A Coaching Conversation with AI

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

One recurrent blog theme here is, "as you advance, become your own coach." Rams Coach Sean McVay says, "everyone benefits from coaching."

Curiosity and openness are growth pathways. We choose whether to walk them or be wedded to conventional wisdom.

Here's a conversation with AI (Chat GPT) using lessons from "Misaeng: Incomplete Life" blending coaching lessons. 

PROMPT: In Misaeng S1 E8, first year employee Baek-ki is disaffected. He feels unappreciated, hated by his superior who has emphasized the fundamentals of the steel industry. It reminded me of "The Karate Kid" where Mr. Miyagi preaches "wax on, wax off" and his pupil, Daniel, embraces process. Baek-ki seems to want to "skip steps" to put in Gregg Popovich terms.

(You may say, TLDR - too long, didn't read. That's fair.) 

I think that's an excellent reading of Episode 8, and I noticed something else that fits your coaching philosophy almost perfectly.

Baek-ki doesn't simply want to skip steps.

He believes he has already earned the right to skip them.

That's an important distinction.

He graduated from an elite university, speaks multiple languages, and entered One International expecting his credentials to translate into immediate responsibility. From his perspective, repetitive work feels like underutilization.

His supervisor sees exactly the opposite.

He sees someone with impressive ability but an incomplete foundation.

That's the conflict.

Miyagi and fundamentals

Your Karate Kid analogy is apt because Daniel initially thinks:

"Waxing cars isn't karate."

Mr. Miyagi knows:

"I'm teaching movements before I'm teaching fighting."

The student judges the task by its apparent relevance.

The teacher judges it by its developmental value.

That tension exists in virtually every coaching environment.

A volleyball player asks:

"Why are we doing another serve-receive drill?"

The coach thinks:

"Because if you can't pass, the offense you want to run won't exist."

Popovich's "skip steps"

You've mentioned Popovich before in this context.

His point has never been:

"Don't dream."

It's:

"Don't bypass the work that makes the dream possible."

Every accomplished player can tell a similar story.

The fundamentals eventually become invisible because they've become automatic.

The novice mistakes invisibility for unimportance.

Baek-ki's deeper mistake***

I think there's another Adlerian layer here.

Baek-ki measures his worth by recognition.

He's asking:

"Why am I not being appreciated?"

His supervisor is asking:

"Are you becoming dependable?"

Those are different scoreboards.

If your identity depends upon being recognized as exceptional, routine work feels insulting.

If your identity depends upon becoming excellent, routine work becomes indispensable.

That's a profound difference.

Contrast him with Geu-rae

This is why Misaeng pairs the characters so effectively.

Geu-rae lacks credentials.

Baek-ki has credentials.

Geu-rae assumes he has much to learn.

Baek-ki assumes he has already learned much of what matters.

Ironically, the less qualified employee becomes the more teachable.

That's a recurring pattern in sports.

The coaching parallel

Every coach has encountered two players.

Player A:

"I've always been the best player."

Player B:

"What do I need to improve?"

The second player often passes the first—not because she begins with greater talent, but because she remains coachable.

John Wooden used to say that it's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

Baek-ki thinks he knows enough.

His supervisor thinks he's just beginning.

Something I suspect you'll appreciate

Episode 8 isn't anti-ambition.

It's anti-entitlement.

There's nothing wrong with wanting responsibility.

The problem is confusing:

potential with readiness.

That's another theme you've written about repeatedly.

You have no seniority system.

Freshmen can contribute.

Veterans can lose playing time.

The question isn't:

"Who deserves the opportunity?"

It's: "Who is prepared to help us win today?"

Preparation precedes opportunity.

This connects with your "become your own coach" idea

The athlete who eventually becomes her own coach has first spent years mastering fundamentals.

Nobody becomes an autonomous learner by skipping the basics.

That's why Popovich, Miyagi, and Baek-ki's supervisor all sound strangely similar despite living in different worlds.

They are saying:

The fundamentals are not delaying your development. They are your development.

Perhaps the coaching lesson is this:

Beginners want variety. Experts understand the value of repetition. Masters discover endless depth in the fundamentals.

Or, borrowing from Miyagi:

There is no "wax on, wax off" phase and then volleyball. The fundamentals were volleyball all along.

That last idea also explains why your blogs return repeatedly to serve receive, communication, footwork, reading, and blocking. Twenty years later, you're still teaching fundamentals—not because you've run out of advanced topics, but because you've come to believe the advanced game emerges from extraordinarily well-executed basics. 

***One historic criticism of Melrose was the volleyball was "simple." The reality of Coach Celli's system is that it's about execution of simple, not trying to trick people with complexity. 

In every industry, "employees" have to master the basics. Then you have to prove yourself with 'routine performance' and when that happens, you earn more complex tasks, responsibility, and trust. 

Lagniappe. Find more ways to say, "Yes." 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Golfer McGolferface (@toc.golf)