Five More Quotes...

There is a big, bright world around us and as coaches, we have to pull our noses out of our rotation wheels and line up sheets every once in a while to listen to some smart people from other walks of life. Being the best coach you can be requires us to be 'lifelong learners,' exploring ideas from smart evidence based folks around us. Here is another installment of five quotes.

From his 2010 autobiography, 'Life,' Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards talked about his thirst for musical knowledge when a young teenager. 

"We had nobody to impress except us. And we weren't looking to impress ourselves. I was learning to with Mick (Jagger) and me in the beginning. We'd get, say, a new Jimmy Reed record. And I'd learn the moves on the guitar. And he would learn the lyrics and get it down. And we would just dissect it as much as two people can. They go like that?  Yeah, it does! As a matter of fact, we had fun doing it. I think we both knew we were in the process of learning. And it was something that you wanted to learn. And it was 10 times better than school!"

Richard's love for music and learning new songs comes through loud and clear in this quote. As a side note, the night before this blog was published, 80 year old lifelong learners Keith Richards and 80 year old Mick Jagger began...BEGAN their latest tour for their new album, 'Hackney Diamonds' in Houston. 

"The notion that there are simple solutions to complex problems is so hardwired, so crucial to today's perception of 'health and wellness,' that I'm debuting it as the quick-fix fallacy: that is, our tendency to look more favorable upon claims, advice or propositions that seemingly eliminate time and/or effort in the pursuit of an outcome. Attempts to exploit the fallacy are all around us: in clickbait online adverts and memes ("one weird trick to bust belly fat") and in the sale of fad diets, supplements, detoxes and newfangled exercise programs that claim to revolutionize fitness."

Dr. Nick Tiller has been preaching to all that will listen about the dangers of myths and misdirection in the health and wellness field. He has written blogs, books and been on dozens of podcasts. His idea of the 'quick-fix fallacy' absolutely permeates youth sports. Good coaches need to see through the claims and understand the realities for the betterment of their athletes. 

University of Connecticut Head Basketball Coach Dan Hurley won his second of back to back National NCAA Championships in early April. In this discussion with former NBA player J.J. Redick on his podcast, 'Old Man and the Three,' Hurley told Redick what he is looking for in championship level players.

"You're looking for all the Winning stuff, man. In recruiting, bringing in the 19th ranked player in the country that comes into your program and organization and he's like delusional, selfish. He's got crazy parents. He's got, you know, grassroots coaches that just are ticking off the days until, you know, he enters the draft. And you're like just trying to avoid bringing people like that into the organization. So I study the hell out of the people. I watch them when I'm at AAU games, like I'm not playing on my phone. I'm watching the kid. You know, obviously looking for the traits that you could build on but you're looking to see, you know, do his teammates like him? I'm like waiting when he makes a bucket and he goes to the ground. Does anyone come to pick them up? Or are they just leaving his ass over there because he's brutal to play with. When he's subbing out is he dapping everybody up and down through the bench? Or is he stopped at the front of the bench, shaking his head, not making eye contact with his coach? Are his parents bugging out in the crowd? They can yell at the ref if they want because I'm all in on that like myself.  Are they the type of people that could infect the organization? You know, what Coach Riley said a long time ago, that 'disease of me.'"

A lot of what Hurley is talking about in his recruiting vision are things that we, in the juniors and club world, can help with. A good player can be a blessing or a curse. But when great players are interviewed, almost always they will talk about 'that coach' that helped them get to where they are. Be that coach!

With nearly 30 years of coaching experience, most of those seasons at Kansas State, now Arkansas assistant coach Susie Fritz recently fired this quote up at a coaching clinic in Fayetteville.

"Coach less, better."

In her vast experience, Fritz has seen coaches give too much information and feedback, over prescribe and over coach their athletes. Her simple message for coaches is less is more but be better, more concise with instruction and feedback. Give the athletes the opportunities to learn themselves. 

Finally, pulled fresh from this morning's headlines, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker elaborated on his team's loss and playoff sweep to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.

"These are the times the details matter and it's something that we kind of passed by and didn't think was a big deal but came back and bit us in the ass."

From Hugh McCutcheon on down, coaches will preach, "There are no little things." And Booker's quote is accurate, "details matter." At practice tonight, or tomorrow, or next season, focus on those details that matter most to your team(s). 

Learn from our Mythstakes...

 Drinking 8 glasses of water a day.         “Learning styles.”         The Lizard brain.  

             Multitasking.                     

Albert Einstein failed math.       Ice baths promote quick healing.           

Diamonds are made from coal.

Sugar makes kids hyperactive.               Learning is linear.               10,000 hours rule.               

Muscles have memories.        We only use 10% of our brain.

Benefits of Kinesio tape.               Sports drinks are better than water at rehydrating.          

A cleanse will detox your body.               Stretching before practice reduces injury.           

