Affordances are a powerful concept from ecological psychology—and they’re not just relevant in sports, they’re crucial for success. Whether you’re a coach, trainer, or athlete, understanding affordances can completely change the way you see movement, decision-making, and practice design. In this post, you’ll learn what affordances are, why they matter, and how to create training environments that help athletes perceive and act more effectively.
What is an affordance?
“Affordance” is a term coined by the psychologist J.J Gibson1 to explain how animals and humans perceive and navigate the environment. Put simply, an affordance is an “opportunity for action.” These opportunities are not fixed—they emerge from the relationship between the person’s capabilities and the properties of the environment. We can perceive affordances, in other words, we know ahead of time what actions are available to us.
A practical example: imagine you’re hiking and come across a fallen tree blocking the path. In that moment, one or more affordances emerge—you might duck and go under it, or climb over it. Whether you choose to duck or go over depends on you—your size, flexibility, strength, and even past experience. The environment presents options, but it’s your own characteristics that shape which actions are perceived as possible.
So what, why that matters in sports?
Of course it matters—a lot! Take soccer (or football), for example. Players constantly have to decide whether to dribble, pass, or shoot. These decisions aren’t random; they’re based on the configuration of the environment—the positions of teammates, opponents, available space—and the player’s own characteristics, like speed, skill, and confidence. In fact, a big part of training is helping athletes become more attuned to the most effective affordances in each situation, so they can perceive and act more efficiently during play.
Designing Practices considering Affordances
Instead of asking athletes to perform skills, shooting drills, passing drills, you are now an affordance engineer. Therefore, your goal is to come up with exercises that afford the actions you want to practice. For example, if you want players to work on quick passing and movement, set up a small-sided game (e.g., 3v3 or 4v4) in a tight space with limited time to make decisions. This setup naturally affords quick passes, one-touch play, and constant scanning of the environment. You’re not telling players to pass quickly—you’re designing a scenario where quick passing is the most inviting and effective action based on the constraints. That’s affordance-based coaching in action.
I want to understand more how to design practices considering the relevant affordances
Want to learn how to design practices that truly consider relevant affordances? No worries—I’ve got you covered. I just released an eBook where I dive deep into this exact topic, along with other essential concepts every coach should know. From practice design to skill acquisition principles, it’s packed with science-backed insights you can apply right away.
Reference
1. Gibson JJ. Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Psychology Press; 1986.
