Category: Training & Coaching

the best results come from a ‘positve’ approach

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Southern California Trojans T & F Banquet… a class act!

Coach Ron Allice and Karen at the 2007 Southern California Track and Field Award Banquet

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – The annual Out of the Blocks track and field banquet was held on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Town and Gown on campus. In addition to the introduction of the 2007 track and field team and celebration of USC’s unparalleled track and field heritage, the 2006 USC team awards were handed out. Here is a recap of the award winners from the 2006 season:

Most Outstanding Male Athlete (Cromwell Award) Jesse Williams

Most Outstanding Female Athlete (Loker Award) Virginia Powell

Most Valuable Male Athlete – Track Lionel Larry Philip Francis

Most Valuable Male Athlete – Field Noah Bryant

Most Valuable Female Athlete Carol Rodriguez

Male Come Through Performance Duane Solomon Garry Jones

Female Come Through Performance Eva Orban Karen Freberg

Most Improved Male Track Athlete (Clentzos Award) Jeff Garrison DaSean Cunningham Kai Kelley

Most Improved Female Track Athlete Candice Davis

Most Improved Female Field Athlete Kate Hutchinson

Male Walk-on Award Inman Breaux Roy Alugbue Logan Taylor

Female Walk-on Award Alexandrea Williams

Coaches Award – Male Adam Midles Raphael Asafo-Agyei William Denbo

Coaches Award – Female Jessica Onyepunuka Tara Davis-Quarrie

Most Inspirational ( Zamperini Award) Virginia Powell

Roger Freberg

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Dating their female athletes… a male Coach’s Perk?

Ah, you look soooo lonely, babyWhen intercollegiate athletic competition was finally made available to women, it wasn’t surprising to learn that most of the coaches of women’s teams at the time were…well… women. That was back in the ’70’s… today, over 70% of the collegiate coaches of women’s teams are men.

And although some like to define the issue as being a problem with ‘lesbian’ women coaches and their athletes… it is really all about the guys having problems keeping ‘Mr. Winkie in the pants.’ It appears to be no small problem.

There was a ‘joke’ that circulated about a school here in California that seemed to turn a blind eye to coaches developing ‘inappropriate sexual relationships’ with one or multiple athletes under his ‘control.’ The ‘joke’ — after one coach was ‘fired’ — was that the job came with an additional perk… you could date your athletes. This wasn’t the only problem, the athletes in question were underage high school females.

 What can a collegiate athlete do when she finds herself confronted with one of these predators? Sometimes going to other coaches or the administration is unproductive… and could actually jeapardize one’s scholarship and effectively end a promicing athletic career. As one administrator said ,”we will not sacrifice a winning coach because a problem of one athlete.”

So, who thinks it is a problem? Obviously the harrassed athlete doesn’t like the idea, but neither do many coaches , nor do other athletes on the affected team. In a study conducted by Karen, 83% surveyed felt that a romantic relationship between a coach and a member of their team hurt the team. Here’s Karen’s Survey. 

Here’s how others view the issue:

Sexual harassment is a violation of law and impairs girls’ and women’s access to educational resources. Romantic and/or sexual relationships between coaches and athletes are regarded as an abuse of professional status and power.

Sexual harrassment of female athletes is still a problem. In time, institutions can be made to heal to the issue, but the responsibility today remains with the parents taking an active role in their daughter’s education and athletic experiences. Parent’s will be criticized for being involved… but it’s all about the girls… not about schools or coaches.

Roger Freberg

 

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Cure for ‘tired old brain’

Jack LalanneAnyone who is or has been an athlete knows the value and superstition surrounding ‘supplements’. I seem to remember that famous ol’ Jack LaLane takes around 180 supplements a day… that’s what I heard… who knows? it may be more!

As a Type 2 diabetic, I am always interested in learning about any new supplement that would keep me from having to do what I am doing now… lose weight. Alpha lapoic Acid, Primrose oil, milkweed extract and various anti-oxidents with obvious magical or charmed properties have made it into my daily list.

Here’s something new from New Scientist magazine…. so it’s gotta be the truth …. riiiight!

Well,at least there is a study to back up their claims … and I will provide a link to the article. Here’s a brief quote from the article:

“Folic acid supplements can improve mental performance and memory in people over 50, according to a new study.

Also known as vitamin B9, folic acid is naturally present in foods such as liver, spinach and beans, and is taken as a supplement by pregnant women to prevent the birth defect spina bifida in their babies.”

Here are a few things that naturally contain Folic Acid… but… sheesh, you have to eat a ton of it…soooo,  I think I’ll stick to supplements:

Nice chart on the food products that contain Folic Acid

Many multi-vitamins contain Folic Acid at 400 mcg ( micrograms) , however the article quotes the study at 800 mcg… so, we’re going to add some extra Folic Acid… if it helps me better remember birthdays…. then it is worth it!

