Introduction
Last week we shared Flanders’ Interaction Analysis with you in a teacher/classroom setting. This week we will explore the interaction in a coach/sports team setting. We will look at the way
Coach Doug Reed will be dealing with a mythical team, the Cougars. They compete in a junior-high school league of eight members.
Coach Reed is a seventh grade math teacher and the baseball coach at Midway Junior-High School. In the classroom he is Mr. Reed and on the ball field he is called Coach. He has had this position for five years and he enjoys the work. He doesn’t have any school assistant coaches but Ernie Roberts, a retired teacher, is a volunteer assistant coach. He has been around for several years and is a great asset.
Being a believer in interaction in his classroom and with his team, he is aware of some of the differences in teaching and coaching. The two most striking differences have to do with Motivation and Interaction. Some of his junior math students aren’t interested in dividing one mixed fraction by another mixed fraction. There also is very little interaction with his students while he’s having them learn this operation. If they need help, they can raise their hands and he’ll come over to them.
His school is proud of its traditional status and parents in this community are not looking for changes in their schools’ practices. He’s been using some experiential methods in the math class but the students are still sitting in rows of seats and he is teaching at the black board - actually now it’s a white board.
Brief Observation by Coach Reed
I am now wearing a jersey that says “Coach”. I am meeting with a bunch of eager players - no “motivation” is needed - it’s already there and it’s intrinsic motivation. I’m teaching my young learners how to play their game better and they are enjoying it. They call me “Coach” and I call each of them by their names. “Hey, Rob, let’s work on your 'change-up’ pitch today - see if we can get the right speed.” I like this interaction.
A Practice Session
It’s the Cougar’s first practice session after being defeated by the Lincoln Junior-High School Spartans.Their record is now 4-2. They have 14 games left in their local league and four non-league games.
Agenda items for the meeting:
What did we do well?
What do we need to work on?
Coach Reed opens the discussion, Okay. What did we do well in the game last week with the Spartans?
Team Captain Johnny: I thought we batted pretty well. We got on base with eight hits including two doubles. Got two walks.
Geno: We ran the bases pretty well. There weren’t any running mistakes.
Jimmy:They had a really good pitcher, and what did we have? Only two strikeouts?
Coach Ernie: Actually, there were three strikeouts - all swinging third strikes.
Coach Reed: How about our outfield?
Luis: The scorer gave me an error on that line drive over my head. I thought I made a good play on that ball.
Coach Ernie: I thought you did about all you could with it. I would have called it a hit.
(The discussion continues until all issues are dealt with.)
All right. What do we need to work on?
Rob: I need to work on my control - I walked three guys at pretty bad times.
Joe: That plate umpire was pretty consistent - he made tough calls on low pitches on you and on the Spartans’ pitchers.Your rise ball was great.
Coach Ernie: I think we need to work on our double plays; especially the 1-3-1s.
Lynn: First baseman: Yeah, I need a better target on my throws to second.
Glen: I struck out twice. I think I have to quit trying to hit a homer when I have two strikes on me.
Coach Reed: What do you think about that, Ernie?
Coach Ernie: Okay. Glen, Let’s talk about that today during batting practice and see what we may do.
(The discussion continues until all issues are dealt with.)
An Interaction between Players and the Coach
After the last practice, Ernie Rivers talked to Coach Reed because Randy, an eighth grader, and a couple of new outfielders he had been working with, wanted to practice catching flies in deep center field and trying to throw one-hoppers to the catcher. He thinks they must have been reading a book about Roberto Clemente.
It’s time for a reality check.
The Following Practice Session
Coach Reed has assembled Randy and the new outfielders in deep center field for a discussion/action.
“Okay, guys, we need to review our defense strategies. Can you see the three white lines I drew between here and the infield? And you can see, there’s a runner on second base and there’s one out.
Ernie is going to hit fly balls and liners out here to left-center field. If the ball goes past that line, Geno, our shortstop, will be coming out to be your relay man. You will field the ball and throw a strike to Geno and he will relay it to Joe, our catcher. If you ignore the relay man and try to throw the ball directly to Joe, you will be told to follow that ball and take a seat on the bench.
Ernie will hit balls out to right-center field and you will do the same thing. Johnny, our 2nd baseman, will be your relay man there.
If the ball is not past the white line, you can go after it. Work with your relay man and don’t collide with him.
Randy: I know what this is about, Coach. That was my idea and I guess it wasn’t a very good idea. It won’t happen again.
Coach: Somebody could have gotten hurt. Besides that, what you were doing doesn’t happen in the game. Let’s just take some time today to practice what really happens.
Randy and the others nodded, said “Okay, Coach,” and the practice session begins.
Commentary
Sometimes you can correct a mistake by simply practicing the correct way. Sometimes you can chastise a player without confronting him and making him wrong.
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