Friday, November 30, 2007

Why do we need coaches?

I think that we have all had the common experience of looking out and seeing a group of kids playing some sort of game. It might have been on a sand lot, in a pasture, on a vacant lot, or even on a city street, but put a group of kids together and sooner or later, they are going to choose sides, and a game will begin.
If that remembrance brings a smile to your lips, you are not alone. We can all recall similar situations in our own youth, and usually the memory is warm and pleasant. I think we look back with at least a little envy to those carefree days, free of adult responsibilities and pressure.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine once, and, knowing that I was a coach and seeking to get a rise out of me, he remarked that it would be wonderful, indeed, if adults could just refrain from interfering with those kids. It would be so much better, he explained, if they could be left to play on their own, without coaches making rules, holding practice drills, and pushing, pushing, pushing at these kids.

I understood that my friend was saying this in fun, but I will tell you honestly that it set me to thinking. If you can take any group of kids, put them together in a single place, and they, unaided, can get a game going and combine exercise with a good time, why do we need coaches?
I thought about that for some time, and I have an answer that I would like to share with you this evening.
It was my youngest son who gave me part of the answer. He is nine, and, like most nine-year-olds, he is unbounded energy wrapped up in a boy’s body. He and his friends quite often get games started and play the day away. I had been meticulous in staying out of his sports life even when I saw him doing something wrong that could have been improved by practice.

One evening, after supper, he came to me to ask a question. “Dad,” he said, “I’m having trouble sliding into bases. I get tagged every time. Can you show me what I’m doing wrong?”
Of course, I was delighted that he had asked my advice, but I asked him why he wanted to know? Wasn’t he having fun just playing with the other kids?

“Sure,” he answered, “it’s a lot of fun. But, I know I can do better. I’m doing something wrong, but I don’t know what it is. I want to be able to slide into that base and be safe every time.”

There was my answer. What my son wanted was to perfect his skill. Having fun and being with his friends was a large part of why he played. But, he also wanted to get better at it. Instinctively, he understood that he was doing something wrong, and he needed someone to help him to correct his mistake and become better at what he loved to do.

Naturally, I gave him some instruction and practice, and while he was not safe every time he slid into a base, his average did improve dramatically.

There was the answer. We need coaches because the human animal is not satisfied merely to do something; he wants to do it well; he wants to do it to the limit of is capacity.

There is also the knowledge that while some may do it on their own, very few people have the capacity to correct their own mistakes or improve their skills unless someone guides them, directs their efforts, and gives them the insight they need to go off and, with determination and resolve, learn to do better.

Nor am I speaking only of sports. Doctors constantly read and take classes even though they have practiced medicine for twenty years. Concert musicians take “master” classes to continually perfect their techniques even if they are performing regularly to packed houses. Teachers continue to take classes themselves in order to learn to better deal with the students they face each day.

The list goes on and on. Perhaps it is a characteristic of human beings that they are not satisfied all the time; that they seed and strive for perfection; that they see what can be and reach out for it. Perhaps it is also characteristic that most of us realize that we cannot do it alone; that we need guidance; that we need a direction for our efforts if we are ever to achieve our goals.

As a coach, I have seen kids come to me with enthusiasm bubbling to be unleashed; with raw talent that glittered with promise; with healthy bodies and positive minds. I have seen these same kids trip over their own feet. I have seen them in the middle of a field standing with their mouths open in disbelief when the opposing team scored because they did not know what to do.

The talent was there; the drive was there; what was missing was the direction.

The greatest, most powerful river in the world can be a source of power that will light and heat the homes of thousands, or it can be a rampaging flood that sweeps away everything in its path. The difference lies in how those waters are channeled.

That is what I see as my job; that is why we need coaches. A coach can take the human desire to excel, combined with the raw talent, and channel and direct it until we have a person who is justly proud of himself for what he has accomplished; a person who knows that he has done the best that he is capable of doing; a person who stands with confidence in himself and a respect for his talent and the talent of those around him.

It is not always an easy task. Quite often, it reaches a point where the individual feels that it is hopeless, and here, too, a coach is needed. The coach is there at that time to let the individual know that he can do it; that what he wants is within his grasp; that effort and hard work combined with knowledge can produce the results for which he is so strenuously working.

