MR. MEET KNUCKLES
Teaching a young child an athletic skill, like scooping a ground ball, first requires grabbing their attention. Grabbing their attention is easy, sustaining it, however, can be challenging. One effective way is to employ some special friends. Mr. Rogers helped children learn by creating memorable characters that captured their imagination and focused their energies on a specific topic. Over the years, along with my friends, I’ve successfully applied this technique in Scoops classes with great success. So without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to introduce one of my all time favorite friends, Mr. Knuckles.
While Mr. Knuckles is a fictitious character, he is very real to the battalion of Scoopers who have learned to call on him regularly when they require some assistance picking up ground balls. Since he first arrived in February 2018, Mr. Knuckles has helped hundreds of kids learn the correct way to scoop up a ground ball. All you have to do is call out his name!
How did it happen?
Two years ago class I needed to better connect my lesson with the attention spans of these four and five year old participants. The kids were having fun, but they were not focused on learning a skill. I was struggling. Then a little zen entered my mind. I remembered a time when a former coach of mine shouted out, “Get your knuckles down.” Suddenly, an image appeared in my mind. Mr. Knuckles was born.
Almost instantly, I commanded the attention of these wonderful kids with short attention spans. They all wanted to know more about Mr. Knuckles. Kids have great imaginations and are drawn to the wonder and magic characters create. They also remember them and this helps sustain the learning. They love to role play and emulate colorful characters. So, as the famous British rock group once sang, “I got a little help from my friends.” It is now when the fun becomes educational and subsequently the real magic happen.
In team sports it is a common practice at the end of a session for the group to huddle together; place their hands in the middle; count to three; and then bellow out a words like “Team or Work Hard.” At Scoops we join together; count to three; and shout out “Scooooooooops” at the end of each session. But there is one difference. Instead of placing our hands together, we all place our knuckles on the ground to remind us of our good friend and helper, Mr. Knuckles.
Whether you are a parent or coach, whatever game you teach, or lesson you hope to instill, the creation of fictitious friends related to the learning can be a very powerful tool to capture the imagination and attention of young learners. At the same time, they can help facilitate their acquisition of fundamental skills. It also exponentially increases the fun and enjoyment for both the learners and the coach!
Thanks for taking the time to read a lacrosse coach’s perspective!
Stay tuned for more introductions to helpful characters!