Join Craig and Chris, two Edinburgh based PE Teachers, as they debate the concept of ‘Talent’ in sport and life. Craig, a 3 times Commonwealth Games athlete in Table Tennis and Chris, an SRU age grade rugby coach will invite a number of guests from different backgrounds in a variety of sports to discuss the nature v nurture argument in their area of expertise. By exploring the various issues surrounding the concept of ‘Talent’ and performance development, the hosts hope to stimulate conversation and develop their own understanding of the subject matter. Providing thought provoking ideas for teachers, coaches, pupils, athletes, fans and policy makers.
Professional Football club youth academies are seen as the ultimate goal for any young footballer, but are they really all they are cracked up to be? Are they really the best place to be if you want to become a professional player? How many academy players actually get a professional contract? And can you make it without being there?
These are the questions the we pose to Premier League academies expert and researcher, Dr James Dugdale, and the answers are fascinating!
James is a Lecturer in Sport Science and Coaching at Edinburgh Napier University and an Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association. James’ research focuses on talent identification and development of youth athletes with a particular interest in youth football players. He has published a number of scientific research articles and book chapters on topics such as selection and deselection in youth sport, the influence of figures such as parents and coaches on youth development environments, and physical growth and performance in young, developing athletes. James has over a decade of experience working in both an applied and research capacity with sports teams and organisations, including several professional football academies. From a personal perspective, James was a competitive football player throughout his teenage years, most notably qualifying for the latter stages of a talent identification competition called ‘Football Icon’ and went on to trial at Chelsea FC.
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We are (finally) back with another episode of Don’t Mention the T Word. We have some new ammo for our inspiration and desperation features as well as the usual questionable banter!
In this episode, we discuss the importance of the role of the parents for any sporting child.
As a parent:
How can you ensure you are maximising your child’s potential?
how to avoid helicopter parenting?
How do you make sure you ask the right questions before, during and after practice or matches?
How do you avoid all the traps that are so easy to fall into when supporting your child?
Listen in to find out…
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This week, we go full circle and welcome back Jimmy Moran to the show.
As a pe teacher and sports coach Jimmy has a wealth of knowledge that we drew on the last time he was on the show. This time, however, we discuss his main passion: Endurance running.
Jimmy runs his own coaching business called ‘Sports Endurance Performance’. As an avid runner himself, he became interested at looking into how best to improve himself and has developed his knowledge of endurance running and the best ways to train over a number of years.
For anyone interested in improving their 5k to marathon times, this episode is for you.
We discuss the following:
Look out for this weeks competition, worth a whopping £200!
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In our 20th episode we are joined by Dr Mark Slaven-Ross.
Dr Slaven-Ross gained his PhD from Edinburgh Napier University in 2016 and is a lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the same University. His research specifically investigates the effects of exercise, physical inactivity, ageing and disease on cardiovascular physiology, with a focus on how the immune system and stem cells stimulate repair of our blood vessels.
However, we asked Mark to come on the show and correct some of the myths that frustrate him the most from the Sport Science world. We get his, evidence based opinion, on the following topics:
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Don’t Mention the T Word is back…
In our returning episode we are joined by Sean McKirdy and Cameron Begbie from Edinburgh’s new premium gym, Elevate 98.
We discuss some of the myths that are subconsciously or deliberately perpetuated through the health and fitness industry. We examine; why these myths exist, what are the truths and what can people do to filter out the nonsense.
We also continue to touch on all of the things that matter much more then ‘talent’.
We hope you enjoy…
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In our final episode of season 2, we look at why some people may find it difficult to turn their back on ‘Talent’.
We discuss Confirmation Bias and Cognitive Dissonance; what they are and why they might be responsible for people not being open minded about how unimportant ‘talent’ is.
We start off by discussing Emma Raducanu’s magnificent triumph at Flushing Meadows and finish with our highlights of the season.
Massive thanks to our sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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In the studio this week, we welcome Rick Orr.
Rick works for ‘Winning Scotland’, a charity that builds confidence and resilience in young people all over the country.
‘Winning Scotland’ run a programme for teachers to help embed the principles of Growth Mindset into their teaching. Rick gives us a fascinating insight into how the perceptions of teachers and pupils can change as a result of the training.
