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In this episode of The Adaptable Athlete Podcast, Coach Jav breaks down three mistakes he made while applying ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach in his coaching.

From prioritizing drills over principles, to progressing athletes from decontextualized work instead of designing representative learning environments, to failing to give athletes ownership in the skill acquisition process, Coach Jav reflects on what changed — and why it matters for modern coaching.

If you’re a coach exploring ecological dynamics, skill acquisition, or looking to move beyond traditional drill-based training, this episode offers a practical and honest look at what applying these concepts actually requires in real-world settings.

This conversation touches on principles vs drills, contextual training design, scaling complexity, athlete feedback, and how to build adaptable performers.

Resources & Links:

• The Modern Coach Planner
• Sport Movement Skill Conference 2026
• More Pod Episodes
• Watch the show on Youtube

Support & Contact
If you enjoyed today’s episode, leave a review and share it with another coach or athlete who’d appreciate it.

You can reach Coach Jav on social media at @thecoachjav
or by email at javier@emergentmvmt.com

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

In this episode, coach Jav breaks down the most common mistakes coaches make in agility training—and why many popular drills fail to transfer to sport.

Inspired by a recent Six of the Best contribution with Sportsmith (Emergence Co-founder Shawn, Myszka was also featured), the the episode centers on a core problem: coaches often give athletes the answers instead of setting real problems to solve.

Jav explains why repetition without context limits adaptability, why randomness alone isn’t enough, and how poor information sources—like verbal cues, lights, or inanimate objects—can disconnect training from competition. He closes with three practical shifts coaches can make immediately to design more effective, sport-relevant agility environments.

This episode is for coaches who want to move beyond scripted drills and develop truly adaptable athletes.

Don’t forget: The Modern Coach's Planner is now back in stock!! https://thecoachjav.com/products/modern-coach-planner

Support & Contact

If you enjoyed today’s episode, leave a review and share it with another coach or athlete who’d appreciate it.

You can reach Coach Jav on social media at @thecoachjav
or by email at javier@emergentmvmt.com

Resources & Links

• The podcast on YouTube
• Sportsmith
• The Adaptable Athlete Podcast:
• Emergence

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

The Modern Coach's Planner — built for coaches who think differently — Back!

Order yours today at: https://thecoachjav.com/products/modern-coach-planner

In this episode, coach Jav sits down with Rob Gray to explore what comes after the basics of ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach.

They discuss why “fundamentals first” thinking continues to persist in sport, how constraints can lose their effectiveness over time, and the difference between developing skill and maintaining it at higher levels of performance. Rob also shares practical insights from his work across multiple sports, including how to scale difficulty, design more representative practice environments, and avoid turning data into rigid technique prescriptions.

This conversation is for coaches who are already experimenting with modern approaches and want to go deeper into how athletes actually adapt, learn, and perform.

Don’t forget: The Modern Coach's Planner is now available for pre-order at https://thecoachjav.com/products/modern-coach-planner

Support & Contact

If you enjoyed today’s episode, leave a review and share it with another coach or athlete who’d appreciate it.

You can reach Coach Jav on social media at @thecoachjav
or by email at javier@emergentmvmt.com

Resources & Links

• Rob Gray – The Advanced Ecological Approach
• Rob Gray’s website
• The Adaptable Athlete Podcast:
• Emergence
  
  

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

The Modern Coach's Planner — built for coaches who think differently — is now available for pre-order.
This is a limited run, and once these copies are gone, they’re gone.
Order yours today at: https://thecoachjav.com/products/modern-coach-planner

In this episode, Coach Jav sits down with Greg Souders, founder of Standard Jiu-Jitsu, and DeAndre Corbe, one of the top grapplers in the world — the 2024 ADCC West Coast Trials champion and a recent competitor in the Craig Jones Invitational.

They explore how an ecological and constraints-led approach is transforming the way athletes learn and perform in Jiu-Jitsu. Over the past few years, ecological dynamics has exploded — and Greg has been one of the leading voices behind that shift, challenging traditional methods and helping coaches rethink what real skill development looks like.

Together, Greg and DeAndre unpack the realities of modern coaching — from designing representative environments to building communication, trust, and autonomy between coach and athlete.

This episode is a deep look at how modern Jiu-Jitsu is evolving, and what happens when the athlete–coach relationship becomes a true collaboration.

Topics Discussed

• How Greg and DeAndre built their coach–athlete relationship
• Transitioning from traditional to ecological Jiu-Jitsu training
• Communication, trust, and autonomy in coaching
• Managing competition prep and recovery
• Why “control isn’t coaching” and how autonomy drives growth

If you’re a coach or practitioner interested in skill acquisition, practice design, and building adaptable athletes, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Don’t forget: The Modern Coach's Planner is now available for pre-order at https://thecoachjav.com/products/modern-coach-planner

Support & Contact

If you enjoyed today’s episode, leave a review and share it with another coach or athlete who’d appreciate it.

You can reach Coach Jav on social media at @thecoachjav
or by email at javier@emergentmvmt.com
.

