Why Ace Athletes Must Be "Fathered"

Summary: Having a coach to see and guide you through a competition is not enough to be an ace athlete. Someone must coach you until you reach mastery. That someone ought to be a real athlete himself, coached or "fathered" through a long process by a qualified "father" in athletic training. A "father" in training is a battle-hardened master armed with a wealth of experience in his chosen field. He is not only knowledgeable in it; he can be considered an epitome in the field. He h...

Having a coach to see and guide you through a competition is not enough to be an ace athlete. Someone must coach you until you reach mastery. That someone ought to be a real athlete himself, coached or "fathered" through a long process by a qualified "father" in athletic training. A "father" in training is a battle-hardened master armed with a wealth of experience in his chosen field. He is not only knowledgeable in it; he can be considered an epitome in the field. He has seen lots of actions and has been part of them, and he knows every nook and cranny of the arena. He is so familiar with the "feeling" of being out there where the action is. He knows that real sports encounters are alive; meaning anything can happen out there, and no pattern or formula can compare to live, on-the-spot events. It is only the accurate judgment and experience of the wise that can cope up with live events. He is also so sensitive to the right and wrong forms, including the executions of a technique, the timing, and the right effects. All these can only be available to a real "father" of sports training. Some coaches are mere P.E. teachers, or at best, athletic players once upon a time. They can help some; but at times, they can be more of hindrances than wise guides for trainees. They will tend to be bookish and stick to "what the book says," or to what they have learned in school, or to what they have experienced in amateur contests. Without mastery (through real, professional sports encounters), they lack the sense to know that aside from mastering basic forms or moves, you have to be flexible and adaptable to unexpected things that are likely to happen out there in the actual arena. Only seasoned sports "fathers" will be able to divulge these details and wisdom to trainee-"sons." In his skills and experience, a "father" trainer patiently raises up "sons" to continue his calling, or pass down his mission to succeeding generations. He knows too well that champions come from a relay of skills and wisdom, or a technology transfer, and not from those who start out from scratch. You cannot train yourself, or train alone, and come out champion. You cannot also have amateur coaches train you to be champion. You have to feed from the experiences of those who had been there before, saw real tough actions, and really made it to the top. They may be likened to a lighthouse that points out what is right and what is wrong, separating fact from myth. An athletic player acquires knowledge and skill mostly from his own experiences. He may upgrade that by joining competitions and by wearing colorful uniforms, and subjecting himself periodically to coaches. He occasionally reads books about the game. He may even be awarded best player. However, he does not make a career out of it. Eventually, he drops out from the scene and the sport altogether. He will have good stories to tell about how he used to be this and that, but people may not be able to trace his stories because of his now bloated physique due to the absence of training. An ace athlete, on the other hand, is a "son." He has a "father" who raises him up, and this athlete is aware that he is not just being raised up to win an event or a couple of events; he is being raised up to be a father to raise up other sons someday. Unlike the athletic player who would point to rusted trophies and medals and photos of victories as his proof of being once in the sport, real athletes point to actual "fathers" who have trained them and from whom they have received "trade secrets" for success. They also point to actual athletes and champions they have personally trained and "fathered" to pass on the heritage for generations to come. An ace athlete not only aims to be a champion, but lives to develop other champions as well.