The coach is there to needle, to comfort. To infuriate, to assist, to encourage, to demand. The coach is there to gibe that single word of insight, that on clasp on the shoulder, that final shout that brings the individual to the point where he knows that his dream is within grasp; that is his for the taking; that he has worked for and earned every bit of it.

Finally, the coach is there to help the individual keep it all in perspective. To teach the player that he is not alone, but part of a group striving for a common goal. He is there to teach the player that he is art of a team, and, however good he may personally be, he owes allegiance to that team. That is not a bad lesson for anyone to take to heart, whether on the playing field or in life itself.

I can tell you that I see hundreds of boys each year and I have seen this process work time after glorious time. I have dealt with kids who stood before me and virtually apologized for their presence, and I have seen them at the end of a season with confidence in their faces and their hearts whether that season was a winning or a losing one, because they were winners, they had conquered themselves. I have seen overweight kids drop the pounds and underweight kids gain them, along with new health, vigor, and self-assurance. I have seen cocky and arrogant kids lose the false pride as they came to rely on their teammates and their teammates began to rely on them. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of kids grow and mature and flourish. I have seen them start out weak or arrogant or uncertain or untrained, and I have been privileged to see them walk away a credit to themselves, their parents, and the community in which they live.

I feel very humble indeed, to have had a part in this transformation; in this triumph of the human spirit.

Please understand. It is not I who have affected these changes. It is not I, nor any coach, who has allowed the best in that human being to come out. That credit belongs to the individual, who felt the need to learn; who had the desire and the fortitude to work for perfection; who spent the time and the sweat and the pain to gain what they have. It is not I, for no sculptor can carve a statue from stone that crumbles and flakes away.

Rather, I have been a guide along the path. I have been the coach who could supply some of the answers theses people needed and wanted; who could direct their efforts down the right pathway for the destination they had in mind; who could stand by when the going got rough to give them the little extra they needed to see it through.

Why do we need coaches? We need them because the human spirit cries out for knowledge and perfection; we need them because we are all part of humanity struggling to be the best we can; we need them to encourage and train and shout and enliven our lives as we reach out to become the best person we are capable of becoming.

If we coaches have rewards, it is in the knowledge that we have, indeed, helped; it is in working and seeing the change that our work brings about in our charges; and, perhaps most important, it is in the faces of those we have coaches who look at us with confidence and strength and ability and honor that gives us all hope that tomorrow will be as bright as it is within the power of the human spirit to achieve.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

My Family doing what we do!


The Wife and I enjoying the beach.

My 9 year old showing off his new shirt, and a bitchen rod!

My 11 year old getting ready for his first school dance, he loves sports!

Now you know where the "cook different" comes from, I'm also a Chef.
This is one of my students I taught how to Ice Carve, not bad for his first time!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Boomers Define Greed


"Narcissistic and greedy" is an apt moniker for the generation of baby boomers that preceded de-generation X; or, as the boomers and the "Greatest Generation" call them, "Slackers."

Under the hypocritical auspices of the greatest and the boomer generations, we've seen education programs defunded and the youth ignored, criminalize, underemployed and exploited.

Not only have our elders shifted social services away from the youth to benefit their sorry old posteriors --such as was the case with Proposition 13, for instance -- they've sold us a plastic- wrapped microwavable pop culture filled with meaningless materialism; failed in their responsibilities as mentors; eliminated Pell grants; embraced corporate entities for their own profit; left struggling to make any ends whatsoever meet with the paltry paychecks from minimum wage and/or adjunct jobs; and suppressed artistic creativity. But also, to add insult to injury, they called them slackers and told them that they do not deserve the quality of education that they received because they demonstrated apathy.

Gee, I wonder why Gen X could possibly be so darned apathetic. Could it be that they've seen the gluttonous boomers as the unethical hogs that they always have been, now lining up to gorge themselves at the Social Security trough, while they solicit more meaningless pleas to "save the children" in an effort to try to save their generation's reputation?

Once again the boomers demonstrate what they're really all about: themselves. Apathy on, Garth.

Monday, November 19, 2007

What's the point of the drug war?


Every country or society requires commonly understood rules of the road because without them chaos would ensue and road travel would be impossible.

Laws that protect the person and legitimate property from unwanted interference from others are -- or should be -- based on principles understood and accepted by society at large. Why isn't that the case regarding the laws making some drugs illicit?

For example, why is heroin illicit and morphine not? They are equally addictive and equally effective as analgesic, except that morphine is more likely to cause dangerous and sometimes fatal allergic reactions.

