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Here is the Hawk "system"....

leftybuff

Unreconstructed Luddite
Club Member
I was thinking about this and realized something. It is ALL about positive mental attitude (PMA). My HS coach was like this. He actually had the position coaches separate us before the game and read affirmations to us while we were stretching before the game. For instance, "Visualize your self defeating the double team and tackling the ball carrier".

I'm serious. Even thought I was 17-18 y.o., I thought this was the goofiest thing around. IMO, Hawk really believes that if you affirm only the positives, speak positively all the time, PMA, by some magical, mystical, Macchu Picchu force will make you what you "believe" yourself to be. Even if you are 5'8", you'll be the best WR, point guard etc. Perhaps it is the guys who buy into this non-sense who get PT. From the PMA mindset, any negativity is poison, even if you are say, 6'3".

That would explain the "don't try to win, be a winner"; "Don't aim for the target, be the bow"; "we just have to tweak things" nonsense. Hawk won't be negative, ever, because he feels that NEVER helps. Some of the best lessons I learned were from failure, and when that failure was pointed out to me, often in negative ways.

If Hawk keeps this up, he may get a mystical revelation of what one hand clapping really sounds like....
 
I was thinking about this and realized something. It is ALL about positive mental attitude (PMA). My HS coach was like this. He actually had the position coaches separate us before the game and read affirmations to us while we were stretching before the game. For instance, \"Visualize your self defeating the double team and tackling the ball carrier\".

I'm serious. Even thought I was 17-18 y.o., I thought this was the goofiest thing around. IMO, Hawk really believes that if you affirm only the positives, speak positively all the time, PMA, by some magical, mystical, Macchu Picchu force will make you what you \"believe\" yourself to be. Even if you are 5'8\", you'll be the best WR, point guard etc. Perhaps it is the guys who buy into this non-sense who get PT. From the PMA mindset, any negativity is poison, even if you are say, 6'3\".

That would explain the \"don't try to win, be a winner\"; \"Don't aim for the target, be the bow\"; \"we just have to tweak things\" nonsense. Hawk won't be negative, ever, because he feels that NEVER helps. Some of the best lessons I learned were from failure, and when that failure was pointed out to me, often in negative ways.

If Hawk keeps this up, he may get a mystical revelation of what one hand clapping really sounds like....

[video=youtube;z2gEI0Jugvc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2gEI0Jugvc[/video]
 
****, our team is starting to sound like some PBS after school special, when will this end.....
 
I don't disagree with Hawk's PMA perspective, I think it's an important part of sports psychology. I've seen PMA allow marginally gifted players to play way above their talent level. The important thing to remember, and it's the part that I think Hawk sometimes misses, is that instilling a PMA is not all you have to do to get players to perform at their highest level - the players must work really hard and the coaches must teach. The coaching part is where our staff fails Hawk's "system", our team and our program. JMHO

It also helps to start off with better talent, something I think Hawk has done a reasonably good job at bringing into the program.
 
i teach college. i'm not the greatest teacher whoever lived, but i'm far from the worst. since you never train for it, they just toss you into a classroom and learn on the job, there's a lot of quick learning. trying to be everybody's friend and mentor and mister cool, doesn't work.

you can treat people with respect and still put it on them to try and do better. this means expecting more and using the institutional authority you have to do your job with success. even if that means "not being their friend"...which isn't your job anyway.

Hawk needs to get after some people.
 
I don't disagree with Hawk's PMA perspective, I think it's an important part of sports psychology. I've seen PMA allow marginally gifted players to play way above their talent level. The important thing to remember, and it's the part that I think Hawk sometimes misses, is that instilling a PMA is not all you have to do to get players to perform at their highest level - the players must work really hard and the coaches must teach. The coaching part is where our staff fails Hawk's "system", our team and our program. JMHO

It also helps to start off with better talent, something I think Hawk has done a reasonably good job at bringing into the program.

