Training Law students like Athletes: Experimenting with the Constraints-Led approach in Clinical Education
In this project we use insights from physical education, to experimentally apply these in our academic teaching. Particularly, we study to what extent the “constraints-led approach” in physical education can also be applied to students enrolled in law clinics. Traditional physical education presupposes transfer between practice and competition. Specific, repetitive drills coupled with verbal feedback are supposed to prepare the athlete for competitive practice. Research in sports psychology, however, argues against this transfer-based approach (Renshaw, Davids, and Savelsbergh 2010; Bosch 2015). Alternatively, these authors propose a “constraints-led” approach. Herein athletes learn through manipulation of tasks, environment and individual conditions, and are challenged to find their own movement solutions in a dynamic setting. This involves non-specific drills closely resembling competition with fewer verbal cues by coaches. We have experienced constraints-led methodologies outside of our academic employment
