”People treat skills as action capacities, they are not the same” - The Conclave Book Club with Rob Gray

-Talent Equation Conclave is a group of ecological explorers that get together once a month to discuss coaching challenges and co create solutions.

This month we had a book club featuring guest Rob Grey, author of "How We Learn to Move." and his new book 'Learning to optimise movement'

Here are the key takeaways...

- Affordances are invitations from the environment, conveyed by information, and are relative to an individual's action capabilities.

- A common misconception is treating skills as action capacities, which can lead to issues in skill development and application.

- Agility is a skill that relies on information and functional goals, while change of direction is an action capacity.

- Equipment can impact an athlete's perception and adaptation, with changes in size, weight, or length forcing adjustments in movements and problem-solving skills.

- Direct perception argues that all necessary information is available within the environment, and there is no need for additional internal processing.

- Engaging athletes in the training process and using constraints can help shape their performance and skill development.

- Scaling equipment and fields for young athletes is important, but often not accounted for in a gender context.

- Focusing on specific cues and stabilizing gaze, such as the "quiet eye" technique, can improve tracking and success in making contact with a ball in sports.

- Understanding the relationship between affordances, action capacities, and skills can help coaches and athletes better navigate the complexities of skill development and performance.