Mayeroffs Caring Essay Example for Free

Mayeroffs Caring Essay Mayeroffs Major Ingredients of Caring Related to Coaching Soccer This essay explains how Milton Mayeroffs Major Ingredients of Caring, in his book, On Caring, relates to coaching soccer. There are eight ingredients that Mayeroff discusses in his book that all relate to becoming a successful coach. If a coach anaylzes and considers each ingredient, he can deeply develop his skill as a caring trainer and guide of the players in his charge. Mayeroffs basic principle is that when a person cares about someone else, the person being cared for will grow. In rder for a coach to be successful, he needs his players to grow; therefore he needs to care about all the players on his team. A mindful coach will take into consideration each ingredient that Mayeroff describes so that growth can strengthen the players individually and as a team. This essay examines the ingredients, Knowledge, Alternating Rhythms and Patience, of caring to illustrate a direct relationship between caring and coaching soccer. In chapter one, Mayeroff explains the basic pattern of caring with examples of how caring affects another persons growth. Mayeroff further develops his thoughts on caring in chapter two by demonstrating how caring can be exercised by knowing, experiencing alternating rhythms, the act of patience, honesty, trust, humility, hope and courage. Analyzing and then understanding all eight ingredients that Mayeroff describes will have special importance to caring within a relationship. In coaching soccer, a successful coach will have special strengths, however in knowledge, alternating rhythms and patience. Coaching soccer requires caring and this essay will make clear how these three ingredients are essential for successful coaching. The first ingredient Mayeroff introduces is the concept of Knowing. Mayeroff breaks down knowing into different factors: specific vs. broad, implicit vs. explicit, and direct vs. indirect. The deciphering of knowledge, as Mayeroff explains it, allows a better understanding of how caring is completed with these crucial factors. Mayeroff states, To care for someone, I must know many things. I must know, for example, who the other is, what his powers and limitations are, what his needs are, and what is conducive to his growth (p. 1 3). Each of these components of knowledge is necessary in helping an ndividual grow, particularly in soccer. The foundation of a sports team, especially soccer, starts with the coach. The coach is the head of the team and therefore is required to acquire the most knowledge about the sport. A coach needs to know all aspects of the game, such as, offensive and defensive strategies, different ball skills, and the endurance it takes to be a soccer player. Also, the coach has to be able to understand all of his players: their capabilities, personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, in order for growth to occur, the coach must know his rucial part in Mayeroffs knowing ingredient. In order for a coach to be successful, knowing the characteristics of a player like, how fast they are, best position, and strength of the players kick, is important to facilitate a players growth. This way the coach can apply a different teaching method to ensure that each player will receive the information in a way that the player can understand and grow from. In soccer, knowing these characteristics can give the coach an idea of the best drills to run in practice. Also, the coach might divide the players into different groups after knowing he players strengths in specific positions on the field. Knowing all the different information makes coaching an extremely difficult task; however an attentive coach will care about learning each aspect of a player. The action of caring allows the coach to acquire the specific knowledge of his players. A coach who does not care about his players or team would be teaching in a way that is not effective to each player. The players can grow when the coach cares enough about obtaining more knowledge to teach them in a way that will increase their skills. Knowledge is not the only ngredient that leads a coach to be a successful one. Alternating rhythms is defined as the rhythm of moving back and forth between narrower and wider framework (p. 22), and is the second ingredient that Mayeroff discusses in regard to caring. While coaching soccer, the coach needs to understand that not all players will learn at the same pace or in the same way. The alternating rhythm ingredient reflects the fact that different tactics are needed for different players. A coach is a teacher: when someone does not understand a concept, a new way is determined in order for he student to comprehend the concept. Soccer is an interactive sport that requires a lot of practice to acquire the many moves and tricks that make a soccer player effective. For instance, if a player does not understand a coach through a visual example of a specific play during a corner kick, the coach needs to develop another technique to teach the player the specific play . The same thing goes for a play or a kick. A defender needs to know how to take the ball from the opposing team, and then implement offensive skills. If a coach does not teach this in a coherent manner, he player will not be able to grow. It is up to the coach to aid the player to acquire knowledge of kicks, skills and offensive and defensive plays to become successful not just in one game but also as a player. Both players and coaches have a particular way they would like to be taught; however, if a coach wants the players to grow, adjustments in technique and sacrifices of preference must mark the coachs use of alternating rhythms. Willingness to make these adjustments will define how deeply the coach cares about the soccer team. A third ingredient that Mayeroff analyzes in On Caring can help a coach become more successful: Patience. According to Mayeroff, patience does not mean waiting passively for something to occur, rather, it means that a person should actively participate in the growth of the other person. Mayeroff states, The man who cares is patient because he believes in the growth of the other (p. 24). Soccer, like all sports, requires practice if one is to become proficient. When a coach comes across a player who is not willing to put in time or effort, someone who gives up on the learning experience, instead of encouraging the layer to quit, a caring coach might exercise patience to help the player grow. Even a talented soccer player might experience difficultly learning a skill. A coach still needs grasp skills quickly. Exercising patience with all types of players will help the coach become successful because growth will occur throughout the team. Due to varied skill levels and rates at which players adopt skills, the coach has to have a great deal of patience and teach his players different skills all within the same periods of practice. If, for instance, the coach decided to do a shooting drill with three offenders, wo defenders and a goalie, when these six players run the drill, the coach should focus on each individual and recognize what can be improved on. For example, an offender might need development on a trick. Another might need to develop a move to dribble away from defenders. One offender might work on dribbling while on a break away. The defenders might need help with Jockeying backwards beside an offender along with applying pressure. The goalie might need assistance with an upper left hand shot, rather than a grounder to the side of the goal. All these ifferent aspects of play that need improvement require patience from players and the coach. A coach has to take one technique at a time with each player, while other players wait their turn. Patience will facilitate growth in all players because the coach cares enough to focus on the skills that need to be strengthened. For a coach, exercising patience, while allowing players to learn without pressure, will strengthen the team and at the same time develop the coach himself. As he continues to establish the dynamics of the team, and learn more about each players skill set, aring and growing increases, exemplifying how a successful coach uses patience in soccer. I distinguished three out of the eight ingredients Milton Mayeroff discusses in his book On Caring, to display how caring is exercised in the deepest manner. In order for caring to occur in soccer, a coach should implement the three ingredients of knowledge, alternating rhythms and patience. When a person in a relationship grows, caring is exemplified. The examples Mayeroff notes throughout his book helped me portray the message of caring through coaching soccer; teachers with tudents, parents with children, or any two people in a relationship. His examples directly correlate with coaching soccer because a coach has many relationships with his team, and has to adjust his coaching abilities to fit each players needs. A successful coach will see his team grow because of knowledge, alternating rhythms and patience. Understanding each of these factors is a lot for one person to take on; however, exercising them will benefit not only the players, but the coach as well. Since the coach is able to care for all of the players, he has the ability to learn from he players by taking his experiences to help grow as a successful coach.