Sporting Nation = Obese Nation?

In the 2016 Olympics, USA won 121 medals (46 Gold). Great Britain won 67 medals (27 Gold). China won 70 medals (27 Gold).

So, are the Top 10 Medal winners the most Sporting Nations of the World?

Are they the "Sporting Super Powers"?

2016 Summer Olympics Medal tally details here.

While medals are won by a small contingent of elite players representing the country, let's see how the medal performance tallies with obesity levels in the country:

*Great Britain obesity data taken as average of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland

Source: Wikipedia & World Obesity Federation (http://www.worldobesity.org)

The Australian National Health Survey 2014-15 has these data points:

• In 2014-15, 63.4% of Australian adults were overweight or obese (11.2 million people). This is similar to the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2011-12 (62.8%) and an increase since 1995 (56.3%).
• Around one in four (27.4%) children aged 5-17 years were overweight or obese, similar to 2011-12 (25.7%).

Let's look at England:

Source: Public Health England

Let's see the data for the USA in more detail.

USA - The Sports Super Power of the World! The country that has won nearly twice the number of medals as Great Britain and 4 times as Australia.

The US Department of Health & Human Services website has this data:

75.1% of the adult population is considered overweight, obese or extremely obese.

From the website: "According to the pie graph, 31.2 percent of adults had BMIs under 24.9 and so were considered normal weight or underweight. Another 33.1 percent had BMIs from 25 to 29.9, and so they were considered overweight. The group with BMIs of 30 or higher—people considered to have obesity—amounted to 35.7 percent. Those considered to have extreme obesity, with BMIs of 40 or higher, amounted to 6.3 percent."

Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

So....as per their government data, 75.1% of the population of the World's Biggest Sporting Superpower is over-weight or obese? 63% of Australia & England is obese.

Shouldn't the World's most Sporting Superpowers have a healthy, fit, physically active population that plays sports frequently?

Has the focus on winning medals led to an obese population? Is everybody busy watching sports? :)

Has "Play to win" become "Play only if you win"?

And by definition, only a few can win.

Does winning medals by a small contingent of elite players have an inverse correlation to the rest of the population's sporting participation?

More medals in sport = Less mass participation in sport?

Or is this a spurious correlation?

What's missing in this picture?

How should we define a Sporting Nation?

Do we want to win medals? Or do we want to play & be fit?

Should we play for fun, fitness and friendship? Or should we play only to win?

Are both paths the same?

Which path should we choose?

4 things YOU can do for Indian Sports

As a sports lover, is there anything you can actually do about the questions around India's Olympic performance?

Why don't we win more medals?

Why do some athletes perform lower than their national best?

Why do athletes take selfies?

Tiny nations are winning medals with no money.

See what Great Britain is doing? Read the "Brutal but effective" truth:

"On average, each medal at the Rio Olympics has cost £5.5m"

And the next step is bashing of the "system", the federations, the government, the officials etc. And people who have worked with the system tell me that most of the bashing is well-placed.

"Government should invest in sports!" is heard as much as "Government should stay out of sports!"
Which one is it? Give us the money and stay out? Who is "us"?

But the biggest question that bothers me as a sports lover:

What can I do?
Is there anything I can do beyond tweeting and posting scathing articles on Facebook? And ranting about Indian sport on WhatsApp groups?

Most sports lovers do not have the access or the credibility that can influence the "system". Or the time.

Though some folks have been fighting the battle by filing PILs against sports federations, demanding transparency & accountability.

But all the sports lovers do have a few things going for them:

1. Time. If enough sports lovers show up, sponsors will show up. (Remember how the Mumbai Marathon started?). IMO, Fans = Sponsors = Money for the sport = Money for supporting athletes performance = Better chances of medals.

2. Money. Sure, most of us can't buy an IPL team. But we can buy tickets for games - IPL or local, buy merchandise, support our local team/athletes with jerseys, refreshments, support their travel etc.

3. Scale. And when enough of us give the time and money, we get a lot of sport lovers spending a lot of money. And that gets big businesses interested. And sponsors interested. And entrepreneurs will figure out a way to build on the high-engagement time & money spent by sports fans. Just look at how Pro Kabaddi League changed the "game" for Kabaddi players.

