Friday, May 23, 2014

Blog 22 Senior Reflection

(1) Positive Statement
I am most proud of completing  my block presentation and doing it well. I was afraid I would be unable to make the time, but I ended up doing so and I talked for almost ten minutes after I had made the time. I am also very proud that I was able to give my information without any errors or mishaps. I delivered the information well and I had a lot of information to talk about.

(2) Questions to Consider
a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE    I chose this assessment because I made my time and I provided background on my answers, examples, and I cited plenty of sources. My activity involved everyone and it was based on my best answer and we talked about how it related. I engaged the audience with a hook activity and it was related to my overall topic. I referenced published sources, and I cited examples by using research to help back up my answers. I felt that I have done enough and met the requirements in order to receive the grade I have put down.

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE/P+    I chose this because everything was turned in on time and for all of the projects that were done I met the requirements needed in order to receive the grade I have put down.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
What worked best during my senior project was my ability to find research and apply the knowledge I have learned. I found a book that provided me with a lot of information and I was able to take two online classes. By reading this book and taking these classes I was able to take that knowledge and use it during my mentorship in order to better my experience and make myself a better coach. With the information I have learned I was also able to talk about it during my block presentation and I was able to provide examples from my own experience because I was able to apply that knowledge and get the hands on experience needed. Having this experience made it easier for me to talk during my presentation because I was able to bring up examples and actually provide knowledge I had learned myself.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
If I had a chance to go back in time the only thing I would have done differently would have been the 30 minute presentation. I did not prepare properly enough and I was not happy with the results. I was not ready and I talked to fast which kept me from reaching the time that I needed. This is the only thing I felt that went wrong everything else worked and was executed very well.

(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
The senior project has been helpful to me because I now know that I can be an effective leader and communicator. Doing the mentorship and presentations I am comfortable speaking in front of crowds and I now know that I can step up in situations that require a leader. The senior project has helped me to become a leader and has made me a better person in finding research and backing up that research with examples.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Blog 21: Mentorship

Literal:
Log of Hours: 74 Hours 45 Minutes
Contact: Ron Martinez, American Youth Soccer Organization Region 602 Covina

Interpretive:
The most important thing that I have gained from this experience has been the ability to be comfortable leading a group of people by myself. As a coach I had to be able to talk to others and give instructions without acting nervous. If I were to seem nervous I would not be taken seriously and my instructions would not be heard. This was also very important because I could apply this experience to my work in school. Being able to present in front of others is very important this year, and I got much needed experience because of my mentor ship. In order to be a successful coach you must be able to take initiative and be responsible. This is why I feel that learning to be more comfortable was very important during my mentor ship  because I had to take initiative with the team and showed them that I was a serious coach who wanted them to learn.

Applied:
During my mentor ship I had to find ways to help answer my Essential Question and it was hard at first but I finally found out a good way to find answers. My mentorship helped me answer my EQ because I was able to apply the knowledge I had learned from research and use it on the team that I was coaching. Throughout my research I was finding answers but in order to make sure that they were effective I had to use them on a soccer team to see if they worked. This is how my mentorship helped me to answer my EQ.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Talent

When ever I watch soccer games I tend to notice who has the greater skills then others. This past weekend I went to a soccer game that my mentor was coaching and he tasked me with noticing who has greater talent then others and why I think that. Once the game was over I told him my thoughts and he agreed with me but he then asked me why I thought that way. I told him that it all steamed from their past coaching experiences. We both agreed and he told me that he agreed and we began discussing that it was all about how the coaches taught their teams. A team is only as good as their coach and if the coach is not doing his job properly his teams performance will reflect poorly.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Blog 20: Exit Interview

Content
(1) My Essential Question is how can a U-16 Soccer best help his team have a winning season? My answer 1 is, A U-16 soccer coach can best help his team have a winning season by having a vision that is consistently reinforced and applied. My second answer is, A U-16 soccer coach can best help his team have a winning season by identifying each players strengths and weaknesses through the use of drills. My third answer is, A U-16 Soccer coach can best help his team have a winning season by having an assistant coach on whom they can rely on to run practices, make team decisions, and provide useful input on how to better the team. My best answer is my first answer which is having a vision that is consistently reinforced and applied. The first answer that I have is better than the other answers because it provides a wide range of discussion, while the other two answers are very specific and do not have as much information to discuss on as the first answer. My first answer is worthy of being the best answer because it clearly demonstrates what a coach should want in his team, and it could not only apply to soccer but to all sports, and a persons life.

