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Post by dubber on Feb 27, 2014 7:31:34 GMT -6
In order to be truly productive - whether it is in business, on the field, or on an internet forum - I believe the desimination of knowledge is vital. Dogs learn from their mistakes, people learn from observing other's mistakes.
In order to become efficent with our time, we have to learn from more than experience, or at the very least, speed up experience's learning curve by absorbing the trials and findings of others.
However, it is not any mere knowledge we are looking for, but the CORRECT knowledge.
In order to obtain that, we must become very good at asking the right questions.
Question asking is a loss art, and requires a very special skill that combines foresight and empathy. I think the best coaches of our time think critically about the game. They understand the why questions behind the how and what. Everything has a verifiable logic to it.
On this board, when we begin to learn from each other, we ask a TON of what questions. What offense is blah blah running? What do you do versus this front? What to do you do to get your kids to stop being pansies?
If you notice our better threads, the ones where true dialogue takes place, they are usually how questions. How do you block power? How do you time up fly sweep? How do you execute no huddle?
Our BEST threads, however, take it one step further. They hit on the what and how, but principally, they are asking WHY.
What's the point? (pun intended here)
Let's identify the really good questions to ask. The one's that garner more than just a mechanical understanding of scheme, and drill down in the how (technique) and why (philosophy).
One of my favorites to ask a coach I admire: How did you come to doing things the way you do them?
What are some others?
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Post by coach2013 on Feb 27, 2014 7:40:50 GMT -6
One of my favorite questions is this:
What is MY POINT, WHY AM I DOING THIS? WHAT PURPOSE DO I SERVE? HOW AM I MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE BY DOING WHAT I AM DOING?
Football is just a game. Like Chess or Checkers, there are a bunch of different moves, some look good and turn out bad, some look bad, and turn out good. Some seem to have no impact until late in the game. Others make immediate impact and change the game and situation completely.
The thing is Mr Dubber, there really isn't a right or wrong way, there is only what works and what does not. What works one year may fail miserably the next because the situation and circumstances have changed.
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Post by jrk5150 on Feb 27, 2014 8:46:56 GMT -6
So short of the existential questions, the ones I try to think of and ask, in business and in football (just a youth coach, so I'm putting equal or more thought into what I do in business), is around why. Why am I doing this. Why would I change; what does X give me that I don't already have?
Business-wise I do that all the time - how do we do it now (and why), what would change (and why), what is the cost of that change (and why), and then finally do we need to make the change/do that other thing?
Football-wise I find myself asking one primary question when I come across something new that I really like - what does this (play/formation/scheme) give me that I don't already have? USUALLY, I find the answer to be nothing, and go back to what I've been doing.
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Post by coach2013 on Feb 27, 2014 8:49:06 GMT -6
The why thing is something assistants ask quite often. Its good to have an answer there ready for them. If they understand why, they, like the kids, can buy in easier.
I hate to say it but sometimes the "why" can be "because this has to be fun, if it gets to become unfun, I am not doing it anymore" - just the same way the kids think too I guess.
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Post by jrk5150 on Feb 27, 2014 8:54:24 GMT -6
I hate to say it but sometimes the "why" can be "because this has to be fun, if it gets to become unfun, I am not doing it anymore" - just the same way the kids think too I guess. But that's important information to know as well. There are lots of good reasons to do something, you just have to know what they are in any given situation. And unless you ask the why, you're not going to necessarily know. So many times I've come into a new work situation, looked at a process that didn't make sense and asked why, to be told "that's the way we've always done it". Them's the magic words for change, LOL.
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Post by Coach Bennett on Feb 27, 2014 9:51:12 GMT -6
Like, "If the 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?" Sorry, had to.
Seriously, IMO the best questions are those that lead to more questions, not definitive answers. I think this was Socrates' deal.
On a more concrete level, asking the "why" behind the "what" and "how" is the crux of critical thinking, as you've alluded to. A little off topic but we try to explain the "why's" behind everything we do so that our kids have a fundamental understanding of where the ship is sailing and aren't just following directions like automatons.
A question I'd ask to folks out there is why do you run the schemes you do and why do you change when you do change?