We also discuss the importance of the struggle when learning and how short term failure can often mean long term success. Rick also identifies different types of mistakes, some we need to look out for and avoid, and some that are essential to the learning journey.
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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www.dontmentionthetword.co.uk
Joining us in the studio this week is Heart of Midlothian and SFA development coach, Alan ‘Chalky’ White.
Chalky is responsible for the ‘Play the Game’ programme rolled out by Hearts and the SFA all over Scotland. He tells us what the course is about and why it could be useful for coaches, parents and young players up and down the country.
He also tells us about the research he conducted, which gave interesting insights into; the type of practice successful footballers engaged in when they were young, what children really want out of their training sessions and how coaches could seek to give them what they wanted.
Chalky is an extremely engaging and entertaining character and provided constant giggling throughout the episode. Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed chatting!
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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www.dontmentionthetword.co.uk
On the show this week, we welcome BBC and Sky Sports television presenter, Eilidh Barbour.
Eilidh covers football on a weekly basis for BBC on programmes such as Final Score, Football Focus and the Woman’s Football Show. She also presents Sky Sports coverage of SPL Football and International games including Scotland’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Eilidh became BBC’s main presenter for their golf coverage in 2017, giving her the opportunity to cover all the major events including the Masters at Augusta!
Eilidh also covered other major sporting events such as:
Woman’s Football World Cup
Winter Olympics
Euro 2020 (including watching scotland dominate England in their own back yard)
We ask Eilidh what it took to get to her position and how much hard work goes on behind the scenes preparing for shows that make it look as ‘effortless’ and ‘natural’ as it does.
We discuss woman’s sport and how it’s growing exposure will continue to give more young woman the belief and mindset to pursue the interests in sport.
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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Contact us on:
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Visit us at:
www.dontmentionthetword.co.uk
Nat Coe is a PE teacher who now works as the head of support for learning in his school in Aberdeenshire.
Nat got in touch with the podcast after listening to the first season and pitched his unique experience and how he thought it related to the nature/nurture balance which comprises the human experience.
One of Nat’s 4 siblings has autism. This gave Nat the passion and motivation to develop his knowledge and understanding of autism in education and pursue it in his professional career.
In this episode we discuss whether autism is genetic or environment, 3 of the different theories around autism and the behavioural traits that are associated with them and how these traits can or could be beneficial in the world of sports in relation to hour of focussed practice as opposed to thinking about them as disadvantages or barriers to learning.
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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Visit us at:
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In the second instalment of our chat with Scotland Rugby legend, Tony Stanger, we move away from talking about his rugby career to what he’s been doing since.
After completing a Sports Science degree from the University of Edinburgh, Tony worked in various roles within sport. Throughout this period, his knowledge and understanding of the concepts surrounding ‘Talent’ increased dramatically.
In this episode we discuss Tony’s book ‘Red Dot Parenting’. We ask Tony what he believes parents can do to help their children achieve their potential in Sport.
You can check out Tony and his wife’s coaching business here:
https://stangerpro.com/
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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In episode 4 of this season we speak to Tony Stanger.
It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to welcome Scotland Rugby’s joint record try scorer to ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’.
One of his 24 tries for Scotland came against England in the 1990 ‘5 Nations’ which went on the be iconic as it contributed to a Grand Slam win.
In this episode, we discuss what made Tony into the person and player he became. He gives us insight into his childhood and how his environment nurtured his rugby career.
We discuss many aspects of his rugby career; playing for Hawick, Scotland, the Lions and much more.
We also ask what Tony has done since finishing playing Rugby and how that affected his views on the ‘T word’.
You can check out Tony and his wife’s coaching business here:
https://stangerpro.com/
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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This week we welcome Meryl Cooper into the ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’ studio.
Meryl is an International athlete in Trail Running. Typically covering 80km-100km in a race, she is a perfect example of training and resilience from both a Physical and Mental perspective.
Meryl has many strings to her bow, as well as being an International athlete, she is also a PE Teacher and runs her own running, life and health coaching business which you can check out here www.merylcoopercoaching.com.
In our chat with Meryl we discuss her background and her route into trail running. We ask her what it takes to become a top trail runner and she tells us how she makes the most of every session to return the best long term results.