(2) When I came to my first answer I was reading Coaching the Mental Game by H.A. Dorfman for my research checks. It talked about having goals and how a team should follow goals set by the coach. I felt that having a goal wasn't enough so I looked up different types of goals and what it meant to have a goal. I then found an article that was an excerpt from Phil Jackson's book on coaching. It talked about how having a team vision can lead a team to success. As I started my independent component 1 I wanted to understand what a coach is thinking of during games and how to run practices. This is when I realized that it would be a good time to use my first answer in a real life situation. I asked my mentor Ron Martinez what he thought about a team having a vision and he agreed that it is very important to having a successful team because it provides teams with a focus and a principle to follow. I then came up with a vision for the team to use, the vision was the team needs to make the 2nd round of the playoffs. Throughout my independent component and beyond that leading into mentorship I reminded the team of the vision and they followed it. They were able to make it to the playoffs but loss in the first round. After seeing my answer in action I was able to determine that it was my best answer. In order to further my belief that it was my best answer I focused my ESA on my first answer and I found that in a study done by the Auburn sports Psychology department 54.55% of athletes agreed withe the expectations and goals set forth by the coach. This led me to believe that it was my best answer because I had enough evidence and information tio show that having a vision can help a team be successful.

(3) One of the problems that I have faced during my senior project has been finding quality research. From the start of the year I was unable to find quality research and I was worried I would be unable to find the sources I needed to create answers. I then asked my mentor Ron Martinez what I should do, and he suggested that I look for a book that focused on coaching. That is when i found Coaching the Mental Game by H.A. Dorfman. The book was able to help me find answers and give me great background info on the answers. Another problem that I faced during my senior project was finding something to do my second independent component on. In order to complete 30 hours I wanted to make sure that I was doing something that could help me solidify my answers. I then thought about taking a coaching class but I did not meet the age requirement so I was able to sit in on a class that new coaches were taking. After taking the class I was unable to find background info on my answers so I then talked to my interviewer for my 3rd interview Robin Cruz. He suggested since I couldn't take a class in person that I should take an online class. This helped me out very much because it provided me with alot of background info and I was able to learn info that coaches learn when they first begin.

(4) The first significant source that I used to answer my essential question was the book Coaching the Mental Game by H.A. Dorfman. This was a significant source because it not only provided me with my best answer but it gave me background info on other answers. It also provided me with examples on how professional coaches have handled situations and what we can do to be better coaches. Another significant source is my mentorship with Ron Martinez. My mentor has been coaching at AYSO for over 12 years and has won multiple championships. This was an important source because I was able to use my answers in a real life situation. i was able to coach a team during practices, and scrimmages. this was important because I got to see a great coach do what he knows and I was able to get hands on experience.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Literal
(a) I Ronnie Martinez affirm that I have completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

(b) The source that I used often throughout my independent component was my 3rd and 4th interviews, my mentor, and I was taking two online courses with the United States Youth Soccer Organization.

(d) I completed my 30 hours of work of by helping to coach my mentors U16 girls team during scrimmages and practices. I then completed two online courses for the United States Youth Soccer organization. The courses were about coaching soccer and how to handle soccer teams.

Interpretive

When I started my component I wanted to make sure that I was doing something that helped me to find answers, and apply those answers by actually coaching. To start off my component I began by coaching a U16 girls team. I was able to coach two scrimmage games the first one the score was 1-1 and the second game the score was 2-1. Being able to coach was a great experience because I was able to apply the teachings I have learned such as running drills to find athletes strengths and weaknesses, and motivating kids by having a team vision.I wanted to learn more about the ideas and principles of coaching so I decided to take two online courses on soccer coaching and running a team effectively. The first online course was one major part and it had two quizzes and a test at the end. The second course was made up of 6 chapters and each one had a quiz and then a final test at the end.



These are the two certificates I received for completing my two online courses for soccer coaching.


Applied
The component helped answer my EQ because I was able to apply the knowledge I have learned throughout the year by coaching a soccer team and by taking courses based on the knowledge I have learned. During my coaching experience I was able to apply my first answer of having a vision to what I was doing. I explained to the team of what having a vision meant and they took what I told them and applied it to their practices. During practices they were focused on reaching the goals that I had set for them and they were determined to help me answer my EQ.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Assistance

Last weekend I went to a tournament that my mentor was coaching his team at and I saw something that interested me. We were late to the tournament in the morning so he wasn't able to get there in time and warm up the girls the way he wanted to so he was hoping that his assistant would be able to pick up the work and warm the girls up without him having to be there. to his disappointment we arrived and saw that the girls were standing around and talking while the assistant was talking to one of the parents. During the game you could tell that the girls were not ready to play and it showed because they had not been warmed up on time and effectively.  This reminded me of two things, first from my independent component 1 I remember that my teams coach picked the right assistant because when he wasn't at practice his assistant was able to run practice just as if the coach had been there himself. The second was from my research when reading my book coaching the mental game by H.A. Dorfman, I read that having a good assistant can help your team build better chemistry and can help relieve some of the stress off of the coach.
                                                        Tournament in Rowland Heights

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Blog 18

Content:
EQ: How can a U-16 Soccer Coach best help his team have a winning season?

