The Role of Nonlinear Pedagogy in Supporting the Design of Modified Games in Junior Sports

Abstract

Nonlinear Pedagogy has been advocated as an approach that views acquisition of movement skills with a strong emphasis on exploratory behaviors and the development of individualized movement skills. Underpinned by Ecological Dynamics, Nonlinear Pedagogy provides key ideas on design principles to support a teaching and learning approach that accounts for dynamic interactions among constraints in the evolution of movement behaviors. In the context of junior sports, the manipulation of task constraints is central to how games can be re-designed for children to play that are age and body appropriate so that the games can still capture the key elements of representativeness as compared to the adult form of the game. Importantly, these games offer suitable affordances that promote sensible play that could be transferable to other contexts. In this paper, we provide an in-depth discussion on how Nonlinear Pedagogy is relevant in supporting the design and development of modified games in the context of junior sports. Practical implications are also provided to share how games can be modified for meaningful play to emerge.

The Relationship between Different Large-Sided Games and Official Matches on Professional Football Players’ Locomotor Intensity

“…However, it is believed that LSG better simulates the official match in terms of TD and MW, which is an important message for coaches. This is in line with the ecological dynamics approach that supports LSG as a practice methodology that ensures task constraints during training are similarly demanding to a competitive context [ 34 , 35 ]. It means that, probably, LSG forces players in a better way to adapt their overall actions to a changing performance environment, similarly to competitive performance conditions.…”

Feasibility of Parkour-style training in team sport practice: A Delphi study

“…Ecological dynamics is a theoretical framework to understand athlete development on an ecological scale (Button et al, 2020) and considers successful coaching and learning to be underpinned by effective pedagogical design principles that encourage learners to search for individualised movement solutions (Chow, 2013;Chow et al, 2021). Nonlinear Pedagogy (Chow et al, 2015), and the Athletic Skills Model (Savelsbergh & Wormhoudt, 2019;Wormhoudt et al, 2018), are distinct models of athlete development informed by ecological dynamics' theory and consider coaches as "environmental designers" (Rudd et al, 2020).…”

Effectiveness of Teaching Mini Handball through Non-Linear Pedagogy in Different Socioeconomic Contexts: A Pilot Study

“…NLP has been promoted as an effective and efficient methodology that allows children to explore movement skills based on key ideas and principles based on the teaching and learning processes contextualized in terms of the logic of dynamic interactions [ 16 ].…”

“…In terms of methodology, NLP differs from traditional models by equipping participants to solve motor challenges [ 15 ]. Coaches/teachers present a specific scenario in which participants have to explore alternatives using their motor skills and communication abilities or attempt to develop them to solve problems and overcome constraints relative to a goal [ 16 ] Feedback is later given to the participants by asking them questions to allow them to understand what they have done.…”

“…NLP invites children to explore as a result of the manipulation of constraints based on children’s ability to adapt and easily learn. Chow [ 16 ] showed how games can be redesigned so children can participate according to their current abilities in terms of age and physical maturation without sacrificing the key elements of the adult game, maintaining its representativeness [ 16 ].…”