There is a disconnect between academic researchers and practitioners. In this case, researchers observe and organize/categorize what already exists. High-level

There is a disconnect between academic researchers and practitioners. In this case, researchers observe and organize/categorize what already exists. High-level practitioners and coaches have been using “deliberate practice” forever. There are plenty of examples, but let's take what the great sprint coach Charlie Francis used in the 1970s and 1980s. He used the medicine ball to encourage proper form without the sprinter having to think about form, because otherwise they would stiffen up. He alternated between tempo and sprint sessions to balance the rest and activity needed for the best nervous system performance. He understood the balance between optimal sprint form and idiosyncrasies. Twenty-five years ago, for a couple of years, I trained in gymnastics with the local team coach. Without calling it “deliberate practice,” it was what they did day after day, which was to work on increasingly difficult skills with the support of an experienced coach who had the mental model for skill acquisition and “demonstration.” A certain kind of nerd would salivate when there is a “book” on something, or someone has done “research” and written a “paper” with references that are there to explain that yes, water is wet, but how would you know without this paper? The contribution of Erickson's research to coaching practice is nonexistent.