Answer 3: A U-16 soccer coach can best help his team have a winning season by having an assistants coach whom they can rely on to run practices, make team decisions, and provide useful input on how to better the team.

Support: An important element to coaching is having an assistant who is able to run practices when you are not there. According to coaching the mental game assistant coaches are supposed to be able to keep practices productive even if it is something that you may have not taught to the team as long as it is useful then they are correctly doing the job that you brought them along to do.

Support:Coaches on certain occasions need to be able to decide who is going to play and or what needs to be done in order to help the team win. assistant coaches can provide assistance because they can have previous knowledge and or experience that can help you make a more well informed decision.

Support: assistant coaches bring knowledge, expertise and techniques that can help provide dpth, insight and even varity to a team that can use an extra boost.

Research source: Coaching the mental Game by H.A. Dorfman


Concluding Sentence: A U-16 soccer coach can best help his team have a winning season by having an assistant coach that provides expertise, consistency, diversity, and reliability.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

Content:
  1. How do you get an athlete to do more than they think they can when it comes to their skill level?
  2. How do you keep the game in perspective and not focus on just one game?
  3. How do you find each kids individual talent?
  4. When it comes to kids losing interest how do you motivate them? 
  5. How do you stop an athletes ego self worth from getting in the way?
  6. In what ways is consistencey important in coaching your team?
  7. When is keeping composure important?
  8. How can a coach teach technique breakdown to struggling kids?
  9. What can count as a reasonable goal for a coach to acheive?
  10. What drills help a child learn to become a leader?
  11. How does dedication bring a team together?
  12. What does a coaches body language do to the way his team plays?
  13. How does a coach handle pressure under stressful situations?
  14. After losing a big game how do you handle the teams emotions?
  15. What advantages does a coach have when the season starts?
  16. How qualities should a coach make his team represent?
  17. Why should coaches demand respect?
  18. What life lessons help your kids learn?
  19. How does positivism affect a team?
  20. How tolerant should a coach be?

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Blog 16 Advisory Meeting #2

Content:  
EQ: How can a U-16 Soccer Coach best help his team have a winning season?
Answer:  A coach can best help his team have a winning season by identifying each players strengths and weaknesses through the use of drills.
 Support:  
  • Coaching the Mental Game ( Book) I found in this book that by giving each child a goal they are then able to work on that goal during practices and you can then see what else needs to be worked on. By  telling a child they need to work on shooting you can then have them strengthen that area and then you can move onto another goal.
  • What Motivates Athletes ( Article ) If a kid is struggling have them lower their goals to match their efforts or raise their efforts to match their goals. If a kid can not dribble correctly have them focus on one aspect of dribbling then have them work their way up.
  • What makes a good coach ( Article ) Coaches should have a basic understanding that each athlete is different, these coaches take the time to get to know the individual player. A coach should ask their players how they feel about the way they play and what they think they should work on. 
Conclusion: 
In order to successfully lead a team a coach must get to know his players and the way they play in order to better understand how to coach the team.

 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Blog 15 Independent Component 2 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you want to do for your 30 Hours?

For my 30 hours for independent component I plan on taking a coaching course and actually coaching during practices and hopefully during games. I want to take the class to actually become a certified coach so I can coach during games. By actually coaching I hope to find answers for my EQ.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to provide 30 hours of evidence.

For evidence I will plan on showing my coaching certificate that i recieve from taking the class and I plan to have pictures of me coaching during games in order to provide evidence that I have completed 30 hours of work.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

By taking a class I hope to be taught new things on coaching and I hope that it provides me with answers and gives me examples of good coaching. By coaching the team I hope to find evidence on how the players react to certain coaching strategies that can help lead me to answers. 

4. Post log of Independent Component 2 Log

Blog 13 Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

I am most proud of the content that I presented because I felt that the people understood it and it really helped me back up my first answer. I am glad I used the research because that gave me better ways to explain my answer and actually give examples

2. Questions to Consider

I would give myself a P-/AP+ because my content was very good as was the activity but my poster was not and I feel as if I rushed my info when I could have slowed down and focused more on details that I had left to talk about. I also did not end my presentation very well when I should have ended it in a different way.

3. What worked for you in Lesson 2?

What worked in my presentation was the activities I had because they really helped people understand my answer and they were simple for people to know what to do.

