If you could change one thing in your Sport, what would it be?

I would change the coaching role in Football. 

That Coaches would be Facilitating, not Instructing.

Facilitating would mean guiding who’s in front of you at that moment in time. Not worrying about pre-planned organisation, coaching points and outcomes but rather some deliberate design and stimuli to support interactions and facilitating the emerging behaviours.

So let’s chat about who’s infront of you?

Do you see the player that needs to work on her left foot and is disruptive to the team?

Or do you see a Creative Genius? A unique individual with potential to grow and learn.  Do you see how capable and trustworthy they are of their own sporting experience? Their challenges and their triumphs.

That was one of my biggest shifts, moving from being about ME being the expert to being about THEM owning their experience.

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE COACH AND THEIR COACHING, IT’S ABOUT THE LEARNER AND THEIR LEARNING

And now further discovering ‘IT’S ABOUT US!’ (Cred - Matt Oneil) and we can all contribute and Play with an amazing learning journey.

There is becoming a growing awareness now in the futility of traditional coaching methods, yet there’s still so many who are unaware because that’s  the norm. And challenging the norm can be hard…

So as we venture down another Rabbit Hole this month, let’s continue to be open for fresh ideas, emerging experiences, and ‘feeling’ what the moment presents.

As Morpheus says in the following 2 minute clip from The Matrix,

“It’s this feeling that has brought you to me… Do you want to know what it is?”

“You can’t be told, you have to feel it for yourself”

So you have a choice.

“Take the Blue Pill, the story ends here.”

Keep doing what you’re doing.

Keep doing what the majority are doing.

No one will question you.

In fact, most will praise your ‘professionalism’, they will admire your ‘leadership’ as you take charge and make all the decisions, control the players and lead a good-looking, well organised and structured session.

You could well win plenty of games too if you select the best players, focus on providing immediate answers to players during the game and making short-term decisions like specialising in positions, and training more often and for longer.

But we’re finding out where that’s leading players long term.

Broken dreams and Broken bodies.

OR

“Take the Red Pill and stay in Wonderland”

Change your world and the world’s of the ones around you.

Step into a Learning Journey.

It’s a way of looking at the world. You call yourself LEARNER.

You’ll never be the same again, as Morpheus challenges:

“I don’t know the future…I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.”

“I’m going to show you a world without rules and controls,

without borders or boundaries.

A world, where anything is possible.

Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you..”

So for the next however many weeks, months and years beyond, let’s not only be open but there to support each other as we go on this GAME PLAY LEARN Journey. Let’s  support one another to soar to new heights.

TASKS / REFLECTIONS:

1. What’s your experience of common coaching methods and how does yours differ currently?
2. In relation to Coaching, do you find yourself asking, ‘Why do we what we do?’
3. What is your experience of others in your community being open to facilitating and exploring different methods of coaching?

SO WHO’S READY TO PLAY IN WONDERLAND ?!