Big picture transdisciplinary practice - extending key ideas of a Department of Methodology towards a wider ecological view of practitioner-scientist integration

Abstract

ABSTRACT In high-performance sport, a multidisciplinary approach is proposed as essential in providing an effective environment to service all aspects of athlete development and performance. A Department of Methodology (DoM) conceptualisation, based on an ecological dynamics rationale, provides a framework for coaches, sport scientists and support practitioners to collaboratively conceptualise integrated team and athlete development practices. Previous research has highlighted several principles for holistic system development of athletes, such as importance of embracing non-linearity, prioritising athlete–environment relations, and identifying constraints on performance. While sports organisations are continuously shaped by constraints operating at multiple scales, the overarching purpose of this paper is to highlight specifically how macro-scale ecological constraints may shape integrated practice design from a transdisciplinary perspective. To achieve this aim, we expound on the DoM concept by drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development, to elaborate on how interconnected system components, simultaneously operating at multiple scales, continuously contextualise athlete development experiences. Further, we seek to sensitise coaches, scientists, and support staff to the ‘big-picture of athlete development’, discussing how sports organisations may adapt to the ubiquitous influences of macro-scale ecological systems (e.g., national associations and sport governing bodies). Finally, numerous association football (soccer) examples, and a recent case report about developments within the German FA (DFB) and youth football structure, attempt to make theoretical ideas tangible and understandable for coaching practitioners in the field.