“Coaches Journal” 4.21.23
Quote for the Week – “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.” ~Victor Frankl
MasterCoaches Video of the Week– With the NCAA Men’s Championship coming soon, the MasterCoaches interview Donan Cruz (Ball State) and Mark Pavlik (Penn State). The video is located on the Jim Stone Consulting Homepage.
Blog Post – “Direct Teaching is the Roadmap for Player Development” – too often, coaches place themselves as a facilitator instead of a teacher. The activity is presented, the players play, and the hope is there is learning taking place. Educator Paul Kirschner explains how this is an ineffective teaching plan. READ MORE
Remembering Marilyn McReavy-Nolan – I’m saddened at the recent passing of a true volleyball legend, Marilyn McReavy-Nolan. I was an assistant coach to Marilyn back in the day when the USOC hosted a domestic mini-Olympic Games titled “The Sports Festival.” I spent the entire time immersed in Marilyn’s homespun humor that she coupled with a keen insight into the game. I will remember Marilyn as a wonderful lady and one of the true pioneers of the sport.
Interesting Reads
Caitlin Clark Does NIL in Her Own Manner – Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark decided to use her national prominence to assist the Coralville Food Pantry free of charge. Coralville Community Food Pantry executive director John Boller told The Athletic last week he reached out to Clark through her uncle as she appeared to be the biggest name on the Iowa sports scene. Boller said there were intentions to pay Clark for everything she did on behalf of the food bank, but instead, the 2023 National Player of the Year worked for free. It is no surprise that the Food Pantry surpassed its goal of $22,000.
North Carolina Football Coach Mack Brown and the NIL – In his 50 years in the profession, Mack Brown has never coached in a professional football league. But he now believes he may not have to leave the college ranks to get there. “We’re the NFL. We’re the mini-NFL,” says the 71-year-old Brown, the oldest active FBS head coach who enters the fifth season of his second stint at North Carolina. “It’s just like the NFL. That’s where we are headed. We will never see amateurism again. It’s gone. I hate it. I thought that’s who we are, what college football is. READ MORE
A Knee Replacement That Talks to Your Doctor – This article piqued my interest as a veteran of two knee replacements. Artificial knee, hip, and shoulder replacements are now transmitting operating information to their doctors. The details about your gait are sent daily to your orthopedic doctor, who can track your step counts, range of motion, and other metrics in the months and years after surgery. READ MORE
Learning Loops – So, following up on my blog post, we stay “in the weeds” of the learning process. My blog focused on a key to improving the learning process. While researching, I found an interesting facet of being a better learner courtesy of Ness Labs. Research is ongoing about single-loop and double-loop learning. “Loops are not intrinsically good if we keep approaching the same problem with no method variation and without questioning the overarching goal. This is called “single-loop learning.” Does this sound like the way so many coaches approach their craft? The process contains minimal variation. If things aren’t working, it’s the player’s fault. Double loop learning is a model that encourages people and organizations to continuously challenge their assumptions and goals instead of blindly repeating the same loop. READ MORE
College Athletic Departments and Sports Gambling – I find it hard to find a positive component to this growing relationship between universities and sports gambling organizations. “College campuses are increasingly striking deals with sports betting companies eager to promote their brands in stadiums, on radio broadcasts, and on athletic department websites — places where they can be seen and heard by students. But the terms of those agreements are opaque despite the high-dollar and societal stakes.” READ MORE
That’s all for this week. Feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues. Sign up for the newsletter is on the Jim Stone Consulting Homepage.
Have a great weekend!
~Jim