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COACHINGEDGE |GAME SENSE LEARNING|


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riginally known as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), and often


loosely applied as ‘games-based learning’, game sense puts playing the game at the heart of every coaching session, whatever the athletes’ age or ability.


No more waiting in a queue for their turn to dribble around cones or hitting 100 serves in a row – in TGfU, skills are learnt ‘on the job’ by playing specifically designed, outcome-based versions of the sport that teach tactical understanding, decision making and problem solving.


We studied some enlightening examples of TGfU being applied in football, cricket, volleyball and rugby in Coaching Edge 26... but how about a host of individual sports and those ‘loner’ athletes and performers?


It’s perhaps straightforward to think of a game that helps a group of eight-year-old footballers practise passing, but what instructive games can you play with a swimmer, a golfer or a boxer?


Tom Gilbert is ideally placed to answer that question.


He’s a UEFA ‘B’ Licence football coach as well as participation and programmes manager at the Amateur Boxing Association. He has successfully remoulded his game sense expertise on the football pitch into innovative ideas in the boxing ring.


Innovative games sense ideas are now being found in the boxing ring


Gilbert has designed a points scoring system of ‘tagging’ which develops the footwork of Olympic style boxing (ie go in, score your points, and come out). That skill of pushing in and pushing out is all learned and honed through competitive games. For example, boxers try to score points simply by stepping on their opponent’s front foot, or by hitting certain target areas on the other’s body, with the first to score a set amount of points declared the winner.


Gilbert explains: ‘It goes beyond the realms of just learning a technique, it’s actually learning when to apply a technique. The games are a foundation for breeding skills to move into actual competition. It’s a good way of introducing competition while learning technique, skill and conditioning.


‘The main thing for me is enjoyment and learning through


that enjoyment. It’s not boring drills, it’s getting them doing the sport for fun without realising that they’re learning.’


‘The TGfU model appreciates that there are additional ways to become better players – to find activities that can improve your strategic thinking and decision making, and your ability to perform in line with


those decisions.’


Even professional sportspeople can benefit when carefully planned games shine new light upon their tactical approach to match play.


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