Roger Freberg

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Do iPods cause Brain Cancer?

the iPod... the greatest discovery since the AppleHmmmm… Do iPods cause brain cancer? I don’t think so… I also don’t think they are a good source of Iron…. so I’ll go on a limb and advise you to not to eat them.

Certainly these are better questions than the one posed by an article entitled: Do iPods and TV hurt exercise benefits? Basically their exhaustive analysis says… yes , it a good way to pass the time; however, if you are playing in the Super Bowl…. then, you might want to forget them … so you can better concentrate on what you are doing… unless you are losing…. then , I guess it doesn’t matter.

Obviously, some folks need some credible experts to validiate what the rest of us already know… iPods are great for working out… they make the task seem easier and let’s time go by faster. I have always liked having music in my gym for this reason… but if you are not in a gym or don’t like the music, an iPod is a great way to get through the monotony of the work. Besides, since the invention and evolution of coffee… our tasks get completed quicker.

the evolution of the coffee drinker.... aaAAaaaaah!

Laura always writes about coffee… it is after all… one of her passions.

On another subject, although the idea of a combined iPod and phone sounds cool… I just wouldn’t want to hear it ‘go off’ right next to me when I work out… but then I don’t have to worry about it.. I have my own gym.

Roger Freberg

 

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Power Of Positive Coaching!

the power of positive coaching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago, I wrote a small article on some of the obstacles, joys and pitfalls in effective coaching. After all, achieving results — long term and short term — is what it is all about. As smoeone once said, ” we pay you for results… not for trying.” The obvious is inexcapable.

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The role of a coach is similar to that of a parent or teacher.  Our common goal in these roles is to prod, motivate, and cajole youth to “be all they can be,” to borrow the Army’s slogan.  We’re not in a popularity contest, but there are both positive and negative ways to achieve our goals.  All we need is a little psychology.  In the United States, we have an unfortunate cultural tendency to ignore good behavior.  After all, we’re such good parents, coaches, and teachers that we’re ENTITLED to good behavior.  The problem with ignoring good behavior or performance is that it will undergo what psychologists refer to as “extinction.”  In extinction, unrewarded behavior simply stops.  At the same time, we tend to really pay attention to negative behaviors.  Attention can be a very positive outcome for young people, and our attention may actually increase the behaviors we want to reduce. 

 

Utilizing the Psychology of Motivation

 
How do we apply these principles to the coaching situation?  First of all, to be a good motivator, your opinion must matter to your athletes.  If they don’t care what you think of them, you’re not going to be very effective.  The key here is mutual respect.  Coaches who demonstrate respect for athletes will have their undivided attention.  Coaches who belittle and demean their athletes will be tuned out eventually.  Female athletes are especially sensitive to criticism.  The types of comments that males just take in stride can be devastating to a female athlete.  It’s also essential to be a good listener.  Many of today’s youth do not have adults in their lives with the time and inclination to really listen to them.  If you take that time to show you care how they’re doing in school and out of sports, you will have a much better idea of what makes your athletes “tick,” and they will view you as being on their side.  You will also gain the attention of your athletes if you are a regular source of positive feedback.  All young people do good things some of the time–catch them being good and make a big deal out of it!  It may be an athletic achievement, or just that they showed consideration to a teammate.  If you want them to do it again, let them know you appreciate it. 

CONCEPT 1
 
— Part of this process is setting realistic short-term goals. Goals that can be reached with a reasonable amount of effort in a short time are key. Goals can be set daily, weekly and seasonally. A reasonable question to ask any athlete is “where do you want to be by the end of the season?” From this point shorter and smaller goals can be set to reach the eventual goal. In field events, the concept of “inch by inch is a cinch” is the driving concept here.      

 

Finding an Effective Carrot

 
Now that we have their attention, how do we specifically use rewards to motivate better commitment and performance?  Coaches influence better performance through the process of “shaping” (the scientific term is the “method of successive approximations”).  In a nutshell, shaping means that you gradually raise the bar for obtaining praise and rewards.  We start novices by praising them for being alive and standing up on two feet! Seriously, at the outset, we have very broad criteria for gaining praise.  As the athlete progresses through skill levels, we become very gradually stingier and stingier with our praise and approval.  The tricky part is to know when to ask an athlete for more.  This is like walking a tightrope, and a mastery of this skill separates the truly great coaches from the ‘wannabes’.  If you are too free with praise, the athlete is not motivated enough to improve.  They’re feeling just fine at their current level of performance.  Try withholding your approval a little bit at this point and the athlete will immediately start searching for ways to regain it.  If you don’t praise enough, the athlete will get discouraged and stop trying.  Go back to square one and start praising the most important things they’re doing right, and they should get back on track.