Let's compare marijuana and tobacco:

* They are both plants that can be dried and prepared for smoking.

* The nicotine content in tobacco makes tobacco far more addictive than marijuana, while tobacco results in far higher morbidity and mortality.

* There are no known medicinal uses for tobacco, while marijuana has been used medicinally for millennia. Its first cousin hemp -- which lacks medicinal and/or psychogenic properties -- has many uses as food, fiber and oils, and is also prohibited.

How successful have illicit drug laws been in controlling the use of the selected drugs?

It appears the prohibition of the selected drugs has universally increased the use of any drug selected for prohibition, at a rate far greater than comparable drugs that have remained legal.

Why is that? Consider:

* Each of the drugs selected for prohibition is addictive.

* Entrepreneurs are prepared to break the law and supply the illicit drugs at the premium rates.

* Some dependent users, usually the poor, fund their use by becoming suppliers, and, in the process, recruit friends and acquaintances to use, some of whom became dependent.

These mechanisms have been operative for each of the drugs selected for prohibition. It happened in Turkey in the 17th century when the government prohibited tobacco, a prohibition that lasted 13 years and was associated with the criminal sanction of execution of up to 18 people each day. It happened in the U.S. when we prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages for 13 years.

In Australia, the importation of heroin was prohibited in 1953. Prior to the prohibition of heroin, the 1951 national statistical survey showed 45 kilos of heroin as the total import and deaths due to opiate use as zero. By 1999, after 46 years of prohibition, the National Crime Authority estimated an importation of 6,700 kilos of heroin per annum and 1,100 acute deaths due to its use in that year.

Additional examples abound. Several centuries ago serious criminal sanctions applied to the use of coffee in certain northern states of Italy, and similarly tobacco was prohibited in the Caribbean Islands.

So tell me again, what is our drug war about?

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Does technology make our lives easier?


A very close friend of mind asked me today, “Does technology make our lives easier?” I answered quickly “oh yeah “but he challenged me to point out facts of how it does. Well as so often I do, I had to take the challenge home with me and work on it. Tell me if you agree with me or not, I really want to know!

Does technology make our lives easier?
Good question. Many believe that I.T. people would be the first to lead the bandwagon and answer with an unequivocal ‘yes’. However, based on my personal experience teaching, managing, and consulting on issues of educational technology, I believe the answer should be ‘it depends’. Yes, word processors have made writing more efficient and yes, e-mail has made professional networking easier, and yes, the Internet seems to have made doing research quicker, but caveats remain.

Mainly there is the issue of the learning curve—in other words, to become proficient enough with these technologies so that they do in fact make our lives easier, we have to become novices and remember how to start learning from zero again.
And what about teaching? I believe that technology will only reveal its true power to transform learning environments when instructors realize that as part of the learning environment, they have to allow technology to transform them as teachers.

While replacing paper course syllabi with online course syllabi is a place to start, it can seem pointless in the long run if that’s all the Internet is ever used for. When considering new technologies, consider new activities. Active, collaborative learning techniques such as group work, problem-based and inquiry-based learning mesh particularly well with technology-integrated approaches. The World Wide Web is the perfect place to practice critical inquiry. Think of computer technology as a tool for students to manipulate content, not just a medium for content delivery.


So here’s the standard cliché about the journey, the destination, and the information superhighway. What would those who have made the journey say? Ask a colleague who’s been there, one who has used or is using educational technology. Are they still on the road or are they at a rest stop? Do they feel they have found a good map or do they feel lost? Are they driving like a maniacal Bostonian or are they timidly waiting for a break in traffic? You get the point. Everyone’s had a different experience, some good, some bad, but all of them will tell you one thing: the journey is much longer than they expected and the destination is nowhere in sight. And learning to drive was probably the hardest part.

Friday, November 16, 2007

No Child Left Behind / Football Version


l. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th games.

5. This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimal goals.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Be an 11


“BE AN 11”

What do you want to be? Do you want to be average, above average or outstanding? My way of expressing excellence is to say, “On a scale of one to ten: BE AN ELEVEN!”

Being an ELEVEN helps all teens not only cope with but also thrive in today’s world. It gives teens who want to be great a better chance to do so. It helps kids be leaders. But, most of all, it sets a true course for achieving one’s highest personal destiny.

When in doubt, ask yourself "what would an 11 do?"

