CREATIVE
MULTI SKILLS
BY MARK SENIOR, OWNER
BACKGROUND
 PRO SKILLS WORK IN SCHOOLS DELIVERING
PE, ASC, CAMPS
 UEFA B/ A LICENCE PREP
 MANCHESTER UNITED ACADEMY U6-8
 FORMER BFD CITY U7,10, 12, 16, Yth Team,
Reserves coach
 MULTI SKILLS AND PARTICIPANT
DEVELOPMENT
 Tutor of Level 3 Delivery of PE in schools course
Introduction
The Idea:
 To combine knowledge
 To provide information
 To improve coaching
 To increase enjoyment levels
 To improve the learning environment
 To improve progression
 To develop young people
WHAT IS MULTI SKILLS?
ABC’S, PHYSICAL LITERACY, DEVELOPING A RANGE OF INTRICATE, TECHNICAL,
VARIED SPEEDS, REALISTIC TO GAMES, LONG TERM APPROACH, PUSH BOUNDARIES
Curriculum in a nutshell..
 Develop fundamental movement skills,
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becoming confident and competent
Master running, jumping, throwing and
catching
Use skills in isolation and combination
Use skills in team games
Developing balance, agility, coordination
All to compete and succeed in sport.
Physical Literacy
 the motivation, confidence, physical
competence, knowledge and understanding
to value and take responsibility for
maintaining purposeful physical
pursuits/activities throughout the life-course
 Whitehead (2013)
How?
Example model – field hockey
canada
SPORT SPECIFIC vs MULTI SKILLS
FOOTBALL LEARNING
MULTI SKILLS
 Dribbling, passing,
 Whole body approach
shooting
 Many complex, changing
skills
 Over coaching of the
game?
 Emphasis on winning early
not developing excellence?
 Including multiple sports
movements, skills and
broken down games
 No competition/ league
structure
 Emphasis on individual
development to impact the
future not the present
Culture that breeds success
 Why do these places do so well?
Finger and thumb practice – does ‘can’t’ exist?
Do Coaches produce players?
 “The best coach I ever had was….myself”
(Michael Jordan)
 WHAT ASPECTS OF THE GAME NEED
COACHING?
 HOW DO WE TEACH/ COACH TO DEVELOP?
 COMMAND, DISCOVERY OR LAISSEZ FAIRE?
 IF I MAKE A MISTAKE DO I NEED TO BE TOLD?
 IF THE ENVIRONMENT IS RIGHT THEN THE
PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE NO FEAR OF
EXPERIMENTING!
Train the Body and the
BRAIN!
Successful Sport Professionals:
1.Choose and maintain a positive attitude.
2.Maintain a high level of self-motivation.
3.Set high, realistic goals.
4.Deal effectively with people.
5.Use positive self-talk.
6.Use positive mental imagery.
7.Manage anxiety effectively.
8.Manage their emotions effectively.
9.Maintain concentration
Covered in the course………
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Pre activity?
Creative thinking
Learning
Creative skills
Problem solving games
Environment and
culture
 Small sided games
 Feedback
PRACTICAL SESSION – PRE, BALL EACH, PAIRS, 4S
Pre Game/ Session Activity
Warm Up?
Mental rehearsal
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Do we need to warm up?
Research?
What’s in the session/ game?
Realistic practice
Good use of time
"Before a game when all the noise is
happening around him, Zola sits in the
corner and remembers when he used
to play football in the hills of Sardinia,
where he was born. He remembers the
sheer joy of football and that is what is
important."
Malcolm Cook
Visualisation
Habits
Self talk
Motivation
Imagination
Role Play
See a picture
Scanning
Observing the opposition
PE LESSONS
 Children get changed (10 mins)
 Introduction or into games (5 mins)
 Skills coaching/ demonstrations (20 mins)
 Games, progression (20 mins)
 Changing time (5 mins)
 Could depend on age, break times, lesson
changeovers, facilities available etc
Time Management and
constraints
Maximise Activity
Multi benefits/ cross overs
 Environment creation -
 Multi technical/ skill
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habits
Multiple balls/ equipment
Circuits
Adaptation of rules and
conditions of sessions and
games
No line drills and queues
Small sided games + often
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learning
Movements performed in
all activities relate to each
other
Isolation is removed to
include more movements
Whole body approaches
Cross subject learning
CROSS CRAWLING DEMONSTRATION
Creative young people
 Non linear sessions – dribbling isnt mentioned in the
curriculum at a young age – isnt this running, agility,
balance, coordination, neural development?????
