My son calls me on the phone: “Dad ya gotta help me… my team has only got four players for Urban Rec tonight. Can you play?” My son is twenty-three and I am ancient. He really must be desperate. Me: “Ah… what is Urban Rec… and why would you ask me?” My son: “I am asking you because I have asked everyone else, and no-one is available. A group of friends and I play … [Read more...]
How working with horses changes young lives
Most of us know that sport, exercise, and a whole range of other physical activities are great for mental health and provide positive relief from trauma. But physical activity with horses? Why horses? Could horses actually change the lives of young indigenous people (who have experienced extensive trauma in their young lives)? Professor Juli Coffin, who designed and runs an … [Read more...]
Surfer philosophy – Let no wave be unridden, no flip-flop unworn!
Today I got a lesson in surf philosophy. Is there a better way to start the day than to share a surf, a cappuccino, and an epistemological and ethical debate? “That’s the problem with you… you’re loud but you don’t act,” said my surfer friend when I explained to him that my neighbour had fenced off and “acquired” the public road that adjoined both of our properties. “If … [Read more...]
Exercise is always good – but especially during Covid!
Warning. The following is not an anti-lockdown story! According to scientists and health experts lockdowns (and masks and vaccines) play a critical role in the management of the pandemic we are currently experiencing. This story does, however, highlight some of the potential health consequences of the lockdown when used as a tool to protect our communities well-being. … [Read more...]
Hey sports coaches – slow it down! (Ideas from a guitar teacher)
There is a myth in coaching that sports practice should be performed at game speed… to emulate the pressures of a real game. The theory is that it is pointless to learn a new skill at a slow, unrealistic, speed which will never get the job done against a real opponent. Of course, once an athlete, in training, has achieved a high degree of competence at a sports skill, that … [Read more...]