ASCA Newsletter American Swimming Coaches Association 2013 edition | issue 3
Inside This Issue:
10 / Thank You. No, Thank You. (Grateful People Are...) By Melinda Beck, WSJ
12 / Strength: How to Get Stronger in Each Level By Eddie Reese
19 / Culture Eats Strategy FOR LUNCH By Shawn Parr
21 / Making Better Athletes By John Leonard
22 / fIT FOR LEARNING By David Epstein
24 / Strong Core Brought to You by Finis
27 / College Coaching Away from the Pool Deck By John Leonard Don Swartz:
28 / In defense of favoritism The Coach as By Oliver Munday Communicator
“NO ONE CARES HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE”
As some of you know, I am very big on clinics I have attended are those from behavior modification, and that you are trying goals. I have two major goals today; I which I took away something I could use to do everything that you can to motivate your want to try to stimulate you to do some immediately with my swimmers. I hope to athletes to a certain type of behavior. thinking about your role as a coach and be able to accomplish this today. secondly, I would like to share with you You do in fact have many roles. You are some techniques that I feel you can use As a coach you have many roles. I would like expected by the people for whom you work as soon as you leave this clinic. I have to have you think about the fact that you are to be an expert in several different and felt in the past that the most beneficial heavily and directly involved in the field of challenging areas. You are expected to be >> CONT. PAGE 3
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 1 ASCA Newsletter Official ASCA Sponsors Published for the American Swimming Coaches Association by the American Swimming Coaches Council for Sport Development.
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2 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 The COACH As Communicator By Don Swartz an expert in physiology and kinesiology, not just body movement, but also motor learning, and with respect to a medium that is foreign to our species: water. You are also expected to be an expert in weight training, nutrition, and sports medicine. You are expected to be an expert in pre-adolescent, adolescent and adult behavior. You are expected to be a sports psychologist. You are expected to be an expert in diplomacy, with the ability to handle temperamental athletes, their parents, - that is, the coach as an expert in the least, he will get lost. We are all lost without community leaders and even the man who art and science of communication. Most dependable communication. Of all human adjusts the chlorine levels in your pool - or coaches acknowledge the importance faculties and powers, this is the most crucial. are you also the pool maintenance person? of accurate, effective communication The better we can command it, the better our skills, but they rush headlong into what understanding, and the better ordered and You are also a fund raiser, and a recruiter. they consider the more important areas more successful our lives. In fact, you need to be able to work closely of their profession, training concepts, and effectively with athletic directors, alumni stroke technique and weight training. Nobody knows how language began, how groups and a parent board of directors. Quite long ago or where, but we can be quite a remarkable fellow or gal, this swim coach. Before we look at the communication sure that words are far better than cries It is amazing that you even attempt to be a process, I’d like to share with you why I or gestures in many critical situations. Our success in this challenging and often bizarre feel communication skills should receive eyes and ears bring us news from the world. Well, how are you doing? top priority; why their development will world outside and our brain interprets these aid you in transferring your knowledge to signals. We dodge the poison oak in the At this point, mid-September 1979, you the athlete, and, more important, letting path, we swerve to the right to avoid an have no doubt done some program the athlete feel that you have a sincere oncoming car. In every human brain is a map evaluation based upon the results of last personal interest in his or her welfare. of the world outside, based on experience season. Hopefully you also have done with that world and after about three years some personal evaluation, taking inventory, As you sit listening to me you are of age, that map is heavily influenced by of your skills, both the strengths and at one of the great intersections of language. If the map does not accurately weaknesses in the areas just mentioned. the communication network. You are connected with my contacts, the people reflect the world outside, we are in trouble. You have been-and are presently involved I have talked with, and with ideas from Alfred Korzybski, the founder of General in busily planning for this very important the past and the thoughts of the future. Semantics, developed this very helpful Olympic year. An Olympic year affects The first few years of every person’s life analogy of the map and territory. A map is not everyone in amateur sports, whether you are spent perfecting his interconnections the territory, but it must correctly represent the have athletes going to the trials or not. This with the world. The most important territory if we plan any trips. The concepts in is the one year when our sport, and all other network of all is language. Without words our heads about the world must represent the amateur sports, receives the most public he cannot explain his predicament if he world. These concepts are mostly composed attention. You can capitalize on this year, is in trouble, or learn about the world of words. However, words are only artificial in terms of increased enrollment in your in which he lives, or find his place in symbols. We cannot eat the word “bread.” programs, if nothing else. Also, it should be culture. This was Helen Keller’s problem Words can never show us all the detail of the a banner year for fund raising since public when struck deaf, dumb and blind by territory, but they must not seriously contradict awareness is highlighted as in no other year. disease as a little girl. Suppose some it. They should give us a blueprint for action Why did you come to this ASCA Clinic in connections are twisted and messages which can keep us out of trouble. A good Seattle? I’m sure for a variety of reasons, but come through distorted or just plain working definition of “reality” might be, “An one reason is that you want to learn to be wrong, then erroneous information is event in the time-space world upon which more effective in your profession. passed on to others. Using the car- reasonable men agree.” driver metaphor, if a person knows how I would like to discuss with you my view of to drive, but cannot read, he is inviting Robert Oppenheimer suggested that the the most important role a coach must play a possible accident, or at the very release of atomic energy demonstrated, “a
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 3 The Coach as Communicator (Continued) great peril and a great hope.” The bomb accurately read the maps our athletes, signs can have only such meaning as could end civilization, but it could also parents and community leaders have an individual’s experience permits him end war, by making it too dangerous. in their heads. In its simplest form, the to read into them. Furthermore, we can Communication is in something of the communication process consists of a make a message only out of signs we same paradox, it can greatly lessen the sender, a message and a receiver. The know and we can give those signs only problems of human living, but badly used sender and the receiver may be the same such meaning as we have learned for it can make them for the worse. person, as when an individual thinks them. We can decode a message only or talks to himself. But the message is in terms of the signs we know and the Arnold Toynbee suggested that at some stage in the process separate meaning we have learned for them. We “Intelligence is mankind’s only true from either the sender or the receiver. call this collection of experiences and capital.” Challenges cannot be met unless There comes a time when whatever we meanings a “frame of reference” and we they are understood. They cannot be communicate is merely a sign that stands say that a person can communicate only understood without better communication for some meaning to the sender, and to in terms of his own frame of reference. than has been the case so far. the receiver stands for whatever meaning Why do people make mistakes? Because he reads into it. That is, at one stage in I will assume that you care about an important part of human behavior is the communication process, the message your athletes. However, do not assume a reaction to the pictures in their heads. is merely ink on paper (as in a printed that your athletes know that you care Human behavior takes place in relation to book) or a series of condensations and about them personally, either as a total a pseudo-environment, a representation rarefactions in the air (as in the spoken person or as a contributor to the team. which is not quite the same for any two word) or, a set of reflected light waves (as The reason I say this is because, lately individuals. No two people have exactly in communication by picture). in my work, I have had the opportunity the same map of the territory. to talk with many athletes and often These signs have only such meaning as, they feel that the coach feels more Let us first examine the communication by agreement and experience, we give about another athlete or a group of process. Then we will look at some them. This is one of the basic principles athletes, than he does about them techniques we can use to help us more of general communication theory, that personally. That is, the coach cares ExpEct GrEat thinGs. Jackrabbit’s fast, secure and intuitive online swim school management gives you time to build your business —and help your students achieve their dreams. New from Jackrabbit TIME CLOCK 30 Day Free Trial Included at NO extra cost! Tracks employee hours and exports to payroll. Jackrabbitswim.com
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4 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 more about the distance people than model of the analysis of the communication process: the sprinters, etc. I suggest that your Every single type of communication follows this model. There is an information source team will be a better team, they will and a transmitter, a noise source, a receiver and a destination. There are two problems swim faster individually and will be more competitive as a team, if each individual swimmer feels that you care about him equally as much as any other team member.
When I was first asked to speak at this clinic, I began groping for a title. First, I thought of “The Science and Art of Communication,” then, “The Coach as in the communication process that we As J.Z. Young suggests, “The use of words Communicator,” which does not totally or can recognize in looking at the model. to insure cooperation is the essential feature accurately reflect my view or impression. The first has to do with the fidelity of the of man.” Here, “cooperation” is the key So, I stumbled upon a much better phrase message — does it reach the destination word. You people can’t get anything done to describe my feelings about the role of in the same shape as it was sent? Noise in your programs, whether it is with your the coach in the communications process reduction is a factor. athletes, or with the parents, unless you with athletes. Thus, the subtitle, “No one have some communication and cooperation. cares how much you know, until they know Picture yourself at the edge of the pool Communication is perhaps the fundamental how much you care!” You certainly have with ten minutes left in the warmup period; human process, and communicating a wealth of knowledge in your brain, your your swimmers are in the pool looking to effectively is a means of perfecting our past experience, your maps of the territory you for suggestions as to what they are to inner connections with the world. are wide and varied. But, no one cares do next, you yell out, “do a build-up fifty.” There are all kinds of communication about that until they know how much you Does the receiver get the message with the symbols. I’ve listed as many as I can care. Since we are connected with each same clarity and accuracy as when it was think of and perhaps you can add more other by words and our understanding of sent? In this case, the information source — spoken word signal, gesture, picture, them, I would like to define some of these is the coach, the transmitter is the vocal visual display, print, broadcast, film, terms from Webster’s dictionary: cords, the noise source can be any of the things that are going on, the receiver is the signs, symbols — every means by Communicator - One who communicates swimmer’s ear, and the signal is decoded which humans try to convey meaning and value to each other. Communicate - To impart, convey, into a message by the brain, which is the make known destination. The swimmer may push off and My interest today is predominately in the do a build-up twenty-five because he has interpersonal relationships, you coaches in Communication - Interchange of not heard the tail end of the message, or, thoughts or opinions, intercourse by a one-to-one situation with your athletes. I the swimmer may not hear the term “build- words, or pictures, symbols, messages would be remiss if I did not say something up” and may go a pace or a sprint fifty. about mass communication. I will not go Listen - To give ear, heed, to yield, to into such things as how to write newsletters, So, first, for the information to get from you advise team bulletins, team meetings, etc. A to whomever you are directing the message, simple technique that would be of value Talk - Not only to express, but to exchange in any situation, you must do everything you is to remember the word “kiss,” keep it ideas by means of spoken words can to eliminate or reduce the noise. The straight and simple. If you want your team second problem has to do with semantics. Question - Act of asking, inquiry to be on the bus at 9:00, so you can meet What is the actual meaning of the words that the plane by 10:00, tell them, “The plane What happens when a message is are spoken? Suppose, the coach is watching leaves at 10:00 and we are leaving at transmitted? The most important question a workout, and he asks, “What’s going on out 9:00.” In meeting with your parents, try is, will the receiver pay attention to the here today? Come on, let’s get going, why not to rely on swimming jargon, which message. This is dependent upon how are you guys so lazy today?” That message, they may not fully understand, tell them in readily available the message or the taken literally, means that the coach does not straightforward and simple terms. This will signal is, and by what rewards it promises. know what is going on in the pool. But, is this make it easier for them to understand what the actual meaning? It really does not matter, The first obstacle the message must you are attempting to convey. overcome is that of competing and being as long as you get the response you want. So, the true value of the message is the meaning However, what about the coach’s role selected out of all possible ranges of that is received by the swimmer. This is a in interpersonal relationships? There are messages. typical example of a type of communication three areas that seem to be important: I Dr. Claude Shannon developed this between the coach and the team. would like to focus attention on these three
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 5 The Coach as Communicator (Continued)
