The Constraints Collective

Dr Tom Parry is the Kinesiology Program Director in the College of Education and Human Development at Butler University, Indianapolis, USA. His area of expertise is motor-skill learning, and specifically the application of ecological dynamics to coaching. 
Dr Tyler Yearby is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Education for Emergence, a sports movement skill education company that offers prerecorded coach education courses and interactive learning opportunities in helping athletes become more skillful players.
Link to article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00336297.2024.2420759?casa_token=ha8RnMnO7PYAAAAA:RVWwgUvnb6JZ6KRTH5U7Pj7XnF_bK2e0xgWNMxBjfv0lI7cOZkMr7ejdB6xarZi3OCp_4JoDHIu8cg
If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.

Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollective

If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.

Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollective
In this episode we revisit and unpack key insights from our conversation with high-performance rugby union coach Tabai Mattson. We reflect on the evolving nature of elite performance, particularly in light of the recent Six Nations tournament. The discussion explores how modern teams are finding success not through rigid structure alone, but through speed, adaptability, and what we describe as relational play.
We dive into:
What “cutting-edge” coaching really looks like in high-performance environments
The shift from structured systems to more fluid, player-led interactions
How pace, offloads, and decision-making are reshaping the game
Why coaches need to rethink how they design and support learning environments
Enjoy!

In this episode Ian is joined by Brendon Moy and Adam Gorman to discuss a paper entitled ' Making physical education popular: the impact of the constraints-led approach on physical education students’ intrinsic motivation'. 
Link to paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17408989.2025.2606036?casa_token=H_Mdur1XlZIAAAAA:hMmOxBVodsPMueFWP0uqaGo00ZA9-Fu0qdwfxLwslJMYbAKQd7XGRqjiObM4B8mNHNXbhcFLE-owy-k
If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.

Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollective

In this episode we are joined by Brendon Moy, an Associate Professor in Physical Education at Queensland University of Technology. Both his research and teaching are focused on the constraints-led approach (CLA), an alternative physical education teaching approach informed by contemporary motor learning theory. 
His research and teaching have primarily focused on developing Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) graduates as agents of change in physical education teaching practice. This evolution is essential because the predominant traditional teaching approach is informed by antiquated learning theory and its militaristic drill approach has been found to disengage students.
If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.

Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollective

In this episode, we explore how ecological dynamics continues to reshape the way we think about skill development. Keith shares insights from recent PhD research, including work examining whether virtual reality can help children develop risk assessment skills. The bigger issue? Many young athletes today grow up with fewer opportunities for unstructured play, meaning less exploration, less calibration, and weaker perceptual–motor foundations. We unpack what this means for coaches.
If you're getting value from our podcast check out our membership options and coaching community at www.theconstraintscollective.com where you can access podcast summaries, narrated presentations, early release podcasts and monthly online meet ups with experts from the Constraints Collective.

Support the running of the podcast at patreon.com/TheConstraintsCollective