CONCEPT 2
 
— Finding the right “carrot” is important. In my own experience, I once scratched a line in the dirt for a shot putter as a challenge. If he threw over the line, I would buy him all the Big Macs he could eat. Food was his life. I was shocked at how much he could eat! Soon, everyone wanted the same deal. It was a very successful and expensive year.

In addition, the successful coach knows each athlete very well, recognizes plateaus in performance, and caters approval and praise and reward to the individual.  It’s also very helpful to keep your athlete in touch with reality–subscribe to publications that list outstanding performances, watch your local and state lists, let your athletes know where they stand relative to everybody else.  There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re the greatest because you’re the state champion, when you don’t even make the national lists!

Using a Stick Carefully!

 

Not all the news we have to deliver to athletes is good news.  Once in awhile, an athlete will really have a disastrous performance that just can’t be ignored.  There are ways of making “correction” more palatable, however.  Instead of launching into a diatribe on flaws and faults, begin your discussion with a summary of what went right.  Something, even if it’s a minor thing, always goes right. 

CONCEPT 3

— By starting off on a positive note, you reaffirm your role as being in the athlete’s corner, and whatever corrections have to be delivered will come across as more constructive. 

Use objective methods, such as reviewing films, to make your points whenever possible.  You can’t argue with a camera, and there’s less need for face saving on the part of the athlete.  If you’re angry, wait until you’re calm to have your discussion.  Above all, the athlete doesn’t need your exasperation and despair in the middle of competition.  Nobody performs their best when they’re being yelled at.  It helps to remind ourselves that this is all about the kids–it’s their performance, not ours.  It may be difficult, as one of my friends related, to see your career being dribbled down court by an 18 year old, but the coach’s success is entirely secondary to the athletes’.

CONCEPT 4

–Our eventual goal is to make each athlete a ‘student’ of his/her events.  By modeling effective analysis of performance, and soliciting the athlete’s views, we are teaching our athletes important athletic and life skills.  The sign of a truly effective program is in the success of its athletes once they go on to the college level.

 

Becoming a Cheerleader at Competition

 
CONCEPT 5 

— Here, the teacher becomes a cheerleader.  The athletes are as prepared as they’re ever going to be when they enter the stadium.  This is not a time for last minute adjustments of form and technique.  Perceptual motor patterns operate at their best when they are on “cruise control.”       

 

Too much thinking about last minute advice will bring the automatic patterns back up to the conscious level, and everything the athlete does will slow down.  If you must fix something, try to restrict your comments to one area — in working with shot-putters you might focus on keeping their shoulders down in the middle of the ring, for instance.  Instead, a coach should focus on activating the athletes’ “fight/flight” sympathetic nervous system, which will provide the burst of energy our ancestors depended on for their very survival.  People really can do amazing feats like lifting cars off children when they are sufficiently motivated.  There are many ways to do this.  One of the most interesting is the “haka” used by New Zealand rugby squads.  By adapting traditional Maori prewar rituals, the New Zealanders recreate the “emergency” mindset needed for top performance, and they manage to scare their opponents half to death at the same time!  The functions of brain and body are intertwined–by assuming the facial expressions and postures of the prewar rituals, the athletes are telling their brains that an emergency situation exists.  The brain responds by shutting down low priority systems like digestion and putting all resources into heart, lungs, and muscle.  Outstanding performances are the result.

If possible, restrict your real instruction and feedback to the practice setting.  Your role at a competition is entirely different. 

 

Strengthening the Coach-Athlete Bond

 

In closing, we might remind ourselves that the coach-athlete relationship follows the rules of all human relationships. 

CONCEPT 6

— In successful relationships, positive interactions outnumber negative interactions by a factor of at least 5:1.  When positive and negative interactions approach a 1:1 ratio, the relationship is doomed.  Some of us are just naturally more positive people, but all of us can do a better job if we concentrate on bringing out our more positive sides.

CONCEPT 7

— You can strengthen the natural bond between you as the coach and your athletes by getting your veteran athletes involved in the ‘coaching’ process by assigning them mentoring responsibilities over the younger athletes. It is important to remember that before motivation can come from an athlete it must first come from the coach and the veteran athletes. It is the responsibility of the coach and the senior athletes to inspire and lead. You must provide the reason ‘why’ the young athlete wants to succeed.

 

It is important to realize that ‘motivation’ starts with having a dream. That dream may be as humble as earning a varsity letter or as grand as winning the Olympic Games. In either case, it is the responsibility of the coach and the veteran athletes to ‘inspire’ and provide support for the ‘dream’ within each of us. Good Luck in this great track season ahead.

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Roger Freberg