408: Kevin Mulcahy on The Evolution of Athleticism and Skill Development

Today's podcast features Kevin Mulcahy. Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach and owner-operator of the Design the Game Project. He has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents, for over 30 years. Kevin takes a multi-lateral focus on human movement, skill development, and S&C, led by a deep interest in ecological dynamics and the constraints led approach to coaching and motor learning. Sport and the process of athlete development has undergone a major shift in the last 3-4 decades. Where free play used to be a hallmark of young athletes, the majority of athletic development now happens in the realm of supervised, cognitively overloaded, and hyper-accelerated practices and games. This aspect of sport (and sports performance) does get talked about, but the nuances of how things should actually change from both a developmental aspect are rarely discussed. On today’s show, Kevin gives his perspective on ideal athlete development from an ecological and environmental point of view. He lays out the difference between the dominant “cognitive” approach to coaching and training, relative to an ecological approach. Kevin also gets into skill development, game-play and the importance of motor learning, and an overall athlete-centered, approach to training. Kevin’s experience crosses many of the traditional lines drawn in athletics, and as such, helps us to form new connections and understand the athlete development process on a deeper level. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr, the Plyomat, and LILA Exogen. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off of any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer head to Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30 day trial of the TeamBuildr software at teambuildr.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing. Check out the Plyomat at plyomat.net View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 3:44- Kevin’s Evolution of Movement and Strength Coaching 10:32- Gaelic Football's Impact on Soccer Development 13:45- Nurturing Creativity in Gaelic Games Athletes 29:45- Balanced Development Through a Free Play Approach 33:16- Small-Sided Games for Tactical Coaching Success 47:10- Athletic Success: The Genetic Advantage Perspective 54:02- Optimizing Training Schedules for Performance Enhancement 59:21- Irish Sports Clubs: Community Support and Culture 1:02:46- Enhancing Sports Performance Through Soft Coaching 1:07:29- Tactical Deficit-Focused Conditioning in Team Sports 1:12:06- Enhancing Sports Performance Through Motor Learning Principles 1:18:23- Engaging Sports Coaching and Skill Development Initiative Kevin Mulcahy Quotes "I'm not sure we all know how deep the science of sports goes yet." - Kevin Mulcahy “How do we learn skills? How are they connected to skill as we see it? Because we see the action of a player throwing a basket, pulling a dummy solo, dribbling through a player in soccer, whatever and we see that as a fixed skill and that's something they did and they must practice that a thousand times. But versus the more ecological way looking at it like, you know, they saw an opportunity to act, they saw a gap, they saw space, they got free at the corner for a three point shot, whatever it is. And they just took it” - Kevin Mulcahy “But traditionally, I would have struggled to get soccer and basketball players to engage in strength and conditioning more than any other sport, right. I don't know if that related to the street element where they have so much exposure, they have so much play, they feel good from it, they look good. I don't need (S&C). Why would I need that? You know, I'm well built. - Kevin Mulcahy "I believe it was Steffan Jones, the cricket fast bowling coach, who had said something about, like the death of a natural athlete, like that athlete who grows up on free play. And there's this, like, exceptional artistry that comes out of that" - Joel Smith "And that ecological psychology suggests that direct perception is what happening? And it's nonlinear learning, right?" - Kevin Mulcahy "My perception has evolved. Now I'm perceiving the play to come towards me in a very similar manner to what happened three minutes earlier. So I can't play it the same way." - Kevin Mulcahy ” The cognitive feeling that they have the information to give it, whereas the ecological belief is that the information is in the game. Right. So let's give them the opportunity to learn about the game. In the game. - Kevin Mulcahy "Absolutely, I think strength and conditioning has to move more towards a better and deeper learning of motor learning, right? And that soft coaching side of it." - Kevin Mulcahy" "The change always has to start somewhere." - Joel Smith About Kevin Mulcahy Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach who has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents for over 30 years. He is the owner-operator coach of the Design the Game Project, a platform that shares coaching insights and research to a progressive and learning-led audience. Design the Game promotes a Constraints Led Approach to Motor Learning and coaching. Kevin has studied on and off the field how humans learn to move and learn skills for well over 20 years. Through the DTG Brand has ran several Mini Online Course around Motor Learning, Decision Making in Sport and Practice Design. Kevin also runs TMC Performance, a bespoke S&C/PT business that caters to the overall health and lifestyle of his clients from athletes to Busy Professionals through a “strength & Conditioning for life & Sport” mindset and programming approach. Kevin has carried out Sports Coaching in Club roles coaching in Field & Court Sports as well as Boxing. Full-Time & Part-Time Professional roles across amateur, Semi-Professional & Professional Sport. Kevin has a strong educational background in coaching science, with a BSc in Strength and Conditioning from Setanta College, a certificate in Nutritional Science and Coaching from Precision Nutrition, and a certificate in The Neuroscience of Decision Making from Barcelona FC. Kevin takes an ecological approach to coaching and life in general and has a deep interest in Ecological Dynamics and the Constraints Led Approach to coaching and Motor learning. Kevin as a Sports and S&C Coach (either/or or hybrid roles) has in recent times been lucky enough to be part of coaching teams that won Regional and National (All Ireland) Titles with Cork Camogie, National Superleague Basketball Title with Ballincollig Basketball and Cork Senior A Gaelic Football Championship with Newcestown. Design the Game is unveiling online and in person workshops on Decision Making in sport to clubs and coaches around the world.