ABSTRACT
Around the world thousands of coaches lead practice or training sessions for youth athletes every week. One of the major goals of coaching is to encourage the acquisition of skills. Over the last few decades, the scientific study of practice and instruction has enhanced our understanding of how skill and expert performance is acquired. A considerable body of research now exists, showing the importance of investing vast amounts of time in practice in order to attain skill and expertise in sports (for reviews, see Ericsson, 2003, 2007; Ford et al., 2013; Hodges & Baker, 2011; Ward et al., 2004). Popular science books such as The Talent Code (Coyle, 2009) and Outliers (Gladwell, 2008) have provided information relating to the quantity of practice required to attain a high level of skill in sport and have reached practitioners in the field. However, much less scientific information has reached practitioners with respect to the type or quality of practice. For example, recent analysis of activities during coaching sessions in youth sports indicates that there is a significant gap between scientific research evidence and the methods employed by coaches in the field (Farrow et al., 2008; Ford et al., 2010; Low et al., 2013; Williams & Hodges, 2005).