areas: listening techniques, questioning 2. The second week, try to listen carefully to much better listener after having practiced techniques, and role playing. what he is saying, but also try to develop each of those techniques for a week each. It the ability to listen to how he feels. Often may sound corny, but give it a try. A Greek Why does no one really listen? Stuart people are expressing emotional needs, philosopher once said, “God gave us two Chase suggested, “It is really not or states of being, rather than simple ears and one mouth, and this should tell us difficult to learn to listen, just unusual.” statements. Practice hearing the words something about the importance of each.” Most of the time we are self-centered, but also hearing what is behind the words, The questioning technique is very but we may not think of ourselves as what he is feeling. being self-centered. We are formulating fascinating. Sometimes we are afraid to our answer while people are talking, so 3. The third week, try to discover what ask probing questions, either because we we do not always listen because we are emotional needs each person has, such feel they are too personal and none of our trying to anticipate what is being said. as approval, attention, appreciation, business, or because we do not want to acceptance, affection. If you can understand know the answer. So we take a safer route I do not think you can really listen until what they feel, then you can decide which and ask a non-personal or non-probing you really care. In addition to the obvious specific need each might have. question, one that needs only a “yes” or “no” technique of trying to do everything you response. can to remove the noise source, when 4. The fourth week, after you have someone talks to you, look them in the determined the emotional needs of the Four basic guidelines in questioning: (1) the eye and listen to what they are saying person, make rewarding remarks to each shorter the question the longer the answer. and listen to how they feel. Do everything one you talk to. Try to find a way to You will find this true many, many times. you can to block out distractions. reinforce each person by some sort of (2) Never ask a question just to be asking a rewarding remark such as, “You work question. This is what people do when they I think that every person wants us to very hard and I appreciate that,” etc. If you are not really listening. ‘ (3) You must talk listen to how he feels. I think that is an can do this you will prove that you have at the level of the person with whom you important statement. We often listen to listened to them. Listen carefully to what a are communicating. Never condescend, this what a person says, but do we really person is saying, then make a rewarding becomes an obvious put down, it turns them listen to what they feel? Again, I come remark. A very simple thing, but it shows off, and makes it very difficult for you to elicit back to the fact that you have a great them that you are listening. You can also facts and information which will allow you store of knowledge you want to transfer paraphrase what they are saying, again to know what their goals are, etc. (4) Try to to your athletes, but, “No one cares prove that you are listening. the best of your ability not to involve a value how much you know until they know judgment or an attitudinal opinion in the Something I have had the opportunity how much you care.” Oftentimes we nature of the question. When you can avoid to delve into a little more in detail is the listen to what they say, but we do not a value judgment in your question you make questioning technique. I think the way they listen to what they feel, and, I think this the person feel safe, and the safer they feel learn that you care is shown by the way is the prime reason for anyone saying the more they will tell you. For instance, you listen. The only way to really insure anything to anyone else. Have you ever many questions, starting with “Why”, (“Why that they know you are listening is to ask had a swimmer come up and want you did you do that?”) denotes that you are questions because this forces you to listen. to examine a cut toe, or a sore finger, already disapproving and have made up Whenever we are talking with our athletes, etc? I think what is really happening, is your mind before you get the answer. that the swimmer wants you to notice or thinking about them and their concerns, him, he wants you to love him, to hold we are very interested in what their goals There are three kinds of responses that him, to tune him in and tune out the rest are, what their problems are, what motivates you can expect to receive to questions. (1) of the world. them. We are interested in eliciting a certain People will often tell you what they think you response and in modifying their behavior in want them to say, what they think you want Try to follow this four-part sequence to some way. The parent group, Alumni groups, to hear. (2) They will tell you what you want increase your awareness of the listening athletic directors, community leaders, even to know, which is better. (3) They will tell process. Write it on a 3x5 card and try the man who chlorinates the pool, are all the you what they feel safe in telling you and no to practice it everyday. Practice each same. To do this we need facts and general more. So, the safer they feel the more they of these four steps; spend a week on information and to get these we need a firm will tell you and the more information and each step: base of interest, the ability to listen and the facts you are more likely to get. ability to ask questions. 1. Listen to what each person says. The basic benefit of this whole procedure is When you talk to someone focus your Again, I am assuming that you have the that you learn and understand more about attention on what he is saying to you, interest. Hopefully by your awareness of the a person through asking questions, probing listen very carefully to everything he noise source problem, you will do your best questions, questions that will get the person is saying to you. to reduce this and listen. I find that I am a to open up. However, there seems to be
6 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 some natural resistance to thinking, people Some other generalized questions about don’t want to have to think too much, so you questioning that may be of value: Another need to get them to do so willingly and to problem with closed-end questions, involving explore their own motivation. You do this by the “yes” or “no” response, is that they are asking simple, non-threatening, interested conditional. “Do you like to swim three races questions, ones that don’t have a “yes” or every day of the meet?” “Yes.” This does “no” answer. A “yes” or “no” answer is a not tell you the conditions under which the closed-end question. “Do you want to train answer is given. So the closed-end question on Saturday?” “No!” “How do you feel about can also be conditional and will cut down on training on Saturday?” - You can’t answer the amount of information you will obtain. that with a “yes” or “no.” You call a parent, “Will you serve as times chairman this fall?” One other technique that will help you to “No!” It’s better to ask, “How would you feel practice is to get into a conversation with about ...?” You need to be able to ascertain your roommate or someone else, where as much information as possible. Questions each person must answer a question with that require only a “yes” or “no” response a question. Sometimes this leads to some do not tell you very much. When you’re very interesting thought patterns, but this will sitting down and talking with an athlete or a prove that you can do this. This is an exercise parent personally, questions tend to move a in practicing the questioning technique. person’s mind from an inactive non-thinking Exploratory Questions: You can use this state to an active listening thinking state. type of question when an answer has been As I mentioned earlier, try not to state your The advantage is that in asking questions too short and does not give the needed question in such a way that it suggests an that require more than “yes” or “no”, you information. “I am not sure I understand,” attitudinal or a prejudice on your part prior become interested in the person and he is an exploratory question, this lets them to the response. Sometimes the phrase, feels that you are recognizing his worth. add information which gives you a greater “whying it out,” will help you. If you get into Again, the safer the person feels in your understanding. Or simply, “Would you mind an exchange and they say, “Well, I don’t presence, the more he’ll open up. elaborating on that?” feel good today.” “Well, why?” “It has been a long week.” “Why has it been a long The open-end question, using the phrase The Clarification Question: “Do you week?” “We’ve had lots of school work “why...the what?”, is the catch-all to trigger mean...?” “How can you feel that...?” “Why and lots of pressures.” “What do you mean what you want. “What do you want to do do you believe that?” in your training program this fall?” “What pressures? Tell me about that.” “Well, do you think would be a good use of the The Duplication Question: Someone you’ve been putting a lot of pressure on time in the fall program?” Why do you feel answers a question and you want more us in work-out.” So, by “whying it out” you that?” Here the “why” is a non-threatening, information, “What event do you think you have gotten a lot better answer than the nonvalue judgment. You are starting to want to swim on the second day of the original response. Nationals?” “The 200 breast.” “The 200 elicit some information and a better picture I feel that questioning can be a large breast?” “Oh, yes, I feel the 200 breast is of their map of the territory. You are both and powerful tool for you. Also, several better for me than the 200 fly because....” operating in the same territory, but you can people I know use intentional pauses after operate effectively only if you are both using The “Tell Me” Question: “Tell me about an answer is given anywhere from five the same maps. The “why the what?” helps your knees.” “Tell me, why is that?” seconds to as much as several minutes. to get to the bottom line. If you are not satisfied with the information The Rescue Question: This is for your own you have received from a question, if you Questioning is definitely an art, it is not an benefit, and helps when you may not have will pause for only five to ten seconds, act of interrogation. Ask the questions, then been listening. You pick up on something the often the person will feel uncomfortable be quiet until you get the answer. When you athlete says, that you may not have heard enough, or feel that you want more, so he do this you become their partner, and when entirely, “We have done too much yardage will give you more. An intentional pause they leave you they feel as though you have lately .....” “TOO much yardage?” He then will often bring out additional information. advised them, you have been their friend, explains what he was talking about. their counselor. In fact, they have advised Also, many questioners will answer their themselves. Another benefit of the art of Beware of the closed-end situation. They own questions. “What do you want to questioning is that the answerer cannot start with words like: Would? Should? swim the second day of the meet, the 400 leave you mentally while he is responding, Could? Is? Are? Isn’t it? Can’t? Those kinds free or the 200 I.M.?” You have, in effect, because he is involved. This also cuts down of questions lead to a “yes” or “no” response answered the question and the answer is on the noise source problem. and a complete shutdown of information. limited to the two choices.
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 7 The Coach as Communicator (Continued)
One final point, the use of role playing as what you know until they know how much whom you talk, as a practice exercise. a communication device, as a device for you care.” Interest, good listening and good Q. Will you give an example of role helping you to learn about the swimmer’s questioning will help greatly in your ability playing? map. Role playing is essentially putting to realize those three areas. Keep in mind, yourself in the other person’s shoes and the use of words is the essential feature of A. In working with an athlete, I was having trying to feel what is going on. It is nice mankind in terms of cooperation. a problem in getting him to help contribute because it is often a non-risk situation. to the team concept. He was one of those QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS athletes who felt the coach did not care The 4 basic guidelines for role playing are: Q. In your travels, what are the questions about him personally. So I asked the 1. There is no rehearsal; that the athletes have? What do they want to athlete, “Why don’t you take the role of the 2. Usually ten minutes is plenty to get the know from their coaches? coach and I will take your role? You do the feel for the situation, then let the other best you can and I will do the same.” The A. First of all, they are very concerned about guy get the feel for it; result was a compromise on both sides, looking good in the coach’s eyes, to look which was a more satisfactory conclusion 3. There is no learning of lines; good in front of the coach. At least half of the than the coach trying to force him to do 4. Use all the imagination you can muster questions I have asked involve this area. I what he did not want to do, or for the to try to create the realities of the ask them to write answers to, “What is your coach to give in to the athlete. situation. number one training concern?” All athletes, regardless of the sport, say they want to look Q. How far do you probe? The benefits of role playing are: it helps good in front of the coach. Second is, “Can I to see more vitally what is before us than A. As far as necessary to resolve the do as well this year as I did last year?” Third, just talking it over; secondly, it gives us problem. “Will I be able to handle the workouts that I a chance to try out an experience before am given?” Those are the three main areas Q. Do you have any techniques to bring the chips are down; thirdly, it helps in the of concern for athletes. Since they want to out the withdrawn athlete, the person who communication by calming the emotions look good in front of you, you are important is really timid and introverted? in angry disputes where people are often to them, they want your approval. Some shouting and talking past each other A. The first thing is that people do not athletes, usually not swimmers, are very rather than listening to each other. Role want to expose themselves to ridicule. concerned about injury. In a track seminar, of playing will often bring the player back So, whenever possible, address this 100 runners, about 65 listed injuries as their into the area of reasonable discussion. person personally on a one-to-one main concern. basis. He should not feel that he is going Most coaches are very willing -to admit Q. Is it important to use the listening to be threatened by rejection, ridicule that the development of communication characteristics with everyone with whom you or embarrassment by teammates. This skills, are important, but they often feel come into contact, or just with the athletes is a first step, isolate him so he feels that it is more important to be up to you are working with? more comfortable talking with you. Most date on stroke technique, oh training people will open up if you show them a concepts, etc. We’ve got to get those A. I think the people you care most about in real personal interest. One way to do entry cards in, and often times we are too terms of character modification, would be your this is to ask questions, then listen. You busy doing rather than reflecting a little athletes and your family. Those obviously might also do some role playing, ask bit on what is happening. I would urge require the most attention, however, as you him to adopt your role. you to keep in mind that, “no one cares are starting out, do it with everyone with
8 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 9 Thank You. No, Thank You. By Daniel Coyle
It turns out, giving thanks is good for your health.
