[domnastics]

I guess I don't know where to put this. I figured it should be here because parents are the people that I want to ask this question to.

I'm not a parent, I'm a coach. A gymnastic coach to be exact. A boy's gymnastic coach. My question is this: how do I go about teaching humility? Is it just emphasizing the humble attitude as opposed to the arrogant attitude in various situations? Or is there something more substantial that I can do? Thanks a lot for any responses.

[Role Modlin]

I would say that you teach through the way you act. You could also find examples of famous people who practiced humility. It's a hard one....that's for sure.

[nate95366]

I think there's basically two ways:

One is to humiliate your students. Yell at them, no matter what they do. Nothing is ever good enough. Berate them. This is the method that most national military institutions use. If you're familiar with the name "Bobby Knight" in college basketball, he is said to be a master of this method when it comes to the sports/competetion arena. From my observation, this method works - but too well, and it has some potentially serious psychological side effects. I would not recommend it, personally.

The other method is being humble yourself and making it a standard expectation of yours that every student does ________, ________, and _________ humble gestures at every practice, competition, .... Just think of some things that are done out of humility in the sport of gymnastics, and then start requiring them (or slight variants) at all your practices, sort of like rituals, but with explanation. And of course, seal the deal by showing humility yourself.

Nate

[KFBobInsanesMom]

Originally Posted by Lee Modlin

I would say that you teach through the way you act. You could also find examples of famous people who practiced humility. It's a hard one....that's for sure.

I always admired Scott Hamilton. IMO, he was always the best skater on the ice, but whether he won or lost he always congratulated the other skaters, he would comment to reporters about how fantastic such and such a skater was, he took defeat with a smile and a honest hand shake to the winner, etc. Even when someone interviewing him talked of his skating, he always brought up other skaters instead of focusing on himself.

[bobthecockroach]

Originally Posted by nate95366

One is to humiliate your students. Yell at them, no matter what they do. Nothing is ever good enough. Berate them. This is the method that most national military institutions use. If you're familiar with the name "Bobby Knight" in college basketball, he is said to be a master of this method when it comes to the sports/competetion arena. From my observation, this method works - but too well, and it has some potentially serious psychological side effects. I would not recommend it, personally.

I don't think it's likely to produce true humility anyway. C.S. Lewis once said that humility is not a matter of thinking less of yourself but one of thinking of yourself less. I would tend to agree.

[exo]

Our pastor did a great talk on humility and one thing he said that stuck with me is that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking accurately about yourself. In the context of gymnatics, it might be something like being good at the rings, but not so good at the pommel horse. But saying that you aren't good at the rings isn't being humble... it's being patronizing and almost condescending to everyone else. I mean, aren't you annoyed at people who say, "Oh I'm not very good at XYZ," but then they turn around and are pros at it or they win first place.