The River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching

This is an audio version of the Motivation series I wrote a few years ago. It provides an introduction to motivation and learning and how coaching behaviours can have a big influence on both.The key themes covered are:Part 1. Motivation TheoriesThere are many theories about motivation, but the one we’ll look at here is particularly useful for sports coaches and leaders. It is called the Self Determination Theory, or SDT for short. SDT is made up of a number of micro-theories one of which is called the Basic Psychological Needs Theory. According to the Basic Psychological Needs Theory, motivation to engage in an activity is influenced by the support, and subsequent satisfaction of, three innate basic needs. These are the need for:Autonomy (a sense of control over your own life and personal volition),Competence (the need to be effective and skilful),Relatedness (the desire to feel connected to, and cared for, by others).Part 2. Autonomy-supportive coaching behavioursAccording to Mageau and Vallerand (2003), the coach’s autonomy-supportive behaviours directly influence the participant or athlete’s perceptions of competence, autonomy and relatedness.So, how do we ensure that we are being autonomy supportive in our coaching? Mageau and Vallerand have come up with seven autonomy-supportive coaching behaviours.Provide choice within structure, specific rules and limitsProvide a rationale for tasks and limitsAcknowledge negative feelingsProvide opportunities to take initiatives and work independentlyProvide non-controlling competence feedbackUse non-controlling language, avoid controlling behaviours, and use competition and rewards wiselyPromote a mastery rather than ego involvement (promote achievement).Part 3. Increasing skill acquisition - who is making the decisions?Within more traditional sports, as well as equestrian and adventure activities, deliberate practice has typically consisted of coach-led sessions. In a coach-led session, the coach makes all the decisions. The coach defines the learning environment and provides the technical and tactical content considered necessary for developing skilful performance, and gives error correcting feedback. The research that guided this practice paid little attention to how coaches could support the needs of those they coached.  In fact, motor learning research did not consider motivation at all until recently. There appears to have been an assumption that in sports settings people are already self-motivated. Motivation was, therefore, something that was only important if someone did not have any at all. (And then, only to get people active who needed to be for health reasons.)Thankfully, there has been a recent change in focus.  Both researchers and practitioners have moved away from considering movement learning as just being about how a coach can effectively impart information. This wider view has resulted in an approach that is more learner-focused.This is the link to the articles on the Dynamics Coaching website https://dynamics-coaching.com/our-blog/motivation-and-optimal-learning-environments/

On this episode, my lovely guest is Chris Adderson from For The Horse. About my guest:Chris is an equine educator and consultant, top level rider and an equine and human movement expert.Chris helps passionate riders confidently achieve their riding dreams and goals without fears, doubts, so they can ride with ease and flow. From understanding and communicating with your horse on a deeper level to consistent, exhilarating rides, Chris will help you clarify your riding with your partner who you are absolutely passionate about being the best you can be with.Chris is a sought-after clinician, having taught thousands of riders and their horses worldwide. She has studied with, and instructed for, many of the world’s greatest classical dressage and horsemanship people such as Ray Hunt, Roy Yates, Peggy Cummings, Margrit Coates, Philippe Karl, Pat and Linda Parelli, Lee Smith, and George Malleroni, but none so great as the horse itself.  An instructor of 44 years, many of my students have become equine professionals and ridden to the highest levels.Find Chris on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChrisAddersonFortheHorseOr her website at https://forthehorse.com/

On this episode, my lovely guest is Chris Adderson from For The Horse. It has taken me a long time to get this first part out, partly due to my work and PhD commitments and partly due to poor internet and difficulty in moving the recording from another computer. Please accept my apologies for the time and the sound quality. I hope that it does not effect your enjoyment of the great conversation. About my guest:Chris is an equine educator and consultant, top level rider and an equine and human movement expert.Chris helps passionate riders confidently achieve their riding dreams and goals without fears, doubts, so they can ride with ease and flow. From understanding and communicating with your horse on a deeper level to consistent, exhilarating rides, Chris will help you clarify your riding with your partner who you are absolutely passionate about being the best you can be with.Chris is a sought-after clinician, having taught thousands of riders and their horses worldwide. She has studied with, and instructed for, many of the world’s greatest classical dressage and horsemanship people such as Ray Hunt, Roy Yates, Peggy Cummings, Margrit Coates, Philippe Karl, Pat and Linda Parelli, Lee Smith, and George Malleroni, but none so great as the horse itself.  An instructor of 44 years, many of my students have become equine professionals and ridden to the highest levels.Find Chris on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChrisAddersonFortheHorseOr her website at https://forthehorse.com/

Link to the blog article https://dynamics-coaching.com/coaching/snow-rabbits-and-pooh-sticks-motivation-arousal-and-focus-of-attention-in-the-ugly-curve/

