sent by Nick Grantham | 22nd December 2020
There's a difference between trying to win an argument and simply trying to understand the other person's perspective. Social media is overflowing with binary arguments, my Dad's bigger than your Dad type of thing. Often you'll see a thread that has degenerated into the social media version of a pissing contest with each person trying to win the argument but ultimately ending up with a bad case of splashback all over their hands and trousers! In his book, Matthew McConaughey recounts a heated discussion that he's listening to before he weighs in with his opinion on who is right and wrong. At which point, the two people he thought were arguing turn on him and explain that it's not about who is right or wrong. They're not trying to win the argument, they are simply trying to figure out what the other person is saying and understand their point of view. These days everyone seems to be shouting, everyone is trying to get one over on someone else, everyone wants to prove that they are right and the other person is wrong. How about the next time you know that there's going to be a point of conflict, rather than think of it as a competition to be won, how about you just try to understand the other person's point of view? No winners, no losers, just better understanding.
Source: Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey
Is there a right or wrong way to coach? You should use internal cues. You should use external cues. You should teach the whole movement first. You should break the movement down into its component parts. You should teach an Olympic lift from the top down. You should teach an Olympic lift from the bottom up. Training should be formalised and structured. Training should allow self-discovery and learning through failure. We need to be strict. We need to have fun. It's all very confusing. Dave Collins of Grey Matters Performance recently tweeted about craftsmen having lots of tools, each specialised for a particular job and that links nicely to Matthew McConaughey's extract. Rather than thinking about the right or wrong way to coach, think about what is the best way for us to make sure we are being understood. When we are communicating with others we need to be able to select the right approach (tool) based on the situation and the person stood in front of us. Sometimes the person we are speaking to will want to look at facts and figures, other times an athlete will just want to give something a go and learn some lessons from the mistakes they make. Everyone is different and there will be times when the context of a situation will shift the way we want to deliver or receive information. There is no right or wrong, just optimal.
Source: Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey
Flipping heck, we've all be thrown off balance this year, but what if being thrown off balance actually helps you find some stability? You don't land the dream job. You pick up a career-threatening injury. You're dropped to the bench for the next game. Your boss overlooks you for the promotion you had hoped for. It's at these points in life, sport, work or relationships that Matthew says there's often a lesson to be learnt, a silver lining to see or an opportunity to be taken. Shit definitely happens but we often need to persist and go through some tough times to come out of the other side on some solid ground.
Source: Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey
In last weeks FTW newsletter I discussed the importance of handing back some of the decision making processes to the athletes you work with and getting comfortable with a slightly chaotic programme. But let's get this straight, we can't just wing it or do things for shits and giggles from one day to the next. This approach may deliver some short-term popularity with your athletes but they won't thank you for it at the end of the season if they've not made any progress or delivered the level of performances they had hoped for. If you want to create freedom in a programme then there does have to be a level of preparation and planning. If you want to embrace the chaos you also have to embrace structure. If you want your athletes to be able to cope with the unpredictability of sport you need to develop some stability first. To take the phrase from last weeks FTW newsletter, yes I'm the ringmaster of this shit show...but don't be fooled into thinking I'm just winging it!
Source: Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey
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