athlete, Dr. Wilson is an accreditation portfolio reviewer for the National Council for Accreditation for Coaching Education. She has authored over 15 publications and conducted over 60 presentations related to teaching and learning sport skills.

Review :
Practice is one of the most important aspects of any coach’s job. This book helps coaches plan and execute better practices and is a must read for any coach who wants to get better! An informative book for coaches and coach developers addressing the question, “How can we design practice activities that will transfer?" The authors address this question by providing the reader easy to digest, practical information aligned with motor learning principles. Using stories, practical examples, and reflective questions, the authors also prompt coaches to more deeply examine how they currently structure practice and consider whether they are creating conditions in practice to promote learning that will translate into helping athletes perform better in competitions. A must have book for coach developers interested in clearly, concisely, and practically introducing motor learning principles to coaches and guiding coaches on how to design practices for transfer. This book is a practical guide to transferring concepts, techniques, and strategies from practice to competition. The examples and research within provide a realistic and in-depth perspective on how to maximize the productivity of athletes. This is a great book for coaches in the sports industry! Coaches will appreciate the number and variety of practical examples offered to support and implement the concepts and strategies introduced. A purposeful practice that is specific to competition demands is vital to athletic success. From Practice to Competition provides the scientific background, framework based upon proven research, and the rationale for effective practices. Most importantly, the information is presented in a practical and applicable manner. This allows coaches to take the information and use it for creative and enjoyable practice that transfers to successful competition.