 How many ways can children catch? It doesn’t
matter if they drop the ball – perfect lessons
shouldn’t exist. They only exist for an adult mind to
process non embarrassment
 Strength development – british gymnastic levels
don’t coincide with relevant age banding in schools
– young children with practice (usually at home)
develop strength by themselves and can do much
more……
Creative players
Told or Allowed?
Which players change the
game?
Practical – creative skills and cross crawling
creativity
98%
32%
10%
2%
Why do we lose creativity?
 Ken Robinson
“schools kill creativity”
“Intelligence tests predict only a
small part of what makes people
successful.”
Questioning: not giving the
answer even though you know
it!
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What if the defender changes position?
What can your players do there?
Show me?
What will happen if the angle changes?
What else could you do?
Can you come up with a way that…?
How can our team keep possession here?
Lead to the answer don’t give it!
Divergent thinking.. Sport?
Practical – small sided games
Coaching Sessions
 Learners need inspiring, fun, challenging
appropriate to their developmental needs.
Intro & Pre
Activity
Games
Skill
Learning
SESSION STRUCTURE
 How do I structure the session?
 Do I need to plan?
 What outcomes in the players development
are we aiming for?
 Have the players got the opportunity to
change the practice, adapt and progress it?
 Can I deliver and is it realistic?
 What are they actually learning?
Typical Learning Session
game
Mental
development
The
player(s)
Problem
solving
Skill learning
Example creative multi
skills session..
Technique/ skill
practice
3v3
games
Free play
Small
sided
games
Can they
improve/ are
they ready?
Problem
solving
game
Common teaching mistakes:
 Making children pass in certain games rather than dribble –
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basketball, football, rugby etc
Having to share to develop – no! to develop you need the
equipment more
Line drills – limit time on the move
Full instruction – lack of creative/ self learning
Playing safe with equipment – bean bags etc
Not playing 1v1 in invasion games
Showing fear to extract fear from children – over bearing
help – hand holding for example
Over familiar or over use of ½ activities
Not allowing children to find their own techniques/ ways
Not being able to demonstrate effectively and inspire
Developing free thinking
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Confidence
Motivated
Culture
Parents/ carers
Step by step
Progression to higher levels/ age groups
Don’t judge anyone
Lots of play
Lots of mistakes and experiments
Barriers to creative
learning and development
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ADULTS
NATIONAL PHILOSOPHY TO LEARNING
GOVERNMENT (WHO ARE ADULTS)
STREET ENVIRONMENT DISAPPEARED?
PLAYGROUNDS AND BREAK TIMES?
SCHOOLS?
COMPETITION (DESIGNED BY ADULTS)
ADULTS
ADULTS
Current problems in specific
sports
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Cricket – under 9s
Football – environment
Swimming – schemes
Basketball – methods
Girls sports, pe
Competition and
selection of teams
from young
 Birth bias
 Quality of coaching/
teaching
 Golden years for good
habits and fun 3-9?
 Sustaining
participation –
sportivate was 14+ now
11+
 Skate parks – can we
learn from them?
Think how you learn the best
DO KIDS NEED TROPHIES AND MEDALS? LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM ABOVE
BE CAREFUL HOW YOUR SCHOOL REWARD CHILDREN – HAVE THEY
ALREADY REWARDED THEMSELVES INTERNALLY??
The future?
 Belgium, Australia, Ivory Coast, Uruguay
 Can we change quickly enough?
 Creative methods or traditional methods?
Recent professional football Academy u13 coach
wrote the following on wall:
 No risks
 Pass at every opportunity
Agree? What has he taken away?
Questions/ Debate?
Any Questions?
Points?
Feedback?
Thank you!