26 | squeeze first, ask questions last

I recently came across a description of songwriting from Robyn Hitchcock that I would argue equally applies to movement.

"For me, a song is there to be sung first, and maybe analysed afterwards. One of the joys of songwriting is not to know exactly what you're writing about: your unconscious mind - if you let it - will throw various shapes onto the paper or into the air. Rather like a hand of cards or any other form of divination, what your mind sends your way is there to be interpreted later. To me, the strands in any one song are complex and often too opaque to fathom, and if they are that way, they're all the more likely to contain truths that cannot be precisely dissected and explained."

To translate his sentiments to movement: move first, and (maybe) analyze later. This is both great advice and a warning. It prioritizes moving - as opposed to thinking - as the best way to discover athletic solutions and highlights the optional, and perhaps unnecessary, role of analysis. Analysis is like cutlery. It makes for a cleaner meal but you don’t really need it to eat!

As athletes or coaches, it can be tempting to work in the reverse order. Coaches may think that analyzing a skilled player and then attempting to teach the results of the analysis to the unskilled makes perfect sense. In truth, it is logical. It makes sense. But skilled human movement, like songwriting, isn’t a purely intellectual act. It isn’t even primarily an intellectual act. Logic and sense have a place, but may limit creativity. Analysis may produce technical insights, but those often produce technical instructions about what to do with individual body parts. If the goal is to perform with a relaxed body and clear mind, analysis isn’t usually your friend. Additionally, technique is not a cause as much as it is an effect. It is what emerges in the moment to meet the demands of a movement problem. Any effort to make it the cause rather than the effect is akin to writing a song by starting with the meaning. It can be done, but usually not as well as when you work in the opposite order.

citation

Aytekin Alpullu & Sinan Bozkurt. 2018. The effects of differential learning trainings on technical development of basketball school players. European Journal of Education Studies, 5(5), 72-79.

summary

In this study, the researchers examined the effect of differential learning on the basketball skills of 10-12 year olds (n = 23) from the Under 13 basketball school of Instanbul Marmara University. The design involved a pre-test and an 8-week training intervention that consisted of two, 10-15 minute training sessions per week using a differential learning approach. Differential learning, created by Dr. Wolfgang Schöllhorn, is characterized not by attempting to repeat a stable technique, but instead by letting individuals discover their own solutions through exploration and variation. In other words, learners are encouraged to actively explore different ways to produce the same movement outcome rather than simply try to repeat some “ideal technique.” In this study, the differential approach produced significant improvement from pre- to post-test for all four targeted skill areas.

potential translations to sport

This study is just one in a growing body of literature around the value of the differential approach. What I love most about this approach is that it relieves a coach from having to have the answer. In fact, according to the theory, a singular answer likely doesn’t exist. Rather than attempting to teach athletes a perfect, repeatable technique, coaches can instead help athletes explore a range of solutions that will help them (1) find the most stable movement solutions for them individually and (2) prepare for the variations that will inevitably emerge in competition. I also love this approach from the mental game perspective, as it frees athletes to think of solutions along a continuum rather than as singular. It is the difference between walking a tightrope or running on a highway!

Want to give this a shot personally or with a team? Shoot me a message!

John Daly is an American professional golfer who may be known as much for his off-course behavior as for his two major championships: the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship. He made a splash as a young pro for his long drives and improbable win at the PGA Championship. Since that time, he has gained notoriety for his persona as much as his performance. As a musician, Daly has released multiple albums and has performed alongside such greats as Willie Nelson and Darius Rucker (or, to people in my generation, Hootie). He has also performed with Kid Rock. Check out his take on a Bob Dylan classic below. And if you want to check out his acting chops, check out Daly as himself in Happy Gilmore 2.

I turn to the Ghostface Killah for this issue because he is on the record admitting that, on some of his songs, he doesn’t even know he meant! Feels about right for the spirit of this issue. 

"When I was rhyming on ‘Nutmeg’ and ‘One on Supreme Clientele, I made a style that I couldn’t even tell what it was. I just wanted to use some words that sounded good with each other and everybody’s trying to decipher what I mean when, really, I don’t even know what it means because I had no beat. But something said, Make a record. Write a verse real quick just putting words together, whether they mean something or not. Just put them together. That’s what I did with ‘Nutmeg’ and ‘One.’"

So here are a few lines from one of the tracks he referenced. What do they mean? Who gives a sh*# when they sound this awesome!

Hit Poughkepsie crispy chicken verbs throw up a stone richie
Chop the O, sprinkle a lil' snow inside a Optimo
Swing the John McEnroe, rap rock'n'roll
Tidy Bowl, gung-ho pro, Starsky with the gumsole

Hit the rump slow, parole kids, live Rapunzel
But Ton' stizzy really high, the vivid laser eye guide
Jump in the Harley ride, Clarks I freak a lemon pie
I'm bout it, bout it, Lord forgive me, Ms. Sally shouted

ghostface killah NUTMEG

I turn the spotlight on Alex Lewis for this issue and his Feels Like Home Substack, which he describes as “a place for me to share my writings about things I love & the people and moments that have shaped me.” Alex is an accomplished writer of essays about sports, music, books, and culture. So far, he has not disappointed with any of the work I have digested. And he made an appearance at the last chordinnate album club, which automatically makes him one of my favorite people on earth. 

In his recent article on musical artist Dijon, he makes some great points about pace and the pressure to produce. I see a lot of overlap with sport, where the impulse to fight harder or go faster is often counter to what would truly help performance: relaxation.

Check out Alex’s work; you won’t be sorry!

For this issue, I didn’t create a playlist or record a radio show version. In truth, I was struggling to produce a complementary theme for the issue. I had several thoughts - and even started several playlists - but each attempt felt like overthinking, which seemed inconsistent with the issue’s thesis! Eventually, an idea emerged, but it was one that required crowdsourcing. 

So I will leave you with questions rather than a playlist: 

What song or songs have you spent the most time analyzing, or perhaps over-analyzing? 

What song or songs do you think have prompted the most analysis (or over-analysis)?

What song or songs do you think are truly worthy of in-depth analysis?

Message me with your answers and I will work to put together an issue mixtape. You can help me travel back in time to my youth, where music was discovered via terrestrial radio, preserved via cassette recording, and shared via hand-to-hand exchange!