Reminds one of Aamir Khan's dialogue in Rangeela:

'Apun public hai. Kisi ko bhi gira sakta hai.'

(Rough and inadequate translation: "We are the audience. We can make anybody fall." Or in this case....succeed!)

So, here are my suggestions on 4 things YOU can do for Indian Sports:

1. Play. Go out and play. Thrice a week. Too much? Once a week? You are a sports lover, aren't you? Or only an armchair one? Run, Play, Swim - whatever. You get to make new friends. Meet old ones. Have a good time.
It also helps with fitness. Saves on gym & cost of wearables.

Kids might even think you are cool.
Encourage your kids to play. Daily. Take them to the playground if required.

If you play or encourage your kids to play, you will start asking for sports facilities to be maintained & accessible.

If you play, you will demand a playground (yes, the one that doesn't exist or has been encroached upon or has been used as a dump yard). And if you have a child, the same one that your child has been complaining about.

Imagine that: A playground in your neighbourhood!

If you play, you will refuse to buy an apartment or an house in an area that doesn't have enough sports facilities and playgrounds.

These playgrounds and facilities will help your future Olympian get access and opportunity. Read the backgrounds of the Olympians. Most of them got neighbourhood sports access & opportunity at an early age and often enough.

Not huge budgets & sports stadiums.

If you want to know more, read "The Gold Mine Effect - Crack the Secrets of High Performance" - by Rasmus Ankersen. His talk summarising his learnings on high performance here. It also has the story of MVP - the academy that produced Usain Bolt.

2. Support local athletes/teams and tournaments. Go for the local game in the neighbourhood. Take your kids along. Sport is not only about watching the superstars in a stadium. If enough of us show up, sponsors will also show up. The quality of the players will improve once there are fans and sponsors.

The current stars came out of these local games. Somehow. We surely lost many stars en route due to lack of support.

It is a vicious cycle. Fans don't show up till the quality of the game is good. Good players don't show up as there are no sponsors. Sponsors don't show up as there are no fans.

Let's break this cycle.

If you love sport, show up.

Not only when you are being "entertained" by loud Bollywood music, gyrating cheerleaders & MCs pleading with you: "Are you having fun?"

The real show is the game.

"Adopt" a talented kid or a local team that needs support. Crowd-funding for ventures is common.

Maybe we should consider crowd-funding for supporting athletes seriously. You and 10 friends? or
your alumni batch?

But many talented kids today don't really need financial support. They need opportunities to compete and train. A well-informed friend told me that a budding footballer should be playing 40 matches a year - while in Bangalore, the number was around 8-10. How will we compete at the world level if our athletes just don't get to face competition?

Show up & support local sports & athletes.

3. Volunteer. Offer your time & enthusiasm to sports in the neighbourhood. To the academy next door. Or to the local tournament organiser. If you were good at a sport, volunteer as a coach. Else just volunteer with enthusiasm.

Some of the world's largest tournaments globally - including FIFA World Cups - are run by volunteers. 15,000 volunteers for the FIFA World Cup Finals! All working for free. They pay for their own transport to the city and accommodation. They only get some jerseys & free meals. No payments. Likewise for many other local tournaments. Volunteer driven.

The main costs in organising a local sports event are facilities, officials, volunteers & promotion to drive participation of the teams. If you can help reduce the cost of volunteers and promotion, many more local events will get self-sufficient. Reach out & help a local enthusiast. Can your company offer the premise for free for a weekend? Or organise your own local galli tournament. If we have enough of these happening, we will have lots of players, lots of fans and therefore sponsors. Therefore money.

4. Have fun. Have fun playing with the kids. Have fun making new friends in the neighbourhood. Have fun working with some wonderful people who share your passion for sport.
Fun was the reason we loved sport in the 1st place. Not to win Olympic Medals.

Let's do our bit.

Play. Support local sports. Volunteer.

If we are not willing to do anything about Indian sport, what's the point in complaining?

Show up. Or Shut up.

And here's the link between local sports and high performance:

Brazil produces world-class footballers consistently. Not because of a "system". Not because of government funding.

