A more academic inspired look at talent development and our day to day work as coaches bringing young talents to the level they aspire.
David Passmore
David Passmore is the current head coach for the USA women’s team. His hockey history has him involved in different coaching roles for clubs, academies and national teams for Hockey Ireland and the Irish Institute of Sport, as well as the England & GB hockey federation. Before taking up the new challenge of coaching the US in October 2022 he was a lecturer in coaching science & education as well as the Chair of Physical Education for the Dublin City University.
A research based approach to talent development
With a strong background in both the coaching and the academic world Passmore seems to be an ideal coach to talk to us about a research based approach to talent development. A topic close to his heart since he took up coaching hockey in Ireland.
If there’s one message every field hockey coach should take from this masterclass, it is the critical importance of building your coaching around long-term player development—and not just chasing short-term results.
Every coach, at some point, feels the urge to optimize for the next game, to win the weekend tournament, or to help a group of U12s beat the local rivals. The pressure from parents, clubs, and even ourselves can be intense. But, as David Passmore drives home throughout the session, those outcomes are almost always irrelevant to producing future senior players who love the game, stay in the sport, and reach their performance potential.
“You need to have long term aims and methods and not be short term focused… the success actually will rarely have a direct term effect on where they end up. There’s a lot of kids who will be super good because they grow early, or they’ve been more exposed when they’re younger, and that won’t necessarily transfer into senior level.”
Why Is This So Critical?
Short-term thinking means prioritizing drills, tactics, and selections that offer fast payback. You pick the biggest kid in the age group for corners, your U14s play a risk-free ‘adult style’ press, and you run static drills with perfect technical focus. These things might win matches now, but they create major problems later. Players become decision-poor, risk-averse, and reliant on a limited skillset invented to solve short-term problems. Worse, many stop enjoying the game or drop out because they’re not developing holistically, or peaks arrived too soon.
Long-term development means holding your nerve—deliberately designing sessions and a coaching approach that focuses on progressive technical, tactical, physical, and psychological growth, aligning methods throughout teams, and supporting the full journey. It’s more challenging; it’s slower. But this is how top clubs and nations build their talent pipelines. As David Passmore explains when discussing Belgian hockey’s rapid rise: consistent philosophy, patience, and a focus on long-term aims, not junior gold medals.
How Do You Apply This in Daily Coaching?
Set and Communicate Your Long-Term Vision. Start with clarity, for coaches, players, and parents. “Having that meeting with parents… just saying, well don’t judge me on where you are now, judge me on where your kids end up. Do they enjoy hockey enough? If they’re going to be good, they’re more likely to stay in it…”
Design Sequential, Age-Appropriate Programming. Structure sessions and annual planning around what’s right for the age—physically, mentally, technically. Avoid copying what your adult practices looked like.
Reward Learning, Autonomy, and Resilience. Develop sessions that encourage reflection, self-coaching, and mental resilience. Build in ‘bumps in the road’—failures and adversity—intentionally, so players can adapt and learn to overcome.
Align Your Club or Program. Work with other coaches in your club, school, or system to agree on your core philosophies and “ribbons”—the guiding principles for how you play, train, and develop players at each stage.
Remember, your legacy as a coach is not today’s score. It’s who is still playing, thriving, and loving the game in ten years’ time.
Why You Should Watch the Full Masterclass
The depth and practical approach that David Passmore delivers in this session go far beyond theory. He lays out systems, frameworks, and real examples—like how Ireland built a talent model from scratch and how physical and mental frameworks can work in day-to-day club environments, even with limited resources. This is not just abstract philosophy; it’s actionable wisdom you can implement at your next training. If you’re serious about developing better players—and better people—in your hockey program, the full video provides context, tools, and answers to specific challenges (like bias in selection, managing transitions, and the psychological side of growth) that every experienced coach grapples with. Don’t just take my summary—see the detail for yourself.