A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being.
Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.
Now, researchers are finding that gratitude brings similar benefits in children and adolescents. Kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches and feel more satisfied with their friends, families and schools than those who don’t, studies show. Grateful People Are Happier, Healthier, Long After the Leftovers are Gobbled Up. “A lot of these findings are things we learned in kindergarten or our grandmothers told us, but we now have scientific evidence to prove them,” says Jeffrey J. Froh, an assistant It’s possible, of course, to over-do for what they have,” says Dr. Froh. professor of psychology at Hofstra University expressions of gratitude, particularly if in Hempstead, N.Y., who has conducted much you try to show it with a gift. “Thanking Much of the research on gratitude has looked at of the research with children. someone in such a way that is associations, not cause-and-effect relationships; disproportionate to the relationship—say, it’s possible that people who are happy, healthy “The key is not to leave it on the Thanksgiving a student giving her teacher an iPod— and successful simply have more to be grateful table,” says Robert Emmons, a professor of will create resentment, guilt, anger and a for. But in a landmark study in the Journal of psychology at the University of California-Davis sense of obligation,” says Dr. Froh. Personality and Social Psychology in 2003, Dr. and a pioneer in gratitude research. And, he Emmons and University of Miami psychologist notes, “with the realization that one has benefited Gratitude can also be misused to exert Michael McCullough showed that counting comes the awareness of the need to reciprocate.” control over the receiver and enforce blessings can actually make people feel better. loyalty. Dr. Froh says you can avoid this Philosophers as far back as the ancient by being empathic toward the person The researchers randomly divided more Greeks and Romans cited gratitude as you are thanking—and by honestly than 100 undergraduates into three groups. an indispensable human virtue, but social assessing your motivations. One group was asked to list five things they scientists are just beginning to study how it were grateful for during the past week for 10 develops and the effects it can have. In an upcoming paper in the Journal consecutive weeks. The second group listed of Happiness Studies, Dr. Froh and five things that annoyed them each week and The research is part of the “positive colleagues surveyed 1,035 high-school the third group simply listed five events that psychology” movement, which focuses on students and found that the most grateful had occurred. They also completed detailed developing strengths rather than alleviating had more friends and higher GPAs, while questionnaires about their physical and mental disorders. Cultivating gratitude is also a form the most materialistic had lower grades, health before, during and after. of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which holds higher levels of envy and less satisfaction that changing peoples’ thought patterns can with life. “One of the best cures for Those who listed blessings each week had dramatically affect their moods. materialism is to make somebody grateful fewer health complaints, exercised more
10 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 regularly and felt better about their lives in general than the other two groups.
Drs. Froh and Emmons conducted a similar study with 221 sixth- and seventh-graders from Candlewood Middle School in Dix Hills, N.Y., an affluent area on Long Island. Although the effects weren’t as dramatic as with the adults, the students in the gratitude group did report a higher level of satisfaction with school and more optimism than the students who listed irritations, according to the study in the Journal of School Psychology in 2008.
As simple as it sounds, gratitude is actually a demanding, complex emotion that requires “self-reflection, the ability to admit that one is dependent upon the help of others, and the humility to realize one’s own limitations,” Dr. Emmons says.
Being grateful also forces people to overcome what psychologists call the “negativity bias” — the innate tendency to dwell on problems, annoyances and injustices rather than upbeat To still be working at eighty. To still have the events. Focusing on blessings can help ward “ off depression and build resilience in times woman I married fifty-six years ago. To get up of stress, grief or disasters, according to studies of people impacted by the Sept. 11 each morning and see flowers, not roots. I’m not terror attacks and Hurricane Katrina. rich, but I’m grateful and happy. Can people learn to look on the bright side, want what they have and be grateful ” for it? Experts believe that about 50% of such temperament is genetic, but the rest groups. There’s an iPod app for gratitude derogatory words — even as you talk comes from experience, so there’s ample journaling, too. The real benefit comes in to yourself — can darken your mood as opportunity for change. “Kids and adults changing how you experience the world. well. Fill your head with positive thoughts, both can choose how they feel and how they Look for things to be grateful for, and you’ll express thanks and encouragement aloud look at the world,” says Andrew Greene, start seeing them everywhere. and look for something to be grateful for, principal of Candlewood Middle School, who not criticize, in those around you, especially says that realization was one of the lasting A Buddhist exercise, called Naikan self- loved ones. New York psychiatrist Drew legacies of Dr. Froh’s research there. reflection, asks people to ponder daily: Ramsey says that’s an essential tool for “What have I received from…? What Some experts believe that children don’t surviving the holidays. “Giving thanks for have I given to…? and What trouble have develop true gratitude until they can them helps you deal with the craziness that I caused…?” Acknowledging those who experience empathy, which usually occurs is part of every family,” he says. touched your life — from the barista who around age 7. But researchers at Yale made your coffee to the engineer who Last, if you find you take too much for University’s Infant Cognition Center have drove your train — and reflecting on how granted, try the “It’s a Wonderful Life” shown that infants as young as 6-months you reciprocated reinforces humbleness approach: image what life would be like old prefer characters who help to those who and interdependence. without a major blessing, like a spouse, a hinder others. To help lay the groundwork child or a job. In a 2008 study in the Journal for gratefulness, Dr. Froh says he asks his Delivering your thanks in person can be of Personal Social Psychology, researchers 4-year-old son, James, each night what was particularly powerful. One study found found that when college students wrote his favorite thing about the day and what he that fourth-graders who took a “gratitude essays in which they were asked to is looking forward to tomorrow. visit” felt better about themselves even two “mentally subtract” a positive event from months later — particularly those whose For older children and adults, one simple their lives, they were subsequently more moods were previously low. way to cultivate gratitude is to literally grateful for it than students whose essays count your blessings. Keep a journal and simply focused on the event. The “George Adopting a more upbeat mind-set helps Bailey effect” was modest, the authors regularly record whatever you are grateful facilitate gratitude, too. Instead of bonding for that day. Be specific. Listing “my friends, noted, but even small boosts in positive with friends over gripes and annoyances, emotions can make life more satisfying. my school, my dog” day after day means try sharing what you’re grateful for. To avoid that “gratitude fatigue” has set in, Dr. Froh sounding boastful, focus on giving credit to says. Writing “my dog licked my face when I other people, as in, “My mom took a whole Melinda Beck is a columnist for The Wall was sad” keeps it fresher. Some people do day off from work to get to my game.” Street Journal, writing the weekly Health this on their Facebook or MySpace pages, Journal column in the Personal Journal or in one of dozens of online gratitude Studies show that using negative, section and related features.
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 11 strength: How to Get Stronger in Each Level
By: Eddie Reese
Introduction: My name is Mary Anne to do it ten times without stopping. Because where he was, he had arms that go from Gerzanick-Liebowitz. I am the Assistant Coach at here and he can grab his other ear. He should be a Oregon State University and I have the honor of We are a product of what we do. I have got swimmer. Everybody has told him that so he is not. introducing to you our next speaker, Eddie Reese. swimmers going to the rock wall now. They Cross-country, lacrosse and basketball and he has Since taking over the swimming program at the don’t want to climb it once, much less twice. gotten real good at all of them, but still he is the kind University of Texas in 1978 Eddie has established we want in the sport. He is going to be 6’4” or 6’5”, So we are talking about strength. It is a subject a tradition of excellence in Austin and set the long arms. A stock, that if he were a stock, I would dear to my heart for a number of reasons. I started standard for collegiate swimming. Coach Reese invest in him. a different strength program when I was in college. has been honored by the ASCA Coach of the Year I didn’t see any sense to doing things that - with in ‘04, ‘05 and ‘06. He has been an 8 time NCAA In the ten year old boy - he was like eight at the a weight that replicated the length of time of my Coach of the Year. He has been a 3 time United time I started to do this - dropped thirty seconds in events. I was trying to drop the 400 IM because States Men’s Olympic Team Head Coach. Adding his 100 IM in four weeks. It is all strength and push- we had to exercise so long for that. That was back to his many athletes, Coach Reese has developed ups are a different strength than a bench press. in the old days and I was in graduate school and 41 individual champions, 29 National Champion Because it does involve core and at that level, that I did a personal study with weight training. I did a Relays, 129 All Americans and 26 Olympians who age group core is very important. number of studies. have received 29 Gold Medals. Additionally, he College age, they would love for it to be a half has received honors from the College Swimming The Research Quarterly was a big publisher an hour important, and it is not. Core is really Coaches Association and has been inducted into of any study done connected to exercise and important, but five to eight minutes is all we do the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and has been activities. I looked through it and it said the best it because a lot of the stuff we do involves it. So elected as an Honor Coach and inducted into weight program for strength was three sets of paying your swimmers a dime a push-up would the International Swimming Hall of Fame. On a six so I started doing that then and I have done go a long way, not too much. personal note, Eddie Reese is married to his lovely some form of that for over 40 years. It doesn’t wife Eleanor. They have two daughters and Eddie mean it is right age groupers. But you know that we have a very extensive is the proud grandfather of four so, please help me testing program in the swimming world now, in welcoming Coach Eddie Reese. There are different people that are at different because of people trying to find easier ways to levels for gaining strength. If we took this room get there - by taking drugs. I am all for it. You COACH REESE: So - I get to start off with and I would only do it if I had to - that is alright know, a lifetime ban suits me. I would rather see - grandkids. I will tell you something that - to me - somebody got it. If we were to take this room I am totally behind the hard workers, but strength - is a bit amazing. We got two of them that live and start an exercise program. We would do ten is very important. in Austin. The six year old turns seven today. pushups and it wouldn’t matter because it is about The five year old turned five a little while back you. Whether they were of your knees or whether People that are best when they are younger are and they went to a Pre-Kindergarten and did an you did them with your hands up on a raised level usually the stronger ones. I can remember, I can’t hour and a half of classroom arts and crafts a or your feet on a raised level. It would be where call him a young man - he used to be, but when day, half an hour of gymnastics, a half an hour you start. We are going to do ten pushups every he was a swimmer in California at ten and unders, of swimming. five minutes for thirty minutes. For some of us we ranked in the nation at eleven and twelve. May have been first in a lot of things and he was tall Now the little girl went two years - she went twice could do that three weeks and gain strength. For a and slender, but he hadn’t really grown a lot and a week. The little boy has been two years - twice lot of us you couldn’t gain anything out of that. That he grew a lot. He disappeared from age thirteen to a week. He is going three times a week and at might have worked for you when you were eight. age sixteen and made a great comeback. I think he age four he was the best butterflier I have ever My other grandchildren are ten and soon to be was first or second in the 400 IM at a US Nationals. seen - at least at that age and I don’t remember fourteen. I pay them a dime a pushup and I am Get this, in East Carolina College. That was a long too far back anyway, but the reason he is - they not paying any of you that, but typical first child, time ago, but his strength had to catch up to his limb do that and then twice a week their mom takes second child - the first child does fifty a night. length because he was working. That was back in them to a rock wall and the girls swam thirty The second child does 150 a night and when I the days, he was swimming for Don Gambril. They minutes, three days a week this summer. put them on this I did it because you are never were going seven doubles a week so the recovery The six year old went 19 for 25 free and a 23 for an expert in your own home in your son-in-laws. practice didn’t exist. 25 fly and I know Rock’s daughter beats that, but Life in the big city. The older boy was substitute Ten and unders. Most of them are going to get still and she can fly kick like a lot of my guys wish on the basketball team, playing forward, 2 to 4 strength just by swimming and you do not have they could. We must expose them and expose points a game. to settle for that, but you can keep their exercises them in the right direction. The younger boy was a swimmer and not very fast simple. Push-ups off the knees. No big deal. If they and they started the pushups in May. When they want to do them if they cannot do five push-ups I go to the rock wall with them, not all the time. got it done four weeks, the older boy was starting regular, do that. Those are called half push-ups. My Evan, which is he seven year old girl - her deal point guard and scoring ten or twelve a game. team does them. is not to climb it and time it one time - her deal is