Brazilian kids play in the "favela". In small patches. No stadiums. No grass. No fancy sports analysis & coaching. But they play nearly 10,000 hours by the time they are 13 years old. As against that, English kids play 3000 hours by the time they are 13. (See the video here: The Gold Mine Effect).

If our kids are not playing & competing enough, how can we expect medals?

Maybe the Brazilian model is the one to be followed. Maybe we should chose sports that work for our context and don't require specialised infrastructure.

Let's get all our kids to play in the neighbourhood. And play more. And then some more.

And then the medals will follow. Or they might not.

We might only get a generation of kids to play & experience the magic of sport.

We might still not win Olympic Medals.

But hey, is the current system working for you? 

Are you a good sport?

Are you a Good Sport?

Sports has always been associated with winning, with physical activity, with skills & fitness.

But to “Be a Good Sport!” means a lot more than playing regularly and being good at a sport.

To “Be a Good Sport” is to bring the best of the magic of sport to the world outside sport.

The world where you work, where you live, where you meet friends, where you argue, where you disagree, where you fail, where you win, where you are treated unfairly and where sometimes, you get a chance to treat others unfairly.

Sport has a lot of magic for those who don’t play sport.

And to experience that magic, you don’t have to be good at sport! …..You just need to “Be a Good Sport”.

OK….so, how do you know if you are a Good Sport?

Here’s a quick checklist:

1.       When you win, are you willing to give the credit & glory to your team?

2.       When your teammate is overworked or upset, do you offer help? Even if you are already stretched?

3.       Do you ensure you do more than your share of the work required in any situation – so that the team wins?

4.       When someone makes a mistake, do you give them the benefit of doubt? Another chance? And focus on ensuring it doesn’t happen again?

5.       When you fail, are you willing to hold yourself accountable for it?

6.       Are you able to reach out to someone after a violent disagreement – and talk things over?

7.       Are you able to focus on the problem – and not the person?

8.       Are you willing to stick to your values – even if it means losing?

9.       Are you able to “get on with it” and work with teammates you don’t necessarily like?

10.   Do you believe that leadership is a choice? Not a designation?

If you’ve answered Yes to more than 5 out of 10:

Thank you for being a Good Sport! - and for making the world a better place!

Talent spotting & development in schools - an impossible dream?

Whenever I mention EduSports to people I meet - and talk about how we get 300,000 children to play in schools, the 1st question I get invariably is:

"So, how do you spot and develop exceptional talent?"

Initially, I was disturbed at this obsession with peak performance that I covered in an earlier blog...thinking:

"Why isn't sports considered a part of education? Why isn't play for the sake of play good enough?"

But I think a more fundamental question needs to be answered:

Are schools the right places for talent spotting and development?

Let's start with the primary conditions required for talent spotting. Development of talent makes sense once you have spotted some.

1. Foundation level skills and fitness in all children. - Not present in schools. Most programs are not inclusive and do not focus on all children. If all children are not taught the right fitness and skill, how will we know of potential talent? Only naturally gifted children will play - as is the status in most schools today.
2. Adequate opportunities to play.  - Not present in schools. 2-3 classes per week.
3. Adequate opportunities to compete. - Not present in schools. 35 min session. 35-40 kids with a range of fitness & skill. The talented kids don't really get challenged. They can, however, show off their skills to the rest of the class.
4. Patient and trained coach who can spot talent. - Not usually present in schools. 1 PE teacher for 1000 kids. 

And so, wherever it does happen, talent spotting in schools happens in a strange self-selecting manner called Trials.

School team trials. Usually during the school day - so, many kids do not even come to know of the trials. Whoever is interested shows up - and the PE teacher selects a team based on some races/matches. Assumption is that the talented person is also interested - and also, therefore shows up.

In addition, the PE teacher "knows" who is good in which sport - and calls out their names anyway.

The current talent spotting system is essentially designed for the really outstanding kid - Not really for those who might take some time to blossom.

Or talent gets spotted when the right kid with the right fitness/skill meets the right coach in the right school at the right age.

Not really talent spotting, is it? And it is not the PE teachers fault. The space and time constraints just do not lend themselves to an effective talent spotting setup.

