Free Play Academy Newsletter #53

Topics will be covered:

  1. At the core of the Free Play Academy, continued..

  2. Inside the mind of a coach.

  3. 9 ways to create creative players.


At the core of the Free Play Academy.

The groundwork of the Free Play Academy is based off of what is known as ecological developmental approach to sport development.

It is a perspective that views athletes’ growth and performance within the context of their interaction with the environment, including social, cultural, and physical factors.

This approach emphasizes the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between an athlete and their surroundings, considering how these interactions shape their development over time.

It is grounded in ecological psychology and developmental systems theory, which suggest that development is not just a result of internal factors (like genetics) but also of ongoing interactions with the environment.

For the next few week we will take a deep dive into the key Principles of an Ecological Developmental Approach to Sport Development:

Contextual and Situational Learning.

(This is where the fun is for us coaches, let your creativity come alive!)

  • Learning in Context: Athletes develop skills in the context of the specific environments in which they will use them. For instance, instead of isolated drills, practice involves game-like scenarios that mimic real competition settings.

  • Variability and Exploration: Training involves varied and unpredictable situations to encourage athletes to explore different solutions and adapt their strategies. This builds adaptability and resilience.


Inside the mind of a coach.

I will let the image below do the talking. If you ever see smoke coming out a coach’s ears, this is why.


9 principles on how creative elite athletes are made.

Credit & thank you to Joel Cressman (@JoelCressman on X, formally Twitter) for the share

  1. There’s a difference between creative & intelligent:

    • Divergent Thinking (or tactical creativity) = rare, unique, and unusual plays (eg. the no-look pass)

    • Convergent Thinking (or tactical intelligence) = finding ideal solutions (eg. the most efficient pass)

    Games like lacrosse, soccer, basketball, and hockey require more Divergent Thinking for success.

  2. Creative players are becoming more rare:

    Training in youth sports is becoming more structured and guided. Creativity is lost in the mix.

    In a study team sport athletes, the authors listed 5 elements that limit creativity:

    • “Mechanization” of play

    • Lack of street sports

    • Inappropriate training

    • Lower enjoyment of the game

    • Narrow game knowledge

  3. The golden age for creative development is 6-13:

    Daniel Memmert is the king of creativity research. In his research, he found tactical creativity stagnates after 13. Children up to the age of 10 have a greater number of synapses in the visual cortex. Neuroscience results support that synaptic density is highest at this age.

  4. Creative pros spend more time playing as kids:

    A study comparing high-creative to low-creative soccer players found:

    • Both groups practiced the same amount of time

    • High-creative players had significantly more hours of play from 6-15

    As Ronaldinho said: "Playing is not just a way to practice; it's the essence of improvement. Embrace the playfulness of the game to unlock your full potential."

  5. Less prescribed coaching is better:

    Keeping a wide focus of attention is vital for creativity. Coaches that constantly stop practice limit solutions. When coaches are too specific in their instructions, it’s all players see. It’s called “inattentional blindness.”

  6. Creativity is trainable, specifically in kids age 7-10:

    There was a longitudinal study in Germany that added a creativity day on top of regular training. After 6 months, over half improved their tactical creativity. Some showed a 20% increase in a 6 month training period to show more original and flexible thinking.

  7. Playing multiple sports as a kid helps creativity:

    Gathering diversified experience is necessary for creative thinking. A base of multiple sports allows kids to bring new tactics and movements to games. It’s one reason why national team players often start their sport at an older age than near-elites.

  8. Free play helps kids become more creative adults, outside of sports:

    Those who play more informal sports as kids make more creative adults, outside of sport. Researchers found that the least creative adults spent 75% of their time in structured activities. The ideal balance for creative adults was 50% in unstructured and 50% in structured activities.

  9. There’s still a lot about creativity we don’t understand:

    Creativity is one of the great curiosity of science, but as one researcher put it:

    “Creativity has a dubious distinction in the psychological sciences. For no other mental phenomenon so central to the human condition do we know so little as to how the brain does it.”

Creativity is slowly being phased out of youth sports.As Leo Messi once said:

"It's more difficult to see a player who is different, who is out of the ordinary... Because from a young age you are forced to play in a certain way. And that's the problem."

However, with some awareness, informed coaches and parents can reverse the trend.


The Free Game

The part of lacrosse that is played with the mind.

What will be covered are the 8 Principles of Performance.

Any lacrosse player can own the 1st ever sport psychology methodology specific to the game of Lacrosse.

This purchase will include a FREE consultation with Coach McDonnell via in-person or Zoom.

Here is a preview.

The cost is $24.99

You can purchase The Free Game here.


Lean in, do the work, stay focused and become uncommon.

Have a great week.


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