What is the Constraint Led Approach (CLA)?

Constraint led training is all about self-organization and the idea that an athlete's movements are determined by constraints on actions rather than prescriptions for actions. What does this mean? It means that the coach creates a training environment that guides players in finding their own optimal movement solutions instead of dictating an "ideal" movement.

What are the benefits?

Individualized

The CLA allows athletes to find optimal movement solutions unique to their bodies. There is no "correct" way of completing a task that is universal to all athletes. Individual differences in structural characteristics, whether physiological, psychological, or emotional, all impact the effectiveness of a movement solution.

​Stop trying to copy what others do, find what works best for YOU!

Autonomy and Ownership

The CLA encourages athletes to engage in problem solving. By allowing them the freedom to find appropriate solutions, their levels of autonomy and ownership of their development increase dramatically.

Goal Directed Behavior

Because of the focus on achieving a desired result, athletes form stronger connections between specific movements and their outcomes. Allowing them to be more effective with self-adjustments and self-correction during competition.

Results that Last

While initially, progress may feel slower than traditional coaching methods, The CLA has been shown to transfer skills to the game better and retention of those skills lasts longer. Meaning you'll make lasting improvements to your in-game performance!

Understanding

The process of self-discovery that comes with the CLA means that players gain a deep understanding of WHY they perform tasks the way they do. This understanding is critical for athletes taking ownership of their own development and retaining the skills that they develop.

What can I expect as a player?

Freedom to experiment

You will be encouraged to experiment with different solutions.

Most new students are not used to this level of freedom and are sometimes hesitant or unsure about trying out their own ideas. Don't worry, Zac is there to help guide you through the process, offering ideas to try and discussing how different variations affect your results. Pretty soon this will become your favorite part of workouts!

A heavy focus on the results

Whatever drill or task you are doing, you will have a goal (result) you are trying to achieve. Unlike with traditional coaching, where you are trying to recreate a specific movement, here you are free to experiment with different movements and see how they affect your results.

A lot more technology than your used to

Because transitional feedback is so important, you'll probably notice we use a lot more tech than most catching instruction. This includes delayed video feeds and catching metrics you might not be familiar with. But don't worry, they are all very intuitive and give you the feedback you need to make adjustments on the fly.

Relaxed environment with a lot of discussion

If you're used to practices that try to cram as many reps as possible into the workouts, this will be a change of pace. Learning and understanding are a key part of our workouts, so you can expect to have a lot of brief discussions between reps, pausing to watch film of the previous rep, and stepping out to have more in-depth conversions.

There is no "right" or "wrong" way of doing anything

Unfortunately, many players have been taught that there is a 'correct' and 'incorrect' way of performing catcher skills. This couldn't be further from the truth! If this is how you've been taught, you may feel somewhat lost or unsure of how to solve a problem on your own. Zac will guide you through this process, ​offering ideas to try and discussing how different variations affect your results. Pretty soon this will become your favorite part of workouts!