Comments on: A Sneak Preview — and a Question

By: JenInAlaska

JenInAlaska — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 06:16:42 +0000

KIDS BOOK! Write a Rules for Kids book too! Geared for ages 6-12…Zone 1

What a tool that could be!!!!!

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:14:40 +0000

Nice! Thanks for the word — I’ll check it out. I need help at pool anyway! Best, Dan

By: cmwhite

cmwhite — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:55:26 +0000

Us pool playing nuts have a whole thread dedicated to your book. Check it out if you have the time. It can be found here:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=244338

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:04:52 +0000

Great stuff, Frank — I really appreciate it. I esp like the “keeping it short” idea — too few people do that one, and it makes a huge difference, in my experience.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:28:58 +0000

I’ve coached soccer for over 20 years at the club, high school and junior college level. I like a lot of what you’ve got so far & hope the finished product is easily translatable to real life.
Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years:
1. shorter is usually better. In HS most of the practices were 3 hours, in college I rarely go over 90 minutes (game length). Leave them wanting more, not dreading more.
2. End drills & practice on a high note. While repetition is important, ending on a successful outcome builds confidence and enthusiasm. for example – when practicing corners, always try to end on a goal. By ending on success, they won’t remember that they failed the dozen times before.
3. Transfer a tactical concept from something else. ‘Tactical awareness’ is something that is woefully missing in a lot of today’s athletes, in all sports. In baseball and softball every kid has a hitting coach, but they don’t know how to run the bases. I often use other sports to try and get across a particular concept – a variation of team handball, where the goal is to move a ball from one end of a field to the other with passes only (you can’t run with the ball) can be used to show the effectiveness of movement ‘off the ball’, the give and go, and effective communication. Since doing this by throwing and catching a ball is easier (for most players) than kicking and trapping it, they learn the learn the concepts quickly…and, it’s usually a lot of fun.
I’m looking forward to seeing your top rules.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:54:00 +0000

A suggestion for your ‘Rules’. My son plays guitar and his goal is to be a professional musician. He has been playing for six years now, early on he would learn a song or exercise skill and then move on. After some time had passed he would go back to that song or skill and ‘stumble’. He was practicing till he got it right. I said that was just the starting point. He needed to practice until he couldn’t get it wrong. No matter what happened while playing the piece he would not make a mistake. Playing was not thought out, it was all muscle memory.

This way, when playing on stage, if a waiter drops a glass, people argue, or someone talks to him…he is playing the song as it should be played.

By: robonstop

robonstop — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:47:32 +0000

I will buy your book, that’s for sure. Could you include tips like the DHA intake for high quality Myelin, too? Eating strategically for learning is important.

I read that bacteria in the ground of woods, that you take in when you take a walk, can help you learn things. So does sleeping after studying, similar to muscle growth overnight. I think these topics should be included when writing a manual. I’m currently reading Talent Code.

By: Mike Zoetewey

Mike Zoetewey — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:01:59 +0000

I’m really looking forward to this new book. I am a teacher, coach and new father at the age of 43 and am looking for more good advice on these aspects of my life. I read the Talent Code and it is one of the best books I have read in a long time, and recently read an article in NY Magazine that talks about the research of Dr. Dweck that you reference in TC. The sampling of the rules you give above is good stuff. Can’t wait for the finished product.

By: Josef

Josef — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:36:12 +0000

I found this text very interesting and at this moment I’m making a reconstruction of my ways of practicing and I’m using a lot of your thoughts. I’m a golfer and see my practice more like practicing on my life. I love to know things and learn new things and hate the feeling of not knowing. One of your rules “Remove Your Watch” stated that you should make your practice based on reps and avoiding using time. I find it great and something I will try to apply to my training. But the fact that we are living in a world where everything is based on time, makes me a little confused of how to apply it. Another rule “Practice in Short Segments” says that you should practice for 10 minutes and then rest. How do you convert 10 minutes to the “Remove Your Watch” way of thinking? I thought that you could use both methods and by using them for 3 weeks making the practice routine a habit, it would be possible to learn exactly what to do without thinking of the time.But that will maybe lead to the same result as using the time as a tool fore training achievement

By: djcoyle

djcoyle — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:49:05 +0000

Hi Kristine, Those are terrific questions. As for the emotional state that’s most receptive to learning — I’ve heard many teachers talk about a “calm intensity” that characterizes the best states for learning. Calm as in controlled, not overly emotional; intensity as in focused keenly on perceiving what’s happening right now. As for the Meadowmount chunking and slow play — I don’t mean to be too vague here, but their focus tends to vary. It’s specific to the task. Sometimes it’s pitch (esp in warmups). Sometimes it’s intervals (esp when they’re learning a tough passage). Not rhythm so much. As for documentation that fear doesn’t help learning, I just came across a new study from Case Western that used brain scans to measure reaction to different kinds of teachers. The more effective teachers lit up the parts of the brain connected with positive thoughts, relationships, caring. So there you go. Here’s a video summarizing the research: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjgAxmRaYo