Sunday, November 26, 2023

Basketball: Metaskills

Deep education teaches us to think better to improve our decision-making.

That involves upper level skills or metaskills.

Consider an analogy of "keystone habits" from James Clear in Atomic Habits. Keystone habits are habits that help us with other habits. Discipline, persistence, and time management matter in all areas. 

Without the ability to concentrate, learn, and solve problems, players can't become their best. 

Begin with an AI (ChatGPT) overview:

Metaskills refer to a set of higher-order abilities or skills that enable individuals to learn, adapt, and effectively utilize other skills across various domains or situations. They are like the "skills about skills" that allow you to approach learning and problem-solving in a more versatile and efficient way.

Here are some key metaskills:

  1. Learning How to Learn: This involves understanding various learning styles, strategies, and methods to acquire new skills efficiently.

  2. Critical Thinking: The ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information to make reasoned judgments or decisions. It involves questioning assumptions and considering multiple perspectives.

  3. Creativity: The capacity to generate novel ideas, solutions, or approaches by thinking divergently, exploring possibilities, and combining unrelated concepts.

  4. Adaptability: Being flexible and able to adjust to changing circumstances, learning from experience, and being resilient in the face of challenges.

  5. Problem-Solving: The capability to identify, define, and solve complex problems by employing systematic approaches, logic, and creativity.

  6. Communication: Effectively conveying ideas, thoughts, or information through various mediums and adapting communication style based on the audience or situation.

  7. Collaboration: Working effectively with others, understanding team dynamics, and contributing positively to achieve common goals.

  8. Self-Management: Being aware of one's emotions, motivations, and behaviors, and regulating them to maintain focus, motivation, and productivity.

Metaskills are not specific to any particular subject or field but are transferable across different areas. They're crucial in a rapidly changing world where the ability to learn, adapt, and apply knowledge effectively is highly valuable. Developing these metaskills can enhance personal and professional growth, making individuals more adaptable and capable of thriving in diverse environments. 

The metaskills list above challenges anyone. Can we distill the list to something more palatable?


Cross-reference the platform of metaskills to individual and team development 'musts' -

Skill - Experimentation, learning, deep practice

Strategy - Group problem solving and innovation

Physicality - Practice, self-awareness

Psychology - Resilience (mental toughness), Empathy, Persistence, Sportsmanship

Share examples. 

1) Work. An older patient arrives hard of hearing without hearing aids. I could yell or put my stethoscope earpieces in the patient's ears and talk into the diaphragm (the part that goes on the chest). 

2) Don't have a low jumpbox? Bind newspapers with duct tape. Opaque plastic milk cartons holding water become 'cones'. 

3) No equipment? You don't need expensive equipment to do pogo jumps. 


4) Spacing. The three-point line is your spacing line. 

5) Wake-up call. Former OSU football coach Urban Meyer talked about 'crossing the red line'. When players cross the field boundary, they're expected to be fired up and ready to go. 

6) Multiple actions. Players hear, "great offense is multiple actions." Give players conceptual tools. 
  • A game of "passing and cutting..." 
  • "The screener is the second cutter..."
  • "Offensive rebounding means anticipation and aggression." 
7) Similar and different. Run the same actions from different formations. Run different actions from the same formations, such as the many actions out of horns or Iverson cuts. 

Lagniappe. We make our habits and our habits make us. 

Lagniappe 2. Spacing is important but not sufficient. 

 

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