2015 Game Sense for coaching and teaching Conference

The 2015 Game Sense for Teaching and Coaching Conference was held at the School of Sport and Physical Education, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ. The conference was conducted over 2 days. Day 1 provided a full day of keynote presentations, presentations from invited guests and research presentation delivered through parallel sessions within coaching and teaching strands. Day 2 offered a full day of practical sessions, across a range of games categories, presented by a number of leading scholars and practitioners in the game sense field.

Click here for programme, invited speaker abstracts, workshop abstracts and speaker abstracts.

Day 1: Keynote presentations, invited guests and research presentations. 

Keynote: Dr Stephen Harvey (West Virginia University, US)
Enhancing practitioners' observation, analysis and questioning skills in a game-based approach

Associate Professor Stephen Harvey delivered a keynote presentation on 'enhancing practitioners' observation, analysis and questioning in a game-based approach'. Harvey addressed 2 of the significant challenges faced by teachers and coaches when adopting a game-based approach (1) the practitioner’s ability to observe and analyze though and in the game and make the necessary adjustments, (2) the effective use of productive and generative questioning (Light, 2013). His presentation provided engaging, practical examples to assist practitioners in implementing GBA's. Harvey highlighted the importance of questioning to develop dialogue in the teaching/coaching session and discussed how questioning can be used to scaffold learning and make learning visible. Harvey challenged the conference delegates to look at their own practice to see what they are doing to simulate dialogue in their teaching/coaching practice. He provided a range of questioning scaffolds to be used in the teaching and coaching environment to help frame questions and facilitate dialogue. Harvey demonstrated the use of Blooms Taxonomy and higher-level thinking questioning, the GROW model, debate of ideas and reflective toss. He explained the 6 P's Process of good questioning and facilitating dialogue in the teaching/coaching environment: Purpose, Plan, Pause, Prepare, Probe, Plan. 

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Invited Speaker: Dr John Evans (University of Sydney, Aust)
The roots of Indigenous expertise in informal games as children

Invited speaker, Associate Professor John Evans' presentation on 'The root of Indigenous expertise in informal games as children' outlined how early and informal engagement in a range of different sports, play-based activities and games managed free of adult interference within supportive local cultures, provided a context for a number of indigenous children to achieve expertise and become professional Rugby League and AFL players. He also suggested that the flair and creativity typically associated with Indigenous Australian AFL and NRL players was significantly enhanced by these creative learning environments.  

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Invited Speaker: Dr Warren Young (Federation University, Aust)  
​Training agility for invasion sports

​Dr Warren Young’s presentation on ‘Training agility for invasion sports’ highlighted the role of agility in performance.  Young discussed the benefits of small-sided games with agility demands for improving agility. He explained that reducing the number of players and exaggerating the games to encourage agility skills could increase agility demands of small-sided games. Young proposed a new model of agility for invasion games, explaining that ‘change-of-direction speed’ is no longer considered important for agility performance in invasion sports. Young recommended, when isolating technical agility training ensure movements are sport-specific in order to promote that skill transfer and advised to avoid generics like ladders for training agility. 

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Invited Speaker: Dr John McKee (Fijian National Rugby Coach)
Coaching for decision-making in rugby

Special guest John McKee was invited to deliver a public presentation, where he presented on ‘Coaching for decision-making in Rugby’. In his presentation he discussed the value of modified games in developing decision-making skills in Rugby and other team sports.  McKee outlined how he has used the Game Sense approach in his training sessions with the Fijian Rugby team. He explained the importance of the Game Sense approach for replicating match conditions, in order to assist in transferring gains in training to the match setting. McKee discussed the value of overload games in developing game plans and the importance of practicing off the ball movement skills in games, as well as on the ball skills and technical work.