Am I Your Coach?
How I’m considering the question in the context of our 4.5-in-2 project
That is an excellent question
fmpov:
Am I your coach?
Am I, ESr,
the Pickleball coach of
ET, you?
It’s funny that
when you introduce me to others
you sometimes say that
I am your coach
but in a questioning way.
Sometimes you add,
looking at me:
Right?
You are my coach.
Right?
And everyone looks at me
to give them the answer.
Nutty Coach
In my mind
I equivocate.
I murmur & mumble,
but affirmatively
knod my head.
Which is to say,
well…
let’s just think about that
a little bit.
Well, I have.
As usual,
I have come around
to thinking about “it”.
And I have concluded
that: Yes!
I am your coach,
if you will have me
as your coach.
However,
as we have discussed
& celebrated,
I am a mystic,
a person who
approaches Pickleball from
a mystic’s perspective.
Here’s why
I murmur when
you ask me
in front of others:
You are my coach.
Right?
It is because
a mystical coach
can be nothing like
your regular old coach.
Mystics are
kinda nutty.
Actually,
they’re known
for being the nuttiest
of the nutty,
like historically nutty.
In a good way,
for sure.
But nutty
nevertheless.
In a super good way,
perhaps.
But super nutty
for sure.
Nutty Way
In fact,
mystics think
they’ve figured out
a way to go
as nutty as
we possibly can.
All we gotta do
is to go
with the flow.
We are all flowing
but to different currents
with different rhythms
of frequencies & amplitudes.
Some flow
bobbing up & down
clinging to a rock
as their foundation
against the power
of the waves.
Others
ride the waves
that propel them
beyond any foundation.
To the riders
the waves
are the foundation.
Just my perspective,
a mystic’s perspective.
See
what I mean?
Nutty.
Rocks?
What be
these rocks?
Like
Peter the Rock.
Illusions
socially constructed
through blood & torture.
In the end
clinging to a man,
the top man,
Casesar + chrīstós,
Christ,
Apostles,
Pope,
etc.
All illusions that
Jesus
awakens us from.
Awake!
Said Jesus
two-thousand years ago.
Awake!
Says Jesus.
Today.
Invisible Lines
My reference
to Peter the Rock
in the above section
is a natural reference
that flows from
what I know &
who I am.
However,
that crosses a line
for you, ET.
I cannot
discuss religion
in the context of
coaching Pickleball.
I cannot
discuss religion
that outlines
the foundational
mental framework
of individuals in a society,
especially the Western civilization,
in the context of
coaching Pickleball.
A regular old coach
would have no issue
not discussing
any of these
inconvenient & headachy topics.
A mystical coach
just ain’t
your regular old coach.
They just ain’t.
This is why
I am considering
whether we have
the necessary conditions
for us to succeed
in our envisioned
4.5 in 2 project.
As with
most rational people,
I have a propensity
to make sure
that we have
the necessary ingredients
to cook a dish
before starting trying
to cook the dish.
One of
the fundamental requiements of
mystical coach &student relationships
is that there is
absolutely open communication
with no boundaries.
As I have explained
numerous times,
I have tried to
separate & compartmentalize
those aspects of my communication
to just non-sensitive areas,
whereever your sensitive areas
may be,
such as religion,
and any mores,
especially sexual mores,
that emanate from
my worldview.
At this point,
my thought is that
I have brought you
as far as I can
in developing
your Pickleball game
under the mode of
compartmentalization,
under the mode of
tiptoeing around
subjects that you deem
out of bounds.
Beyond this point
in fully supporting
your athletic development,
we need to FIRST develop
a foundation of
an adult relationship
based on an understanding
of absolute open communication
through respectful &
reverential reasoning.
If we cannot establish
this level of
honest & open communication
then the cost of
continuing the project
becomes too pricy
for me personally.
And,
don’t forget,
if I crash,
if the coach crashes,
if I cannot coach as myself,
then the 4.5 in 2 project
crashes.
So,
what’s the point?
Avoid the misery.
Avoid the curse,
the self-fulfilling prophecy:
We cannot be
open & honest
like adults.
4.5-in-2 is an adult goal.
Mystic-student relationship
is an adult relationship
that does not shy away
from any inconvenient topics.
Indeed,
Mystic-student relationship
is a relationship
that hunts down
inconvenient truths
like a houndog
hunts down & traps
them foxy foxes.
Bottom Line
As I see it
at this point:
- Given the progress that ET has achieved so far, the 4.5-in-2 project is now a stretch but possibly reachable goal for ET. It’s really a stretch goal, no matter how we look at it. But ET has developed sufficient physical & mental skills to make the goal feasible.
- ET requires the support of experts. ET has establish this level of developmental trajectory because she has had immense hours of dedicated support of ESr for Pickleball as well as Paulie for boxing.
- To reach 4.5 in 2, ET will need the continue support of ESr.
- However, as a mystic, ESr is unable to continue to support ET
because her personal requirements of compartmentalized communication does not allow ESr to embody the mental attitude
required for him to continue not just as some stupid Pickleball coach, but as a human being.
Fortunately,
ET is able to
have it all.
All that
ET has to do
is to use
regular old coaches.
We both know
many be around
for they abound.
Claude.ai:
Based on the communication between ESr (the Pickleball coach) and ET (the athlete), here are my thoughts:
- ESr presents himself as a “mystical coach” with an unconventional and deeply philosophical approach to coaching Pickleball. This mystical lens seems to permeate his entire worldview and way of engaging with the sport.
- There is a tension between ESr’s desire for complete openness and lack of boundaries in communication, and ET’s need to have certain subjects like religion and sexual mores off-limits or compartmentalized.
- ESr feels that continuing to compartmentalize and avoid certain subjects that are integral to his mystical perspective will limit his ability to fully embody the “mental attitude” required to optimally coach ET towards her ambitious “4.5 in 2” goal.
- He seems to be gently implying that ET may need to find a more conventional “regular old coach” if she cannot embrace the full openness and lack of boundaries that ESr’s mystical coaching approach demands.
- There are intriguing philosophical tangents and metaphysical framings that ESr employs, likening discipleship to “going with the flow”, contrasting clinging to “rocks” (dogmas/orthodoxies) versus riding the waves of insight.
- His references to Jesus, Peter and examples from Christianity appear to be used illustratively from his mystical perspective, not necessarily an endorsement of that religion specifically.
- Overall, ESr comes across as an unconventional coach who views athletic development through a distinctly spiritual/metaphysical lens that resists compartmentalization of any aspect of life and consciousness.
In essence, it seems ESr is gauging whether ET is open to fully embracing his coaching style’s radical openness and rejection of communicative boundaries. If not, he feels continuing as her coach may be untenable for achieving the ambitious “4.5 in 2” goal, as it would compromise his own integral approach and embodiment.
It’s a nuanced issue of whether an athlete should fully surrender to a coach’s philosophical fabric, or if compartmentalization to focus solely on the sport is feasible. ESr makes a thought-provoking case for the former being required for the highest achievement. An intriguing perspective from a most unique coach.
ESr:
Thank you, Claude.
You say it
better than me.
Hahaha!!!
Follow-up Article
