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Post by coachwoodall on May 20, 2014 12:04:50 GMT -6
I was tooling around in the car this past Saturday and caught part of an old interview with John Brenkus from the show Sports Science. I have tried to pull the clip to reference, but haven't had luck yet. There were several points made that I immediately thought were relevant to football and the game/team. And I also thought it might be a lively discussion here. Forgive me if I am not quoting/referencing points verbatim.
Sir Roger Banister broke the 'unbreakable' 4 minute mile. Conventional wisdom was that body couldn't do it, you'd die, etc..... But why, all the parameters are arbitrary: 1 mile and 4 minutes. It was the human mind basically psyching itself out preventing the body from breaking the barrier. Years of human evolution and finally in 1956 it as done. Once, Banister broke 4 minutes, it was broken again 14 days later. In the next 10 years over 300 people broke the 4 minute barrier, for an average of once every 12 days.
He also talked about taking one of the WRs from the Cardinals and hanging him upside down and having him catch passes. The body's years of training at catching ball thrown to him was literally going to be turned upside down, so that shouldn't be of any help, but he caught 10/10.
Brenkus then put it like balling up a piece of paper and throwing it in the trash can; you don't know the size/weight of the paper ball, the size of the trash can or the distance however your brain can make these complex computations and 'swish'.
The last part I caught was the mind (and coaching/athletes) going out to the golf course and teeing a ball up and hitting one straight down the fairway for 300 yards without thinking about it. The problem comes when you then say to yourself, "Okay, how can I do that again?" and you shank the next one.
So to try and bring this back around and make some sense out of it:
1 - How do we coach our kids to know/learn the system of our offense/defense, but yet still 'let them be an athlete'?
2 - How do you get kids to first break the '4 minute mile' in their head so that they can excel?
I know understanding how the brain works and trying to manipulate it is extremely complex. I am really trying to wrap my mind around ME. What am I doing/not doing that is creating an artificial barrier preventing my kids from excelling. Or rather maybe, what and is culture both at large and in my school/community creating barriers from my athletes.
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Post by bigspicy on May 22, 2014 10:46:43 GMT -6
i saw a kid at a track meet once get very close, he ran 4 minutes and some small change.
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Post by dsqa on May 22, 2014 11:49:28 GMT -6
Great self discovery questions coach...
I loved your post and it got me thinking, just responding and feeling your pain...In 26 years of developing new ways to do things in this game, I've found that in being successful in changing I've had to spend a heck of a lot more time getting out of my own way, than I have getting my way...if that makes sense...good luck
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Post by larrymoe on May 22, 2014 13:58:31 GMT -6
What am I doing/not doing that is creating an artificial barrier preventing my kids from excelling. Not allowing them to be on their phones...  |
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Post by blb on May 22, 2014 14:36:07 GMT -6
What am I doing/not doing that is creating an artificial barrier preventing my kids from excelling. Not allowing them to be on their phones...
If them being on their cell phones at some point after we've started Pre-Game routine until they leave locker room after game will help us win, I'm for it.
If it doesn't, then I'm not.
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Post by brophy on May 22, 2014 15:25:38 GMT -6
the challenge here is that we're trying to 'get out of their way' but the problem is....these kids DON'T know the way and they don't understand what they are capable of, so we have to push past to limits they would have imposed on themselves.
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Post by coachwoodall on May 22, 2014 20:50:42 GMT -6
I have been thinking a lot about the Roger Banister 4 minute barrier. As a profession, we have a bunch of non-4 minute guys, but the thing is that they can break the barrier--- whatever that barrier is: grades, taking chances, getting that extra bench rep, one more gasser, etc....
-What are our athletes '4 minute mile' barriers?
-What are WE doing to create those '4 minute mile' barriers?
--OR are those barriers created by the culture/society?
-How do we get them past that hurdle?
AND if we can get that one kid past it, then all the others will go "Oh, I can do that too".
Coach Slack, HOW do we get kids to realize that they just need to 'get out of their own way'? Maybe the biggest challenge is finding those barrier or at least the realization of the false barrier. Kids find ways around the rules all the time (coaches too). It is just about 'undefining' those rules/barriers.
I need to ruminate more.
Thanks for the responses.
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Post by 90rocket on May 22, 2014 22:03:31 GMT -6
Read "The Inner Game of Tennis." It's similar to what I think you're talking about. It's all about having the body move freely without conscious thought.
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Post by georgefred86 on May 22, 2014 22:14:46 GMT -6
Isn't it first about developing relationships and getting our athletes to trust that we have their best interests at heart. Then once that barrier is broken down, it is about coaching them through technique that they see positive results which establishes credibility. Once credibility is established, they will open their minds even more to listen to what is being taught which strengthens the bond between coach and player. If our athletes continue to improve the sky's the limit.
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Post by georgefred86 on May 22, 2014 22:17:57 GMT -6
Btw Coach ... haven't heard the term "ruminate" used by many football coaches ... good stuff! Guessing you are an English teacher? |
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Post by dsqa on May 22, 2014 22:47:03 GMT -6
I was referring to you getting out of your own way first by looking hard at why you do what you do as a coach ... The way you coach? et al...the best changes in a program happen when the coaches change first...true in just about every leadership scenario in my opinion.
