Teams
I watch the baseball game and wonder as the players move from one position to another. I know from my own experience as a choreographer and dancer it makes a lot of difference where you stand and how you move in each part of the field.
Does the coach realize the amount of variation each change makes to the entire team outcome? Every time the pitcher changes, not only how that person pitches changes, but his moves, his signals and reaction time are signals to the team. If BJ has not played with THIS third and first baseman before, they do not know he is going to fast pitch to them to get that man out instead of just throwing to the catcher. It is just something his teammates would know if they have his signals.
If the quarterback is injured, and a substitute is put in, like last week, when Mitchell went in for Kenny, the reason his plays worked, is that the team had worked all last year with him. They won the Superbowl with Mitchell. They knew his moves. He knew how to make the right calls.
I cast roles for ballets, and am very sensitive about the roles I give to aspiring dancers. Often I make the dancers try out for parts, allowing their passion for a role determine whether or not I will let them dance a part. I have found that the best way to start is to find the SPIRIT of what I need first. If that is joy, anger, technical execution of steps, musicality...what I want comes first. I then group others with that singular student and I have a group to teach. If I start with a group that fits together I can work with them and choreograph cohesively.
I am sure the Cheerleaders have a process to determine their position on the squad. If you place them without consideration to who leads the best result is not seen. Position them in a special way, with this student here, next to this one, the loudest leading, and it becomes a BETTER group. Sometimes you have to put two loud cheering girls together, and the entire squad is louder. Sometimes you put the best dancers in the middle to bring the level of dancing up...it depends what you need to do for each cheer.
How does the baseball coach decide on his players? Does he look for a pitcher, then look for a group of kids that want to play baseball? Or does he get them to try all positions and play them at their best one? I just BET there are fathers with a son that pitches, and they find a group of boys that will play ball. I think the best coaches find a perfect balance where the positions played, the players doing their best and love the position. I am sure that is hard to achieve. Maybe they have try outs for positions, or let kids ask to play them.
In football the students can't have a lot of choice, because a lot is determined by size and speed. The coaches need to always keep the injury rate low, safety first, winning high priority. Training is important, and it is an issue keeping young men interested under these conditions. Our team has a lot of parents involved, and it does make a difference. As one parent insisted, the one thing that determines the outcome! I guess that is why our team has had several winning years, and now several wins for this year. I believe we also have what many teams do not have...they LIKE each other. They spend time together, have birthdays together, go to school together, eat after the game, and enjoy each others jokes and teen wisdom. I personally like that no one is cutthroat about sports. One time during basketball season a team came to our school, and when they were behind, the parents got so angry they started throwing AirHeads onto the floor, swearing at the referees and being scary toward their own children. Their coaches were yelling so loud, it made me embarrassed for parents in general. I am proud we are not AirHeads, but know this is not the top of the pyramid, but a small brick in the road to the future.
One of the senses I have cultivated after years of experience is a gut feeling for the roles I give students. I wonder if coaches end up with the same sensitivity in the gut. We produced "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" last spring, and after a few minutes of try out, we nailed all seven dwarfs into their true characters. Sleepy was naturally droopy, Happy was a sparkling dancer, Dopey was spot on goofy, and Doc was intellectually bossy. It was a no-brainer. To top it off, the acting part was really something you could not teach, because it was so natural to each of the characters. I laughed every time we danced the ballet!
And I am sure you could spend hours trying to teach a baseball player some of those Brandon Phillips moves. You can choreograph the moves, teach them, work it out, but to get some one to execute it during the game..not just any player can come up with that. Some coach had the gut feeling to put Brandon Phillips in that position, to let him work with a team that knows his signals, and play those moves. A team has to work together to make it happen.
Does the coach realize the amount of variation each change makes to the entire team outcome? Every time the pitcher changes, not only how that person pitches changes, but his moves, his signals and reaction time are signals to the team. If BJ has not played with THIS third and first baseman before, they do not know he is going to fast pitch to them to get that man out instead of just throwing to the catcher. It is just something his teammates would know if they have his signals.
If the quarterback is injured, and a substitute is put in, like last week, when Mitchell went in for Kenny, the reason his plays worked, is that the team had worked all last year with him. They won the Superbowl with Mitchell. They knew his moves. He knew how to make the right calls.
I cast roles for ballets, and am very sensitive about the roles I give to aspiring dancers. Often I make the dancers try out for parts, allowing their passion for a role determine whether or not I will let them dance a part. I have found that the best way to start is to find the SPIRIT of what I need first. If that is joy, anger, technical execution of steps, musicality...what I want comes first. I then group others with that singular student and I have a group to teach. If I start with a group that fits together I can work with them and choreograph cohesively.
I am sure the Cheerleaders have a process to determine their position on the squad. If you place them without consideration to who leads the best result is not seen. Position them in a special way, with this student here, next to this one, the loudest leading, and it becomes a BETTER group. Sometimes you have to put two loud cheering girls together, and the entire squad is louder. Sometimes you put the best dancers in the middle to bring the level of dancing up...it depends what you need to do for each cheer.
How does the baseball coach decide on his players? Does he look for a pitcher, then look for a group of kids that want to play baseball? Or does he get them to try all positions and play them at their best one? I just BET there are fathers with a son that pitches, and they find a group of boys that will play ball. I think the best coaches find a perfect balance where the positions played, the players doing their best and love the position. I am sure that is hard to achieve. Maybe they have try outs for positions, or let kids ask to play them.
In football the students can't have a lot of choice, because a lot is determined by size and speed. The coaches need to always keep the injury rate low, safety first, winning high priority. Training is important, and it is an issue keeping young men interested under these conditions. Our team has a lot of parents involved, and it does make a difference. As one parent insisted, the one thing that determines the outcome! I guess that is why our team has had several winning years, and now several wins for this year. I believe we also have what many teams do not have...they LIKE each other. They spend time together, have birthdays together, go to school together, eat after the game, and enjoy each others jokes and teen wisdom. I personally like that no one is cutthroat about sports. One time during basketball season a team came to our school, and when they were behind, the parents got so angry they started throwing AirHeads onto the floor, swearing at the referees and being scary toward their own children. Their coaches were yelling so loud, it made me embarrassed for parents in general. I am proud we are not AirHeads, but know this is not the top of the pyramid, but a small brick in the road to the future.
One of the senses I have cultivated after years of experience is a gut feeling for the roles I give students. I wonder if coaches end up with the same sensitivity in the gut. We produced "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" last spring, and after a few minutes of try out, we nailed all seven dwarfs into their true characters. Sleepy was naturally droopy, Happy was a sparkling dancer, Dopey was spot on goofy, and Doc was intellectually bossy. It was a no-brainer. To top it off, the acting part was really something you could not teach, because it was so natural to each of the characters. I laughed every time we danced the ballet!
And I am sure you could spend hours trying to teach a baseball player some of those Brandon Phillips moves. You can choreograph the moves, teach them, work it out, but to get some one to execute it during the game..not just any player can come up with that. Some coach had the gut feeling to put Brandon Phillips in that position, to let him work with a team that knows his signals, and play those moves. A team has to work together to make it happen.
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