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Week 8

Hi guys, I’m back for another blog.  It’s been a bit longer than usual since my last blog and with good reason too. 

Since the start of this online endeavour I haven’t spoken much about myself or my own experiences.  Due to recent experiences, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some of my stories.  As stated in my small profile I do enjoy playing cricket.  This has been the main reason why I have been a little lax with my blogging lately.  I play cricket for the Western Districts & University of Canberra Cricket Club.  Despite some very poor performances from our team since Christmas, we just managed to scrape into the finals of the two-day competition.  The finals of this competition are played over three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), hence why I have missed the past two lectures and tutorials and have decided to write this blog about some of my experiences rather than the class content.

I will aim to link some of the past topics such as ‘performing, mentoring and reflecting’ from week six to this post.  As I stated we just snuck into the finals.  Finishing 4^th we were faced with the challenge of playing minor premiers Tuggeranong.  The match seesawed for three days but we came out on top.  This saw us progress through to the grand final against Queanbeyan.  Queanbeyan is always a tough opponent, thanks largely to a strong contingent of representative players.  We elected to bowl first on Friday and had them in a lot of trouble at 5 for 87 at lunch.  Unfortunately poor fielding on our behalf allowed them to form some strong lower order partnerships and build a total of 395. 

Although we were chasing a considerably large total (particularly for Canberra cricket) we knew we had a very strong chance of winning the game.  However, ill-discipline with the bat and some good bowling saw us crumble to being all out for a measly 132.  Losing is never fun, but losing by such a hefty margin in a grand final is very disappointing and quite humiliating.  From our point of view, it’s now important that everyone involved in the game has learnt something and can come back next season as a better player.

I said I would try and incorporate the week 6 topic into this post.  Well in my opinion we have plenty of mentors around the club.  Everyone is happy to offer advice and help out where they can.  The mentoring aspect of our season began last year around July.  Despite being the middle of winter we would meet on a cold Friday night when we should be watching the football and work closely on some aspects of our game which needed correction.  I think the mentoring ‘phase’ lasted the whole summer and although at times it is not as strong as at other times it is very much an ongoing aspect of playing sport. 

As for the performance aspect, well that can simply be viewed as the length of the season.  However, in my opinion it is not necessarily that simple.  The season is roughly six months long and for a player to ‘perform’ every week for that length of time is a phenomenal effort.  Players will inevitably experience peaks and troughs in regards to their performance throughout a season.  I would like to suggest however, that performance is not simply the numbers and figures which sit next to a person’s name.  Cricket in particular is a ‘numbers’ game but often these figures don’t tell the true story of how a player performed.  Competing in team sports requires a combined effort and although some players may finish the game with average looking statistics, their performance could well have permitted another team member to excel, thus leaving the team in a fantastic position to win the game.  A perfect example was the 2005 Boxing Day test match between Australia and South Africa at the MCG.  The following YouTube clip tells the story but essentially, Glenn McGrath walked out to bat when Mike Hussey was on 27.  Mcgrath only scored 11 runs, but he batted for two hours which allowed Hussey to score a hundred and put Australia in a commanding position, from which they went on to win the match.  The scorecard from the game can also be viewed here.

Hussey celebrates

Finally, is the reflecting aspect.  Some teams or individuals may opt to frequently reflect throughout the season, or even after each game.  As a team, we would speak about the good and bad to come out of the game we had played and we would aim to improve and build on it for the next game.  Since the heavy loss in the grand final though, I can’t help but think that I will be reflecting about the game for quite some time to come.  We had our opportunities to seize the game and take control but we just couldn’t quite do it.  This experience has made me more determined to ensure I do everything I can to prepare myself and my teammates for any future finals that we play in.  This game got me thinking, is there a time limit on how long one can reflect for?  I certainly won’t forget this game in a hurry and like I said if I get another opportunity to win a competition I will be reflecting on this missed chance to try and prepare not only myself but also the team.  Whether that chance may come next season, or in ten seasons time, I will be looking back on this experience to ensure I have learnt and improved in order to give my team the best possible chance of victory.

Thank you for reading and please post your thoughts below!

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Week 6

This week’s topic of ‘performing, reflecting, mentoring’ is quite broad and can be interpreted in a number of ways.  I will focus largely on mentoring in this week’s blog.

Firstly, the definition of mentoring (as spoken by google) is to ‘advise or train someone’.  The benefits of mentoring will significantly differ from person to person.  Some people may prosper dramatically and heavily rely on some form of mentoring in order to improve.  Yes, the aim of the mentor is to see their ‘pupil’ advance their learning and realise their potential.  If however, the mentor doesn’t allow their pupil the opportunity of independent learning, they may become too dependent on the guidance offered by the mentor, which may impact on their judgement or decision making in a game situation.  What I’m trying to convey may be difficult to understand.  Essentially what I’m saying is that although mentoring will have a positive effect in most instances, it is important to allow the space needed for the pupil to learn in their own manner.  Everyone is different and the ‘space’ required will vary for each individual.  Knowing the person and understanding the degree of intensity required when mentoring them in order to achieve the best results is critical. 

