#322 Ben Franks - Exploring Ecological Dynamics

I’m delighted to speak with Prof Mike Wilson in this episode. Mike has over 16 years of dedicated expertise in the mental health field. Serving as both a professor and mental performance coach, Mike has collaborated with international governments, leading international bodies like the United Nations and the World Bank, law enforcement agencies, and a diverse range of global sports organisations. Their impactful work includes championing mental health as a human right, providing psychological capacity building for refugees and lower-income communities, facilitating essential support through hygiene distributions for marginalised groups, engaging in post-war peace-building via sports initiatives, and advancing community development through potable water projects. Mike shares his knowledge and experiences as a sport psychologist touching on areas such as growth mindset, challenge and threat states, resilience and explanatory styles.

I’m delighted to speak with Ben Franks in this episode. Ben is a people developer and Senior Lecturer in Applied Coaching Sciences at Oxford Brookes University. Ben has been at Oxford Brookes since 2021 after holding various teaching positions at The University Campus of Football Business and at Canterbury Christ Church University.   Ben also consults and coaches at a variety of organisations. He is Head of Youth and Junior Football at Sevenoaks Town FC. His areas of expertise are Ecological Approaches to Perception, Action and Cognition, Non-Linear Pedagogy and Human Movement and Skill Development. Ben is currently undertaking a PhD.

I’m delighted to welcome back licensed clinical psychologist and sport psychologist, Dr Scott Goldman in this week’s episode. Scott started out at the University of Arizona where was one of the first embedded sport psychologists in an athletic department. He has since served as a clinical and performance psychologist for the University of Michigan and Saint Louis’ Athletic Departments. Scott also helped co-author the best practices for the NCAA and was part of their first mental health task force.   Scott has worked as sport psychologist for the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions NFL teams and NBA teams Washington Wizards, and currently the Golden State Warriors.   Scott is also the owner/developer of a test called the The Athletic Intelligence Quotient (AIQ) which measures intelligence that is most relevant to athletic performance. The test is used across all 5 major leagues in the US as well as in other countries around the world. Scott is heavily involved in the NFL Scouting Combine and we speak about the psychology involved in the selection process.

I’m delighted to speak with Dave Bright and Dr Oliver Runswick in this episode. Dave is a coach and Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching at Chichester University. His main research interests are in motor learning and its application to practical sport coaching. Dave has coached martial arts for 25+ years. And it was from his experiences in coaching that led him to do a Sport Science Coaching degree, then a Sport & Exercise Psychology Masters degree. Dave’s current role requires him to develop undergraduate students as sport coaches, providing them with an awareness and understanding of the underpinning motor learning and coaching research. Dave is undertaking a PhD investigating the effects of cognitive load and autonomous task selection in motor learning. Ollie is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. His research focuses on understanding and enhancing learning and performance in domains including sport, dance, education, and the military.  Ollie is the Editor in Chief of Perceptual and Motor Learning Skills at Sage Publishing and a Human Performance Technology Consultant providing consultancy in virtual reality applications, skill acquisition and motor learning, perceptual-cognitive skill, training/practice design, talent ID and development, vision in performance and performance systems. Ollie received a first-class BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Swansea University, MSc in Human Movement Science from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, PGCHE from St Mary’s University, and PhD from Liverpool Hope University where he studied perceptual-motor skills based with St Mary’s University’s Expertise and Skill Acquisition Research Group.   Dave, Ollie and I discuss a paper they co-wrote along with Dr Jenny Smith, Dr Philip Kearney which compares two learning conditions - task-related autonomy and cognitive effort. Research has shown that both feelings of autonomy (as supported by OPTIMAL theory) and cognitive effort (as supported by Challenge Point) can positively impact skill development. This research paper aimed to compare these two approaches to learning. Results showed no differences between the effects of autonomy and cognitive effort, but uncovered participants use of tactical learning to improve. We unpack the paper and discuss its real-world application for coaching settings.

