Friday, September 11, 2015

Better Basketball: The Tyranny of Information Overload

We share information more effectively with players and coaches if we can change the delivery and the receivers. 

Science has proven that bullet points kill information transfer. Three factors determine whether subject matter gets transferred - degree of difficulty, how it is taught, and how it gets processed. Bullet points, with superimposed auditory lecture inputs, place a "high cognitive load" on learners and reduce learning. 

How hard is the material?  If material is more difficult (e.g. executing the pick-and-roll), organize, simplify, and limit the content initially. 

How do we teach it? Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski teaches the "show" or "hedge" on the pick-and-roll defense as "fake trap." That visual tells players exactly what happens. 

How do we process it? With a limited framework, building our schema or framework, challenges us more than refining or building upon experience. Distractions and heavier cognitive loads reduce learning. Sometimes less (information) is more. 

As teachers (coaches) we can help learners with simplicity, specificity, and focus. 



Use visuals to reinforce your ideas. 

As coaches, we help player go where they can't get by themselves. Improving how we access their working memory can help us accelerate their learning.