Keith Davids on ecological dynamics

The very best footballers combine outstanding skill with the ability to solve problems on the pitch. In this Science Explained session, Professor Keith Davids of Sheffield Hallam University shows how applying the principles of ecological dynamics in training can encourage players to adapt their skills to deal with whatever the game throws at them.

As the Prussian Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke observed, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy. The same principle applies (albeit in a very different context) on the football pitch, where good players make it their business to create problems for the opposition. Success often depends on players’ ability to adapt their actions to solve these problems. As Professor Davids explains, applying the principles of ecological dynamics on the training ground can help them do that. His presentation is followed by a Q&A, hosted by FIFA’s Dr Paul Bradley.

Introduce the concepts of ecological dynamics and how they can be applied in a football-specific context to make training more representative of match play.

Coaches should consider applying key principles of ecological dynamics when designing their training. Doing so has the potential to help players adapt the way they perform skills to solve movement challenges they encounter on the pitch.

Outstanding technique is of limited use unless you can apply it in match situations. Incorporating the concept of ecological dynamics into training drills is one possible way of teaching players to think on their feet to beat their opposition.

Watch presentation

Welcome from Dr Paul Bradley

Part 1: Key ideas in ecological dynamics

Part 2: Skill acquisition v skill adaptation

Part 3: Implications for coaching

Part 4: Q&A

Read summary

Part 1: Key ideas in ecological dynamics
The first section of the presentation explains the basic principles of ecological dynamics. One influential figure in this area was the psychologist James Gibson, whose research on pilots during the Second World War led him to the conclusion that the hallmark of skilled behaviour is the ability to successfully adapt our actions using information from our surroundings. That information comes from interacting ‘constraints’ (here simply ‘sources of information’) affecting individuals, tasks and environments. Sports coaches can manipulate these constraints on the training pitch by tailoring a practice task to achieve a specific learning outcome and make activities more representative of match play.

Part 2: Skill acquisition v skill adaptation
Ecological dynamics makes a fundamental distinction between skill acquisition (the act of learning a technique by repeating it) and skill adaptation (the ability to adapt that technique to environmental constraints). The thinking behind this distinction is that technical ability is of little use unless you can apply it in real-life situations, and good opponents make it their business to stop you doing that. One of the hallmarks of a skilled athlete in any sport is the ability to adapt their technique to the solve real-time problems opponents create for them. Skill adaptation can help them do that when it matters.

Part 3: Implications for coaching
To conclude his presentation, Prof. Davids turns his attention to how football coaches can apply the principles of ecological dynamics on the training ground and find a balance between technical drills and representative practice exercises. After showing a series of videos that exemplify how ecological dynamics can be incorporated into training for goalkeepers and outfield players, he finishes by underscoring the point that training should help players come up with multiple ways of achieving any given objective. This fluid, “relational” philosophy (which relates players to their competitive environment) has caught the attention of top coaches, including Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Q&A

01:04
How does ecological psychology differ from other approaches in psychology when it comes to understanding concepts like performance and learning?

04:35
What is the definition of practice from an ecological dynamics point of view? How does ecological dynamics define practice in a football context?

06:57
Terminology is always important in science. Why is it so important for coaches to understand the scientific meaning of the word ‘constraint’ as used in ecological dynamics?

09:55
You also mentioned “interacting constraints” Why do coaches need to understand the concept of ‘interacting constraints’?

12:09
Finally on terminology, what are the main differences between skill acquisition and skill adaptation, and what do those differences mean for coaches?

15:32
What strategies can coaches use that really emphasise that link between perception and action, which you mentioned was so important?

18:22
I also wanted to ask about variability. How is movement variability useful for players? And when is that variability not helpful in football?

21:16
What is the difference between discovery learning and guided discovery? How can we apply these concepts to training footballers?

24:18
Could you give us some additional examples of perception and cognition actions, specifically in a football context?

28:14
If you had a take-home message for practitioners based on the scientific research in this area, what would it be?

Keith Davids is a sports scientist at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, investigating movement coordination, skill learning, development, and performance in sport and physical activity. For several decades, his research has investigated how children and adults learn skills and what these ideas mean for coaching, teaching and talent development in sport. Keith’s work is framed by the theory of Ecological Dynamics, examining the behaviour of individuals engaged in transactions with a performance environment. He has worked at universities in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Norway in Sports Science, Movement Science, Psychology, Sports Pedagogy and Physical Education.