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Post by coach2013 on Feb 27, 2014 9:53:27 GMT -6
I hate to say it but sometimes the "why" can be "because this has to be fun, if it gets to become unfun, I am not doing it anymore" - just the same way the kids think too I guess. But that's important information to know as well. There are lots of good reasons to do something, you just have to know what they are in any given situation. And unless you ask the why, you're not going to necessarily know. So many times I've come into a new work situation, looked at a process that didn't make sense and asked why, to be told "that's the way we've always done it". Them's the magic words for change, LOL. That's true. I took a job once and the play calling terminology was completely redundant and didn't really make sense. They had a hodgepodge of mishmashed mumbo jumbo to please every OC wanna be on staff now and on prior staffs over the previous 30 years. I kid you not. The school had a long run of playoff appearances and was well respected in terms of the kind of athletes they had with relatively mediocre coaching really. There were some great coaches and some very weak ones but all had some success. The funny part is that with each coach that came and went " blue school ball" never changed. The terminology just mounted up. One guy wanted colors, another letters, another words, another numbered series for blocking, another tags for blocking and I swear a simple dive play might be called " 100 red 31 florida dive" I asked "What is the 100 for? " and I was told it was "dive blocking" and I said what is "florida" and they said "dive" and I said what is "dive then?" and they said "dive blocking tag" I asked the kids and each of them said they had no idea what the florida or 100 meant. I said "31 dive right?" and all said "yup" I approached the head coach about it. He consulted with like three other "old heads" (guys who coached there about 30 years) and they had a secret closed door meeting to discuss "31 dive" vs "what we always done" - they came out of the meeting with a full history of how "coach hall of fame" always used "florida" for "dive" and coach " played in the pros" used "31" for "dive" and they liked "dive right" or "dive left" and basically over the years guys refused to change, others added stuff and it became a marble mouth play in the huddle. I went through this process with every play in the book. (There were three books) It worked for them because the kids blocking "100 blue 31 florida dive" were going to Penn State, Iowa and Boston College. The kid running the ball was going to Clemson. And at least one more coach would be enshrined or recognized for a monumental achievment of some kind. Let me tell you, you dont make changes in a place like that without R-E-S-P-E-C-T no matter what you think.
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Post by brophy on Feb 27, 2014 12:44:24 GMT -6
HOW AM I GOING TO SCREW THIS UP?
If I know going in what are the common failures, maybe I should be able to avoid self sabotage.
Its like going to a hotel and saying, "Give me the room that you'll give me after I come back to the front desk saying the first room you gave me is horrible".
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Post by dubber on Feb 28, 2014 18:43:35 GMT -6
I love the reduction and distilling of the assertion back to it's assumptions.
Because it is the ASSUMPTIONS that need questioned first.
Coincidentally, if you can form defendable assumptions (and you have to make some), THEN you can build an assertion/belief.
This also works in football.
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Post by coach2013 on Mar 1, 2014 9:53:21 GMT -6
What? Man Dubber....What?
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Post by dubber on Mar 2, 2014 11:25:24 GMT -6
What? Man Dubber....What?
I don't get what you're saying here.
Sorry.
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Post by fantom on Mar 4, 2014 10:38:32 GMT -6
I love the reduction and distilling of the assertion back to it's assumptions. Because it is the ASSUMPTIONS that need questioned first. Coincidentally, if you can form defendable assumptions (and you have to make some), THEN you can build an assertion/belief. This also works in football. In normal people talk, I think he means: He really likes how people make assumptions which cause them to make certain decisions or to form certain philosophies or beliefs, but then have to re-evaluate those assumptions and break them down into their smallest pieces to see where their logic was flawed or may be flawed in order to defend it to others. Coincidentally, if you can form an opinion that you can defend, then you have now formed a philosophy or belief. I think that's what he's saying. I'm a maff teecher and I don't reed good so I'm not real sure. Or... If you can't explain logically why you do things you probably don't really have a good reason. If you do a lot of stuff without a good reason you're a dumba$$.
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Post by fantom on Mar 4, 2014 11:02:01 GMT -6
Now see fantom, I was trying to take the high road for once. But you are probably right. I knew that secretly that's what you wanted to say.
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Post by joris85 on Mar 4, 2014 12:51:54 GMT -6
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Post by coachd5085 on Mar 4, 2014 13:04:28 GMT -6
If you do a lot of stuff without a good reason you're a dumba$$. Or an offensive coach... BAZINGA! And to actually contribute to this thread-- I think one important question (and I believe it was alluded to earlier) is "How does this change something?" or "What does this Change?"
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Post by fantom on Mar 4, 2014 13:13:42 GMT -6
If you do a lot of stuff without a good reason you're a dumba$$. Or an offensive coach... BAZINGA! And to actually contribute to this thread-- I think one important question (and I believe it was alluded to earlier) is "How does this change something?" or "What does this Change?" If fairness, there are plenty of threads in the defensive section that start, "We're changing defenses this year just 'cuz".
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Post by dubber on Mar 4, 2014 18:39:59 GMT -6
This thread, and the 5 stats thread kinda go together.
You can "prove" your stance, or you can challenge it.
I orient to the latter.
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Post by jrk5150 on Mar 5, 2014 8:59:47 GMT -6
I think along those lines - ask yourself what you're missing. Play or get someone to play Devil's Advocate.
I can't count how many decisions get made without consideration to what else is impacted, and without any thought to potential "unintended consequences". Play out all the scenarios you can think of. Find holes in your own arguments. Try to game your own system.
One of my current favorites is to ask "how can this go wrong?"
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jmg999
Junior Member
Posts: 263
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Post by jmg999 on Mar 6, 2014 0:56:49 GMT -6
I like to know that those I seek advice from are seeking their answers from reliable sources. In other words, far too many people are willing to accept whatever seemingly profound bit of information is thrown at them, regardless of how illogical it may prove to be. I prefer to know that those I trust w/ informing me are they themselves students of learning from reliable sources.
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