This is an audio version of the blog post 'Learning in the ugly zone: the importance of play and exploration.'The out-take at the beginning is Snoopy (my border collie) helping me by highlighting play and exploration with his 'squeeky piggy' Christmas present.The full blog post including the diagramme of the Ugly Curve can be found on the Dynamics Coaching website by following this link https://dynamics-coaching.com/articles/learning-in-the-ugly-zone/Dynamics Learning (ugly) Curve (Davies and Davies, 2019)The dynamics challenge-performance learning curve, adapted from Davies and Davies (2019) is an ecological dynamics model of optimal challenge for learning. It is based on the self-organising properties of movement dynamics (e.g. Kelso, 1984) the ‘cusp catastrophe model’ (Thom, 1923; Hardy & Fazey, 1987) the ‘challenge point framework’ (Guadagnoli & Lee, 2004) and Dave Alred’s (2015) concept of the ‘ugly zone’..

I met Martina when I attended the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) Advanced Instructor course earlier this year. The course was excellent and I have used the practical elements regularly in all of my coaching and own practice since. I am exploring how to develop it for using with horses to help diminish the movement poverty that many horses suffer and to support healthy, happy and skilful movement in horses as well as humans.  For open courses in the UK in 2023 (London and Sheffield) or for bespoke courses with a focus on your own sport contact Dr Martina Navarro.The Athletic Skills Model website (English overview). https://www.athleticskillsmodel.nl/en/about-asm/ An open access academic paper about the ASM theoretical underpinnings .https://www.athleticskillsmodel.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Creating-adaptive-athletes-the-athletic-skills-model-for-enhancing-physical-literacy-as-a-foundation-for-expertise.pdfDynamics Coaching blog articles link https://dynamics-coaching.com/our-blog/Martina Navarro'I joined the Department in August 2017 from the University of Bern, Switzerland, where I was working as a post-doctoral research fellow. I hold a BSc degree in Sport Science from the School of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Sao Paulo (EEFE-USP), Brazil. At the same institution (USP), I did my PhD in Human Physiology (Neuropsychology) focusing on the effects of training strategies and high levels of stress and anxiety in human cognition (eg. attention and decision making) and motor control. During my PhD I joined a Sandwich program and did part of my PhD research at the MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam at the VU University Amsterdam. In 2013 I worked at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, at the School of Medicine of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, as Post-Doctoral Fellow. In 2016, I was awarded an excellence post-doctoral research fellowship by the Swiss Government, and subsequently joined the Institute of Sport Science at the University of Bern. During my Fellowship, my research focused on testing Bayesian Decision Making Theory in sports and human performance. In addition, I have worked with sports consultancy companies and professional sports teams and international sport organisations, most notably, in Brazil and the Netherlands.My research interests are focused on understanding the intricacies of the key elements (perception, action, cognition and emotion) in human performance psychology. Specifically, my work investigates how high levels of anxiety and stress and different skill acquisition strategies may affect attentional resources and consequently decision-making process.'Academic contact martina.navarro@port.ac.uk

This episode is a recording of a webinar. Nicky Fuller joined a number of experienced equestrian coaches (all previous guests of the podcast) to have a conversation about why we ask questions as coaches, how we can become more skilled at asking questions, and when asking questions may not be the most effective coaching tool.There are some parts of this where the sound quality is not great, but hopefully it does not detract from the value or enjoyment of the conversation.Nicky FullerNicky set up Connected Equestrian Coaches with Showjumping coach Mandy Frost. She is a learning and development professional with 25 years’ experience of designing, developing, and facilitating learning and mentoring programmes. She has worked with coaches across many sports and over several decades, is continually curious to find more effective ways to serve coaches in their desire to improve. Nicky likes to integrate contemporary thinking and research into everyday practice, helping coaches to make sense of what they do and why they do it!​Based in the UK, Nicky frequently works with national governing bodies of sport to help develop solutions to learning problems in the UK and overseas. Nicky holds a MPhil postgraduate degree and an advanced certificate in Adult Learning and Assessment. She is a former International netball player and now coaches junior players at club level.Our other guests are Emma Slater, Mia Palles-Clark, Jane Randall and Warren Lampard.

Welcome to the first of three new podcasts for you to listen to over the festive season!I am delighted to share this fascinating and informative conversation with @drgilliantaborphysio  about how you can keep your horses healthy and moving well, when to get help, and how to navigate the complexity of so much information online.My guest on this episode is physiotherapist Dr Gillian Tabor. I have followed Gillian's research for many years, and more recently her social media channels.  In this conversation we cover many topics including;How to navigate some of the claims made on social media. Neuroplasticity, pain and restoring your horse's confidence in moving.A deeper dive into understanding pain.What does the horse need movement-wise in order to carry a rider.Where to get support and advise - and links to Gillian's podcast and social media.I loved this conversation and I hope you do too. Please share your thoughts and reflections with myself and Gillian.Hartpury University Profile. Dr Gillian Tabor is a Chartered Physiotherapist who has been working as an ACPAT Veterinary Physiotherapist for 20 years. Experience as a guest lecturer led to a part time role, teaching Rider Performance, at Duchy College in Cornwall. Gillian then joined Hartpury as a lecturer in Veterinary Physiotherapy in 2013. Having progressed to a Senior Lecturer position and becoming the Programme Manager for the MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy course at Hartpury University, Gillian now has additional roles within Hartpury's research community. In 2020 she completed her doctorate, the first for Hartpury entitled 'The use of objective measurement in Veterinary Physiotherapy'. As well as teaching students Gillian, continues to undertake research in this thematic area both in her own equine projects and via supervising students.Social media linksGillian's podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-equine-physio-rehab-podcast/id1603299526Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drgilliantaborphysio/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drgilliantaborphysio

