A recent Choice Theory workshop that I attended was very productive. During a very valuable ninety minutes, the group discussed the negative consequences of criticism. Players and coaches shared how they had been affected by criticism. Coaches, family members, athletic directors, and others hurt people with thoughtless – and sometimes abusive – comments. First of all, there is never any place for personal criticism. In sport, although it is necessary to provide feedback, comments should focus on specific behaviours, not a person’s character. Secondly, correction must be supplemented with encouragement to build the confidence of individual athletes and the entire …
Notre Dame Football and a Coach
Previously, I used to enjoy cheering for Notre Dame football. The Fighting Irish conveyed a sense of prestige when they took the field. I truly respected Tyrone Willingham and the work that he was doing. When Willingham was dumped at the same time as Notre Dame clung to a pretence of integrity, it was an affront to sensibility. I understand that most “big-time” sports are for entertainment purposes only, especially the Association. Most teams and athletes follow the Al Davis mantra “just win baby,” and I’m cool with that. What bothered me was that Notre Dame said it was never …
Harry Potter and Leadership
Harry Potter becomes a Quiddich coach in The Half-Blood Prince and does a decent job. I found his tryouts somewhat uninspiring; he should have brought a practice plan. Choosing his keeper based on five penalty shots – an extremely unreliable sample size – was asking for trouble, but it worked out in the end. Before the first match, I thought Harry was setting up Weasley to be Rafael Palmeiro. However, tricking his keeper into thinking he had taken performance enhancing drugs was quite the ruse. A lot of sport is mental as opposed to physical; sensing that Ron was prone …
The Gifts of the Triangle
I’ve been reading a lot of my Tex Winter books lately. The Triple Post Offense – also known as the ubiquitous “Triangle” – never stops giving. It is not an offense that can be run in every situation but it provides some good teaching points to break down freelance and early offense principles into easy to learn pieces. Most interestingly, if one were to employ elements of the Triple Post set, they could hide a lack of size in the post and create a wide variety of scoring chances with an undersized line-up.
New Coke
I finished a coaching journal in four months. Usually, the journals take a little longer to fill out. It seems like I really have a lot of ideas at the moment. All dressed up and nowhere to go, so to speak. You can fall into a bit of a trap when you’re constrained to a wholly theoretical framework. I have confidence in these ideas, but I would like to see them on the court. Reality checks can be swift and harsh. For all I know, what I’ve been creating the last three months is the basketball equivalent of New Coke. …