The Myth of the Skilled Basketball Player - Brian McCormick BasketballBrian McCormick Basketball While we grossly misunderstand the talented basketball players, we also misunderstand the idea of skills. Being skilled does not mean dribbling in straight lines or knocking down jump shots in an empty gym. A skill within the context of an invasion game like basketball combines the ability to know what to do with the ability to execute efficiently and effectively. A player who can shoot in an empty gym has developed his motor skills. Recently, there has been a backlash against the constant competitive environment of the AAU system. As an example, I toured a basketball academy several years. When this happens – when an obviously skilled player struggles in a game environment- the blame naturally turns to athleticism: if the players were quicker or bigger or stronger, then they would be able to utilize their skills better. I asked the coach to play tag. The poor performance in tag and the scrimmage was due also to the lack of perceptual-cognitive skill training.
Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation alistair smith learning | alistair smith learning 10,000 hours vs training debate: No scientific limits making it impossible for any individual to become an elite athlete with practice? Dear Anders Ericsson…a request on behalf of sports science to stop telling people that the world is flatThe 10,000 hours vs genetic debate, and correcting Prof Ericsson’s mistruths So last night, I was (un)fortunate enough to be involved in a radio debate with Prof Anders Ericsson on the concept of talent vs training. For those who don’t know, Ericsson is the father of the 10,000 hour concept, where he prescribes that ANY individual can become an elite athlete if they engage in the required hours of deliberate practice. He sets that number at 10,000 hours, which is really more marketing than it is science, and I had the chance to “debate” this on air last night. Unfortunately, the debate ended before I was able to adequately respond to some of Ericsson’s claims, and so this is a post to do just that – respond, put the sports science side of the debate across. You can listen to the podcast here. Just click “Listen Now”. A stunned reaction He goes on to say the following: Ross
The Best Players Rarely Make the Best Coaches The 92nd P.G.A Championship ended yesterday with the usual fanfare and excitement that this last major of the year typically garners. But, what this tournament may be most remembered for was the younger generation of golfers - most who had not yet won a major - that sat atop the leaderboard throughout the final days at Whistling Straits. Seasoned players like Padraig Harrington missed the cut and, although we saw some amazing shots, Tiger Woods was never really in contention. With younger players climbing the superstar ranks, you might wonder if it is time for some of the older generation to think about retirement. But, what does a golfer do after his career on the tour is over? There is of course a long list of options. As it happens, the best players don't make the best coaches in sports . This sentiment applies in golf too. As you get better and better at what you do, your ability to communicate your understanding or to help others learn that skill often gets worse and worse.
Discovering How to Learn Smarter Big Ideas Getty By Annie Murphy Paul It’s not often that a story about the brain warms the heart. But that’s exactly what happened to me when I read an article last month in the Washington Post. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck conducted the groundbreaking research showing that praise intended to raise young people’s self-esteem can seriously backfire. Now Dweck has designed a program, called Brainology, which aims to help students develop a growth mindset. That, in fact, is something like the credo of this column, which will be appearing every week on MindShift. Annie Murphy Paul, the author of Origins, is at work on a book about the science of learning. Related Explore: Brainology, learning styles, Neuroscience
The Forbidden Fruit of Failure We’ve mapped failure to the wrong words. And this mis-mapping is so strong and deep that un-mapping seems unlikely. I propose failure, as a word, be scratched from the dictionary. Failure is learning in the form of experiments (including the thought kind) with outcomes different than theorized, where the outcomes create a more complete understanding of theory, or learning. Wrong is mapped to failure, but failure should be mapped with – different than our best understanding. Newness is mapped to failure. Risk is mapped to failure. Risk and newness are mapped to late, and, guilt by association, failure is mapped to late. Failure isn’t failure, failure is learning. image credit: shereese
Coaching Children? Make it Memorable...Think Like a Kid! Coaching Children? Make it Memorable...Think Like a Kid! A blog article for sports coach UK by Pete Sturgess of the FA Cast your mind back to when you were at school (tricky when you are as old as me!) The reasons for these people having such a positive impact upon you are many and varied but I want to propose that it might have been because of a real passion for their subject AND a unique way to bring this knowledge to life for the young children in the classroom. Play is a very important part of childhood and the creativity, exploration and imagination that it involves is so crucial to the development of each individual child. Why? In observing coaches I listen as much as I look. Being a coach of young children comes with a great responsibility. In planning the session I always think; if I was in this activity would I want to play? Many inexperienced coaches find themselves working with the youngest children.
Coaching counsel: Curriculum for our game :: Total Football Magazine - Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Non-League News As one season draws to a close, thoughts are instantly drawn to next season and, certainly for youth coaches, considering how can I help the players to improve again next year? In the majority of education environments a curriculum or syllabus directs and drives the educator; football is no different. In schools, the tests are well-known and we, no doubt, have our own experiences of this as students. Our teachers spent a fair amount of time seeking to prepare us for the test. What is the test in football? How do we devise a syllabus that helps players in the game and can we devise a programme with the capacity to accommodate each of the players as their own syllabus? Prescription can kill creativity. Similarly, some environments provide a prescribed programme of practices and sessions that coaches must deliver. Practices designed by other people that are imposed upon coaches with the mandate that coaches veer away from it at their peril. Working from a blank piece of paper By Ben Bartlett
Talent, training and performance: The secrets of success Apologies for the post-Tour de France “black hole” that was The Science of Sport! Following and analyzing three weeks of racing left the inevitable backlog of work, which also happened to pick up to warp-speed at the conclusion of the Tour! However, recovery time now over, I am in the process of putting together the next series, which I’ll start as soon as I can, on The Physiology of Pacing Strategies. That will be a video series, consisting of perhaps six or seven short videos, which will bring us neatly to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. Genes, innate ability and talent? But for this week, a few posts on a topic that is both fascinating and, for me, very frustratingly hyped in the media (and, interestingly enough, within sports science as well), and that’s the issue of genetics/talent vs training as a requirement for success. You can read that piece here, but I just want to highlight some of the key phrases that warrant a mention, and then evaluate them critically. Ross
The Mindset of a Champion | Stanford – Home of Champions The Mindset of a Champion by Carol Dweck Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology There are things that distinguish great athletes—champions—from others. However, as soon as anything went wrong, Beane lost it. Beane’s contempt for learning and his inability to function in the face of setbacks—where did this come from? Mindsets In my work, I have identified two mindsets about ability that people may hold (Dweck, 1999; Dweck, 2006; Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Other people, in contrast, hold a growth mindset of ability. These mindsets and their lessons are highly applicable to the world of sports, but before we delve into that and before we delve more deeply into the psychology of the mindsets, let’s address some questions that are frequently asked about mindsets: Do people hold the same mindsets with respect to different traits? Are people’s mindsets related to their level of ability in the area? Are mindsets fixed or can they be changed? Mindsets and Goals Mindsets and Effort Conclusion