However, if the fitness and skill data of all children is tracked over time, the analysis can throw up some possible "diamonds in the rough". And that should be one important goal of the school sports system....in the same manner as maths and science scores are tracked for each child, fitness and skills improvement should be tracked, improvement demanded by parents - and delivered by the school sports program.

For talent development, you need personalised attention.

And personalised attention has to be given across things like:

1. An ongoing, year-round training program - that focuses on sports-specific, child-specific and age-specific fitness and skill.
2. Ongoing year-round competitive matches - that gives the child real-match exposure to varied opponents.
3. Diet and nutrition.
4. Physical conditioning.
5. Mental conditioning.
6. Appropriate equipment
7. and many many other things...

Again, the school system is just not designed to deliver on these parameters....especially personalisation.

Most schools will, at best, offer their premises and flexibility on the child's attendance/exam schedule.

Therefore, just because there are lots of kids who go to schools, it does not mean that the school is the right context for talent spotting and development.

So, how should talent spotting and development happen?

I believe it can only happen in dedicated academies that run after-school weekend programs - and with dedicated kids with dedicated parents.

This combination can provide the personalisation required for talent to develop.

These places have the coach-child ratio, the parent attention, the infrastructure etc to provide the level of attention required for talent spotting and development.

The dream of the hidden "diamond in the rough" talent coming out of the school system if you cover enough kids is a great dream - but I am afraid it is just that - a dream.

If the system is not designed for talent spotting, it will only spot talent by serendipity. Not by design.

If the system does not have the personalisation required for developing talent, it cannot really develop talent.

But the school sports system can support talent spotting by:

1. Increasing the pool of children with the correct age-appropriate skills and fitness - so that the coaches and academies have a higher talent level to work with.
2. Increasing the pool of children who love sports and want to play more - so the coaches and academies have a larger talent pool to work with.
3. Tracking children's fitness and skill parameters so that coaches, academies and parents can figure out which child might be best suited for which sport at the appropriate age - and spot potential talent in kids who might not be playing that sport today but have the fitness and skills for the sport.
4. Having partnerships with academies who can develop the talent.

The school sports system should develop a generation of kids who fall in love with play - just as we'd like them to fall in love with science.

The school sports system cannot be the talent spotting and development system.

It can - and should - support it by making more kids experience the joy and magic of play, give them as many opportunities to play as possible.

Let's not kill the joy of play by imposing a goal of talent spotting and development. And in the process, ensuring that 99% of the children in school do not really enjoy the sports experience.

Let the school sports program do its job by making sports an integral part of the education, by getting children to love play, get healthier and fitter through play etc.

And let the academies do their job by spotting talent and developing them into champions.

Laws of Play! .....and Life!

Play - the fundamental behavior of children - has been the focus of the EduSports journey for the last 5 years.

While there is enough written about Play being important for a child's development, I believe there are lessons in Play for adults - as they live their lives - personal and professional. 

Watching many kids at play over the last 10 years helped me understand some of the "Laws of Play".

Here is my shot at the Laws of Play ....and Life!   

1^st Law of Play: You play with whatever you have.

Children are willing to work with constraints. They innovate.

Small playgrounds? No problem.

Limited time? No problem.

While we should try to get the best resources possible, the game of life & business should not stop because of constraints. We still have to get things done. 

We still have to play.

2^nd Law of Play: You choose the game. You make the rules.

Children make up rules as they go – in response to the environment. If an angry neighbor is around, you get “out” if your ball hits his window.

Change the game if you need to. Change the rules to include new players, new constraints.

Don’t get stuck with how it was supposed to be done. Try a new approach. 

The goal is not to do it “properly”.

The goal is to play, learn and have fun in the process.

Careers, jobs, salaries, start-ups, challenges: It is always a choice. Every choice has its costs.

And you can influence the rules of engagement. 

3^rd Law of Play: The more you play, the less you get tired.

If real play is happening, children can stay focused for a very, very long time. They do not get tired. They do not get hungry. They do not need to go to the bathroom.  They keep playing and learning.

Staying engaged in a job, with the goals, with team members, with customers, solving problems, grappling with unsolvable problems can give you positive energy - if you choose to commit. And the more you play, the less you get tired. 