"If we could start again and design sport around the needs of children, would the sports still look the same as they do now?" Mark O'Sullivan asked this question at a conference a few years ago, and I keep revisiting it, thinking about it from the perspective of the needs of horses.With the continuing issues of abuse in sports,  this episode explores what the issues are and whether there are cultural aspects to the way sports have emerged that may make abuse easier to perpetrate and harder to eradicate. Does a historical focus of developing obedience and compliance undermine agency and consent. And if so, how can we move forward and have youth and equestrian sports that are safe, ethical, and meet the needs of those partaking?Thank you to this weeks guests, authors Dr Jennifer Fraser and Julie Taylor, for joining me for a conversation about abuse and bullying, the impact that it has on individuals and how sports are perceived by those outside of the current systems. This was a difficult but important conversation for me. I am passionate about not losing equestrian sports, but equally passionate that much needs to change moving forward or we will lose them and with good reason.My guests on this episode are:Julie Taylor is a journalist and author of 'I Can't Watch Anymore': The Case for Dropping Equestrian from the Olympic Games.'  'Catalogues what happens to sport horses in plain sight ... should be compulsory reading for all of us who care about horses.' - Professor Paul McGreevy BVSc, PhD, FRCVS; author, Equine BehaviourPassionate, yet rigorous and meticulously researched, this eye-opening book holds equestrian sport up to Olympic standards and finds it sadly wanting.'Find Julie on Twitter @eponatv Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eponatv and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/eponatvDr Jennifer Fraser is the author of 'The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health.' 'Bullying and abuse are at the source of much misery in our lives. Because we are not taught about our brains, let alone how much they are impacted by bullying and abuse, we do not have a way to avoid this misery, heal our scars, or restore our health.'Find Jenniferon Twitter @bulliedbrain 

In part 2 of this episode I am joined again by my two more fabulous guests from part 1 to explore a topic that has fascinated me since I came across it in my research into haptic perception. Biotensegrity.To give you an overview of biotensegrity check out this short Youtube videohttps://youtu.be/MfBuDci3GlMThe paper that is referenced in the podcast is my PhD concept paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17479541221107379This was such a wonderful conversation and went on for two hours so I have decided to split this episode into two parts. I would like to thank both my guests for joining me in this conversation from different parts of the world.In part 2 we delve further into understanding the practical implications of tensegrity (including the humble pop-up tent) and biotensegrity are before going on a journey around many topics including;Biotensegrity, expansion, contraction and our understanding of functional movement.Shear forces.How training can actually prevent horses using their bodies in a tensegrity way.When to start a horse under saddle.Behavioural and emotional regulation.Weak ankles, lameness and movement compensations.About my guests.Susan Lowell de Solorzano has an MA in Human Development and Education with a focus on kinesthetic learning and is a certified level  III T-ai Chi instructor. Resources & LinksBook 'Everything Moves: How Biotensegrity Informs Human Movement'My  instructions for making a collapsible tensegrity using common household materials:  https://youtu.be/RuEjQ228sy0I can best be reached through: BiotensegrityArchive.org or my twitter account: @1BiotensegrityTensegrityInBiology.co.ukColloquy on Biotensegrity and Equine HealthBiotensegriTea Party w Veterinary Pathologist Dr. Elizabeth UhlThe North Face Tent Design innovations, Bruce Hamilton & Buckminster FullerMaren Diehl is sort of a field researcher in biotensegrity since 2015, probably the first one in equitation and for sure the first one without any ties to riding styles and training systems.After many years as a rider, trainer and instructor with more questions than answers, Maren Diehl found biotensegrity to be a good explanatory model for living beings in motion, and things started to make sense. In her online courses she teaches what biotensegrity is all about, what it is good for and how it differs from what we know as biomechanics.For her biotensegrity gives a new insight into perceived problems and solutions in the world of horses and equitation and provides a theoretical foundation on which to build, a new way of looking at things - a paradigm shift.Homepagehttps://www.die-pferde-sind-nicht-das-problem.de/YouTube channelhttps://youtube.com/channel/UCL7K6Wlbi33X3kSR74414eABook "Beyond Biomechanics - Biotensegrity"English (choose your country bottom right)https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/Beyond_Biomechanics_-_Biotensegrity/W-85_1495