Shane Pill: Games for training and learning, the methods and the pitfalls

Dan Cottrell catches up with one of the leading researchers on using games in training, Shane Pill. Shane is Associate Professor in Physical Education and Sport at Flinders University, Australia, a practising coach, coach developer and author of many papers around sports coaching. A list of some of his most recent work is below this post.

The discussion in the podcast explores the following:

• Do we need to know the difference between the different approaches to using games in training, for example, between games-based approaches, constraints-led approaches, games-sense and gamification?
• How “games” differ for novices and experts.
• When does coaching happen within a game.
• When you need to breakout of the game and for what reasons.
• How Shane has developed his approach to coaching through games in his experiences working in schools.
• Why we need to plan questions for games and not get distracted by the game in training.
• The impact of different groups of “learners” on the style of your coaching (and this isn’t about learning styles).
• Applying Mossten’s teaching styles in a game-based training session.
• How not all your sessions should be about learning.
• How games can be used for recall and rehearsal as well as learning.

Follow Shane on Twitter
@pilly66
And on LinkedIN

Links mentioned in the podcast:
Eric Worthington
Blackwell Golf

Some examples of Shane’s most recent research papers/book contributions.

Pill, S. (2021). Introduction: games-based coaching. In Perspectives on game-based coaching (pp.xvii-xxviii).Routledge.

Pill, S. & SueSee, B. (2021). The game sense approach as play with purpose. InPerspectives on game-based coaching (pp.1-10).Routledge.

Hewitt, M. & Pill, S. (2021). Exploring pedagogical tensions: providing practical examples for tennis coaches to navigate a shift to game-based coaching. In Perspectives on game-based coaching (pp.96-107).Routledge.

Pill, S. & Reynolds, D. (2021).Exploring coach educators’ experiences with developing game-based coaching. Perspectives on game-based coaching (pp.108-116). Routledge.

Pill, S. (2021). Reconciling approaches: Informing game sense pedagogy with a constraints-led perspective. In Game Sense for Teaching and Coaching: International Perspectives. Routledge.

Curry, C., & Pill, S. (2021). Concluding thoughts: Game Sense for teaching and coaching globally. In Game Sense for Teaching and Coaching: International Perspectives. Routledge.

Agnew, D. & Pill, S. (2021). Creating caring environments: An exploration of football managers and coaching. Sports Coaching Review, Published online: 18 Mar 2021

Cruickshank, V., Pill, S., & Mainsbridge, C. (2021). Just do some physical activity. Exploring experiences of teaching physical education online during Covid-19. Issues in Educational Research, 31(1), 76-93.

Williams, J., Pill, S., & Hewitt, M. (2021). I think everyone is on board with changing how we do things, but we are yet to find a best fit model: A figurational study of assessing games and sport in physical education. Sport Education and Society, 26(3), 253-266