Conversely, if you are getting tired, you are probably not playing.

4^th Law of Play: The more fluid the game, the lesser the captain matters.

Fluid games (like football & basketball) do not really need a “captain” or a “leader” while the game is on. The situation creates the leader. Structured games (like cricket) need a formal leader.

Most organisations have very fluid goals, teams and roles. The leader cannot shout "STOP" and then execute things himself. 

The leader can only ensure that the best people are in the right role, spend time on aligning visions & values - and then trust the team to give it their best shot.

And improvise on their own if required.

5^th Law of Play: More scars = More fun = More learning

The scars are proof that kids really tried, took a risk and went beyond what was comfortable.

Mistakes are part of the learning process. 

If you are not making mistakes, you are either not playing or are probably playing safe.

Mistakes are fine as long as the intention was to play well and try to win.

6^th Law of Play: The more you play, the more you win.

There is no way to win if you don't play the game. 

"You have to be in it to win it"

And the more you play, the more you learn and the more you are set up to win.

Dig deeper when customers give you a glimmer of being dis-satisfied, listen hard and listen to what is not being said but implied - and act quickly to fix the issues.

7^th Law of Play: You need just one big win.

In any career move, you typically need just one big win to make a name for yourself. Once you have that win, build on it. Remember why you won. Did you work hard? Did you rally a lot of people towards your idea? Did you present the solution well? 

Do more of whatever got you successful while you add new skills to grow to the next level.

8^th Law of Play: Respect the heroes. Don’t copy them.

Each organisation will have heroes. People who are part of the corporate mythology. 

Respect them for their achievements. But build your own style.

Your context, your team, your strengths and your weaknesses are different.

9^th Law of Play: Mastery requires Practice. Lots of it.

Sport is probably the best teacher for this fundamental law – of Play and of Life.

All children understand that unless they practice, they will not get better. And their friends are getting better because they are practicing – regularly and in large enough amounts.

Build depth in whatever field/role you are working in - for however short a time.  

10^th Law of Play: The game never ends.

The child wants to keep playing. If it is too late, we continue tomorrow. If it is raining, wait for the rain to stop – if they are not allowed to play in the rain!

The game never ends. And the fun, the learning and the joy of play never ends.

To reword Shakespeare:

All the world's a field (and not a stage, as he put it)

And all the men and women merely players.

It is a game. Play.

EduSports: Lessons from Teaching Teachers How to Create Magic!

Came across this very interesting TED talk about :

"Teaching Teachers How to Create Magic"

http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_emdin_teach_teachers_how_to_create_magic

It addresses the fundamental view that the "magic" of engaging students, of firing their imagination and of inspiring students to learn - cannot be taught. Or learnt.

Yes - it can. But we are probably not looking in the right place.

Look for the lessons on creating magic where the magic is happening. Get your teachers to attend events where your students are , in fact, really engaged.

Music concerts - watch how the successful singer engages with the audience.
Sports training - watch how the successful coach gets the kids to give it all they've got
Religious sermons - watch how the successful priest modulates the voice, manages eye contact and gets people engaged.

And let your teachers take notes. And then apply to the classroom.

In the EduSports experience of "creating the magic" of sports- over the last 5 years - with 2,50,000 school kids across 380 schools and multiple cultural, linguistic and religious contexts, we've had a few specific learnings around what it means to "teach teachers to create the magic" - and we've tried to teach nearly 500 of them:

1. Intent matters more than expertise. The background, the degree, the number of years of experience very often do not matter. The folks who are most successful in creating the magic on the ground with children are the ones who really care about creating the magic. They pay attention to the child who is struggling as also to the child who is excelling. They ensure the mood is positive but ensure learning happens. Find a way to hire for intent. Not expertise.

2. Structure helps. The best of magicians need a structure to ensure the magic is created consistently. Checklists, review sheets, feedback forms, audits, list of things to do etc - are like the large hat that magicians should have with them - if they are to pull a rabbit out of it. Else the magic cannot happen.

