Coaching children in sport: a focus on learning

Learning sits at the heart of coaching, yet despite its conceptual prevalence, its definitions vary according to disciplinary context. Disputes exist within sport coaching that create uncertainty about what learning is in relation to skilled movement. To begin with, this chapter outlines ways learning can be theoretically framed (i.e. cognitively, ecologically). The chapter then provides an overview of the contemporary sport coaching literature that explores learning approaches in sport coaching settings tied to these frames. The review extends beyond a focus on coaching young people and in doing so captures a range of contemporary research that signals future implications for this cohort. The sport coaching research tied to learning is largely centred on constraints-based learning approaches with a focus on designing learning experiences that represent the performance context. The chapter concludes by making some general recommendations for coaching young people from the literature.