Much of what we've done to help athletes "get out of their own way" begins by changing what they believe by modeling servant leadership wherever possible, sharing compelling arguments that get "buy-in" to what we want them to try and do, and by providing training drills that accelerate learning and results.
If you want big gains, there must be big goals and a clear path to achieve them...but never at the expense of the team.
That includes the players never feeling they aren't important or respected for who they are and what they bring to the table, regardless of immediate talent. Servant leadership starts at the top. You want to see it? You got to model it...some will take advantage, but the tide will turn...
Those compelling arguments are driven by giving them better reasons for why they are doing what they do. Sometimes we have to research a better way to teach what we know, or learn better communication techniques if it takes that...
We provide small chain moving drill milestones with specific visual/feel feedback that informs self-correction so they don't lose confidence in the effort of change. It's not flashy or fast, but change never is and never will be done that way, don't try to sell it as quick, they have to see you as willing to serve them through change patiently...correct character firmly, mistakes graciously
The results and gains in a short period of time, observed and encouraged increase "buy-in" and value for the effort. To ignore those gains as a coach guarantees the loss of heart for the process...
Does every kid own it? Nope. Is it possible to get every kid? Don't know honestly, too many factors involved...I think to have any chance of more than less, you have to know who the "key kids" are that will spark the rest to follow through their willingness to "buy-in", appeal to their unique value as "igniters" and cultivate that in them daily.
Knowing some of this will help...a lot of what we are describing is passion related, and we've found that it must be modeled properly and cultivated in players by coaches on the same page who are honest(authentic/approachable), trustworthy(men who keep their promise),
and credible(know their craft and communicate well).
Just some thoughts...
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Post by coachwoodall on May 23, 2014 7:56:31 GMT -6
Btw Coach ... haven't heard the term "ruminate" used by many football coaches ... good stuff! Guessing you are an English teacher? Naw, just a country boy history teacher |
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Post by oriolepower on May 23, 2014 12:10:12 GMT -6
I think a lot of our athletes battle fear. They are so afraid of making a mistake that they play too conservatively. I try to get our athletes to play free.
They need to not worry about disappointing Dad or someone else and play with confidence in what they are doing.
Coach Slack makes some great points above. Do drills that build players confidence. In games, make calls that give players confidence so they can play faster and with more confidence as the game goes on.
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jmg999
Junior Member
Posts: 263
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Post by jmg999 on May 23, 2014 15:25:53 GMT -6
In environments such as team sports, there are two psychological factors, which ultimately take shape. One is the Rosenthal effect (AKA the Pygmalion Effect), and the other is the golem effect. Both these effects are indicative of performance. As coaches, teachers, administrators, or leaders, in general, our expectations for others have a significant effect on how they perform.
The Rosenthal effect indicates that when leaders display a great deal of confidence in their followers, and expect great things from them, the followers will, more often than not, tend to live up to the stated expectations. On the other hand, the golem effect indicates that when leaders display a lack of confidence in their followers and have lowered expectations of them, the followers will, more often than not, tend to live down to the stated expectations.
I had introduced this idea in another thread, but I feel that it's more pertinent here. These two psychological effects present themselves under certain conditions, which are either consciously or sub-consciously introduced into situations such as these, sometimes regardless of intent. Studies have lent credence to both effects by providing evidence to support the claims that these psychological factors have a significant effect on certain individuals.
I have experienced this first-hand on several occasions during my life, and while this is not scientific evidence, it does illustrate the principles in effect. The last school at which I had coached engaged in a practice of expecting very little from the players. Other than expecting them to show up to weights, practice, and games, there was very little else expected from them. This included levels of participation, effort, conduct, and so on. When I would inquire as to why these lowered expectations were in place, the reply I received was mixed in its reasoning. In essence, these lowered expectations, are self-perpetuating myths, b/c these young men probably do not consciously realize what is driving their effort, or lack thereof.
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Post by sneakyben on May 24, 2014 15:08:42 GMT -6
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Post by unc31 on May 26, 2014 9:11:52 GMT -6
Lots of good theories, ideas and comments. In my 32 years of coaching football and 18 years as a player, I believe the number one hindrance of reaching absolute full potential comes in the form of self-imposed limitations. There is absolutely no doubt that MOST athletes have pre-determined unspoken limits as to what they can achieve.
There are certainly physical limitations within each individual, however few get close to their true genetic potential. This can be caused by fear, previous experience or from watching others fall short of a specific parameter.
In the case of sub 4 minute milers.....obviously they had a unique mixture of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers but even more importantly was the apparent ability to tap into the ATP-PC system AND the Aerobic System simultaneously.
Not everyone will be able to reach performances of that level but I believe the key "take home" for us as coaches is to continue to encourage our athletes to strive for greater and greater heights and then provide them with the tools to do so. This includes physical as well as mental challenges.
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