I’m delighted to welcome back coach and coach developer, Dr Jamie Taylor in this episode. Jamie’s interests lie in performance enhancement in sport, specifically in coaching, coach development, high performance and talent development. Jamie is Assistant Professor in Elite Performance at Dublin City University and a senior coach developer at Grey Matters, a company specialising in performance enhancement and coaching development for individuals, sporting/cultural organisations and systems. In this episode, Jamie and I discuss his new book, co-edited with Prof Dave Collins, entitled ‘Sport Skill Acquisition: Integrating Theory and Practice’. The book carefully and critically considers the expanding knowledge of skill acquisition and motor control, with a focus on application, examining three major theoretical perspectives that dominate the field: cognitive, ecological dynamics, and predictive processing. Jamie and Prof Dave Collins use their combined wisdom as coaches, coach developers, and expert sport psychology practitioners to offer practical advice on blending theoretical approaches, using examples from a variety of sports and activities. For those looking to improve their work with performers, Sport Skill Acquisition provides a road map for choosing the best approach for each unique situation to develop skills for optimal sport performance.

In this episode I welcome back Prof Stephen Harvey and Dr Ed Cope to the show.  Stephen is Professor in Sport Pedagogy at Ohio University. His research is focused on teacher/coach pedagogy and practice and its influence on student/player learning. Stephen is the Coach Educator Developer at US Soccer Federation and the Head Coach at Ohio Soccer Club. Ed has been a lecturer in Sport Coaching for over a decade and is currently based at the prestigious Loughborough University. Ed has also worked in football, holding the role of Learning Design and Development Manager at the English Football Association where he was responsible for the design and development of their education courses.

I’m delighted to welcome back Dr Josie Perry in this week’s episode. Josie is a chartered sport psychologist, working mainly 1-1 with athletes – from novice athletes just starting out through to world champions. She teaches athletes the skills they need to overcome barriers to success and ensures they feel more comfortable and confident when they compete. Josie is also an author, writing features for magazines including cycling weekly. In this episode we discuss her latest book “ADHD in Sport: Strategies for Success”. The book illuminates the ADHD brain in sporting environments, looks at the benefits of exercise on ADHD, the impact of ADHD traits on sporting performance, has chapters full of tools to help wellbeing, training and competition, information on cooccurring conditions and ADHD medication in sport and concludes with chapters for coaches, parents and partners.

I’m delighted to speak with Jason Dorland this week. Jason is a former Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championship rower and rowing coach. After his competitive career, Jason went on to enter the teaching profession, where he taught and coached high school for fifteen years. In ten years of coaching rowing, Jason’s crews earned 12 international championship titles. Jason now works with his wife, former Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championship middle and long-distance runner, Robyn Meagher. Their business, Your Mindset Coaching and Consulting, offers workshops, keynotes, and coaching to teams looking to better equip themselves to be their best selves and perform at their highest possible potential for longer. Jason and I speak about his experiences as an Olympic athlete, what he learned from his competitive career, and how this shaped his coaching and consultancy practice. 

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Alex Auerbach in this week’s episode. Alex is a performance psychologist working with the best athletes in the world in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and Olympians, as well as high-performers in other domains like elite military units, Fortune 5 companies, and venture-backed start-ups. Alex was formerly Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, where he was responsible for all things mental health, mental performance and off-court development for players and staff. Alex has worked with NCAA Division-I schools in the Pac-12, ACC, Big 12, and Conference USA, where his work has included serving as the performance consultant for a Conference USA bowl-winning football team, ACC championship team, and student-athletes who continued in professional sport and/or the Olympic games. He earned his doctoral degree in counselling psychology with a specialisation in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of North Texas. Alex and I discuss his brilliant new book “Called to Greatness: Your Personal Playbook for the Pursuit of Excellence”.  

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Matthew Andrew this week. Matthew is a senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. He previously lectured at Liverpool John Moores University in Expert Performance and Learning. Matthew is interested in skill acquisition and talent identification and development. In this episode Matthew and I discuss a study he led which examined talent development in female soccer. The study examined developmental activities engaged in by professional female soccer players in England.