12 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 Sit-ups, you know what crunches are. Sit-ups Olympic Team. I do not feel good about stroke when you are not or crunches. Do you know why crunches came strong enough to get your hand through in the about? They took a group of non-exercisers over In May, I started doing push-ups. I started right pattern with nothing stopping you. Because the age of forty and had them do sit-ups. Now I doing five push-ups every five minutes for thirty when you swim, your hand doesn’t pull through don’t remember if their legs were straight or their minutes twice a day and I lifted weights, but it the water. It goes in here and you go by it. When knees were up, but they did sit-ups and if you was different. Once again, it involves core. I you are tethered you must pull that hand through haven’t done much in your life and you start doing do not do much core. Maybe about the same the water because the body doesn’t give and it is sit-ups, you are not really strong enough to pull up amount of flexibility I can do and I am really much, much harder. so you use your back muscles and they get sore. working on that. I will do another one of those Out of this study they decided that sit-ups were next year. I just - some things at my age - if you Eleven and twelve’s. Sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups. I bad for you and so we had to find a better way to don’t like it - don’t do it. have included dips in this group and I know that. do sit-ups. So that is how crunches came about. I have got guys on my team that cannot do dips. But anyway, to make a long story short, when I have got one guy that is 6’6” and has got a 7’2” We do regular sit-ups. Knees in the air, heels right we were in training camp, three months later I wing span and if I get the right strength to him next to the hips, somebody holding the feet down. had gradually worked my push-ups up. Frank I will become famous and I have got a 6’8” kid – They hold a rubber band behind their head that Busch and I had a push-up contest. I would 7’ wingspan and it is all about strength. They can is tied to something that won’t give and they do do fifteen push-ups - he would do fifteen. I did strain and do a couple of dips so we have one of a sit-up with the surgical tubing. So as they sit up, sixteen – he did sixteen. We went up to twenty- those dip-assist items. We have got the real old instead of it getting easier because of the pull of five during the morning workout. Now, it wasn’t school dip-assist where you put weights on one the surgical tubing, it gets more difficult. And we do that close together. It was within two minutes. end of something and it is balanced and you stand not have any back problems, but we work into this. That afternoon we came back and started at on the other end and the weights come up and so he first two and a half to three weeks of school we twenty-five and went back down. It is 450 push- I have got them doing 8’s or 10’s on that. Three don’t do those. We do regular sit-ups timed. ups. I was doing 300 to 500 a day. I can tell rounds and in two or three weeks they will have it. you right now, it is the epitome of diminishing Push-ups are easy to get, dips are almost as easy. You know what pull-ups are. A lot of them are not returns. I mean I got more tired out of that, than going to be able to do pull-ups. The best way to strength. So I found that I am best at 100 or 150 Horizontal ladder, if you want to make it harder. learn to do pull-ups. Instead of you standing there a day. Because we used to run a horizontal ladder in and pushing the up, which will make you stronger our obstacle course at school for my team during which is a good thing, but early in the week you will I try to do those straight without a breath – I am fall and spring. We used to make them walk the wear out on that kind of stuff. You get a chair, pull kidding. Some days I do them in 10’s, 20’s, or horizontal ladder with their arms at 90 degrees and up or get up. If you have to jump over the bar and 30’s. It depends on what I feel like. then we would walk it, you do a pull-up between take four seconds to let yourself down. Do two sets each bar and walk it. There are a lot of ways to let I also went through a period in my life where I of eight. Guaranteed, no matter who you are - no, them hurt. tried to exercise eight or ten months, stopping I take that back. You will be able to do two pull- before it hurt. Isn’t that ideal? I want to tell you, my ups in three weeks, but it is a start. It is where you Once again safety, just like when you do your dips, physicality moved backwards like I wasn’t doing are. You have got to start there. Not everybody can you do not need or want your shoulders to go below anything. So whoever made up that saying about start the same. Wouldn’t that be great? We could your elbows. Just like when we do a lot of jumping pain and gain, they were right. It was a shocker to keep them all together. and they do not go down with their hips or below me because I tested before I started and just went their knees. Anything below that you can have your Do you know what a horizontal ladder is? You through it. You know, right before it started hurting knees injured above that, but once you bend that walk it this way. Do you know what parallel bars – back out. In Texas we call that the “crawfish” knee and you go below it, you are more at risk to are? Support like this. From what I have read because they all back up – they don’t go forward hurt the knees. Especially when somebody gets and what I have seen and talked to doctors and I just backed out of it. to jumping and then they get tired and they quit about - you don’t want 10&unders on a parallel catching their landing like they should catch it. I would put my guys on a rock wall, but we had to bar. Their sternum and their scapulas are not Okay, I am moving on. go through a course at school and I can’t get them ready to hold them for some of the children. So to do that. Running for younger kids, absolutely, I am not going to take a chance on any of them. Thirteen – fourteen. I am really good. I am a good absolutely. Eleven and twelve’s. Not a whole lot I would rather them do hanging stuff. speller, aren’t I? Or you are not catching any of my different with that group. They are a little more mistakes. I didn’t have any paddles in eleven and Ideally, I would like to have a zip line from a tree physically mature. If I did tethered swimming, twelve, but you have got to realize, it wasn’t until to the ground and have them hook up to it and which I like, it wouldn’t be for long and I wouldn’t the mid 90’s that I had anybody on my team wear pull themselves up, that is what I would really put them out there for fifteen minutes. paddles. I was one of these guys – we swam with like. That is not quite a horizontal ladder, it’s a a buoy and a kickboard and a tube and that was When we get somebody with a bad knee or slightly vertical ladder. it. We didn’t use paddles. I wasn’t against them – something they can’t push off, like one of the just everybody that came to my program that had Olympic breaststrokers Scott Spann. He had a Safety. You will see safety every time I talk a shoulder problem had been in paddles and now knee operation and within two weeks he was about any age group. You must be safe. If one I know a lot of people use paddles and I am not running on it. He didn’t ask anybody. His dad is of my swimmers, if he gets a twinge from doing seeing the shoulder problems and I like that. something in the weight room I will move him an orthropod, so that kind of thought doesn’t run back and start lighter with him. If it happens in the family and he is back in for another knee Similar exercises. Well, you know what parachutes again I will find another exercise that will allow operation. He couldn’t get back into the water are and whatever. There are a lot of neat things him to get the same muscle use, but it will put until after NCAA’s and we had to tether him. We out there that you can use, donuts, all those kind him in the same position. would swim him a minute breaststroke pull, a of things. We have done a lot of swimming with minute freestyle pull, drift backwards, take thirty surgical tubing where you sprint down as hard as Technique. Do it right. Do your push-ups right. seconds. We would just keep doing that, but I you can and we have got records for their own Before 2004 I knew that I had to be in good can see that for younger swimmers for fifteen or surgical tubing for them doing a 25 and then they shape because I was going to be Coach of the thirty second bursts. come back. I don’t care if they sprint back or what,
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14 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 Strength (Continued) they just can’t breathe. So usually that gives them same time to move that arm. That is a good thing, but Everything is right there. There are steps to the desire to go a little faster. I try to keep their after a while it moves to something other than strength. get there. breathing down so they do not use all the air that I Because if I feel like strength and speed, I can’t get in could be using. the water. There is nothing I can do in the water, six or How many times have you seen the eight repetitions or four repetitions that we are going swimmer that you thought, they are going Do you know what a rope climb is? We have always to fatigue on. Especially when it comes to holding a to be great, but it still takes time. Coaches had a rope that was 20 feet up which gymnasts stroke or you would have to let water go somewhere. don’t like the time. Parents don’t like the used to compete in the rope climb. They would go Your paddle would have to be about five times your time – swimmers don’t either, but it still from a seated position on the floor and climb hand hand, so we do our strength in the weight room. I think takes time. over hand to the rope and touch something and if I it is why my swimmers continue to improve their junior I have had two slender athletes. I had one am not mistaken – the record from floor to top on a and senior year, because they get stronger. 20 foot rope was like 2.4 seconds. So it is like most guy that is 6’½” tall gp 47 low, 22 low out of us running up that rope and I have seen them do Younger swimmers, as I said earlier, get 3-6% of high school. That was a long time ago. it. Product of what we do. improvement because they are alive. Once males, 1:43:02 200 free. 6’½” tall, 1:39. His favorite females even sooner than males, once they get to a song was “I Ain’t Got Nobody.” It is tough We went to a circus three weeks ago and watched certain age that drops to 1%. Not enough to make a to laugh after lunch, I realize that. You are the women climb up the ladders, hand over hand difference. You have got to get them or you have got to coming. because they do it a lot. You can’t start out doing it help them make a difference in the strength program. a lot. We are product of what we do. You can’t think I had never seen anybody gain strength so about it or wish about it. You have got to get out Alright, dry land or weight room? I was asked that fast. He ended up his career at 49 low in the there and do it. this morning, at least I thought I was asked about age 100 meter free, made two of our Olympic groupers going into the weight room. Granted, there teams, but in like a year and a half he got If you have got people that – 1. You have to make a are some mature enough to do it. There is an exception to 160, but he got there strongly. He could rule on the rope climb, no falling. That really helps to to every ryle, but I have got some requirements to go in do it, et away from it for weeks and he kept make that rule. You can start it where they get to use the weight room and lift, particularly for age groupers. the strength. That is purely genetics. It is their feet going up and use their feet coming down. If you can’t do 40 good push-ups in a minute or more – nothing I did. I wish I knew how to do that. Then, you go to using their feet going up and not for some people it is not hard, for some they will never I have got another guy that is a senior this using their feet coming down and no dropping. They get there. Long arms, red fiber people can’t move fast year – 6’2½” 1:35 at his high school state have got to do it and the thing that you watch out on enough, can’t gain the strength. Eighty to one hundred meet. You can hold him up to a light and a rope climb, they have a tendency to allow it to jerk sit-ups in two minutes, real sit-ups. Five to eight pull- see his bone structure, literally. And all we them and that does cause elbow problems which I ups. Twelve to fifteen dips. can ignore because it didn’t hurt me very badly. have been trying to do is get him to gain Might make the pull-ups a little bit easier for the girls, weight. There are some of them, it is not Rope climb is their own body weight and I remember but if you look at the women who have been dominant going to happen. It just doesn’t happen when Paul Bergen was coaching at Texas. He was in our country in swimming. Dara, I watched Dara until it is their time. We can’t force it and he coaching an age group team and he had a young do two sets of five pull-ups with 35 extra pounds. has been in my weight program for three lady that still holds the record for the rope climb That is amazing. I know that Jenny Thompson, Amy years and his arms look like my 13 year old the most consecutive times and I think it was feet Van Dyken, Betsy Mitchell, you may not know some grandson’s arms, but he is working. He is both ways, but it was something like ten cycles, of these names. World Record Holders, Olympic doing everything he can do. Real good kid. something crazy. My guys couldn’t it. medalists, all could do over 20 pull-ups. So they had But