Since the recording of this episode, Meryl won the ‘British Athletics Ultra Trail Championships’ in the Lake District which was 100km long and included 3,200m of incline. This result not only made Meryl British Champion but also qualified her to represent Great Britain at the ‘World Trail and Mountain Running Championships’ scheduled to be in Thailand in November.
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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This week we are joined by Ceri Davies.
Ceri is internationally capped in 2 different sports, representing 3 different nations; Wales, Scotland and Australia.
She started her academic career as a neuropsychologist, sport scientist and high-performance coach where she was heavily involved with pathway development and ‘talent’ identification.
Some of Ceri’s peers include the likes of Carol Dweck (‘Mindset’) and Anders Ericsson (whose research was the basis of the 10,000 hours of ‘deliberate practice’ theory). Ceri has always chosen to work on the front line with athletes and people in the pursuit of pushing human potential to it’s limits.
Now, Ceri works as a high performance consultant in a number of industries including:
Ceri is truly ‘World Class’ in her field and it was a truly fascinating and rewarding experience to have her on the show. Enjoy!!
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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Contact us on:
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We are back for another season of ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’ to discuss, debate and learn more about the concept of talent in sport.
In episode 1 we cover what features of the show we are keeping for Season 2, what features we are losing and what features we are introducing.
We also revisit the 10,000 ‘rule’ and discuss the various issues with it as well as giving our listeners a practice related task to complete while listening.
Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/.
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- Email: dontmentionthetword@outlook.com
In the final episode of Season 1, we look back at all of the previous episodes and discuss some of the key points from each. We reflect on the journey it has taken us on and how it has changed our own perspectives on the various topics.
Thank you again to all out listeners from Season 1, we look forward to releasing season 2 after summer and hope you will tune back in then.
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In our last guest episode of season 1, we are joined by Hansine Marshall. Hansine was a former pupil at Broughton High School where she excelled in her studies and in sport.
Since leaving school, Hansine has played Professional league Basketball, as well as represented Scotland, and started a degree in Biomedical Science, now specialising in Neuroscience in her 3rd year at the University of Edinburgh.
Hansine gives us a brief education on the ‘Nervous System’ before covering specific topics; Myelination and Neuroplasticity (also knows as Neural Plasticity or Brain Plasticity). She gives us an insight into the neurological pathways that are created when learning a skill and how these pathways can often be mistaken for ‘talent’.
Considering the ‘T Word’ is often used when a performer demonstrates “effortless skill”, this episode is a must listen for anyone wanting to understand how that has come to be. We aim to explain the biological/neurological processes responsible for someone being ‘highly skilled’ in the hope that it will encourage listeners to use the ‘T Word’ less and understand how to improve, more.
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Please get in touch with us via email if you have any questions, suggestions, feedback or otherwise:
Dontmentionthetword@outlook.com
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode LSH paraplanning. If you are a financial advisors and wish to use their services, you can get in touch with them:
Laura.s.howieson@sjpp.co.uk
For more information on the topics discussed in this episode you should check out the following:
Colin Dalgleish is the current Scottish and British Singles Champion in Table Tennis. He competed in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and has represented Scotland all over the world.
However, his route to the top of the game in the UK wasn’t a foregone conclusion. He was never seen as the most ‘talented’ player throughout his junior career but since then has continued his improvement and left the others in his rear view mirror.
We discuss his journey and attempt to identify the key moments in it, that may best explain why he has gone on to achieve such success in the game.
Although this episode is Table Tennis specific in terms of the content, the topics of discussion are relatable and useful across all sports.
You can follow Colin and his journey to qualify and compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Instagram (@cdalgy10) and Facebook (@Colin Dalgleish).
Contact us via email @dontmentionthetword@outlook.com
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On episode 6, Craig and Chris are joined by Pamela Day and Linzi McLagan.
Both Pam and Linzi are Dance educationalists while also having various other strings to their bow which have contributed to them accumulating a vast array of knowledge throughout their careers.
In this conversation, we zone in on the topic of 'Grit' with a review the work of Angela Duckworth who coined the term. We discuss what it is and why it's not only relevant to the 'T word', but more important than the 'T word'.
