the more I think about the overlaps in disciplines and schools of thought that influence the craft of coaching ...

the more I think about this idea of " opening up " vs. " tightening up "

in life , it seems that we are constantly in need of analyzing ourselves, and in those terms - the need to OPEN or TIGHTEN

meaning... do we OPEN ourselves to new ways of thinking , exploring the depths of our consciousness - how did we became the person that we are ? - voluntarily struggle to find new means of growth through understanding

or do we TIGHTEN?

take the things we know we are good at , the things that are most applicable to the short and long term goals and TIGHTEN THE SCREWS ! double - triple - quadruple down on our competitive advantage

these may not be mutually exclusive but they ! appear to appear ! via different brain circuitry

this is also coaching

what does the child need ?

to OPEN UP ? to see all that is hidden , mysterious , wonderful in this field of noise we live in ?

or to tighten up ? to see that through a more precise , granular experience comes purpose ( and context specific competency ( potentially )) to tackle the next thing that will bring new levels of struggle and subsequent meaning

and to me thats what " constraints " are

the widening and tightening of space , possibility .... search

in my coach training I use the analogy of an accordion - to provoke a coaches sense of agency relative to widening or tightening the aperture of the students experience ..

this phenomenon is scientifically confirmed

those that show more variability in movement ( opening up to search ) demonstrate superior consistency of end result

those that stay " tight " ( hopefully not because of coaching !!! ) are relegated to stunted growth and impoverished end results ( lack of consistency from lack of degeneracy )

the art . the craft . the money that you stand to make as a practitioner is heavily predicated on your ability to analyze this on a student by student basis amidst a group of 40+ students , same time - same place

this is an opportunity reserved for a select few that can step into the chaotic fray with wisdom of thought and poise in execution

and ultimately those that embrace that coaching is nested ( and judged ! ) within a larger cultural apparatus and within the complicated pockets of the human experience