More than three decades of research shows that focus on effort — not intelligence or ability — is the key to success in school and in life
— Carol S. Dweck
Psychologists involved in studying the motivation and achievements of sportspersons over the past three decades are now almost unanimous that the traditional winner-takes-all philosophy does […]
In his bestselling book Bottom Line (1997) Phil Jackson, the highly successful former coach of Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers (now president of the New York Knicks) whose approach to coaching is profoundly influenced by oriental philosophies, lists “know when to step back and let people find their own solution to a crisis,” as […]
Some years ago, a friend shared his first-time experience of coaching a girls’ softball team. In one of their first practices, he was trying to instruct the girls on how to throw overhand instead of pushing the ball under-arm. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the girls to throw the ball the way he […]
The NBA (National Basketball Association) commissioner Adam Silver has banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling for life from attending or being involved with the management of his own or any other NBA team. Three months after his appointment as NBA chief, Silver took this unprecedented action against one of the league’s longest tenured […]
Over the years, the subject of children’s play time has become a combustible issue. Curiously, parents tend to get more upset over their child’s on-field playing time — or lack of it — than children themselves. I think it’s because many parents have the attitude: “I’ve invested in my kid’s sports education and I expect […]
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH popular American actor Jim Carrey, star of the 2003 American religious comedy film Bruce Almighty, isn’t the only mortal to have been endowed with godly powers. In the movie Carrey plays the character of Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to God (Morgan Freeman) that He isn’t doing a […]
THE WORLD OF SPORT and games provides a treasure trove of true stories of courage, endurance, compassion and camaraderie. The recent Winter Olympics in Sochi which concluded on February 23 has done just that.
Anton Gafarov. In the men’s final cross country skiing event, Russia’s Anton Gafarov crashed halfway down a hill, badly damaging his ski. […]
ONE OF THE HOTTEST TOPICS BEING DEBATED in the sporting world currently is whether it is advisable to specialise in a single sport from an early age to maximise potential. When young children exhibit extraordinary skill or potential in a specific sport, they are often pushed to specialise by family or coaches. While it’s tempting […]
I turned 79 this year and it’s a good occasion to pay a tribute to all of us who are now septuagenarians. We have lived many experiences that the current and succeeding generations may never know about. So here are a few of our rich (primary school) childhood experiences.
• We played baseball on the streets […]
For eight months I have been rising at 4 a.m to sit at my computer and dredge the depths of memory, as I write what will surely be my last book: Changing the Game. The book is part memoir, part life lessons, and ultimately an introduction to my latest project, A-Games.
A-Games is a programme for […]
The widespread disrepute the Vatican-based Roman Catholic Church has suffered because of child abuse by ordained priests, has created a crisis within the pioneer and oldest Christian church with an estimated 2 billion followers in faith around the world.
Informed opinion is almost unanimous that the church’s major problem is a leadership challenge. The issues that […]
In true competition, no person stands defeated. Winning is overcoming obstacles to reach a goal, but the value of winning is only as great as the value of the goal itself. Reaching the goal itself may not be as valuable as the experience that can come in making a supreme effort to overcome the obstacles […]
Many summers ago, i had been invited to give a talk at the athletics banquet of a local school — a lecturing engagement I had frequently discharged. I remember how I resolved to go beyond my usual spiel and come up with something new — something I’d be as interested in saying as (I hoped) […]
“Education is a process of living, not a preparation for the future” — John Dewey, American educationist (1859-1952)
Every human being seeks meaning in life. We all yearn for a sense of significance, and importance — some higher purpose in our lives. Students are no exception: they also crave a higher purpose which they hope to realise through education. […]
Over the years, I have received innumerable calls and e-mails from anxious school leaders, teachers, coaches and parents requesting me or my colleagues to evaluate or somehow assess whether they were pushing their children too hard in sports arenas and classrooms. That’s always been a tough call as it differs from case to case and […]
On a flight from Washington D.C. to California some years ago, a passenger sitting beside me inquired what I was working on that seemed to have all my attention. I mentioned I was working on my next book, which was about the impact of sports and physical activity on a young person’s success in life. […]
“Isn’t this terrific?” I said to my daughter-in-law recently while watching my granddaughter’s soccer game. It’s amazing how much more fun and relaxing it is to watch one’s grandkids play sports, versus the gut-wrenching anxiety that often came when my own children were in the thick of action. And because there’s less anxiety, I believe […]
There is a declining world market for words…. The only thing the world believes anymore is behaviour — Lech Walesa, Polish politician
I once asked legendary basketball coach John Wooden if he thought sports builds character. He replied: “It can. . . or it can tear it down. It all depends on leadership.” Does that mean your […]
Twenty or thirty years ago, watching children play a basketball or baseball game was an uncomplicated and pleasurable pastime. Parents would bring children to the court or diamond, hang around the field and chitchat with other parents. When the game ended, the players would hop into the family car and head for the nearest ice […]
The intent and purpose of school and youth sports has been debated and philosophised for ages. Why, I am often asked, should my child become involved in tiring games and sports?
For one thing, heed the news. Today’s generation of sedentary children is fighting the worst obesity epidemic in history. Giving kids an opportunity to exercise […]
Contrary to popular opinion, the killer instinct isn’t a prerequisite of sporting success. In fact, it’s an unhealthy attribute to develop. It’s much healthier and personally and socially more beneficial to regard opponents as partners who, because of their competitive effort, afford you the opportunity to raise the level of your performance. You depend on […]
Several years ago I was in San Diego visiting my youngest son and his family. My granddaughter Kennedy was around two-and-a-half at the time, so we adults were all scattered around the floor of the apartment participating in our favourite activity — Kennedy-watching. At one point, Kennedy was about to do something — I don’t […]
For more than 25 years I have been designing, developing and, most important, implementing sports education programmes for coaches and parents. I regularly solicit views of parents and coaches relating to sports opportunities their children are availing today. Their views on the subject tend to be confusing and disturbing.
• “Today’s young athletes have such great […]
If one were to recount memories of an earlier generation, indulging (“excelling” would be an added motivation) in sports was both an imperative and matter of pride for parents. And lack of infrastructure was not necessarily a dampener as sports was a state of mind. But with the onslaught of technological innovations and subsequent gadgetisation […]
In 2003, David Robinson and Tim Duncan were proclaimed ‘Sportsmen of the Year’ by the prestigious US-based weekly magazine Sports Illustrated for their many achievements on and off the basketball court. In the accompanying narrative of the cover story, the author noted that talented as Robinson was, his basketball team San Antonio (NBA) never came […]
Great coaches who build great teams, need great leaders. After all coaches are human; they too have their ups and downs, especially when they are criticised, as is inevitable. Therefore in your sports community in which you want your children to thrive and experience the joys of growing up, parents as well as coaches need […]
Recently, at a parents for good sports training programme in Fairfax County, Virginia, I heard Bob Rhyne (the Herndon-Reston Babe Ruth rep) describe baseball as a “game of failure”. Explaining the observation, he said that there’s an inevitability about baseball players experiencing some failures during the course of a season. There will be missed pitches, […]
