{"id":1463,"date":"2020-01-17T11:40:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T00:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/playerdevelopmentproject.com\/?p=1463"},"modified":"2024-01-22T14:06:36","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T03:06:36","slug":"the-creative-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playerdevelopmentproject.com\/the-creative-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creative Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

PDP Co-Founder and psychology researcher, James Vaughan<\/a>, explores creativity in footballers with a focus on the coach\u2019s perspective. What does it mean to foster creativity in players? How can we better understand the process of encouraging creative problem solving\u00a0on the field? Vaughan\u00a0offers practical insights and solutions to an often abstract topi<\/strong>c.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Creativity is often described as the use of imagination to invent something. Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson refines this idea by explaining creativity as \u2018the process of having original ideas that have value\u2019. The need for value in this definition, and understanding the accompanying complexities this brings, becomes essential when exploring creative behaviour in sport. While the context for creative behaviour may change \u2013 sport, art, dance, design, entertainment \u2013 decades of research have identified two fundamental ideas.<\/p>\n

Firstly, that all humans have the capacity for creativity, in some domain, at some point in time (the key is to find this domain and maximise these moments in time). Secondly, that there are two key components of creative behaviour: novelty and functionality.<\/p>\n

The novelty, or originality, of creative behaviour can be broken down into two sub-categories: Psychological (P) creativity and Historical (H) creativity. Within football, P creativity occurs when an individual discovers a useful behaviour that is novel to them, such as a new skill, technique or movement pattern. Therefore, P creativity can be thought of as the discovery of an individual performance solution \u2013 a way of getting the ball from A to B that is unique to the individual.<\/p>\n

Taking creativity to the next level, an H creative act represents a movement pattern, such as a pass, shot, dribble, fake, or turn, that did not previously exist within the sport. A classic example of an H creative moment was the \u2018Cruyff turn\u2019, unveiled to the world in the 1970 World Cup. A modern example may be the first time we saw the \u2018Elastico\u2019, characterised by the Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho.<\/p>\n

Allowed the freedom to explore,\u00a0a young player may discover a movement new to them, like the \u2018Cruyff turn\u2019, and experience P creativity. In this moment they discover a useful, functional movement pattern not previously part of their movement inventory or playing style. Because they discovered this skill for themselves, by themselves, and it worked, they take ownership of this skill. Making them far more likely to internalise, learn, refine and extend this skill as part of their unique style of play. This is where P creativity links to H creativity: \u201cResearch by Beghetto and Kaufman (2007) suggest the stimulation of P creative moments when learning may enhance players\u2019 ability to demonstration H creative acts later in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. – Albert Einstein<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why is H creativity important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moments of H creativity represent creative advances, often resulting from the creative genius of playful mavericks and fearless revolutionaries: Cruyff, Best, Ronaldinho. These individuals push the boundaries of what we\u00a0know and what is excepted, their actions have the power to redraw the boundaries of our thinking and shift the dominant paradigms within sport. Consider the impact of the \u2018Fosbury flop\u2019 in high jump, for example. The input of these creative revolutionist drives the evolution of their sport.<\/p>\n

This creativity isn\u2019t limited to football\u00a0or even the world of sport \u2013 creative advances are the spark at the heart
\nof humanity\u2019s major advances, at the heart of our evolution. As Einstein once said:\u00a0\u201cImagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FC Barcelona Way<\/strong><\/p>\n

FC Barcelona recognise the importance of imagination. At La Masia, young players are encouraged to: \u2018imagine the best solution, during the action and have the technique that allows them to implement it\u2019. The ability of individuals to imagine, create, and implement novel skills, techniques and movement patterns is one football- specific definition of creativity.<\/p>\n

\"Barcelona\u2019s<\/a>

Barcelona\u2019s famous La Masia Academy. Photo: Maria Rosa Ferre<\/p><\/div>\n

The challenge all coaches face, including those at La Masia, is\u00a0to develop technically proficient players while stimulating P creative moments. Stimulating P creativity\u00a0is not only essential for developing creative football players and promoting psychological wellbeing, it is fundamental to the evolution of the human race. We have a responsibility to create environments that inspire creativity.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for our coaching?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It means overly prescriptive learning environments \u2013 show and tell; see\u00a0this, do this, do that \u2013 will inhibit creative behaviour, in both the present moment and all future moments.<\/p>\n

Rather than allowing players to explore in-game football problems with playful curiosity, We (coaches) attempt to fast-forward learning by showing or telling players what to do, inadvertently hijacking potential moments of P creativity. Rather than allowing players to embrace the challenge before them, we encourage them to fix a problem with urgency. But this leaves players minimal freedom to experiment, to\u00a0tap into their innate tendencies and creatively discover new movement patterns.<\/p>\n

\u2018Show and tell\u2019 coaching often\u00a0narrows athletes\u2019 attentional focus\u00a0on very specific in-game information (\u2018perceptual stimuli\u2019). Phrases such as \u2018place your foot here\u2019, \u2018tell them \u201cman on\u201d\u2019, \u2018just watch the ball\u2019 are perfect examples. Delivered in a controlling manner, this information constrains athletes\u2019 attentional focus, limiting learning to specific information and encouraging techniques privileged by coaches whose thinking is often limited within specific movement cultures.<\/p>\n

\"Zlatan<\/a>

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is regularly showing his ability to improvise under pressure. Photo: Maxisports<\/p><\/div>\n

What Can we do Differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rather than narrowing players attention by telling them what to\u00a0say, look at, hear and feel, can we encourage players to see more,\u00a0feel more and communicate more effectively? Can we respect the fact that our players may see more, feel more and hear more than we ever could? Can we respect the importance and limitlessness of their imagination?<\/p>\n

The more information we expose our players to, the more they can take\u00a0in, the more P creative opportunities they\u2019ll experience and the more creative possibilities they will see\u00a0in the future. Our challenge is to immerse them in the moment, fully engaged and present with their own learning, helping them attain a state of flow; their skillset balanced with the challenge they face. (For more on Flow see the Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi TED talk below).<\/p>\n

Can we respect the fact that our players may see more, feel more and hear more than we ever could?<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Values and Functional Behaviour<\/strong><\/p>\n

The functional aspect of creative behaviour requires a movement pattern that produces a desirable outcome. But what is desirable, and in whose eyes? Given the same \u2018in-game moment\u2019, for example one vs. one with the full-back, would you and I see or imagine the \u2018same\u2019 best solution? Where I see a through ball to our #9, you see a dribble, and the #9 sees a wall pass!<\/p>\n

Why, in the same moment, do we all see different options? Not only do we perceive the moment differently but we also value the actions differently. I want to play a killer pass, you want to dribble and the #9 wants to play a wall pass.<\/p>\n