I assume most people will associate mentoring with an older person passing on advice to a younger person.  I don’t believe this should always be the case, and think advice can (and probably should) come from all ages.  As part of the learning process, I think it is important to listen to advice from any source, take in all comments and decipher what is necessary and what isn’t.  Part of the mentor’s role is to advise.  Assuming the mentor is a bit older and has a vast amount of knowledge of the sport, simply passing on their experiences of how to play the game can be the best advice given.  Imparting knowledge and game sense in a young person who has the ability and skill to be successful can prove beneficial for their progress as they mature as a player at a faster rate.

I have taken a different approach to this week’s blog.  With limited research, I have simply thrown some ideas and thoughts out there.  Whether you believe they are actually valid and have some merit or you think they are completely illogical, I would like to hear people’s thoughts on the matter.

Cheers              

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Week 5

Our lecture and tutorial today focused around observation and augmented learning.  We were shown a video of some canoe slalom coaches and athletes.  This sport is quite foreign to me as I have seen very little of it.  As Keith informed us, it is not like many sports where athletes are permitted a ‘training’ run.  The first time the athletes enter the water, they are actually competing.  So, it is clear why observation plays such a large role in this particular sport.  In order to maximise performance competitors and coaches must examine the course in great detail prior to competing. 

My next point is the coach.  In the two examples of athlete/coach that Keith showed us, both were family.  In one instance a mother/ daughter combination was formed, while in another, two brothers worked side by side.  Both the mother and the brother who were doing the coaching had reached great success in the sport and were now passing on their knowledge.  With this in mind, I would like to ask whether a good athlete automatically makes a good coach?  There are countless examples of former players going on to coach.  This happens regularly in both the NRL and AFL as well as other sports like cricket, soccer and netball.  In fact, most sports now have former athletes filling coaching or management positions.  In my opinion, not all former players will make good coaches but a large percentage will.  Although they may not have the greatest coaching ability, they do have experience and I believe that is one of the greatest attributes a coach can have.    

Keith raised another interesting point about the ‘feedforward’ concept as opposed to ‘feedback’.  As a coach or an observer, ‘you can look back on what someone didn’t do, or you can choose to look forward at what they might do’.  I agree with this statement, athletes should be encouraged to move on from a bad game or poor performance and should not dwell on the negatives.  However, in saying that, the coach must also find the right way to help to player learn from that previous experience in order to improve.  Like I mentioned earlier, there is no substitute for experience.   

Lastly I will mention the ‘final two per cent’ which was raised by Keith.  He stated that as humans we have an extra two per cent left in us to help in frightening situations.  We won’t often, if ever reach the point where this is required but when we’re faced with potentially life threatening circumstances, or even just pushed out of our comfort zone we can exhibit extra strength.  I did a little bit of research on this topic and found the following article which I thought was interesting http://mindhacks.com/2010/01/02/the-psychology-of-super-human-strength/

Please feel free to leave your thoughts, cheers.

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Week 4 Blog

The emphasis this week fell largely on the coach.  Although the players are the ones who perform on the field, the job of the coach is to prepare their players for the challenges of sport.  Different coaches will implement different strategies for optimising player performance. 

As mentioned in the lecture, Nikolay Karpol, a former Russian volleyball coach is considered one of the greatest international coaches of the modern game.  Despite his sparkling record as a coach, Karpol is also famous for yelling at his players.  Although the 'yelling' approach may have reaped success for Karpol and the Russian volleyball team, it may not be as well received by everyone.  This creates an interesting topic about coaching.  Coaching is not simply a trade which can be applied to everyone in the same fashion.  It requires intricate knowledge about each player and how they react in different environments and how they respond to particular coaching methods.

So, for coaches to draw the best out of their players they must know what makes them tick and how to best prepare them for competition.  As we discovered in today's tutorial, players and coaches can get to know each other quite well and begin to bond from one simple training sessions and some well thought out exercises.  For example, allowing the players time to discover a little bit more about their teammates by asking them to answer some simple questions about themselves is a good way to spark conversation and build knowledge about how a particular player operates best. 

Once the coach knows their players and knows how they perform best they can implement methods to further develop each player and help them reach their potential.  Combining the players different methods can become challenging for the coach.  However, once this has been developed and the players are happy, a strong harmony amongst the group is created.  From here the group can become somewhat self sufficient and begin to develop together and realise their collective potential.

Quote: 'The more you coach, the less you talk.  By coaching more you tend to observe more'.