If you have not heard of Carol Dwecks work on the Growth mindset then you are missing out. I learnt about the Growth mindset in my teens and I have been using it every since in just about every success I have ever had. The principle is simple and in fact so is the implementation which is why it is …
Bruce Lee shares how to find inner peace: Be water, my friend
I was lucky many years ago that a friend introduced me to the teachings of Bruce Lee of martial arts fame. Hi martial arts success is not my focus as I am more interested in what he was able to do, particularly the speed and control he achieved but also the wide ranging philosophic teachings he had learnt and applied. …
How to achieve success: 21 amazing lessons
Fitness isn’t just about running or lifting weights. It’s about learning how to succeed at something. What makes one person fit may make another unfit or unhealthy. So fitness requires the right mindset for success and over the years I have been compiling a list of inspirational talks and lessons on the mindset required for success. I haven’t yet had …
Does early success help or hinder later success?
It is often assumed that great success in youth will translate into the same success in later years. Though I couldn’t help noticing that Gael Monfils won 3 junior slam titles in a row yet at senior level the closest he has come to winning one is reaching the semi finals of Roland Garros. Huge success at junior level had no effect on …
Margins
How well you play has a lot to do with how well you stay within your own margins and how well you push your opponent beyond theirs. they idea is that with any shot there is a way you can play it reliably. That is your comfortable level. As you increase the difficulty through adding power, aiming to tougher targets, …
Want to win: Pick your battles
Sport reflects the competition inherent in life and picking your battles is the lesson we learn from watching Tennis. From Stanislas Wawrinkas recent success at the Australian Open to Novak Djokovics dominance over Rafael Nadal, through to Rafaels and Roger Federers ongoing rivalry. Each of these battles has been a series of campaigns with each combatant having periods of dominance …
Strategy: Did you lose or were you beaten
All top competitors hate to lose but they can accept being beaten. That’s how I see the general reaction from players like Serena, Federer, Rafa and others. If they feel they could have played better and might have won they are annoyed with themselves because they let themselves lose. If however they gave everything. That’s the best they could have …
13 Ways to Keep Your Debt from Holding You Back
To compete you must take risks and the way you go about this will define what you achieve. However the problem with taking risks is that you must recover because all risks generate their own debt and while some times this debt is small, many times its big and other times it’s hidden. We see on the tennis court that …
Classroom Game Design: Paul Andersen at TEDxBozeman
A fascinating talk treading the path I want to see. Applying the concepts of good games to learning design and teaching in the classroom. Paul is even handed in his discussion presenting what worked and what didn’t but remembering that he must learn and evolve as much as his students. He provides the playground and games but they need to …
Australian Open 2014: Why mental strength is king for Nadal and Djokovic
I came across a wonderful analysis of Nadals success a while back and recently wanted to read it again. Compare it to the other analyses that abound this time of year. I panicked because I couldn’t find it for love nor money. So I’m recording it here because I will be referring to it plenty in future. The article asks US …
Should Federer learn from Wawrinkas Australian Open success
What I really wish is that the swiss have a word with his fellow countryman or at least take a look at his game. Stan Wawrinka has the backhand that would perfectly complement Feds forehand. If Roger could balance his game by taking inspiration from his compatriot then his biggest rivals would not have this obvious target to aim at. …
Tennis Strategy: Is serve and volley coming back in 2014?
With Stefan Edbergs appointment as Roger Federers next headline coach and Boris Becker joining team Novak you have to wonder what each team is thinking about. Of course Severin luthi rogers permanent coach welcomes edberg but what is the reason to bring the Swede in? I can’t help but wonder if Serve and Volley is the aim in 2014? Federer now has Edberg, …
How to Coach: Use your opponents strengths
You’ve probably heard the phrase “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. It’s used in physics but I like to use it on the tennis court. In fact I’ve had to learn it because I’ve met enough people that use my own power against me. I still remember a ranking match where my serve was everything I hoped it …
It’s not about the talent, it’s about the opportunity
In the article Legacy of son’s success motivation for Judy Murray Judy points out that despite her sons incredible success Scotland has yet to take advantage of the major opportunity this presents. Building the sport in Scotland and improving the nations health and life opportunities as a result. She says: I want to help inspire another generation of kids, I want …
How I prevent double faults
That is a a big claim. Serving is often the toughest part of the game of Tennis. Here is one very simple tip that has turned my serve from a liability into a weapon. It’s so easy it doesn’t seem like anything and in reality it works for just about any problem. In a nutshell it is about focusing on …
What made the Wright brothers successful
I needed a little inspiration in the challenges of being an entrepreneur and inventor. I just checked out the Wright Brothers because at the time they pioneered human flight there were hundreds of others trying to do just the same. I wanted to understand how long it took them. What kinds of things they did. How much detail they went into and …
What is #PEChat
#pechat is a place talk about anything related to physical education. Here is a simple video giving more detail. The concept was started by thephysicaleducator.com and there is have a PEChat page on the site providing all the details you need to get involved from dates of the next chat to details of previous chats.
Learning: Is it Online or Offline. Are we letting fear get in the way?
Just a short post inspired by reading notes from an upcoming e-assessment faculty meeting. A question came up about offline learning and ereaders in particular. How far can we go with them. A very informed answer was given by Niall Sclater taking reference from his existing article making ebooks more interactive: logistics and ethics. Niall is a key influence in …
Do GCSEs favour women?
You know. I never really thought about it that much. I first came across this notion during my A levels studying education as part of sociology. Since, at the time, women and girls had had such a long time being the second class citizens of education and work it didn’t really bother me. I did notice that in all the …
Education: New Rules
Lifelong learning is a topic close to my heart. I’m very frustrated that mainstream education is only provided for the young rather than for every age. That was appropriate in the last century. Not this. It supports a culture where if you don’t take your opportunities when you’re young then you miss out. So I’m interested in the discussion I …