The power to change and thrive through rugby: a visit to Turn-Over
Peter van Paassen
Talent Development, Lecturer, NBA color commentator/analyst, Consultant
A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Joeri Peperkamp through?the ever-expanding network of the Sports Leadership Institute where I spoke at a session about Talent Identification & Development. Joeri founded Turn-Over, an organization that leverages the values of rugby in helping youth who have gone through the juvenile judicial system to find their path as contributing members of society. ?
After my session, Joeri and I discussed the differences and similarities between working in high performance sports and juvenile support. Even though there are clear differences, we were both intrigued by the overlap. Conversations continued and on January 22nd, I led a session about Talent Development during Turn-Over ’s team day. My role was to teach, but I was also looking to learn. How do coaches and counselors connect with the youngsters in their groups? How and when?to engage their formal and informal support systems? How can you convince someone of their potential and paint a vision for the future worth striving for, and how can you break that down into smaller, actionable steps?
While I was engaging with Turn-Over's coaches and counselors from various regions, I was struck by their level of patience, empathy and resourcefulness: all for the benefit of the young people they were helping.
As the afternoon progressed, I realized that I was taking notes that could help me as a talent coach. Things like teaching adolescents how to acknowledge their emotions, fostering a group culture and overcoming obstacles: apparently there are some principles that apply in any setting where people are looking to better themselves, not just in sports.
I am used to pondering these questions in a high-performance sports setting but now got to discuss them from the perspective of youth intervention services. This fresh perspective triggered my mind and upon reflecting on the experience, I came away with a few thoughts:
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-???????Tapping into the intrinsic values of rugby to tackle (pun intended) a societal challenge and develop character and competencies has been a brilliant move. I do not have a full overview, but a great example of similar approach is 3X3 UNITES where they connect and empower people through the core elements of 3X3 basketball. I am aware of a number of martial arts-based initiatives that strive to do the same. Which team sport should and will be next in taking the key aspects and applying them to the greater societal good?
-?????????Those who are immersed in high performance sports have a tendency to believe that other life domains can and probably should learn from sports. While this is not wrong, the additional attitude should be that (high performance) sport can and should learn from other domains. I propose that Turn-Over is a good place to start: any aspiring elite sports coach will learn from the way their counselors work with youngsters. Should working with disadvantaged youth be a fixed component of any advanced coaching course?
-?????????Moreover, as a big believer in the aphorism “When you teach, you learn,” I suspect that any (aspiring) elite athlete can learn from tapping into the core values of their sports and use them to help peers develop essential life skills. So anytime a talented athlete has the opportunity to teach young kids about their sport through clinics or other types of coaching, it will enhance their understanding of their own sport and make them better at it. Some elite sports programs have elements of this incorporated and call it “community outreach”. This would indicate that this is separate from the talent development program. Why not send a signal that these things will help you develop as an athlete and simply call it “training”? ??
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on these matters. Let’s continue the conversation!
Next up on Wednesday: Salamanca (NY) High: multisport Warriors and off the court decision making
HPE Lecturer, Coach, Coach Educator, Presenter of Practical Confidence-Building Pedagogies
2 周Having coached rugby for many years, I think it's a really interesting area you're looking at. Have you checked out the Toronto Inner-city Rugby Foundation programme? Worth looking into the reasons they chose rugby as their vehicle to help inner-city youth. Great story. I've just finished writing a research article exploring what features coaches saw that were unique to rugby that contributed to players developing life skills. According to the coaches, the physical and emotional challenges of the game plus the culture and traditional etiquette imbued in it are vital to players developing positive qualities. Best of luck to Turn Over.
Voluntary Assistant Coach @Atalanta For Special // Intern @Soccer Camps United
1 个月Very interesting thoughts. How to convince somebody of their potential? I would say treat them according to their potential, rather than according to who they currently are. When we love people for who they could be and treat them as such, we encourage them to develop more into that version of themselves. It may also be the most empathetic way to demand high standards from somebody else. As coaches, we must understand that not everybody's potential manifests in the same way. Therefor, I have my reservations about your point of potentially including work with disadvantaged youth into every advanced coaching course. Why? Because those things only guarantee a positive outcome when one gets involved voluntarily. I believe an act of service can be part of every coaching course, but one needs to be able to chose a specific path. For example, I work with people who have a disability and it is not only a great joy, but it surely makes me a better coach and person. However, other people may have a different driving factor that allows them to unlock their true potential. Disabled people? (Ex-)Prisoners? 3rd world youth? Refugees? Cancer patients? You name it.