A bit of John Lennon, a bit of Michael Clarke, a bit of IVA Richards and some theories of McGilchrist and Panksepp all make this piece, on predators and prey, in a sporting context, much food for thought.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 11: Drafting bastards but dodging dickheads
November 30, 2018 by 3 Comments
David Stiff looks at the young draftees and where they’re at and considers the place of bastardry, larrikinism and supremely talented dickheadness in sport (and other fields of endeavour). [Thought-provoking as always – JTH]
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 10: Your frame as the game
November 23, 2018 by 3 Comments
Perspective is very important and, as David Stiff argues, framing perspective has significant benefits. And all this affirmed when tackling the Grand Canyon. [Sage advice for all, but especially those working on major writing projects – JTH]
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 9: The place of the sauce in high-performance sport
November 3, 2018 by 5 Comments
David Stiff analyses Craig Dodson’s career-best innings and in doing so helps entrench the place of a night on the sauce in heightened performance. [Love it – JTH]
Plenty of practice and empty heads- Part 8: 8…2%ers
October 26, 2018 by 3 Comments
The small acts in sport, the so called 1%ers, don’t often make the highlights package but highlight packages cannot exist without them. David Stiff discusses the importance of these acts as he continues his excellent series of articles related to the psychology of the development and implementation of skills in sports.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 7: Intuition in sport
October 25, 2018 by 14 Comments
To David Stiff, intuition is the evaluation of voluminous data points that lead to a resolution or course of action within the field of play. He examines the issue in this excellent article.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 6: Winning the race to lose.
October 10, 2018 by 5 Comments
David stiff looks at some ways to win and applies his thesis to the 2018 AFL Grand Final which he says was a one for the ages.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 5: Zen magpies and the game as a fail state.
September 28, 2018 by 2 Comments
David Stiff considers the fail state which may have a place in the 2018 AFL Grand Final.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 3: Simplicity and a secure base.
September 18, 2018 by 1 Comment
David Stiff addresses the notion of simplicity in establishing a secure base by which athletes can map and explore their craft. He also challenges the value of statistics generally and their role in that secure base.
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 2: Freedom, simplicity and a secure base
September 11, 2018 by 2 Comments
In his second piece for the Almanac, David Stiff invites athletes (sportspeople) to ‘listen to the game’. His notion of freedom and simplicity and their significance will resonate with close observers of sport (and the Geelong Football Club).
Plenty of practice and empty heads – Part 1: The game as information.
September 3, 2018 by 6 Comments
It’s terrific to welcome former NBL basketballer and philosopher-sportsman David Stiff to the Almanac. In his debut piece he looks at ‘the game’ as information. [I think we’re going to enjoy this mix of experience, theory, and fresh thought – JTH.]
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