Bats are blind.

Speed ladders improve agility.               Humans have only five senses.               

George Washington had wooden teeth.              Humans can’t grow new brain cells.

10,000 steps a day.               Organic food is better for you.               

 

Like it or not, we live in a society where myths abound. (See above) Health, politics, social norms and societal events are a breeding ground for lies, myths, misconceptions and inaccuracies.

How we get here is an amalgam of human behavior. Often myths are the shortest circuit between two observations. In his book “How Minds Change,” author David McRaney points out that ‘for a very long time most people believed that geese grew on trees. People believed that rotting meat gave birth to flies, that piles of dirty rags could transform into mice, and that burning logs created salamanders.’

 

Take a second and a reasonable person can see why these myths were born. Other myths are born out of financial gain and profit. An illustrious example being the ‘magic bracelets‘ that  for many seasons were a staple at AVP events. Advertiser claims on its website heralded that the use of the Power Balance Bracelet improved balance, strength and agility. And at a cost of $30-70, consumers figured it must be true and the “placebo effect” was invoked. The placebo effect is when a person's physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo or 'dummy' treatment. Millions were sold but when a few consumers saw no benefits, they sued the company.

A few months after the backlash, the owners released the following statement: “In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility. We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974. If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologize and offer a full refund.”

 

The company was hit with a $57 million dollar judgement from which it never recovered.

 

Perhaps you think myths don’t affect you, but take a look at education in the United States. Education is STILL instructing the myth of “learning styles” in teacher education. The myth of “Whole Language” reading v. the “Phonics” way of teaching reading has possibly cost a generation of students reading comprehension gains. The “Whole Language” idea was sprung from a charismatic New Zealander and perpetuated by a few teachers from the U.S.  

One of them has admitted the idea was flawed and lacked any sort of science to back the programming but these advocates and the book companies printing their misinformation reaped huge financial gain. In the meantime, student reading scores plummeted. What’s even worse is several school districts are STILL using this program currently.

 

Pick up a newspaper and scan story after story about a political faction of our country that goes all in on the idea that since their candidate lost, the election must have been rigged. (We can only hope this idea doesn’t permeate sports although in some small instances, it already has!)

 

As stated earlier, myths are often created in the minds of people looking for the shortest distance between what they want and where they are at. People bought “Real Water” because it told them they would be healthier if they drank it despite its pseudo-science explanations of why it was so good for you. It was, of course, water from Lake Mead packaged and sold as a cure all for what ails you. This myth cost the owner a $228.5 in damages when his water caused liver damage in some of his customers.

 

How about this one, currently popular on social media channels around the country.

If you see the wrong thing, you are depressed. Simple as that. Except this is of course just silliness. Depression is not defined or diagnosed by whether you see an apple or a butterfly. Again, this is the shortest distance between someone who thinks they might be depressed and how quickly and easily can this be determined. Another myth is born.

 

Why is a volleyball blog talking about myths?

 

The world of youth sports is rife with them. Buy this product and see your athlete’s (fill in the skill or stat here) will improve by 60%! Come to this camp and watch your team contend for a State Championship next season. Run this offense and your team will blow out their opponents’ week after week. As a Parent or a Coach that wants what is best for your athlete(s), it’s easy to get caught up in these claims.

 

The 10,000-hour paradigm, stretching before practice, wrist snap, muscle memory, speed ladders, Kinesio tape etc. These myths STILL permeate our sport in daily trainings.

 

Coaches glom onto ideas and myths without much evidence because they think this drill “looks cool” or they follow a coach they like on social media. Coaching has become infected with drills and training ideas that are counter to the science of skill acquisition because maybe a) there is a profit to be made, b) clicks and likes or perhaps c) the coach watching is comfortable with the content because this is what they did as an athlete.

 

Also consider the constraints of a coach’s life. Most coaches in our sport are part time employees with another job (or two) to help pay bills. They are paid what the market bears but the amount of time, mental taxation and emotional currency spent dealing with a dozen or so young athletes and their parents can be overwhelming. When asked to learn more, they often will take the easiest road and so drills highlighted on social media, with its unlimited and easy access, become a haven for a coach in need of a new drill. The easiest path is followed.

 

We all need to be better consumers of information despite the galactic avalanche of ‘noise’ surrounding youth sports cures, equipment and promises. As a coach or a parent, don’t take the easy road as it’s probably not going to take you where you want your athlete to go. Simple messages of how to build team culture or strong confident coaches don’t take into account that relationships are hard. Human beings are different and complicated. Sports are an environment that is difficult to predict. Understand that youth sports is full of myths trying to sell you, recruit you or change what you are doing.

Find your center as a coach and parent. Put your faith in science, in models with historical success. Short cuts are full of landmines and mineshafts, the kind that can chase a young athlete from a sport they love. Be that consumer that looks for the genuine hits and not the myths.