Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 3 | Page 10

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2019, Vol. 3
Applied Coaching Research
Conference Round-up
Ann-Marie Bunyan
UK Coaching
Our second Applied Coaching Research Conference
was held at Derby County FC’s Pride Park Stadium
in February, and included a variety of fantastic
workshops, poster presentations and ‘time for you’
sessions.
The perfect talent storm
The conference got under way with inspiring
words from one of the UK’s leading figures in sport
science and Head of Performance at the Football
Association of Wales, Tony Strudwick. Tony’s
keynote provided insight into what it takes to be
a successful coach in high-performance sport and
placed an emphasis on quality relational coaching
which ‘out trumps’ the technical and tactical.
Tony discussed the generational differences and
the need for coaches to adapt to the iGeneration
who are highly confident and expect instant results.
With this, Tony advocated a holistic approach to
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talent development which challenges and nurtures
a wide range of skills and attributes in individuals,
helping young people to excel.
“Creating environments for sustained high
performance requires both high challenge and
high support.”
This highly supportive learning environment
provides the athlete with optimal conditions to excel
in and out of sport, ultimately producing the ‘perfect
talent storm’.
“You have to understand that what might work
for Manchester United might not work for Derby
County. Coaching is complex, and each context is
very different.”