Show Notes
Welcome to the Game Plan Coaching Podcast Russell Earnshaw, known to most as Rusty, is one of the most influential coach developers working in sport today. Starting out in rugby, he now works across multiple sports and environments, from Premier League football academies to New Zealand, Canada, the US and beyond. He's the kind of person who makes you think differently about coaching within about five minutes of talking to him.
Three Key Messages 1. The best coaches see the world through the eyes of the learner Rusty's game plan contribution is rooted in a simple but profound idea from Roger Neyburn's book Experts. As coaches develop, they move from being focused on themselves to being genuinely curious about the experience of every individual in front of them. His challenge to coaches is to pick one player, watch their experience for the duration of a session, and ask yourself honestly; was that good enough?
2. Expertise is about having more options A recurring theme throughout the conversation is that great coaches aren't working from a checklist. They're noticing more, seeing more, and responding with a wider range of options than less experienced coaches. Rusty's advice? Deliberately expose yourself to different environments, different sports, different ages and abilities. Every experience adds to your toolkit.
3. Make problems visible Rusty's game-changing advice is as practical as it gets. Use bibs, headbands, scoreboards, and simple constraints to make the key problems in your session impossible to ignore, for players and for yourself. When the challenge is visible, players engage with it, problem-solve around it, and coaches don't drift away from it. Simple, effective, and immediately stealable.
Rusty's Game-Changing Advice Pick one player. Watch their experience for an entire session, minute by minute. What did that look and feel like for them? Then ask yourself how you're going to make sure every player in your group is having an experience worth coming back for.
Get in touch Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhartleycoaching/ Rusty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-earnshaw-66161020/ The Magic Academy Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-magic-academy/id1434710237
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