Man, I disagree with it completely. I don't think you beat people down, but telling them they are something they aren't sin't doing them a favor. I can be told I'm going to be a NBA power forward all day long, but that doesn't mean it will come true. PMA is fine as long as it doens't get divorced from reality. It looks to me like Hawk served papers on reality....

My DL coach pulled me from a game and said "I need more than that, sit down" Later in the game and the rest of the year, with those words ringing in my ears, I played a lot better. I wonder if these guys are getting soccer mommed to death and told they are doing great when an occasional forceful correction would help.
 
Man, I disagree with it completely. I don't think you beat people down, but telling them they are something they aren't sin't doing them a favor. I can be told I'm going to be a NBA power forward all day long, but that doesn't mean it will come true. PMA is fine as long as it doens't get divorced from reality. It looks to me like Hawk served papers on reality....

My DL coach pulled me from a game and said "I need more than that, sit down" Later in the game and the rest of the year, with those words ringing in my ears, I played a lot better. I wonder if these guys are getting soccer mommed to death and told they are doing great when an occasional forceful correction would help.

Seems like Hawk has been sitting quite a few players to me.
 
Seems like Hawk has been sitting quite a few players to me.

True. Many of them are physically gifted too. I cna't say I know for a fact who the best QB, LB, WR is, but it sure does look odd given some of the personnel decisions. JMO.

It is hard to imagine how well a system can work if your best athletes can't fit into it.

EDIT: I just wish the Buffs would win.
 
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In the words of Hawk "It's the Big XII." Playing a bunch of hustle and effort guys does not get it done when you are playing against the elite athletes of college football. Building character and lifting people up is a nice sentiment but ultimately this is about winning, there is nothing wrong with winning the right way but losing even if you do it the right way doesn't cut it.

You aren't going to win in the Big XII playing inferior players. Winning coaches will play their best players and figure out how to motivate them, not play their most motivated players and fantasize about them becoming great athletes.
 
Feel free to disagree with me, but 100% PMA is utter hippie bull****. Everyone hates to admit it, but the truth is that the vast majority of people perform better when they have a boss who is on their ass. Also, different people are motivated by different things. Some of the most successful people I know are motivated by an unhealthy fear of failure. Some are reward focused. Some are motivated by not wanting to let their teammates/co-workers down. Very few are actually motivated by a love of the process (as Hawk likes to preach).
 
Man, I disagree with it completely. I don't think you beat people down, but telling them they are something they aren't sin't doing them a favor. I can be told I'm going to be a NBA power forward all day long, but that doesn't mean it will come true. PMA is fine as long as it doens't get divorced from reality. It looks to me like Hawk served papers on reality....

My DL coach pulled me from a game and said "I need more than that, sit down" Later in the game and the rest of the year, with those words ringing in my ears, I played a lot better. I wonder if these guys are getting soccer mommed to death and told they are doing great when an occasional forceful correction would help.

I agree that the level of competition can rise to the point where no amount of PMA can make up for the gap in talent. We are aligned with that point. My point is that, even if you are the most gifted athlete in the world if you don't believe you can do it (have a PMA) then you won't get it done. Performance on the field, for everyone, starts with believing in yourself. That "I can do it" "I can make it through this" attitude is vital IMO to a player performing at his/her peak. I have no problem with Hawk pushing that attitude. With the talent that we get, we cannot afford to have players not mentally prepared to play their best.

I also think that having a program that promotes a PMA doesn't mean you can't be critical of a players performance. Being honestly critical is an important part of teaching and learning. I have no problem with a coach saying, "I need more than that from you and I know you can do it. Take a seat". Critical feedback like that is vital to improvement provided it is coupled with teaching the skills and/or behaviors needed in practice the next week (the "Let me show you how I want it done..." talk). I don't think our coaches do a good job of that.
 
Feel free to disagree with me, but 100% PMA is utter hippie bull****. Everyone hates to admit it, but the truth is that the vast majority of people perform better when they have a boss who is on their ass. Also, different people are motivated by different things. Some of the most successful people I know are motivated by an unhealthy fear of failure. Some are reward focused. Some are motivated by not wanting to let their teammates/co-workers down. Very few are actually motivated by a love of the process (as Hawk likes to preach).

