In his latest blog post, Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, asks, “What would you do if you received a check for $50,000 tomorrow to help develop talent in your team/school?” The four options were; pay for new facilities, hire the best single teacher or coach, bring in a series of camps and seminars, and pay existing teachers and coaches more. So, what would you do? What comes first? The chicken or the egg?
I have a nasty habit every time I run a coaching course of asking the participants whether they use in their programs back home any of the drills or protocols we have examined throughout the day. Invariably, many will nod their head and say, “Oh, we already do that.”
I’ve known this for many years, but it really hit me hard during the Winter Nationals Coach Education Course as I watched coaches running through Kelly’s Capers: we lack a basic understanding of tai sabaki (body movement) and the ability to perform it fluidly. When I say we, I mean coaches. Since coaches are supposed to be role models for their students, this presents a problem that needs to be addressed. If coaches can’t do proper tai sabaki or have no knowledge of it, how are their students supposed to learn these skills?
Several days after the conclusion of the Tokyo Grand Slam, I travelled with my host, Dr. Hiroshi Takei, his wife, my Japanese wife, and our daughter to Kuji in Iwate prefecture. Kuji is the birthplace of Kyuzo Mifune, the legendary 10th dan, and 1981 world champion Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki. It’s also home to the memorial museum and gymnasium dedicated to Mifune, who is referred to as Mifune Judan.
As I write this, I’m travelling in Japan. I’ve already taken in three days of the Tokyo Slam. Yesterday, I received a chiropractic massage from a traditional practitioner of Muso Taijutsu. And today, I climbed 1373 steps to reach the last shrine of Kotohiragu in Kagawa Prefecture. I hope there is no Judo club nearby as I fear a crazy Judo coach might consider the ascent a great daily conditioning regimen for his high school Judo students.
The 2010 USJA/USJF Winter Nationals Coach Certification Clinic is now history. According to our host, USJA President Gary Goltz, this was the best attended Winter Nationals coaching clinic. Since I was one of three clinicians, I can attest that our group was highly motivated, engaged, and eager to learn “new stuff.” Usually there is at least one naysayer present at all coaching clinics. That’s the guy who, no matter how much evidence is given to him, openly fights you tooth and nail when it comes to alternative methods of instruction. This time around, we had no naysayer, at least not an overt one. That’s progress.