Understanding How Athletes Learn: Integrating Skill Training Concepts, Theory and Practice from an Ecological Perspective

Adopting a coaching perspective centred on
athlete-environment interaction, this article
summarises contemporary skill training literature
and theoretical principles based on Nonlinear
Pedagogy (NLP) and the Constraints-Led Approach
(CLA). Our analysis highlights two main issues:
1) that athletes learn by using information in a
performance environment to coordinate their
actions; and 2), there are implications of these
ideas for training designs and for coaches, athletes
and educators. Specifically, we examine various
guiding ideas for: 1) training designs; 2) the role of
the coach during training; and 3), the athlete-coach
relationship and the learning process. These notions
lead us to propose a one-page summary graphic.
The article also concludes with five training
principles for coaches and applied sport scientists
to consider and adopt.