Do We Still Play?
Posted On: 12-24-2022
I spent 25 years of my professional career explaining to students the meaning of play. Not going to do it here, but what I wonder is do we know the different between play and performance.
Parents, when I work with your youth shooters I see some having a good time and I see others frustrated that they are not hitting targets. Those having a good time tend to pass through missed targets and move to the next one with little concern for having missed the last target. I love those kids and their attitude toward shooting. Each brings the idea that whatever happens on the trap line is what it is! Don’t get me wrong, they are trying their hardest, concentrating, focused on the job at hand, but in the end they high-five the team as their contribution was as much as they had available that day. They accept this and move on. The team indeed appreciates all they have put into shooting and that day’s performance.
So then there is the youth shooter that sees all of this in a more personal, immediate and frustrated way. A missed target is disruptive, mentally taxing and hard to let go of through the rest of the round. Believe me, the team knows this and those subtle yet even slightly overt emotions start to spill over. The high fives have less meaning and that negativity starts to creep towards others. Honestly, do you think the other four shooters on the trap line didn’t know someone missed? After the round they are still upset and might even have an emotional breakdown due to their performance.
You see where I am going? Performance is an outcome of all the hard work and effort these kids put into to shooting. Play is the active participation in the sport regardless of the outcomes. Now hear me out. How do we find a happy medium? How do we get that frustrated youth shooter to behave with the character of the shooter out having fun and playing in this sport?
Parents I know you support your youth shooter 110%. You give to them all they need to be successful, but from the outside looking in all you can do in the end is watch. Explain to them this is fun, it is an opportunity and with PRACTICE, you can get better. Be clear there is no such thing as an inert talent. Talent and skill are learned through instruction, and PRACTICE.
A final thought and statement to your youth shooter: Do you deserve to hit all your targets? Did you PRACTICE, did you read about how to build skills, did you watch videos, did you consider lessons? Again we have yet to see a shooter arrive at the trap line with the inert, innate and blessed skills making them capable of perfection without any effort, skill or PRACTICE. For those of us mortals we simply have to accept that this sport is fun and we love playing this sport. When performance becomes overtly and of prime importance, consider if one deserves a positive outcome.