4. What didn't work?

I felt that I rushed my info when I could have slowed down and gone more in depth about the details in my answer. I would also fix my PowerPoint and the poster I had because they were not well done and they could have been presented better.

5. What do you think your answer 2 will be?

I think my answer 2 will be on dedication.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Blog 14 Independent Component 1

  • Literal   (a) I, Ronnie Martinez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.   
                      (b) I used Coaching The Mental Game(book) and I played soccer for Covina AYSO, I also was a referee at the league.
                      (c) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsdWNjbSwve3dENZdTNpaDlfbGRwY0x0RkNyUEQ4YVE#gid=0  Spreadsheet of Hours
                      (d) During my independent component I wanted to accomplish two things learn what exactly a coach thinks of when his team is playing and how to handle practice. I accomplished those things because during my readings I saw that coaches need to keep composure during practice and they need to have a goal on accomplishing one thing during each practice. I also learned that coaches making changes mid game helps make the team stronger. I learned this while playing on my soccer team and by reffing games for other divisions.
  • Interpretive 
                      (a) My work during independent component included playing on my soccer team, reading articles, and reffing games. Playing for my team was significant because it helped me to understand how coaches work during games. I asked questions and even got to help make decisions on what the teams next move should be. By reffing I was able to asses different players attributes and what I would do as a coach. Reffing was significant because being able to ref with my mentor gives us the ability to discuss how teams play and coaching styles that we see as good or bad.

Below are pictures from practices and games that I went to with my mentor
  • Applied
                 (a) This component helped me because it helped justify my first answer to my EQ by showing that having a vision in practices and games really does help. the component also helped me better understand my foundation better because it helped me get a better idea on how coaches think during game situations and even how they react. When I was playing for my team I attended practices up to 3 times a week and played one to two games per week. During games I played midfield and I was then asking my coach to be subbed out at least twice to ask the coach questions about some decisions he would make such as players fitness levels and how the team was doing in general. Playing in games helped me to better see what my coach was doing right when we were winning and what wasn't working when we were losing, so this better helped me to answer my EQ by giving me examples on what decisions coaches make mid game.  When I was reffing games I chose games that would be easy for me to evaluate how coaches reacted during games when calls were made. I chose games based on division and the teams overall wins to show what the coach was doing right in order to be successful.Reffing games helped me with my EQ because I got to see how the players were reacting to what the coaches were saying. Reading my book was very helpful because it provided examples of coaches who have found success by using techniques in the book.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Coaching Behavior

I noticed something the other day while I was watching my friends sisters game. I noticed that the coach was constantly telling the girls to spread out and move the ball. Every time that he said that though the girls never understood what that statement meant they just continued to run around in circles. Then i thought of something that I saw in my research on coaching philosophy and that was that if a coach isn't consistent in his teachings the players will not listen and or retain the knowledge. Seeing this I could tell that he hadn't practiced these techniques with the girls yet. I wanted to say something but I knew it wasn't my place so when I coach a team I know what it means to reinforce teachings.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

10 Questions to ask an Expert

1. How can a soccer coach lead his U-16 and or U-19 team to a successful season and still be a great leader?
2. What qualities make a coach a great leader?
3. Is being successful important to having a great season?
4. After losing a a few games in a row what are things you need to tell your team to get them back on track?
5.What do coaches have to do to control the parents who question their leadership?
6. I read that having patience is an important quality in coaching, what makes patience so valuable?
7. When certain kids have different skill levels what is most important to manage those kids in one environment?
8. Who is an example of a great coach and what makes them so?
9. When a tough team is the next team you are facing what are some ways you need to prepare to ensure a win?
10. How can a coach control players who are detrimental to the teams performance?

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Blog 11 Mentorship 10 Hours Check

1. Where are you doing your Mentorship

     Ayso Region 602 Covina

2. Who is your Contact

     Ron Martinez

3. How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?  

    As of November 9 I have 31 Hours of Mentorship

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

    Overall my hours have consisted of attending practices, running drills, participating in soccer games, and doing research. I have also been able to ref which has helped me get a different perspective on the way some coaches work.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Blog 10 Senior Project The Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?

One of the few things that I mainly did over winter break for my senior project was I read multiple articles  and a book on coaching and soccer it helped me to learn new things and find interesting things .

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

The most important thing I learned from what I did was learning how to control your team and keep them focused.. This was most important because I have not read this before and it helped me understand the topic better. I learned this from my book coaching a mental game.

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

I would talk to Robin Cruz because I have seen him coach for multiple years and I feel he has the experience and knowledge that a good coach needs to lead his team to success.