A Friend Who Coaches Mini-Basketball

Every week, I play basketball with my high school classmates.
It lasts for about two hours.
I think we've been doing this for over ten years now.
A high school classmate takes the lead, and enough people show up every time to play a game.
Even as we approach 50, everyone runs with all their might and laughs with all their heart.
This time is a very important way for me to refresh myself.

That classmate of mine coaches mini-basketball (basketball for elementary school students).

I am in a position to teach snowboarding.
He is in a position to teach basketball.
Although the sports are different, we share the common ground of "teaching."
That is why talking to him is truly educational.

The job of teaching cannot be sustained by technical skill alone.
The most necessary thing isthe ability to communicate.
Being able to do something yourself and being able to convey it to others are completely different things.
No matter how skilled you are, if the other person cannot understand, you haven't communicated it.
Conversely, sometimes just changing your words slightly can lead to instant understanding.
I believe that teaching is not about having the technique, but about being able to translate it into a form that can be understood.

However, there are things that are difficult to convey with words alone.
That is why you demonstrate it in practice.
This is also an important way of teaching.
"Do it like this."
There are many things that are faster to learn by seeing once than by hearing that one phrase.

However, there was an interesting point here as well.
Even when professional athletes or adults show a demonstration, it can be difficult for elementary school students to visualize.
Their physiques are different.
Their muscle strength is different.
Their speed is different.
Therefore, it is often easier for them to understand when a child of similar height and build serves as the model.

This was a very fresh perspective for me.

That is why practice games have great value.
The goal is not just to win the game.
It is to watch the skilled players on the opposing team.
It is to watch the movements of peers.
"Oh, there's that kind of movement too."
There are many real-life discoveries.

Children naturally absorb things that cannot be fully conveyed in words.
It is not just the coach who teaches.
Rivals also become teachers.
I thought that way of thinking was very interesting.

I feel the same way about snowboarding.
Lessons are not the only form of learning.
The people you ride with.
The athletes you see in competitions.
Videos on YouTube.
By watching how various people ride, you can encounter ideas you didn't have yourself.
That is why I believe that "watching" is also a form of practice.

Even though the sports are different, the essence of the job of "teaching" is very similar.
Thinking from the other person's perspective.
Choosing words that will be understood.
Showing a demonstration if necessary.
And when words are not enough, using the environment itself as a teaching tool.

While listening to such stories, I felt that I still have a lot to learn myself.
Teaching sports to elementary school students.
That is a job of nurturing the future.
I believe he is truly aprofessional communicator.

This was Rei Aoki, the demon of verbalization.