The best problem solvers are also the best problem creators
All of the best problem solvers I’ve met in my life, whether in athletics, business, or personal relationships, seem to be constantly creating problems for themselves, almost as if unconsciously trying to train the problem solving ability through forced adaptation.
In this sense, one of the most valuable lenses to view training through is a series of problems for the athlete to solve. Just like in any other career, the highest performing, and therefore highest paid athletes are the ones who can solve the spatial and tactical problems that no one else can. The role of the skill coach then is to create these movement problems in training to allow the athlete to adapt to the specific problem solving demands of the sport, and the role of the general physical preparation coach is to build the capacity for the expression of that skill from both a force production and coordination perspective.
The scope of these movement challenges can be placed on a spectrum of general to specific. An athlete's general training should build the capacity to handle the problems that get them paid, as well as developing a general ability to quickly coordinate motor function to a vastly wider range of movement problems than they would experience in the sport. This idea, called differential learning theory, tells us that building this general ability to solve problems that aren't specific to the athlete's skill will enhance the ability to solve the problems that matter most.
“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” - Fred Donaldson
The best athletes I've ever seen could be thrown into any sport and be competitive almost instantly due to the rapid rate they’re able to learn new skills. This strategy can also often be seen in elite athletes warmup progressions. These sessions will often begin with a randomized game (spikeball, hackeysack, badminton, basketball shootarounds) that wakes up the athletes general coordination/motor learning skills, and then the athlete goes on to apply those learning skills to their disciplines.
The same approach applies to training the athletes general force production qualities that allow them to solve sport specific problems. Progressive overstimulus through increasing load, range of motion, volume, etc are all physical problems that the athlete is required to adapt in order to solve. As well as using the differential learning strategy, the coach should also be using a constraints led approach driven by exercise selection to train the qualities they are actually trying to train. The development of this capacity sets the floor for an athlete's potential performance, and the ability to develop the specific skill defines the ceiling.
The main questions the coach should be asking when evaluating the physical challenges being placed on the the athlete are a triad -
Does the athlete have the capacity for force production and range of motion displayed by the elite performers in their discipline?
Does the athlete have the general coordination and spatial awareness to progress in their skill work?
Is the athlete robust enough to be able to practice solving their specific movement problems with enough volume, intensity, and frequency to improve?
There’s also a careful balance in difficulty the coach must walk when laying out these problems for the athlete. If the problem is far too difficult in regards to the athletes current ability, no positive adaptation will be made, and the athlete will actually create a maladaptation through abject failure. Likewise, if the problem is too easy, it won't be enough of a challenge to force an adaptation, and the athlete won’t get the dopaminergic feedback necessary to keep solving problems.
Just don’t forget - you get better by seeking out these problems, not by avoiding them. Happy Hunting.