If you don't start writing better posts I will ****ing beat your sorry ass! Seriously, man up or quit ****ing posting. I expect a lot more from you.
 
If you don't start writing better posts I will ****ing beat your sorry ass! Seriously, man up or quit ****ing posting. I expect a lot more from you.

:lol:

In all seriousness, picture your boss calling you into his/her office and replace posts with "memos" or "emails", and I guarantee what you wrote would get the point across and improve performance better than:

You are capable of so much. I know you are trying to write good memos, and they're not bad right now. Just some little things here and here that are within your ability to improve upon. Remember, writing a memo is a process that reflects a greater excellence in everything you pursue in life. I love you and believe in you and know you want to be excellent. Here, have a Lifesaver, meditate on this conversation, and let's make sure your next memo is spectacular.
 
If you don't start writing better posts I will ****ing beat your sorry ass! Seriously, man up or quit ****ing posting. I expect a lot more from you.
:yeahthat:
Buffnik, you're posts have been a pathetic embarrassment since day one. I don't even know why you post here. You need to turn it around quickly, the clock is ticking...

And what's with the fuocking bear in you sig line? If you spent more time improving the quality of your posts instead of wasting it finding cutesy animated sig lines your posting might almost be tolerable. Get with the program...boy!:smile2:
 
:yeahthat:
Buffnik, you're posts have been a pathetic embarrassment since day one. I don't even know why you post here. You need to turn it around quickly, the clock is ticking...

And what's with the fuocking bear in you sig line? If you spent more time improving the quality of your posts instead of wasting it finding cutesy animated sig lines your posting might almost be tolerable. Get with the program...boy!:smile2:

Whether you approve of me or disapprove of me really doesn’t affect my self-esteem. It really doesn’t. :wink2:
 
:lol:

In all seriousness, picture your boss calling you into his/her office and replace posts with "memos" or "emails", and I guarantee what you wrote would get the point across and improve performance better than:

You are capable of so much. I know you are trying to write good memos, and they're not bad right now. Just some little things here and here that are within your ability to improve upon. Remember, writing a memo is a process that reflects a greater excellence in everything you pursue in life. I love you and believe in you and know you want to be excellent. Here, have a Lifesaver, meditate on this conversation, and let's make sure your next memo is spectacular.

It really depends on the individual. When I was a flight instructor, it took a little trial and error to determine how each flight student reacted. A few kids really required me to ride their asses (but not suck cherries from their belly-buttons, you sick ****, 4DemBuffs).

However, by and large most of the flight students were self-motivated and really, really wanted to succeed. By adding additional pressue--beyond what they were already applying to themselves--it was possible to degrade their performance by forcing them to second-guess themselves.

But yes, ultimately they should fear their boss' authority on some level, that I do agree with.
 
Walrus,

The thing that gets me with Hawkins is that his expectations from players seem esoteric at times. You can read comments from Blake Mackey to Josh Smith to Darrell Scott (among others) and in nearly every case it's obvious that they don't have a clue what they've done or not done to be passed on the depth chart. There's a major disconnect between Hawkins and many of the players that is very evident.
 
I agree that the level of competition can rise to the point where no amount of PMA can make up for the gap in talent. We are aligned with that point. My point is that, even if you are the most gifted athlete in the world if you don't believe you can do it (have a PMA) then you won't get it done. Performance on the field, for everyone, starts with believing in yourself. That "I can do it" "I can make it through this" attitude is vital IMO to a player performing at his/her peak. I have no problem with Hawk pushing that attitude. With the talent that we get, we cannot afford to have players not mentally prepared to play their best.

I also think that having a program that promotes a PMA doesn't mean you can't be critical of a players performance. Being honestly critical is an important part of teaching and learning. I have no problem with a coach saying, "I need more than that from you and I know you can do it. Take a seat". Critical feedback like that is vital to improvement provided it is coupled with teaching the skills and/or behaviors needed in practice the next week (the "Let me show you how I want it done..." talk). I don't think our coaches do a good job of that.