Resources and Links

• Standard Jiu-Jitsu: https://standardjiujitsu.com
• Standard Jiu-Jitsu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujitsu?igsh=MWN5endrZTVud3RwMw==
• Greg Souders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gdsouders?igsh=N2VtcjJyMXgwcW82
• DeAndre Corbe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deandre_corbe/
• Emergence – The Movement Academy: https://emergentmvmt.com
• Emergence on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emergentmvmt?igsh=Y2JuMm53c3N0bjZh
• The Adaptable Athlete Podcast Website: theadaptableathlete.com

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

*Checkout the free practice guide at the end of the show notes!

For decades, coaches and scientists have used the term skill acquisition — but what if that’s not what’s really happening?

In this short episode, we dive into the idea that athletes don’t acquire skill — they adapt it. Inspired by our recent conversation with Duarte Araújo, this concept challenges the traditional view of skill as something stored or possessed, and instead reframes it as a continuous process shaped by the relationship between athlete and environment.

We explore how this shift impacts coaching, learning, and even rehabilitation — from how an athlete adapts after injury, to how their movement evolves over time.

Have any questions form the Episode? Hit me up on social @thecoachjav or send me an email at Javier@emergentmvmt.com

Download your Free Practice Design Checklist!

Episode Resources

• Episode 113 w/ Duarte
• Download the Academic Papers from Duarte
• What Exactly Is Acquired During Skill Acquisition by Duarte Araújo & Keith Davids
• Emergence Website

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

*Checkout the free practice guide at the end of the show notes!

What is skill, really? And what if it’s not something athletes acquire — but something they continuously adapt?

In this episode, Duarte Araújo joins us on the pod to unpack one of the most fundamental questions in sport: what does it truly mean to be skillful? Duarte breaks down why “acquisition” is the wrong metaphor, and how coaches can design environments that bring intelligence and creativity to the surface.

Together, we explore:

• The difference between being and becoming in sport performance
• Why skill should be viewed as potential, not possession
• How intentionality, perceptual attunement, and calibration shape learning
• What cognizant action means — and why movement itself is intelligent
• How coaches can design tasks that challenge athletes to find their own solutions

Whether you’re a coach, practitioner, or simply curious about how humans learn, this conversation reframes skill as an ongoing relationship between athlete and environment — not a product stored inside the brain.

Have any questions form the Episode? Hit me up on social @thecoachjav or send me an email at Javier@emergentmvmt.com

Download your Free Practice Design Checklist!

Episode Resources

• Download the Academic Papers from Duarte
• Duarte on Research Gate
• Duarte on X

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

*Checkout the free practice guide at the end of the show notes!

Alan Dunton is a lecturer in Coaching Science and Skill Acquisition at Munster Technological University (MTU) in Cork, Ireland. A former Taekwondo athlete and coach, Alan has spent his career exploring how people learn, adapt, and perform skill under dynamic conditions. In this conversation, we unpack metastability — what it means, how to design for it, and why adaptability is the hallmark of expert performance.

In This Episode:

• Alan’s background in Taekwondo and how it shaped his approach to coaching
• Understanding metastability: from theory to practical application
• Exploration vs. stability — what do athletes really need?
• Designing training environments for adaptability
• The launch of the new MSc in Skill Acquisition for Sport at MTU

This episode is heavy and theory AND applied information, and I know you will benefit from giving this a listen!

Download your Free Practice Design Checklist!

Referenced Links:

• Free Coaching Guide Download → Get it here
• MTU MSc in Skill Acquisition for Sport → https://www.mtu.ie
• Alan Dunton on X → https://x.com/alandunton
• Emergence → https://www.emergentmvmt.com
• The Adaptable Athlete Podcast on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@thecoachjav

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav

Send us a text

Adam Singer is the head coach of SBG Athens, where he and his brother Rory have been developing fighters for over 25 years.

A longtime practitioner of ecological dynamics in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, Adam has coached multiple athletes to the highest levels of competition, including two world champions.

He’s also a co-author of a landmark paper on ecological dynamics in combat sports with Shawn Myszka, Tyler Yearby, Scott Sievewright, and Andy Grahn.

Known for blending sharp insight with humor (and reminding everyone he’s both handsome and funny), Adam brings a unique perspective to coaching and skill development.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why coaching is about relationships and culture first — and how SBG Athens has built that over decades
• Stories from the gym: balancing intensity with care, developing fighters responsibly, and lessons learned across 25+ years in MMA
• The role of exploration and aliveness in training, and why “sloppy” doesn’t always mean wrong
• Why there are no shortcuts in adopting an ecological approach, and the pitfalls of surface-level buzzwords
• How Adam’s philosophy challenges traditional pad-work, drill-heavy coaching, and emphasizes problem solving in context

If you’re a coach or practitioner interested in skill acquisition, practice design, and building adaptable athletes, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

If you like today's episode, leave a review here....If you want to reach me directly, contact me on social media or shoot me @javier@emergentmvmt.com.

Referenced in this episode:

• SBG Athens
• Ecological Dynamics in Sport Combat — Paper (ResearchGate link)
• Emergence
• Watch full podcast episodes on YouTube → youtube.com/@thecoachjav

Episode Resources:

• CSAS Certification
• Adam Singer on IG

If you’re a coach or practitioner interested in skill acquisition, practice design, and building adaptable athletes, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Credits: Song- "Starstruck" by Freebeats.io

Let's Chat!
Twitter: @thecoachjav
IG: @thecoachjav