Play to win. Why?

The will to win, argues MIck Owen is much misunderstood and considerably over-rated, particularly when it comes to coaching young people who are just beginning their involvement with sport and the sporting environment. [Blog post]

Coaching the modern day beast

With distant memories of television in black and white, Nick Levett considers the art of coaching in a modern environment and comes to the conclusion that "kids today are different". [Blog post]

Richard Feynman on knowing the name of something and knowing something

Richard Bailey points us to a presentation by physicist, Nobel prize winner and bongo player Richard Feynman and wonders what it tells us about how we teach and learn [Blogpost]


"We knocked the bastard off!"

On the 60th anniversary of Hillary and Tensing reaching the summit of Everest, Trevor Laurence considers the lessons on leadership, collaboration and team-work that modern coaches can take from this most celebrated of achievements. [Blog post]


Parental issues within coaching

Dan Maynard explains why and how parents can be a massive hindrance to the coaching process in terms of interfering with the coaching taking place. Parental attitudes, Dan suggests, are a vital element of the coaching experience. [Blog post]


A brief guide to mental toughness

Richard Cheetham responds to some recent questions from fellow coaches and considers the definition of and main criteria for mental toughness. Mindset and mental skills are at the heart of the issue [Blog post]

Do you value sports coaches?

With the post-Olympic policy debate rumbling on, Andy Gair suggests that the idea of athletes coaching school pupils is a slap in the face for PE teachers and casts aspersions over their professionalism. [Blog post]

Schools of thought: the sector’s response to Gove 2013
Michael Gove’s much-anticipated announcement about school sport brought out the worst in the sport system. Mick Owen reviewed the responses with a shaking head.

Why competition is not a 'C' word
Much to Mr Gove's probable chagrin, coachings long-established and highly effective C-system does not include 'competition'. David Haskins, a highly experienced coach educator and a passionate advocate of the C-system, explains why it is not on the list.

Are you inspired yet?
With every sporting agency attaching the word ‘inspiration’ to events, activity programmes and marketing campaigns the sister title of The Coaching Review convened a Coaching Insight in Nottinghamshire to see what the word means to coaches in the post-Olympic landscape.

It took you how long?
For many people the hard work in a training session is preceded by a far greater challenge. Richard Cheetham offers an appreciation of the ‘training journey’ as a consideration in choosing coaching behaviour.

Learning through games, with games and from the Games
The latest Coaching Insight took The Coaching Review to the Hertfordshire Sports Village for the sixth annual Hertfordshire coaching conference.

Another brick in the wall: the buildingblocks of coaching excellence
Coaching excellence came under the microscope at a recent Coaching Insight event in which experienced coaches from a variety of backgrounds shared their opinions, perspectives and achievements.

Submission to the All Party Group on Sport: the state of UK sports coaching
At the end of last year The Coaching Review's sister title was invited to draft a report to the parliamentary All Party Group on Sport on the state of coaching in the UK. Following our consultation, this is the result.

Making your mindset up: a coaching conference
Mick Owen reports from Pat Duffy’s coaching conference in Leeds and, having mastered the signage on the roads of the city and followed the threads of the presenter's arguments, wonders if this has offered a vision of the future.

All systems go: a positive approach to Scottish coaching
The Positive Coaching Scotland programme describes itself as a cultural change initiative designed to create a positive environment for young people in sport. Beth Macleod takes a look at how PCS is using sport to effect transformational change.

Mental health: an issue for coaches
To mark the occasion of World Mental Health Day, and to find out why governing bodies of sport would be exercised by such an issue, Joe Coach read a book and went to a workshop.

Johnson versus Lewis: a black hat/white hat kind of thing?
Does a new book about an historic race offer insights into the present state of the Olympic family? We read The Dirtiest Race in History to find out.

Dissecting the power dynamic: a Coaching Insight in Nottingham
The coach/performer relationship is key to coaching success but hard to get right. Mick Owen went to Nothingham in search of insight into this building block of coaching.

Afraid to ask and afraid to reply: is it time for a reticence amnesty?
Andrea Andrews wonders whether it is time for swimming teachers to ask the right questions of the right people and heed the lessons from grassroots football about how and what young people want to learn.

What did the Olympics do for us?
Joe Coach looks to volleyball’s Audrey Cooper for inspiration and lessons from the 2012 experience.

I coulda bin a Nancy: taking the learning from the stalls
Joe Coach went to see John Owen Jones give his Phantom to see what a sports coach might learn.

Master meets apprentice: training coaches the old-fashioned way
Considering coaching turnover rates, Joe Coach looks to the medieval for a way to increase retention.

Mental health: an issue for coaches
Joe Coach marks World Mental Health Day by reading a book and going to workshop where he finds out whether NGBs are exercised by the issue.

Breakfast of champions
Joe Coach goes under cover at a dangerously early-morning CPD workshop for coaches to compare ideas and breakfast platefuls.