3. Aim for stamina. Not peak performance. Peak performance is good for a one-off event. Not for an ongoing intervention. For making a lasting impact - or for creating ongoing magic, the tools & structure should enable a consistent but long-term performance as against a peak performance but for a short duration. This also involves setting the expectations of the stakeholders accordingly.

And last but definitely not the least:

4. Learning is the objective. Not the magic. The final goal is not to display magic - but to achieve learning outcomes. Children should learn what they are supposed to learn - and not get thrilled by impressive displays.

If magic happens, they will learn.

Also, if children are learning & are engaged, the magic is happening.

It just might not be in the form you expected it to be.

Finding the "FLOW" state for kids in sports

Came across this interesting talk on TED:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness - where he talks about how the right combination of Skill & Challenge is required for a state of Flow. 

In the Sports context, some call it the "Zone" 

The state where people seem to effortlessly achieve stuff. When they keep getting energy from inside them. When each obstacle is viewed as an interesting challenge.

The state where you enjoy the doing for the sake of doing. Not for any outcome.

And in the process, get happier, achieve higher goals and are at complete peace with yourself.

So, how do we help kids in sports find the Flow?

The typical types of kids we see in sports:

1. Talented kids - with high skills. They know they are good. Never lose an opportunity to try.
2. Average kids - who can do a lot better but are not willing to try.
3. "Slow" kids - who do not have the skill and - after a few tries - have stopped trying.

In most sports programs - in-school as well as after-school - this classification is seen as permanent. And hence, only the talented kids - who are proactive in playing more - get all the attention, equipment, training, opportunities etc.

The other kids are not even trying - so, very often, it is not even a situation that demands conflict resolution.

However, the Skill Challenge matrix below - created by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - gives a neat structure for thinking about the problem.

And some implementable solutions for getting all kids to engage with sport and discover the state of Flow.

1. For the "Slow kids":

• If there is anxiety about the sports sessions i.e. they want to be there but are unsure about their abilities:
• Reduce the Challenge level of the sessions. Focus on improving their skills so that they move from Anxiety state to Control state.
• Once they have reached the Control state, increase the Challenge while keeping the Skill levels high so that they achieve Flow.

• If the kids are worried about how they will perform:
• Improve their skills so that they move to Relaxation/Control state.
• Then increase the Challenge levels to achieve Flow.

• If there is apathy: i.e. they just do not care about the sessions.
• Focus on improving their skills so that they move to the Relaxation state. They start enjoying the sessions because they can actually do the stuff that is expected of them.
• And then, increase the Challenge levels for them to move to Control & then, Flow.

2. For the Average kids:

• If they are bored with the activities:
• Increase the Challenge levels and you start them into Flow directly.
• If they are in a state of arousal, i.e. they think they should be able to handle the session but are unable to do the activities expected of them:
• Focus on improving their skill and get them to Flow directly.

3. For the Talented kids:

• Across all categories, there is only one solution. 
• Keep the challenge levels high. These kids love a challenge. 
• Keep improving their skills as you increase the challenge levels.

It is possible to get all children to enjoy the state of Flow in sports.

It just takes a structured program that can modulate the challenge levels & the skill learning levels according to the child you are dealing with.  The structured program will, in-turn, need individual assessments, ability to track each child over a time-period, well-defined norms for skill & challenge levels, adequate & appropriate props  that provides the ability to cater to the needs of the different categories of children.

Just having an age-appropriate program is not enough. It has to be "skill-appropriate" session!

But it is possible.

Most adults today have memories of apathy & boredom when they talk about their PE/sports sessions!

Over the last 5 years, EduSports has been able to move nearly 200,000 children - from 350 schools - across India from the Apathy/Boredom state to the Relaxation/Control state.
And many from Anxiety/Worry state to Control state.
And many to the Flow state.

At EduSports, we like to refer to the journey towards the "Flow" state in sports as the "Magic of Sports".

It has not been easy helping children go through the journey.

Limited time, limited space, limited budgets, academic pressures, parental apathy etc.

But it is possible - within the child's school's context & constraints. And there are enough school leaders who understand the value.

The magic of the journey and the joy of children finding the Flow state makes it all worth it.

Now, for the next 5 years and a million kids in the Flow state. :)