anyway, he was 21 high, 47 low. He strength, however they got it. Either by exercising or has been 50 flat for 100 meters. I know with I do like the rock wall and everything that it involves. I genetically, they had the strength. And that is for most suits, I am not sure what that means, but he have got some guys in my weight program now that swimmers, that is very important. is going to be a factor. He is just a smart kid are really working on their forearms. The forearms and he is willing to do what it takes. and the calves are real hard to develop because Alright, if they can’t do it all, they do not need to go they are on the outer extremities. You know, if you in. When you do go in, you keep the repetitions up. So, if you go in the weight room, please do are a blacksmith or something and you are pounding Everybody knows what a bench press is. If you are not let your swimmers think it is a reward. that three pound hammer all day long for 25 years doing one, like everybody wants to see how much they It is just another step along the way and you will develop forearms. Have you ever shaken can do. I do not even let my swimmers do that, but all the steps you hit make it better for you hands with a tennis player? I mean, look at Nadal. younger athletes, your swimmers, age groupers, their when you take the next step. Do not try to He has got one arm and he has got a string hanging joints are not fully formed. Holding that bar up there jump any of those steps. There are no short out of the other sleeve. That is not true. I have seen with the weight on it to do a single is a shearing force cuts in our sport. him in person, but there is a marked difference in the on that joint and they are not ready for that. Don’t let Our sport is the greatest in the world. It is arm or the system that is used. That is a little bit why them do that. we do a lot of bilateral breathing, to keep the body as an accountability sport. You cannot fool it. balanced as possible. We do test in the weight room with my group, but I tell You cannot trick it. You have got to work it. If them every time, they must do it twice. I do not want you go in the weight room, I go in the weight Alright, fifteen to seventeen. It is mainly about them to do one and then one and a half or fail. They room every day with my group. I do my own strength. You can get stronger with all the equipment must be able to do the weight twice for it to count as workout, but I walk around with them and I you use. Whether it is paddles or whatever it is. a test. I would rather, we an 8-6-4-2 when we test. I know where they are and I know we have would rather do another set of two if they think they got a real good strength coach that makes Paddles, it is a real simple equation. You have can do more, but if I am watching and I know it is a big them do good technique. He guards the increased the resistance area on the end of a strain I don’t let them do it. As I said this morning, the heavier stuff that we do because we do fulcrum so it takes more muscle fibers firing at the weight room is not here and everything else is here. free squats and we do dead lift and he is
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 15 16 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 Strength (Continued)
death on technique. I am somewhere around a first but he swims here. If I do too little he still may swim season, the difficulty of your practices and the degree yellow belt in technique, that is opposed to better than if I do too much, but for the next year I consistency of your swimmer in those practices. a black belt. am going to always and for his career – I am going Just because somebody is as fast as somebody to always err on the side of doing too much. else and they have missed 20% of the practices, Never test with singles, I said that. The exercises there is a good chance they cannot taper like the that I feel like you should do, because you can get Sit ups with surgical tubing. It is another step to other person. Or if they do, they may not get the in there and you can find exercises for every muscle take. You have seen them do it on the incline results that they want. So many times I get caught group. There is bench press, lat pulls, leg press – board. This is similar and we have got surgical up in taper and just think, well I hope this works much, much safer than free squats. They always tubing tied to things that they can sit down. Some and it never does. say to do free weights, you build more strength. But of the freshmen are doing it, so they are half way only if you are ready to build more strength. Dips, up before the surgical tubing engages. You know, Talking a little bit about my level, strength training leg extensors, curls – you have got to put in curls before it resists the half a pound. And the other is an absolute must. Strength is different for because they like it. guys, they are taking it out. everyone, as I have said many times. It is and honestly, I think that I have got the answer for 200 If you could see the stuff we are doing in the weight If somebody has been in my program three years and under guys. room now. We are doing exercises I have never or two years and a freshman comes in and I have seen in my life. And this is the time of the year I got the freshmen doing the same thing that guy is I am not at all pleased with what we do with the said, you do my six or seven and then you do doing, I am not very smart. Because he cannot do distance men. We have good results, but I do not whatever else you want to do. We got the weight that, not if I run a good program and make it harder have the guys going from, like the kid that made room schedule for 50 minutes. I have not got a every year. If you have any doubts about it, a lot of the Olympic team two years ago. The 6’½” guy swimmer that is not in there less than an hour and injuries, they don’t do it. who went from 47 low to 42.4 in four years, from a half and that is because they want to be there. I 22.0 to 19.2 in four years. That is strength. He had get there at 1:30. We are at the pool at two, there Tapering out of the water. Gotta do it. I know how the great kick. He could also kick 23.3 for 50 yards are twenty guys in there already. So what it looks difficult it is for distance swimmers and for the flutter kick. That was the fastest I had ever heard like is they are overcoming the coach. young ladies. Some of my swimmers are out of the of – for a while, anyway. weight room for three weeks. Horizontal rows. That is where you are seated, pull I have changed my program, doing something here, goes into the back. I don’t like this. We do not Best taper I have ever seen. I had a guy that I have never done. And I do not know how long do anything over the head. I do not want to develop tapered and shaved for conference. He tapered for I stick with it, but so far they like it and I like it. these muscles. I do not want to develop the deltoids three weeks, did real well. He won all his events at Instead of going Monday, Wednesday, Friday total and the trapezius. Just more to get tired, just when conference. Fast times and we were in the SEC. I body, we are going Monday/Thursday upper body you are recovering. And I know that there are a lot was at Auburn at this time. Two and a half weeks, and Tuesday/Friday lower body. And we are trying of people that do Olympic lifting, but it depends on – three weeks later, at NCAA’s wins two events to really keep that strict and keep the weights out strength is relative to what you were doing. and gets second in another one. Two weeks or a of their hands when we do lower body. Can’t really week and a half later, US Nationals, University of do that and this is new for me, but I don’t mind If you had been in my strength program, then I have Texas. He wins two events, one event he hadn’t taking a chance if I think it is more difficult. to get help to find a harder one for you to move swum until his senior year – coaching at its best. up, but if you have been in a dry land program, no In fact he just swam a hundred fly his senior year, And I do have a problem that it is hard to get them weights. Then I have got to be real careful with that set the American record and that is the only year to stop when I want them to and I will admit, when person because if you take the swimming and what that I ever swam him in it. I am usually better than I have doubt, they are out. you do outside of the water, exercise-wise, and you that so we are at about eight weeks right now. He look at that – no matter who you are – how best goes back home. He tells me he went to class, I Years ago I gave a talk on taper and I think we to say this? They are only going to go so fast that doubt that. I didn’t see him and he came back out were in Chicago and it was back when it was year. That is all they can do, is this. If you work them to Texas. I think it was either USA/Russia or USA/ survival of the fittest. Where people bludgeoned too hard, guaranteed it will be this. East Germany – short course meters meet or dual people in workouts and I was successful, because meet. I said well, he swam great. He went a minute all I would do is taper them and nobody liked to My freshmen are always this and then get better and 2:12 for a hundred and 200 meter breast and taper. And I told them that if you have only got one by leaps and bounds, but I tend to overwork – no we are talking ’78. Those were fast times. 53 100 meet, the best taper is four weeks out, you take I don’t. I tend to work them just right and kill them. meters fly. Two minutes in 200 meters IM. Short them out of the water for one week. This is 200 course meters, but those were fast back then. I and under swimmers. Then you bring them back I have got a basketball player, 12 months a year said, “Well, what did you do?” He said, “I had the in the water and the next three weeks you taper from the 7th grade through the 12th grade. His last greatest warm-up of my life. I dived in the water and them normally. And I had 20 guys tell me the next basketball game was on a Tuesday, State Meet lay on the bottom until I started feeling good. Came year, they had the best season of their life doing was on that Friday, two days later or three days up, swam a hundred, and that was it.” that, but you only need to have one meet to aim later. And he is a good basketball player, but he for and you have got to work them along the way. is going to be a great swimmer. He swam 4,000 Alright, he was very tapered. But when we tapered three days a week, split 43.5 on a free relay, 54.8 and he got off weights before Conference, he did If you could take Ryan Lochte and increase his 100 breast. 6’8” and went 22.0 fly leg of the medley. three sets of two bench press. His last set of two – strength 5% without increasing the cross-sectional 1:38 200 free. If he comes to both practices, he is and we do it strict, we do it legally – was 305. So he area (the frontal area that goes through the water) going to die. I am really debating, does he come had the strength to pull off a taper like that. If they he would be much faster. Now I don’t know how two one-hour mornings a week and I just work on don’t have much muscle, they don’t taper much. to increase somebody’s strength, his strength per the flutter kick, fly kick, and breaststroke kick with pound of body weight has got to be up there, but him? Because if I do too much, he swims here. If I I used to say, taper starts the first day of practice. that is the theory. do just right – which I don’t believe I’ve ever done – But taper is determined by the length of your
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 17 418 ASCA ASCA NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER | | 2012 2013 EDITION EDITION 10 3 Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch
By Shawn Parr
Get on a Southwest flight to anywhere, buy have a connected community that is second to fashion retailer with a well-documented and highly shoes from Zappos.com, pants from Nordstrom, none, and it comes from the early indoctrination dysfunctional culture. Zappos is thriving and on its groceries from Whole Foods, anything from of every member of the Corps and the clear way to $2 billion, while American Apparel is mired Costco, a Starbucks espresso, or a Double- communication of their purpose and value system. in bankruptcy and controversy. Both companies are Double from In N’ Out, and you’ll get a taste of It is completely clear that they are privileged to living out their missions--one is to create happiness, these brands’ vibrant cultures. be joining an elite community that is committed and the other is based on self-centered perversity. to improvising, adapting, and overcoming in the Authenticity and values always win. Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, face of any adversity. The culture is so strong that attitudes, actions, and beliefs that combined create it glues the community together and engenders Uncommon Sense for a Courageous & either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or a sense of pride that makes them unparalleled. Vibrant Culture miserable stagnation. A strong culture flourishes The culture is what each Marine relies on in battle It’s easy to look at companies like Stonyfield with a clear set of values and norms that actively and in preparation. It is an amazing example of a Farms, Zappos, Google, Virgin, Whole Foods, guide the way a company operates. Employees living culture that drives pride and performance. or Southwest Airlines and admire them for their are actively and passionately engaged in the It is important to step back and ask whether the passionate, engaged, and active cultures that are business, operating from a sense of confidence purpose of your organization is clear and whether on display for the world to see. Building a strong and empowerment rather than navigating their you have a compelling value system that is culture takes hard work and true commitment and, days through miserably extensive procedures easy to understand. Mobilizing and energizing a while not something you can tick off in boxes, here and mind-numbing bureaucracy. Performance- culture is predicated on the organization clearly are some very basic building blocks to consider: oriented cultures possess statistically better understanding the vision, mission, values, and 1. Dynamic and Engaged Leadership - A financial growth, with high employee involvement, goals. It’s leadership’s responsibility to involve the strong internal communication, and an acceptance vibrant culture is organic and evolving. It is entire organization, informing and inspiring them fueled and inspired by leadership that is actively of a healthy level of risk-taking in order to achieve to live out the purpose the organization in the new levels of innovation. involved and informed about the realities of construct of the values. the business. They genuinely care about the Misunderstood & Mismanaged company’s role in the world and are passionately Vibrant & Healthy Culture, like brand, is misunderstood and often engaged. They are great communicators and discounted as a touchy-feely component of Do you run into your culture every day? Does it motivators who set out a clearly communicated business that belongs to HR. It’s not intangible inspire you, or smack you in the face and get in vision, mission, values, and goals and create an or fluffy, it’s not a vibe or the office décor. It’s one your way, slowing and wearing you down? Is it environment for them to come alive. of the most important drivers that has to be set or overpowering or does it inspire you to overcome adjusted to push long-term, sustainable success. challenges? It’s important to understand what 2. Living Values - It’s one thing to have beliefs and It’s not good enough just to have an amazing is driving your culture. Is it power and ego that values spelled out in a frame in the conference room. product and a healthy bank balance. Long-term people react to, and try to gain power, or a culture It’s another thing to have genuine and memorable success is dependent on a culture that is nurtured of encouragement and empowerment? Is it driven beliefs that are directional, alive and modeled and alive. Culture is the environment in which your from top-down directives, or cross-department throughout the organization daily. It’s important strategy and your brand thrives or dies a slow collaboration? To get a taste of your culture, all that departments and individuals are motivated death. you have to do is sit in an executive meeting, the and measured against the way they model the cafe or the lunch room, listen to the conversations, values. And, if you want a values-driven culture, hire Think about it like a nurturing habitat for success. look at the way decisions are made and the way people using the values as a filter. If you want your Culture cannot be manufactured. It has to be departments cooperate. Take time out and get a company to embody the culture, empower people genuinely nurtured by everyone from the CEO good read on the health of your culture. and ensure every department understands what’s down. Ignoring the health of your culture is like expected. Don’t just list your company’s values in letting aquarium water get dirty. Culture Fuels Brand PowerPoints; bring them to life in people, products, spaces, at events, and in communication. If there’s any doubt about the value of investing A vibrant culture provides a cooperative and collaborative environment for a brand to thrive time in culture, there are significant benefits that 3. Responsibility and Accountability - Strong come from a vibrant and alive culture: in. Your brand is the single most important asset cultures empower their people, they recognize to differentiate you consistently over time, and it their talents, and give them a very clear role • Focus: Aligns the entire company towards needs to be nurtured, evolved, and invigorated achieving its vision, mission, and goals. with responsibilities they’re accountable for. It’s by the people entrusted to keep it true and alive. amazing how basic this is, but how absent the • Motivation: Builds higher employee motivation Without a functional and relevant culture, the principle is in many businesses. and loyalty. money invested in research and development, • Connection: Builds team cohesiveness product differentiation, marketing, and human 4. Celebrate Success and Failure - Most among the company’s various departments resources is never maximized and often wasted companies that run at speed often forget to and divisions. because it’s not fueled by a sustaining and celebrate their victories both big and small, functional culture. and they rarely have time or the humility to • Cohesion: Builds consistency and encourages acknowledge and learn from their failures. coordination and control within the company. Look at Zappos, one of the fastest companies Celebrate both your victories and failures • Spirit: Shapes employee behavior at work, to reach $1 billion in recent years, fueled by an in your own unique way, but share them and enabling the organization to be more efficient electric and eclectic culture, one that’s inclusionary, share them often. and alive. encouraging, and empowering. It’s well- documented, celebrated, and shared willingly with Shawn Parr is the The Guvner & CEO of Bulldog Mission Accomplished anyone who wants to learn from it. Compare that Drummond, an innovation and design consultancy Think about the Marines: the few, the proud. They to American Apparel, the controversial and prolific headquartered in San Diego.
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 19 20 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 Making Better a THLEtes By John Leonard
It’s been said that the key factor in getting good answers is to ask good questions. “ What specific exercises are best suited to woefully With that in mind, I start from a premise I believe in strongly; the young “athlete” we weak, uncoordinated and low-aerobically conditioned see today is a shadow of the young athlete we saw decades prior to this. And part two, young people of each age/stage of development? if we could make better athletes, we’d have faster swimmers very quickly. ” Coach David Marsh has been quoted as saying that he believes that the best thing for a lot of young athletes is to spend their to swim practice is to get them off the couch than more time in the water. formative years doing gymnastic work in a and moving! From listening, I think that’s true Now a few more niggling issues - how to get formal USA Gymnastics program. across the nation. the “right information” to parents to allow them Let’s begin by defining what the problem is Which brings me to ask next... “What athletic to “buy into” the idea of more land, less water, and where it comes from. Young Athletes qualities should we focus on to build better and still keep it a swimming program. What will today lack core strength, agility, endurance, athletes?” Not so easy to answer as we know be the parental reaction to that? and quickness. (Ages 6-10) A disturbing that one quality relies to some degree or another, but my top five would be: What specific exercises are best suited number are overweight and have never to woefully weak, uncoordinated and low- done a sport where they exert themselves • Aerobic Exercise - How much time above aerobically conditioned young people of each before. Prolonged exertion is unheard of. a 130 heart rate? age/stage of development? (Ever watch the ordinary youth soccer practice? We see higher average heart rates • Core Strength - Can they do plank Some who watch and advise our sport are at a Senior Citizen Bingo Game.) exercises? recommending more multi-sport competitions • Limb Speed - I have lots of beautiful, very at an early age? Is that practical? How to Where does this problem come from? Some slow strokes. But they can’t generate limb handle at practice and “stay safe.” causes aare obvious, others, less so. speed because they’re too weak. It’s also easier to get injured on dryland than it But basically, it’s a lower level of physical • Strength - Add this in there for #4. is in the water. This is a factor that many swim activity than ever before. More and more coaches are not well prepared to handle. What couch potato children with parents waiting • Balance - Today’s children look at you do we need to know that we don’t even know on them. Few kids outside, running, jumping funny when you ask them to do a forward we don’t know? and playing games. More remote controls, roll. The decline of PE classes has a lot to less effort. do with this, but balance skills are woeful. Two things seem certain to me. IF we don’t make a philosophical change, we’ll continue When they do play sports, it is over- The next question in my mind is, how much to see children in a declining state of fitness organized, over-parented, over-controlled, land-based exercise - in addition to water work come through our doors, led (being dragged) and too little action, fun and movement! (And - for each age group is needed each week? by parents. And second, eventually, that will yes, swimming shares these issues as well!) How many minutes? How “dense” is the catch up to us in trying to train and develop our session (work packed into the minutes)? My gut usual depth of great swimming. On my team the most common explanation guess is that more time out of water becoming given for why parents bring their children better athletes will lead to improvement faster All the Best, JL
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 21 FiT For Learning By David Epstein
A new charter school in Brooklyn a Monday, so for two hours the entire school the former head of physical education at the NYC uses a sports-oriented curriculum — 104 students are enrolled — played soccer DOE who created those sports programs, called to engage high-risk students. under the supervision of coaches, at first the CHAMPS. boys and girls separately and then together. Carlos Bermudez, 15, started the first If sports have all these benefits, Nanda thought, day back at school in Brooklyn after At UD Team, sports consume several hours why perpetuate a system that is by its nature Hurricane Sandy the same way he of each extended school day. Every Monday, exclusionary? A varsity letter is an honor, starts every school day, working with Wednesday and Friday morning students undoubtedly, but it is also a symbol of exclusion. The his team and his coach. The coach play a seasonal team sport. The school rents older students get, the fewer of them are granted asked Carlos to give his “high point” space from a church in Brooklyn’s beleaguered access to the club. If any class had all the benefits and “low point” from the storm-induced Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, and on of sports - from less heart disease to lower rates of week off from class. Carlos’s high was Tuesday and Thursday mornings the students teen pregnancy - it would never be withheld from that he had arrived at school early that rotate through four rooms that are designated, the majority of students. Yet, that is exactly what morning. His low was that his diabetic respectively, for weight training, cardio, yoga happens with sports after middle school. godmother — his legal guardian — was and core strengthening. (Kettle bells serve as doorstops.) “Is it because we don’t have the resources?” Nanda still in the hospital after having a second asks. “I don’t think leg amputated below the knee. Like so The goal of this novel so. It’s because of many of his classmates at the two- high school is to use the apex structure of month-old Urban Dove Team Charter sports as an academic- our society. So much School, the lows for Carlos have been engagement tool to is based on winning lower than any teenager should know. drag the highest of and losing.” the high-risk students Also like every other student at back from the So far attendance is UD Team, as the school is known, precipice of scholastic way up at UD Team Carlos arrived “overage and under failure. Jai Nanda, a compared with the credited.” (Read: Desperately behind native of New York average at the kids’ graduation pace.) He was approved City and the school’s previous schools. for a safety transfer from Manhattan’s founder, first got a And students such as Murry Bergtraum High last year, after sense of the academic 16-year-old Keenya gang members threatened him and and social power of Easton, the student- he stopped showing up at school. body president and a self-professed “bad student” sports in the 1990s, when he was coaching So Carlos’s “high” of coming in early, at her previous school, have embraced a second basketball at Manhattan’s Lower East Side commonplace on the face of it, is chance and the new activities that have come with Prep, a so-called transfer school that takes in something of a minor miracle. But it. “Yoga,” Keenya says, “relaxes the mind and body. older students who have fallen behind. Nanda then, his day doesn’t start as it would It’s a better way of breathing.” noticed that the boys on his team did better in a normal school. in school during the season, despite the time On Nov. 5, when a boy decked out in an allergic to The team with which he began the commitment. “Then the season ends,” Nanda bulls - hoodie and a jauntily angled Brooklyn Nets hat day is not a sports unit but rather a says, “and it’s like, ‘Where’s Juan today?’ ‘Oh, wandered out of social studies into the hall, a coach group of students who have every he isn’t showing up anymore.’” calmly about-faced him back to class. Ten minutes class together. (And who accumulate later the boy catalyzed a discussion on whether a In addition to the mounds of research testifying points, Hogwarts style.) The coach white president could theoretically be better than a to the health and social benefits of physical is, in fact, a sports coach, but he is black president for black Americans, like himself. activity for young people, there is a growing also an adult mentor who travels with literature on the cognitive benefits. A 2009 the team through every class. After Still, UD Team is beating an uphill path. One third University of Illinois study found that students discussing the hurricane week and of the student body has special-education needs can better focus their attention and perform doing homework — all homework is - the school has three special-ed teachers and a better on certain academic tests right after done in the morning with the team social worker - and an in-school fight necessitated exercise. And there’s evidence that morning — Carlos boarded a school bus with police intervention. “We’re trying something sports increase kids’ school engagement the rest of the UD Team students and extremely difficult here,” Nanda says. And isn’t as well. In the last few years, in an attempt headed to soccer fields on the south that what sports are all about? to combat chronic truancy in New York City, end of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. By the city department of education implemented 10:30 a.m. dozens of boys and girls morning sports programs in middle schools Senior Writer David Epstein writes about sports were warming up in soccer cleats with attendance problems. “It was such a science and medicine, Olympic sports, and is an bought for them by the school. It was difference maker,” says Lori Rose Benson, investigative reporter for Sports Illustrated.
