SCP2012.4

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.