449: Kevin Mulcahy on An Evolution of Game Speed Development

Today’s podcast features Kevin Mulcahy. Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach and owner-operator of the Design the Game Project. He has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents, for over 30 years. Kevin takes a multi-lateral focus on human movement, skill development, and S&C, led by a deep interest in ecological dynamics and the constraints-led approach to coaching and motor learning. Extremely common to have conversations on speed training. It is rare to have conversations on the practical integration of speed training into actual sport tactics. It’s easy to hit the status quo of improving maximal lifts or running athletes through timing gates and seeing better times. It’s more complex to seek an integrated model that fits speed into the constraints of the game itself, but also a more integrated, creative, and ultimately rewarding process. Today's episode explores Kevin’s approach to game speed training, skill acquisition, and tactical advantages through constraints. He also discusses using games and sport variations to enhance athleticism and tactical ability. Additionally, we get into ideas on acceleration, deceleration, aerobic capacity, and sport-specific tactical demands. This episode ties together key concepts to deepen our understanding of physical preparation and athletic movement. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio. Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to Lilateam.com Kevin’s Blog and Coaching Cohort Coaching Cohort Substack Blog View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 4:20- Enhancing Skill Development Through Constraints in Sports 10:02- Tactical Advantage through Speed Variation in Sports 17:11- Enhancing Athletic Performance Through Game Speed 21:41- Gaelic Football Speed Training Techniques 27:17- Enhancing Tactical Awareness through Dynamic Game Scenarios 31:46- Strategic Gaelic Football Running Drills for Performance 36:05- Individualized Basketball Training for Skill Development 52:18- Uncontrolled VO2 Running for Enhanced Fitness 56:13- Engaging Games Enhance Tactical Learning Methods 1:04:57- Instinctive Game-Reading for Enhanced Sports Performance 1:11:30- Advanced Vertical Jump Training Techniques 1:18:16- Enhancing Anaerobic Capacity in Team Athletes Quotes (5:00) “I have a few core games, like I use Olympic handball a lot, use tag rugby, we play NFL, what we call NFL, which is kind of a tag American football and all sorts of things in between” (15:40) “I mean every sport, basketball has, has really deeply worked on that over a many number of years to where I think a lot of sports steal those kind of movements from basketball” (22:17) “Acceleration is absolutely worth training. But then the constraints of the game mean that that's only going to bring you so far” (24:57) “But then I can start constraining. Does this look like the game? Are these the distances we're going to transition? How do I motivate players and incentivize players to actually go all out? How do I incentivize the defenders to. To be aggressive and try to stop the. Their, their teammates at training? So that's where I've gone the last number of years” (43:33) "Man to man for me only works if you're more athletic than the opposition. And if you're not, you have to have better tactics." (50:08) "If your intention is to get fitter, you have probably got a better chance of doing that if they enjoy it." (55:08) "If we get them turning up again motivated, we're winning." About Kevin Mulcahy Kevin is an experienced sports and S&C coach who has worked with various sports teams, athletes, professionals, and clubs across three continents for over 30 years. He is the owner-operator coach of the Design the Game Project, a platform that shares coaching insights and research with a progressive and learning-led audience. Design the Game promotes a constraints-led approach to motor learning and coaching. Kevin has studied on and off the field how humans learn to move and learn skills for well over 20 years. The DTG Brand has run several mini online courses around motor learning, decision-making in sport, and practice design. Kevin also runs TMC Performance, a bespoke S&C/PT business that caters to the overall health and lifestyle of his clients from athletes to busy professionals through a “strength & conditioning for life & sport” mindset and programming approach. Kevin has carried out sports coaching in club roles coaching in field & court sports as well as boxing. Full-time & part-time professional roles across amateur, semi-professional & professional sport. Kevin has a strong educational background in coaching science, with a BSc in Strength and Conditioning from Setanta College, a certificate in Nutritional Science and Coaching from Precision Nutrition, and a certificate in The Neuroscience of Decision Making from Barcelona FC. Kevin takes an ecological approach to coaching and life in general and has a deep interest in ecological dynamics and the constraint-led approach to coaching and motor learning. Kevin as a sports and s&c coach (either/or hybrid roles) has in recent times been lucky enough to be part of coaching teams that won Regional and National (All Ireland) Titles with Cork Camogie, National Superleague Basketball Title with Ballincollig Basketball and Cork Senior A Gaelic Football Championship with Newcestown. Design the Game is unveiling online and in-person workshops on decision-making in sport to clubs and coaches around the world.