22 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 23 Strong Core Brought to You by the Professionals at Finis
Although many of the training methods ways to develop strength but there are appropriate amount of resistance. have changed, a strong core has always other methods of training that are more been a fast core in swimming. The ability applicable to what is done during a race. Using the Monofin on a regular basis to generate power from your torso is is a great way to strengthen the core something that has always separated Training with a Monofin is one of the best and to train your swimmers to have good swimmers from great ones. There core workouts available to swimmers. an explosive underwater dolphin kick. is a lot to be said about strong legs When using the added surface of the They are given the added benefit of and a great “feel” for the water, but single-blade fin, there are a number of an exercise that directly relates to their one could argue that the center of the different muscle groups being activated. sport and can be easily transformed body is the most critical portion of the Not only does the swimmer exercise into a hypoxic workout that will fuel their swimming stroke. This is particularly the major leg muscles as they move charge into the wall this next season. true in the short axis strokes (fly and forward, they are also using their FINIS offers a number of Monofins breast) because the force created for lower back and abdominal muscles to to choose from, ranging from large the next stroke is dependent upon how both stabilize and drive the kick. The fiberglass blades to high-density rubber your body aligned in the water. butterfly motion is started just below the sternum and is whipped up and down by for use in pools and smaller spaces. When coaches and swimmers discuss stimulating these areas of muscle. You Training with a Monofin is a simple core strengthening exercises, our minds must briefly use the abdominals and and cost effective way to train your typically jump to crunches, sit-ups or back to stabilize as your momentum swimmers to the top. another activity outside of the water. shifts to the opposite direction, at which Not to say that these are not all great point the Monofin gives the swimmer the For more information, please visit FINISinc.com.
24 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 "Be yourse lf – everyo ne else is already t aken." Oscar Wilde
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ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 25 26 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 College Coaching Away froM The Pool Deck By John Leonard
The continuing concern as the NCAA of themselves in post-collegiate life of all better do likewise. and conferenes change the rules and ages. reorganize themselves, seemingly always B. Provide your swim facilities for meets and based on dollars and business concerns, is D. Friend raise - (Bill Wadley’s term at events are reasonable cost. the viability of college swimming programs The Ohio State University) Know your C. Club Clinics with Collegiate athletes and as a “non-revenue sport.” It should be network. YOU. a concern for ALL swimming people, E. Parents are volatile UNTIL their child because the college swimming experience, graduates. Then they are typically grateful D. Attend LSC meetings and CONTRIBUTE. regardless of Division, is a powerful and helpful to you and the program. You’re the Big Dog in town. Use that. lure for young people in club and high school swimming. And anyone attending F. Ask your alums for help. They know the E. HELP local club coaches, a million ways a conference meet anywhere, knows the world runs on money. to do it, and make sure they pack your stands excitement and electricity that fills the air for meets, their athletes. a those meets.... (Would that we could say II. Support Within the University... the same about the NCAA Championships, IV. “Ear to the Ground” always... A. Free Saturday swim lessons for faculty which too often are “flat” and not on a par A. Early warning signs. Pay close attention. with the Conference championships.) children. B. Invite faculty to meets, special seating; B. Early ACTION can prevent bad decisions Many college programs do an excellent job before they are made. of “taking care of themselves.” etc. C. No one has “won” after decisions are Here is a short laundry list of “just do this” C. Invite special faculty to address the team. Great learning experience for both announced. You have to effective before to help insulate your program from the anything gets announced. winds of negative change. team and faculty. D. Make sure the faculty know what D. The key is knowing the “pressure points” I. Alumni - Involve them. 6 Ideas How: swimmers have accomplished academically in each university. AND athletically. A. Get them insider information about your E. Know how to take the high ground. program that is valuable. E. REPORT regularly, on your overall Remember, college coaches are preserving program to the faculty senate or the B. Engage them in support by writing one of the great advantages that American equivalent. letters to administration about the Swimming has in the world. The collegiate importance of their swimming in the overall system is the greatest single resource in college experience. III. The Local Swim Community - “Ask what you can do for the swim American Swimming. It’s in ALL our best C. Honor them in VISIBLE ways, especially community, it always comes back.” interests to take good care of it. those who have made a great success A. If you want support from others, you’d All the Best, JL
ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 27 and fixing in schools. But a popular training curriculum in Europe, “Diversity and Equity in In Defense Of Early Childhood Training,” follows American schools in equating open-mindedness with fairness, and it sees all tribal tendencies as the Favoritism enemy. Favoritism and bias are demonized and treated as equivalent to bigotry. For example, the manual recommends exercises for kids using an “anti-bias persona doll.” By Stephen T. Asma The anti-bias persona doll started in America but has also been embraced in European diversity training. The method uses dolls of various ethnic appearances to tell stories of “But Dad, that’s not fair! Why does Keaton We confuse our kids and ourselves about mistreatment. Kids are asked to help rectify get to kill zombies, and I can’t?” fairness. Most of the stories of children’s culture scenarios wherein the persona has suffered pull a sleight-of-hand trick. They regularly some prejudice and mistreatment. “Well, because you’re too young to kill zombies. address two worthy qualities that every Your cousin Keaton is older than you, so that’s child should cultivate—sharing and open- So far, so good, but children are taught why he can do it. You’ll get nightmares.” mindedness (toward people who are different). that all bias is unfair, and that fairness is “That’s sooo not fair!” But while we all approve of the great virtues equity, which is possible only after bias has of sharing and diversity, we are informed that been eradicated. Teachers join in this fight “Next year, after your birthday, I’ll let you kill these are matters of fairness and equality— against favoritism and bias—the manual zombies.” which, in point of fact, they are not. claims that the best way to fight against the evils of racism, sexism, and social- It’s not exactly Little House on the Prairie, but Reducing a child’s greediness is not the same power imbalance is to use what it calls the this is a real conversation between my 8-year- as making her egalitarian. One can eliminate “anti-bias” approach. In workshops, teachers old son and me. Age-ratings on zombie-killing greed entirely and still remain preferential with must find their own biases (in a therapeutic video games are just one of modern life’s great one’s goods, one’s time, and one’s affection. session) and then root them out. injustices, according to my son. Like the characters in many kid’s stories, our children are encouraged to spread the wealth, I want to argue something counterintuitive Every parent has heard the f-word, fairness, whether it be money, magic beans, or candy. here. Contrary to all this received wisdom, intoned ad nauseam by their negotiating open-mindedness is actually compatible with kids. My own son was an eloquent voice for Greed is a terrible vice, and generosity must be favoritism and bias. Starting in the 1950s, egalitarianism, even before he could tie his cultivated in order to counteract it. But a child researchers began running children through shoes or tell time. Of course, it’s not exactly should not be expected to distribute her wealth a variety of racial-preference play tests and universal equality that he and other kids to just anyone on the playground. Even if she “trait assignment” tasks. The Preschool are lobbying for, but something much more has enough candy for the whole playground Racial Attitudes Measure (1975) and the self-interested. population, each kid does not have a moral Multiple-Response Racial Attitudes Measure claim on her to receive some candy. A child Kids learn early on that an honest declaration (1988) continued this method, asking kids to might be so generous, in fact, that she gives of “I’m not getting what I want” holds little assign positive and negative traits to images away all her candy and does not retain some persuasion for parents. So they quickly figure of black and white children. Researchers for herself. But the quality of her generosity— out how to mask their egocentric frustrations wanted to see if kids assign traits, like “nice” the strength of her virtue—is not compromised with the language of fairness. An appeal to an or “mean” or “dirty” or “clean,” based solely by the fact that she gave it all to her five friends. objective standard of fairness will at least buy on racial features. She is still a very generous kid. A person might some bargaining time for further negotiations. give everything she has, in fact, to one other Since some of this trait assignment does This is not entirely duplicitous on the part of the person and thereby show profound generosity. correlate with racial differences, it was thought child, who is often legitimately confused and This demonstrates the independence of to be evidence for early-childhood racism. cannot easily distinguish his private sufferings generosity (or sharing) from fairness, even Kids seemed to be negative and prejudiced from larger and clearer social imbalances. though the two are often conflated in our toward “outgroups”—those of different racial Fairness, however, is not the be-all and end-all cultural conversation. A person can be both or ethnic or cultural background. That view standard for justice, nor is it the best measure of highly generous and highly biased at the same fits with a long-held bit of folk wisdom: People our social lives. As a philosopher, I’ve noticed a time. Being in favor of favoritism, then, is not come together against a common enemy or tremendous amount of conceptual confusion in being against sharing. set of strangers. Racial differences seem to our use of fairness. And though we’re hearing create solidarity out of negativity. That view Teaching kids to share and calling it fairness is a lot of the language of fairness hurled around has mixed with developmental views, like at best a confusion and at worst a deception. lately in political rhetoric, it often hinders real Piaget’s, and has become part of a story A similar bait-and-switch in contemporary conversation and debate more than it helps. that describes all kids as moving from early- childhood education is teaching kids to Most people, for example, assume that the childhood selfishness, to intermediate group appreciate diversity but erroneously calling opposite of fairness is selfishness, and since concern, to the final stage of principled fairness this virtue of open-mindedness fairness. selfishness is manifestly terrible, no one but for all. Each predecessor is considered an Those two values are so commonly confused a hapless Ayn Rand devotee would be so impediment to its successor. that any critique is immediately met with foolish as to critique fairness. But the real charges of prejudice, discrimination, racism, However, more-recent research, especially opposite of fairness is favoritism—filial, tribal, sexism, and bigotry. But having favorites and by the psychologists Sheri R. Levy, Melanie nepotistic partiality—not egoistic selfishness. having an open mind about differences are Killen, Heidi McGlothlin, and Alexandra If that’s true, then a lot of us—on the left and not mutually exclusive. Henning, has shown something very the right—are unwitting daily sinners against interesting, something counter to all this folk fairness. And that’s not a bad thing. Obviously xenophobia needs addressing