I think we're on the same page. I seem to remember seeing players goetting valuable , and soemtimes heated, correctionon the sideline under MAc and even skippy, Hawk just seems to pat everybody on the helmet. Just looks weird.
 
i wonder if ds fell on hes sore knee today !!! i bet he dont play much..hackerhawk will sure tell us he got hurt again after the game !!!
 
Walrus,

The thing that gets me with Hawkins is that his expectations from players seem esoteric at times. You can read comments from Blake Mackey to Josh Smith to Darrell Scott (among others) and in nearly every case it's obvious that they don't have a clue what they've done or not done to be passed on the depth chart. There's a major disconnect between Hawkins and many of the players that is very evident.
Couldn't agree with you more on this. I recall seeing a blurb in an article about why DS didn't play much in the CSU game. Hagan was saying that DS wasn't in as much because he wasn't quite up to speed on blocking schemes during pass plays even though he worked on it a lot. The reporters asked DS what he had to learn to be okay in pass protection he said "I don't know" - “I’m pretty responsible,” Scott said. “Me and coach went over that in the offseason. We had two weeks to prepare. We’re all prepared for the pass rush.” I think you are correct that there is a huge gap between what the coaches are expecting from the players in both effort and technique and what the players believe is expected of them.
 
I wouldn't mind Hawkin's approach if he had it balanced out with some very firery assistant coaches who pick their moments to get in a players face or get the team up before and during the games. From what I can tell they are all laid back or are afraid to take the bad cop approach once in a while when it is needed.:rolleyes:
 
I really think, like with most things in life, the key is some kind of middle ground. You don't need to be Bo Pelini or Nick Saban (then again...), but you do need to have some kind of 'toughness', for lack of a better term.

I think a guy like Urban Meyer is a good example of this. He doesn't come across as an asshole, but he certainly isn't a cheerleader either. Pete Carroll seems like a really nice guy, but I don't really follow that program well enough to be all that familiar with his personality.

Ultimately, different coaches have different styles, but I think 99% of highly successful ones show some fire from time to time and leave the pseudo-Buddhist crap at home.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I think you really need someone who HATES to lose in this business.
 
These guys need a coach who is positive but will get in their ear and put a foot in their *** with poor play.

This program has gone softer than charmin.

Oh, it's okay that you just threw your 3rd int, visualize yourself not throwing a 4th one.

It's okay if you just got burned for a 77 yd td, visualize tackling him next time, by the way their are some fruit roll-ups over by the gatorade cooler. :rolleyes:
 
I was thinking about this and realized something. It is ALL about positive mental attitude (PMA). My HS coach was like this. He actually had the position coaches separate us before the game and read affirmations to us while we were stretching before the game. For instance, "Visualize your self defeating the double team and tackling the ball carrier".

I'm serious. Even thought I was 17-18 y.o., I thought this was the goofiest thing around. IMO, Hawk really believes that if you affirm only the positives, speak positively all the time, PMA, by some magical, mystical, Macchu Picchu force will make you what you "believe" yourself to be. Even if you are 5'8", you'll be the best WR, point guard etc. Perhaps it is the guys who buy into this non-sense who get PT. From the PMA mindset, any negativity is poison, even if you are say, 6'3".

That would explain the "don't try to win, be a winner"; "Don't aim for the target, be the bow"; "we just have to tweak things" nonsense. Hawk won't be negative, ever, because he feels that NEVER helps. Some of the best lessons I learned were from failure, and when that failure was pointed out to me, often in negative ways.

If Hawk keeps this up, he may get a mystical revelation of what one hand clapping really sounds like....
Juicebox's net job will be coaching intramurals at Naropa. Get out the incense.
 
I think Hawk's Positive Mental System (PMS) explains a lot, like going off periodically on the media...
 
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