In All You do - Be An 11

Monday, November 12, 2007

Respect


R- E- S- P- E- C- T. Aretha Franklin reminded us how it’s spelled, but a lot of us need coaching on how to show it. In both personal and political relationships, the failure to treat one another with respect is generating incivility, contempt, and violence.

There’s an important distinction between respecting a person in the sense that we admire and hold that person in high esteem and treating others with respect. While respecting others is desirable, respectfulness is morally mandatory. Thus, people of character treat everyone with respect, even those who are not personally worthy of it.

The way we behave toward others is an expression of our values and character. Thus, we should treat others with respect, not because they have a right to be respected but because we have a moral duty to do unto others the way we want them to do unto us. Again, it’s not because they deserve it; it’s because doing less would diminish our own character.

That’s the message in an old story about the politician who caught himself being drawn into mud slinging and name calling. Once he realized he was lowering himself to his opponent’s level, he stopped and said, "Sir, I will treat you as a gentleman -- not because you are one, but because I am one."

It can take a lot of self-control to be respectful to people who are nasty, dishonorable, or disrespectful to us. Still, our inner sense of integrity should help us resist temptations to fight fire with fire. As Lily Tomlin said, "The problem with the rat race is, even if you win, you’re still a rat."

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Ten things every kid should know


1. Accept Your Power of Choice

Success is the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose–with certainty–what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default! The quality of your future years is largely determined by the quality of the choices you make when you are young.

2. Respect Reality – Face the Facts

True and accurate information is essential to success. Reality is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Deny reality, and you will soon discover that life is a game of truth or consequences. Tell the truth and demand the truth from others, otherwise you’re toast.

3. Take Responsibility – Make No Excuses

Excuses are convenient, temporary scapegoats. Sometime, somewhere and somehow they will come back and make things very uncomfortable. Dreams die under a burden of excuses; they are a character deficiency, which destroys your potential. Make a no excuses policy and stick to it!

4. Character Counts!

Everything you say, and do complements or compromises your character. Always do the right thing, because having character is much more important than being a character. When all is said and done, all a person has is their character and integrity nothing else really matters.

5. Make Everything Count

Every thought, decision, and action moves you closer to or further from your goals. Look at it this way, if you spend an hour exercising you have just moved north towards a healthier life, if after, you have a greasy cheeseburger and fries you have now gone south – got it?

6. Practice Self-Discipline

If you don’t discipline yourself, you are sure to be disciplined by others. Every act of self-discipline moves you toward your goals, and every exception takes you off course. Don’t believe me, huh? Chew on this, run up your credit cards real high, be late on a few payments and see how quickly those companies are to teach you a thing or two about discipline.

7. Continue Your Education

There will never be a day that will not require dedication, discipline, good judgment, and energy. Life is an ongoing journey, with lots of beginnings and continuations. We get better when we do better and we do better when we know better. Education is the ONLY answer!

8. Commit to Excellence

A commitment to excellence can help you capture true wealth and realize the inherent value of your potential. A lack of commitment devalues potential, credibility, and reputation. Mediocrity is a choice—not always made consciously—but still a choice. Choose excellence!

9. Learn From Failure

Sorry kid, but your not going to win them all. Failure serves an indispensable function in the production of your success. It provides information for you to learn from and apply. So don’t cry and suck your thumb when you lose, get back in the game better prepared to win.

10. Have Fun

Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. You are accountable for all you do as well as for the permitted pleasures that you fail to enjoy during your lifetime. Count the day, week, and life lost if you have not laughed or if you have not played because fun is essential to the good life!

A LOST CRAFT



You hear people say that we--the American auto industry--can't engineer a good standard transmission anymore because the domestic carmakers don't have people with the needed skills any longer. They have to farm the work out. It's bad enough that we're losing these skills--even exporting them. What's worse is that we're no longer developing them.

I'll tell you what's really wrong with this country: Every good machinist seems to be over the age of 65. If you happened to come into my shop, you'd see that I'm the youngest guy in there, and I'm in my 40s. There was a time in this country that if you were a skilled craftsman--if you were good with your hands--it was a sign of talent or, in some cases, even genius, and people gave you a lot of respect. Along the way, America has lost something important.

How come the Japanese and Germans can come to America, build factories here and fill them with American workers to build quality cars, but American companies can't use Americans to build really great American cars? I just don't understand it