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wisdom. Yes, “ingroup” bias is very strong— we identify with people who most resemble us—but it doesn’t really correspond with Having favorites and having an open mind about negativity toward outgroups in the way “ we previously thought. The earlier testing differences are not mutually exclusive. (trait-assignment tasks) forced kids into false dichotomies. Given only a narrow set ” of positive and negative traits and racial or race lines, or ethnic lines. Psychological I do the wealth of Bill Gates, whose affluence subjects to designate, kids automatically experiments reveal a whole range of criteria for seems more remote, fantastical, and even preferred their own similar ingroups, but ingroup bias. For example, test subjects have preposterous. Aquinas also cites Aristotle, who then had no other choice but to assign been shown to award higher payoffs to arbitrary noticed that the elderly envy the young for negative traits to those individuals and ingroups, like people who just happen to share their health and beauty, and nearly everyone groups who were different. the same birthday as the test subject. And hates to see another person gain with ease Subtler testing shows that group favoritism ingroup bias can be demonstrably strong when what you yourself acquired through sweat does not automatically entail negative subjects share allegiance to the same sports and difficulty. I have been heard to utter “It’s judgments or attitudes toward outgroups. teams, and so on. not fair,” for example, when I contemplate that Without the forced-dichotomy testing, kids my neighbor doesn’t work any harder than me Young people in our schools are repeatedly will attribute to outgroups neutral traits and yet flourishes in his obscene estate of a exposed to a bogus association between and positive traits, not negative traits. backyard—he and his enormous lawn mocking unbiased equality for all and open-mindedness. Killen, McGlothlin, and Henning articulate me. OK, let’s move on. But even the laudable pantheon of fairness the problems inherent in the forced-choice fighters, paraded before elementary students, Children and parents were taught something method: “A child who assigns the trait ‘nice’ have their origins in ingroup favoritism. Rosa very different about envy in the 19th century. to the picture card that looks like the self Parks and Susan B. Anthony were not fighting Parents taught their children to accommodate (ingroup) may do so to associate a positive for the equality of all people per se, but for the negative feelings like envy using stoic resolve. trait with the self; this decision may not inclusion of their ingroups. It’s no disservice to When the educational philosopher Felix Adler reflect anything about the child’s outgroup them or denigration of them to point out this analyzed the biblical Cain and Abel parable, in attitude. Conversely, assigning a negative basic fact of favoritism. Some serious allegiance his 1892 The Moral Instruction of Children, he trait to a picture card reflecting a member to one’s tribe is, after all, how anything gets exhorted young people to master and suppress of the outgroup may be a result of avoiding done at the social level—including civil rights. their feelings of envy, or else they would end up associating a negative trait with the ingroup like murderous Cain (recall that envy led Cain to rather than as a reflection of a negative Many kids and even adults see fairness in kill his brother after God preferentially favored view of the outgroup category.” punitive terms. Lofty egalitarian philosophy and Abel’s animal sacrifice). Envy was to be treated the utopian pursuit of equality are noble when These recent findings undermine the old with self-discipline. There will always be people legislators are framing constitutions, but the rest assumption that favoritism automatically better off than you, and the sooner you accept of us usually cry “unfair” when we feel slighted, entails bigotry toward outgroups. Intergroup and conquer your envy, the better off you’ll be. snubbed, or envious of others. Feeling injured, relationships and judgments, even among as an individual or group, is strong fuel for our The social historian Susan J. Matt argues that kids, are much more complex than we obsession with fairness. all this changed in the 20th century, and by thought. Kids simultaneously make social the 1930s a whole new childhood education evaluations based on at least three criteria: Alexis de Tocqueville studied America and regarding envy was in full swing. Social workers self-interests, group interests, and justice pronounced, “Equality is a slogan based on “praised parents who bought extra gifts for interests. The old folk wisdom that group envy. It signifies in the heart of every republican their children. If a son or daughter needed a closeness comes from opposition to others ‘Nobody is going to occupy a place higher than I.” hat, adults should buy it, but they should also is not borne out by recent data. Nor is purchase hats for their other offspring, whether the old developmental story that we all What does my neighbor have? He has or not they needed them. This would prevent start out as egoistic Hobbesians, who reputation, and I do not. He has wealth, and children from envying one another.” slowly learn to care for others. Affective I do not. He has interesting friends, he has neuroscience research on early-childhood opportunity, a better wife, better kids, better The phenomenon of sibling rivalry made bonding suggests that, as mammals, we morals, better fashion sense, better piano skills, its way into the textbooks as a potentially probably start out as emotionally glued a better diploma. Envy knows no bounds and damaging pattern of envy—one that is best microcommunities (family and tribe) before can thrive in the ghetto or the country club. addressed by giving all the kids an equal fair we become autonomous ego-driven Theologians and philosophers have labored share of everything. Subduing or restraining creatures. Favoritism, not egoism, is to unpack the nuances of envy and noticed one’s feelings of deprivation and envy was probably the primal value system. that we tend to envy those who are closer to considered old school, and new parents (living in a more prosperous nation) sought to stave off In short, favoritism or bias toward your our own lifestyle and class. Thomas Aquinas those feelings in their children by giving them group is not intrinsically racist, sexist, or noticed, in his Summa Theologica, that “a man more stuff. closed-minded. Privileging your tribe does does not strive for mastery in matters where he not render you negative or bigoted toward is very deficient; so that he does not envy one This trend—of assuaging feelings of deprivation those outside your tribe. And to top it off, who surpasses him in such matters, unless he by distributing equal goods to children—grew we’re now beginning to understand the surpass him by little, for then it seems to him that even stronger in the baby-boomer era and flexible nature of our ingroup favoritism—it this is not beyond him.” I, for one, confess that beyond. It has also dovetailed nicely with doesn’t have to be carved along bloodlines, I envy my neighbor’s big backyard more than the rise of an American consumer culture
30 ASCA NEWSLETTER | 2013 EDITION 3 that defines the good life in part by material the other students. spending time together, sharing experiences, acquisition. “In a consumer society,” Ivan Illich and immersing themselves in each other’s says, “there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: The contrast of our fairness system with lives—and time, sadly, is a finite resource. the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of merit-based Chinese preschool is astounding. envy.” Today’s culture tries to spare kids the Imagine your 4-year-old preschooler getting up Treating opportunity and outcome as a pains of sibling and peer rivalry, but does so the nerve to stand in front of her class to tell process also thwarts the unfounded equation by teaching them to channel their envy into the a story. It’s a sweet rite of passage that many of preference and prejudice. Just because language and expectation of fairness—and a children enjoy around the world, and it builds you prefer your favorites does not make reallocation of goods that promises to redress self-esteem and confidence. Now imagine that you prejudiced. In the case of friendships, their emotional wounds. when your preschooler is finished spinning her for example, kids should be encouraged to yarn, the other children tell her that her story fish their friendships from the widest and If our high-minded notions of retributive was way too boring. One kid points out that most diverse pond available (using colorblind, justice have roots in the lower emotions of he couldn’t understand it, another kid says her gender-blind, and class-blind criteria), but revenge, then why should we be surprised if voice was much too quiet, another says she then the resulting favorites will be a much fairness has roots in envy? I have no illusions paused too many times, and another tells her smaller pool. Being discriminatory in your and feel entirely comfortable with the idea that her story had a terrible ending. In most friendships is prejudiced only if you’ve that fairness has origins in baser emotions schools around the world, this scenario would prejudged candidates (pre-judicare). Judging like envy. But most egalitarians will find this produce a traumatic and tearful episode, but after experience (post-judice) is justified repugnant, and damaging to their saintly and not so in China, where collective criticism is par preference, not prejudice. selfless version of fairness. for the course—even in preschool. We now begin to appreciate how favoritism The merit-based critique of fairness is well At Daguan Elementary School, in Kunming, flies in the face of both conservative merit- known. Plato spends much of The Republic China, this daily gantlet is called the “Story based fairness and liberal equality. In the railing against democracy on the grounds Teller King.” American teachers who saw same way that egalitarianism is no friend that know-nothing dolts should never have this exercise were horrified by it. But it is of meritocracy, neither is favoritism. Both equal political voice with experts (aristoi). indicative of Chinese merit-based culture. favoritism and meritocracy are hierarchical Elitism is a dirty word in our culture, but not and share an antagonism toward fairness, for the ancients. Conservatives and libertarians in the United but in every other sense they are strange States tend to like this merit-based view of bedfellows and antagonize each other, too. American hostility to elitism is especially fairness—the spoils should go to the winners! manifest during election seasons, when Liberals say “fairness” when they mean that My favorites are not the best or most politicians work hard to downplay their own “all things should be equal.” On top of this accomplished at this or that. They are not intelligence and intellectual accomplishments distinction, there are two kinds of equality virtuoso human beings. It’s my sheer affection so they might seem less threatening (less pursued under the title of egalitarianism. for them, my ability to relate to them, and eggheadish) to the public. I am in agreement They are very different but frequently mixed my history with them, that raise their status with many of the merit-based critiques of together. Equality of opportunity is one form above other people. Love trumps fairness egalitarian fairness. I don’t want my political of egalitarianism, and equality of outcomes is every time. It says: I don’t care if other leaders to be “regular guys.” I want them to another. The latter, equality of outcomes or people are more deserving than you, you’re be elite in knowledge and wisdom. I want shares, is often massaged into policies under mine and that’s why I give you more than them to be exceptional. the aegis of the former. anyone else. Ethical philosophies of every stripe—egalitarian, utilitarian, Rawlsian, Our contemporary hunger for equality can The confusion can be seen in the school cosmopolitan—have tried to level people with border on the comical. When my son came footrace I’ve mentioned. Trying to establish a grid of uniform impartiality, but our favorites home from school with a fancy ribbon, I was the equal opportunity of all kids for athletic cannot be encapsulated in the grid. They filled with pride to discover that he had won a activity, schools have mistakenly created an loom too large in our moral geography. footrace. While I was heaping praise on him, equal-outcomes policy in which all kids are he interrupted to correct me. “No, it wasn’t given ribbons for “winning” the race. In this The little prince of Antoine de Saint- just me,” he explained. “We all won the case, the confusion is relatively harmless Exupéry’s classic feels heartbroken when race!” He impatiently educated me. He wasn’t and the stakes are low. But as children are he realizes that his beloved rose is just first or second or third—he couldn’t even inculcated with ideas and practices of fairness, a common flower—intrinsically equal with remember what place he took. Everyone who these confusions stand as harbingers of all other roses. But then he comes to ran the race was told that they had won and things to come. understand that she is special because he were all given the same ribbon. “Well, you loves her and “because she is my rose.” can’t all win a race,” I explained to him, ever- Instead of trying to harmonize a discordance The wise fox enlightens the little prince: “It supportive father that I am. “That doesn’t by transforming favoritism and meritocracy into is the time you have spent on your rose that even make sense.” He simply held up his fairness, we might try a more honest synthesis. makes your rose so important.” Favoritism purple ribbon and raised his eyebrows at me, A better way to integrate fairness and favoritism and fairness are deeply irreconcilable, and as if to say, “You are thus refuted.” for kids is to show how opportunity and outcome until we figure out how to square that circle, are part of a process. Everyone should have I’m sticking with my favorites. I don’t want my son and every other kid in equal opportunity to become your friend, but his class to be told they’d “won” the footrace not everyone can be your friend (not everyone at school just because we think their self- can end up as your friend). Anyone should be esteem can’t handle the truth. Equal rewards a candidate for friend status, but few will be Stephen T. Asma is a professor of philosophy at for unequal achievements foster the dogma admitted to the elite club. Why few? Because Columbia College Chicago. This essay is adapted of fairness, but they don’t improve my son or favorites (friends) can be created only by from his new book, Against Fairness.
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