Huge Thank You to our sponsors for this episode, Mintbox Removals. To find out more about them you can look them up at the following:
Website: mintboxremovals.co.uk
Phone: 07983665857
Email: contact@mintboxremovals.co.uk
Facebook: @MintBox Removals
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Some recommended reading from this episode should you wish to explore more...
Grit by Angela Duckworth
This week we welcome Kevin Moran to “Don’t Mention the T word”. Kevin represented Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Squash. He was part of the Scotland team that won a Bronze medal at the European Team Championships in 2016 and is a former National Doubles Champion.
Now, Kevin works full time for Scottish Squash fulfilling a dual role as ‘Senior Performance Coach’ and ‘East of Scotland Club Development Officer’. Part of his remit is to ensure Scottish Squash have clear ‘pathways’ between various levels of play.
We discuss with Kevin, what is a ‘pathway’? Why are they important? And what have they got to do with the T word?
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Massive thanks to our sponsors Sunstore Technologies. For further information see www.sunstoretech.com or email info@sunstoretech.com
In episode 4, we are joined by Keith Cook. Keith has traveled the world competing in the sport of Fencing. He is a multiple Commonwealth Championship medalist, European Championship medalist and former British Champion.
Keith shares his fascinating story of getting to Fencing at 11 years old and the barriers that could have prevented him from trying it in the first place.
Now, Keith runs the extremely successful Salle Holyrood Fencing Club, he shares with us what he believes are the top priorities for coaches, athletes and pupils who are trying to be successful in any field.
Follow Keith:
Twitter - @keithcook81
Instagram - @keithcook81
www.positivedestinations.com
Sponsor:
Thank you again to this week's sponsor Julie Howieson Wealth Management. If you wish to get in touch for any financial advice you can do so at the following email:
Julie.Howieson@sjpp.co.uk
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This week we are joined by our first guest on Don't Mention the T Word, Jimmy Moran.
Jimmy is a fellow PE teacher in Edinburgh but also a performance endurance running coach. An excellent runner himself, he has also played a broad range of sports (Rugby, Golf, Tennis, Cricket, Squash) at a high level and is constantly seeking to acquire knowledge to become a better athlete and coach.
We discuss 'The Relative Age Effect' and why it might be responsible for people misunderstanding talent at a young age. We also discuss what coaches/parents and young athletes or pupils can do to ensure the 'The Relative Age Effect' doesn't have a negative impact on performance, engagement or enjoyment in sport.
Another area we discuss is Early Specialization v Diversification. We cover what the current research suggests is the best way to keep children in sport and give them the best chance of long term development and performance.
Contact us via email @dontmentionthetword@outlook.com
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Check out Jimmy's Running pages:
Instagram: @jimmy_loves_running
Some recommended reading from this episode should you wish to explore more...
Bibliography:
Range by David Epstein
The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made by Mark Williams and Tim Wigmore
This week we attempt to clear up the meaning of 'talent' and why we believe it can be a harmful concept if too much emphasis is placed on it, especially at an early stage of learning.
We give some background about growth mindset and the 10,000 hour 'rule' and how those things can be applied sensibly in practice.
We discuss how the term 'talent' has become so widely used and accepted with few people ever being critical of it's potential drawbacks.
We think about how to distinguish between 'talent', genetics and skill and how making understanding the difference between those things could help bring about success through developing a growth mindset.
We try to give examples from sport that demonstrate that success often lies in how ones skills are nurtured rather than the cards they are dealt with at birth, while acknowledging that genetics are of course in important, in some sports more than others.
Finally, we attempt to conclude with some take home messages for youngsters listening and the coaches, teachers, parents involved in their development.
Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Bibliography:
In this episode we discuss issues that are more extensively written about in the following books:
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Bounce by Mathew Syed
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
The Sports Gene by David Epstein
Join Craig and Chris for episode 1 of Don’t Mention The T Word. A new podcast, discussing the issues surrounding the idea of ‘talent’ in sport.
This introductory episode will cover “the who, what, why”......
In the first episode get to know the hosts as Craig and Chris give a description of their background in sport and education and what has led them to the creation of the show.
In this episode, they will also cover the reasons behind starting the show and what to expect in future weeks.