Continuing the @learntotackle series: Coaches throw around buzzwords like timing and coordination in tackle training, but what do they mean? Timing and coordination in relation to what? We can't define these terms until we've linked them to our perception of the outside world. Perception and action are inextricably linked and we can't optimally train for skill by training one without the other. This is one reason why I think bags and sleds are wholly incomplete solutions for tackle training. Today, we continue our critique of the OODA look, examine the relationship between perception and action using real-game examples of missed tackles, and discuss three practical changes you can make to better preserve the relationship between perception and action when you coach the tackle. Key learning points -Timing and coordination only matter relative to an external result, so you need something real to time against - Perception changes the landscape of affordances: narrow focus means fewer movement options - Action changes perception: head position and movement shape the information you take in - Feel matters just as much as sight: pressure and tension give valuable information about our opponent -Why stationary bags and sleds conflict with perception-action coupling - Why tackling often regresses in the off-season - Three vital coaching changes: game-like sensory information, coupled perception-action drills, and training with breadth Chapters 0:00 Welcome and series intro 0:19 Recap: critiquing the OODA loop 1:18 Perception and action are inextricably linked 1:53 How perception changes affordances 2:10 A real-game example: Blake Grupe's ACL injury 3:00 Common missed tackles: feet, QB, blockers 3:19 How action changes perception 3:41 Feeling the ball carrier: pressure and weight distribution 4:49 What good timing and coordination actually look like 6:17 Why sleds and bags conflict with perception-action coupling 7:10 Off-season regression and the FUD problem 7:36 Three changes to how we coach the tackle 8:43 Wrap-up 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to the channel and switch on notifications so you don’t miss a video. #LearnToTackle #TacklingFootball #FootballCoaching #TackleTechnique #FootballTraining #SkillAcquisition #TimingAndCoordination #SportsScience #CoachingFootball #SafeTackling

The OODA loop is a fantastic decision making framework, but it has some inaccuracies, specifically: the brain is not a computer, skills are not like pre-planned programs, and sporting skill is not the conscious, top down phenomenon we think it is. In this @learntotackle video, I'll explain why skill is actually an emergent, self-organized relationship between athlete, task, and environment, and what this means for you and how you coach skills like the tackle. 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. KEY LEARNING POINTS - The brain isn’t a computer. We can’t process all perceptual information, run simulations, and control every degree of freedom in a tackle. - Skills aren’t programs we select and “push play” on. Strategies overlap, scenarios are endless, and we have to cope with novel situations. - Elite decision-making is largely autonomous, not a top-down, conscious process. - Ecological dynamics frames skills as self-organized, emergent patterns that arise from interacting with the environment. -Athletes are pushed toward one affordance over others by the interaction of individual, task, and environmental constraints. -Context and individuality matter. One technique or system can’t fit every athlete, position, and situation. - Practical approach: build breadth of movement options, nudge athletes toward better options with carefully designed scenarios, then use repetition and depth to refine timing, coordination, and adaptability. Let the environment provide the feedback. CHAPTERS 0:00 Recap: the OODA loop and tackling 1:23 Why the OODA loop has problems 1:34 Problem 1: The brain is not a computer 2:07 Problem 2: Skills aren’t computer programs 2:43 Problem 3: Skill isn’t a top-down conscious process 3:12 Ecological dynamics: a better lens 3:45 What “self-organized” means 4:41 Affordances and constraints 5:04 Example: how a cornerback decides how to tackle 6:49 Why context and individuality matter 7:47 What this means for coaching tackling 8:25 Wrap-up and what’s next ▶️ Subscribe and switch on notifications so you don’t miss the next video in the series. Head over to the @learntotackle YT for the full course playlist. #LearnToTackle #TacklingTechnique #FootballCoaching #CoachingFootball #AmericanFootball #SkillAcquisition #EcologicalDynamics #OODALoop #TackleTraining #FootballTraining #DefensiveCoaching #SportsCoaching

Latest instalment of @learntotackle for American football. Great tackling in football isn’t just about size, speed and strength. The best tacklers are those who best exploit these attributes while making fast, high quality decisions under pressure. Great athletes are great problem solvers. In this video, I break down the OODA loop, the decision-making model developed by Colonel John Boyd of the US Air Force, and show how it applies to tackling in American football. You’ll see how observation, orientation, decision, and action play out in every tackle, and more importantly, what this means for how we coach sporting skill. Key learning points: - Tackling is a complex problem with no single “right” technique, only better or worse solutions in context - The OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) and why whoever closes their loop first wins - Observation- take in the environment, pay attention to what matters - Orientation- analyse the intent of the opponent, synthesise your response - Decide- select the best action to achieve your goal - Act! - Implications of the OODA loop for training and coaching Chapters: Intro Recap: tackling as a movement-based solution Why tackling is a complex problem The best tacklers are the best decision-makers Introducing the OODA loop Colonel John Boyd and the origin of the model The four phases: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act Orientation: inferring the ball carrier’s intent Decision: choosing and modifying the response Action: carrying out the tackle Five coaching implications of the OODA loop Experience: the one word linking it all Final thoughts 🏈 Wrestling for Football programming drops 1st December. Subscribe to this channel for a special discount when it drops. 👉 Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next video in the series. #TackleTraining #FootballCoaching #LearnToTackle #OODALoop #TacklingTechnique #FootballCoach #DecisionMaking #AmericanFootball #WrestlingForFootball #SportsCoaching