Winning, Losing & Snapshots

Sep 03, 2015

Reflections on a season of sport

Spring is in the air, I can feel it. But even more than that, I know it’s spring as my kids have all ditched their soccer, footy and rugby boots and start looking for their cricket, tennis and futsal gear, none of which will fit. Sigh…another trip to the sports store!

It seems like the perfect time to reflect on this past season: my kids told me I’m too loud on the sidelines but on the plus side when I look back at all my photos, I can see that I have nailed the sport shot – it’s usually of another child, from the back and so far away you can barely see the number on the jersey! Note to self: must do better next season.

So in the spirit of self-improvement, I figure I need some advice on how to change my over enthusiastic cheerleading (or screeching as some have commented) into a more positive and happy space. Who better to ask than my favourite cool as a cucumber coach, Nick Treadler.

To tackle my less than Instagram-esque photography skills, a quick chat with Joel Symonds, the year 12 wunderkind photographer of the moment, gives me some tips on how to make the most of a camera on the sidelines.

Some words of wisdom on how to keep winning (and losing) in perspective.

Nick is an English FA qualified football coach from the UK with more than 18 years coaching experience. He runs Kickeroos, a sports fitness company.

GT: What should a coach care about most: winning, teaching, or giving everyone a chance to play?

NT: In youth soccer, especially up to the age of 12 the idea of teaching the children values and core skills is paramount to their development. The advice I give to parents and coaches of junior teams especially at a local club level is that the most important factor is that each child has a positive experience and one that they can reflect upon in later years with a smile.

Winning and losing are part of this development and the feeling of these shouldn’t be discounted. I explain to my players that losing is a crucial part of understanding how they can improve as an individual and as part of a team, whereas winning highlights the hard work they have put in to achieve the result.

My philosophy of youth soccer is to encourage coaches and managers to play every child in their squad for a least 50% of playing time. This is a ‘hot point’ of discussion especially when the outcome of the match will decide a championship or final. There is no right or wrong, but my philosophy is that every player should be involved.

GT: What’s the most important quality you need to coach?

NT: An ability to engage the players you have in front of you and challenge them appropriately is an important quality that all coaches should have. But, if I were to use two very important qualities I look for in my best coaches: Initiative and Leadership

GT: What’s the most important quality you want from your players, from their parents?

Players & Parents – RESPECT – for the game, themselves and others.

GT: With all the pressure of winning that comes from: yourself, your players and their parents, how do you keep winning in perspective?

The idea of winning is important to everyone involved with the team. However, I always speak to my players about the difference between performance and result. Sometimes the team will produce an outstanding performance but the result doesn’t reflect it, or vice versa. My philosophy is to place emphasis (at youth level) on how they played and don’t reflect too much on the result.

GT: Thanks for you time and advice

Snapshots:

How to take – now that is the question.
Our fave young photographer, Joel Symonds, has taken some time out of his very hectic HSC schedule to pass along a few tips of the trade to make sure our snapshots are worth saving.

GT: Am I totally screwed if I only have my phone?

JS: No way! The phone is the most convenient method of taking photos at a sport game because you don’t have to lug a huge camera around for the day (or embarrass your kids).

Some of the smart phones offer great quality photos. However, be careful, as the phone

photos tend to lose some quality when zooming in.

GT: So then why do my “sports” photos always look so lame?

JS: In one word – Framing. It is ideal to get a combination of both wide angle and close up shots of the sport action. When taking a wide shot, be patient – it may take a little bit of time to achieve a lighting balance between the sky and the ground, as the sky is usually much brighter. Cameras only work on one lighting setting at a time and if you rush, parts of the photo may end up being either over- or under-exposed. It’s also important to wait until the players are facing you, that’s when you’ll get the best shot.

Rule of Thirds

The close-up shot is a great way to capture the true action of the game. Again, be patient and try to set up the shot. You don’t always have to centre the subject and use the rule of thirds. This refers to the simple idea of keeping the subject in either the extreme left or right third of the photo – that way, not every photo looks the same. Remember focus on the player not the field. By having a blurry background (shallow depth of field), the subject will stand out and the photo will look less cluttered.

GT: Do I need to do anything different if I’m taking a photo indoors (basketball) versus outdoors?

JS: Flash: Be super careful when using your flash for sport photos as often the subject is out of the flash bulb’s reach. As a result, the flash may create a weird effect over the photo. If you are outdoors, and there are prominent shadows over your subject, the flash can be a great way to fill in the darker areas. However, it is still best to try to use the natural lighting as the flash may reduce the photo’s softness.

GT: If I find myself organised enough to bring the “good” camera, what do I do with it?

JS: You can always use sports mode, and keep in mind the same principals of patience, framing and lighting we discussed with the phone camera.

But if you want really good shots you’ll want to graduate to the manual settings and try to use a faster shutter speed. (this setting is different on each camera make so you’ll need to check it out on your own camera). A faster shutter speed means the photo will be taken at a much faster pace, minimising motion blur. However, just keep in mind the faster the photo is taken, the less time there is for light to enter the lens so the darker the photo will be.

The darkness can be balanced by adjusting the ISO and aperture (also manual settings on the camera’s dial). If you want to take baby steps before moving straight to manual mode, consider adjusting either shutter speed, aperture or ISO setting if your camera permits. This feature allows you to alter one of these components manually and then your camera will balance the remaining elements.

GT: Thanks Joel, now get back to studying!

I learned heaps and I hope you did too. If you are interested in learning more about Nick or Kickeroos you can find them at http://www.kickeroos.com.au. If you need a photographer or would like to learn more about Joel, you can find him at http://joelsymonds.com.

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