SNiCK - TechXcursions: Coaching with Mindsets in Mind

Coaching Lessons Learned . . . on Court

I have been a Tech Coach in title since 2009, but I have been in an integration/mentor/tech PD role in one way or another, for over 20 years. In my current role as a full time coach I have been studying and reflecting upon cognitive coaching practices, models for tech integration, how to foster innovation and how to affect positive change in a school's culture. Carol Dweck's research into Mindsets has really hooked me, and has led me to think about my own real life experiences working with and changing students mindset. A few details in Dweck's book particularly intrigued me, particularly about screening for mindset and being able to put someone into a Growth or Fixed Mindset . . . which got me thinking about if I had personal examples from my own experience.

So let me tell you about some concrete examples and the lessons learned which can be directly applied in the classroom, but which came from a different coaching role . . . as head coach of the Western Academy of Beijing Varsity Badminton Team.

Example #1

In my first year at WAB, I started a badminton club which met at 7:00 in the morning once a week as that was the only gym time we could get. We were not a priority at all - some mornings we would arrive and could not use the gym, other mornings we would show up and play without a court or even a net. At the time, badminton was considered a purely recreational sport within the school, even though it is the national sport of our host country. But that didn't deter the students who came out to play, who ranged from grades 6-9 - they all just wanted to play and learn. When the first high school ACAMIS badminton tournament came up in the spring, the club quickly changed into a school team . . . they all wanted to compete . . . even against much older and experienced students! WAB only went up to G10 that year and my players ranged from G5-9, but we were going to compete against high school teams with players in G9-12 from across China.

So we got organized and started practicing specifically for the different tournament events. But the rules got changed less than two weeks before the tournament, and we suddenly had to field a mixed doubles pairing. We hadn't been playing any mixed doubles, so I had to get this figured out quickly. I took my strongest boys singles player Dom, and then selected a grade 6 girl Hannah, who had a "no fear" attitude and an eagerness to learn, to form our mixed doubles pairing. I think we only got in three practices with them playing together, learning how to move as a team with the female player controlling the net. When we went to the tournament, none of the other mixed teams were playing proper mixed doubles style and they could not handle Hannah controlling the net on every point. Dom was already a very fluid and skilled player, but Hannah had to learn everything about playing mixed style and how to play the net, in a very short period of time. They dominated the mixed doubles event, were beautiful to watch, went undefeated and were the talk of the tournament. Nobody could believe that they were in G6 & 9, and had only been playing together for two weeks.

Lesson Learned - Someone with a growth mindset can be moved to do incredible things in a short period of time with hard work, perseverance and a fearless attitude - all signs of a Growth Mindset. And Dweck is right - you can screen people for their mindset to select those who are Growth minded, if you know what to look for.

Hannah is in the back left, and Dom is front and center holding their Mixed Doubles Championship trophy - Go Tigers!

Example #2

Fast forward a few years to the HS badminton team tryouts. In walks Mike, a new grade 9 student who has come from a private school in Canada that I know. Mike has a swagger to him, and proceeds to warm up by hitting birds as hard as he could, to show off his prowess and superior skill. He had been the best badminton player for years at his previous school - nobody could touch him on court because he had too much power. But I could see a flaw - for all of his power and smooth strokes, he had poor footwork which hampered his game. I asked him to hit overhead clears from baseline to baseline which he tried to do, but did not have the power. He had never had to make such a shot before, as nobody else could hit it that deep on him. But he wasn't in Kansas (or Vancouver) anymore, he was in China!

My approach was simple - I had to first establish a coaching relationship with him in order to break through his shell of bravado. To jumpstart this process, I appealed to his obvious love of power. I enticed him with a simple offer/challenge - that I could get him the last 2 meters of distance on his clears in under 5 minutes. After a moments consideration, he took me up on the challenge. With some simple coaching on his body positioning and footwork, he started generating more power from his legs and hips. Pop, pop, pop - he was now hitting the full length of the court. In about 2 minutes flat, Mike had changed to become a very coachable player and an important part of the team.

Lesson Learned - As Dweck says, you can shift someone from a Fixed to a Growth mindset just by talking to them, and framing things in ways which engages them in learning. It's all about making connections, building a relationship, and then finding the right hook/challenge/opportunity to draw them in. The moment you have them, is the moment their mindset changed.

China Cup Junior Varsity Championship Team showing off their hardware - Mike is second from the right in the back row

Example #3

What do you get when you put two precocious, bright, MS BFFs on court together? Either a total disaster or a team with great unrealized potential. Liz and Monica always wanted to play doubles together since that first year with the club. At first, they were not complimentary players and were not very good together - all talk and goofing around (after all, they were and still are BFFs). But over the 5 years playing together they grew stronger as players and teammates, and became my #1 girls doubles pairing.

One year, we hosted the ACAMIS tournament in Beijing, but finished second to Suzhou - we were close but outclassed in a few areas including girls doubles. The following year, Liz and Mon lost to the same Suzhou team in the round robin, which bumped them to second place in the girls doubles event. In the team championships, we were again playing against Suzhou, and girls doubles went so long that it ended up being the deciding match. Going into that match, Liz and Mon had not ever beaten their rivals. Rather than delivering a stirring, "let's get pumped up speech" (I'm not that kind of coach), we found a quiet place to talk about their game plan and strategy. One thing that I love about badminton is that it is a cerebral sport, where you can outwit your opponent and think your way through a match.

The championship deciding match drew a huge crowd as they were on court for so long. It was full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and changes in the lead. Suzhou came out strong and won the first game of the best out of three match. Liz and Mon scrapped and fought to win the second game to tie the match, but fell behind in the third and deciding game. They dug deep, leaned on each other, clawed to get to a final game tiebreaker, and to eventually win our first of many ACAMIS team championships. What was I the most proud of? That they thought their way through the match, adapting and changing their game plan as needed to win it in the end. They talked and communicated on court throughout, and we adjusted to their opponents game during the coaching breaks.

Lesson Learned - Having a growth mindset means learning from your losses, moving forward, and trying again. Celebrate your failures, don't mourn them. Learn from them, rather than make excuses. And having supportive peers around you can make all of the difference. A growth minded team is much stronger than the sum of its parts, and will take you beyond your setbacks, losses and failures.