Each year, I have think a lot about how to handle EACH player in their growth as the year moves forward. We must constantly remember that our goal (mine and yours) is to help our young learners figure out the path to success while using athletics as the tool for feedback.
I need to do this while attempting to build the best TEAM (not the best individual players!) The real trick is to find a way to make sure every individual reaches his fullest potential in a collaborative environment. This is the power of being a “student-athlete!” How many of us really make a life-time “livelihood” from athletics? One of the biggest benefits of playing team sports reveals itself when we are older and have to work with others!
Let me expand on these thoughts!
I love the research that Carol Dweck did at Stanford on Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset. Here is an example of her research in action:
While this video focuses on “intellectual” abilities, her research also carries over to the physical arena!
they propose a scenario in which an athlete performs, but does not win. Four possible reactions from parents/coaches are given. What would you say to your son that didn’t have success in a particular event?
Why would you ever want your kid to fail? According to Dweck’s research (as well as many others) failure is the ONLY path to growth! We must constantly “GO PAST COMFORTABLE” in order to grow in every facet of life!
The key to her findings with athletes talks about how young learners experiencing early success (either by birth date, early physical maturity or luck) tend to develop a fixed mindset and believe they are “naturally gifted” or just plain “talented!” This mindset, according to Dweck’s research proves extremely detrimental in the long expanse of a child’s life. When confronted with hardships, those with the fixed mindset don’t understand that in the long haul, it is work and a continual understanding of one’s attributes and shortcomings that makes them successful. Successful people understand how they got to where they are and continually assess their status and work toward constant improvement. (This is also shown in Jim Collins best seller “Good to Great” in the section devoted to Confronting the Brutal Facts)
The Mindset website goes a little further into the minds of athletes at:
As they compare the success of varying athletes, the greatest point made is the one about Mia Hamm, one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
“...did Hamm think she was the greatest player in the world? No. “And because of that,” she said, “someday I just might be.”
This following video is of Eduardo Bencino in a TEDx event explaining what happens to folks with a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset.
During this video at 4:04, I am reminded about some local folks like Cameron Mitchell, Les Wexner and Dave Thomas! These folks constantly exemplified what recently departed Nelson Mandela said…”Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
I am also very interested in the facts mentioned around the 7:05 time mark. The people with fixed mindsets referred to in the story lied about their performance more than those with a growth mindset. Consider this when talking with your son about how things are going in practice! Does your son talk about all of his successes or about what things he thinks he needs to work on to be successful?
He talks extensively about the psychology of sport and how to address it and use it to improve performance. Around the 2:05 mark, he talks about how the Brazil players hung their heads when dealing with a Mexico team that was beating them after being a dramatic underdog. The “hanging” of heads tends to be a sure sign of a fixed mindset. Players in this mindset don’t think about what they need to do to overcome the circumstances they are facing, but instead think...I am not good enough...or...this opponent is just too good...or...it is not my fault they are better than me!
So, what do we do to counteract this fixed mindset?
We must continually strive to make sure our young learners understand that success comes from an understanding of the work that needs to be done, the willingness to do the work, and the constant assessment of their own (and collective) progress toward the benchmark. (See the research on Grit by Angela Duckworth)
Their ability to be metacognitive (understanding of their own thoughts and behaviors) is the largest hurdle we need to overcome in 8th grade basketball. For years they have been successful in various aspects of the game, but may have never fully understood WHY they were successful. For instance, each year I speak with some of them bring up the fact that the most influential characteristic that made them successful to this point in their career might be the fact that they physically matured faster than the rest of the guys in their class (I called it the underarm hair factor!) Many of them are astounded by this possibility and sometimes seem to have never considered it before.
I will continually attempt to be truthful with your son and constantly try to put them in situations where they must GO PAST COMFORTABLE! This is a tough task when you also consider the findings of Russian psychologist Vygotsky. His work on the Zone of Proximal Development forces us to constantly consider what each individual is capable of handling without getting overly frustrated and giving up!
So, in closing...I am attempting to ask for all of your help. We need to make sure we do the following:
encourage all of our boys to GO PAST COMFORTABLE
support them when/if they fail
help them understand what they need to do to succeed
And probably most importantly… we must praise them for their hard work and intelligent reactions to adversity!
