As you might have noticed, I decorated this blog with a list of songs I really enjoy. However, instead of making a dull "Top 5 of all time" list, I opted for something more creative and chose things like "Songs I can't get out of my head" (ok, maybe not that creative) or the current "Songs I have to close my eyes when listening to" (which is why they are banned from my car stereo). Btw: Feel free to post categories you'd like to have in the comment box - I think we should have a nice collection of "situational soundstracks" until August!
After this introduction, it's not hard to guess what this blog entry will be about: Music. However, the trickier question will be: What does music have to do with sports?
While at the CEP Seminar in Singapore, one of our first activities was a drumming workshop. At 9AM, all the Young
Ambassadors and CEP Champs, a mere 100 people, gathered in the Learning Lounge of the NACLI in Singapore. Suddenly, the door opened and 5 guys with drums entered with a stomping rhythm. They made their way to the stage were they ended in a grand finale. After their epic entry, their leader David addressed us and said: "Guys, at the end of this day, you will be the best Samba band in Singapore". Looking at him in disbelief, we weren't all too convinced that in only an hour, we'd become a real band - let alone the best one in town.For further description of the Community Drumming, I'd like to refer to US ambassador Erin's excellent blog. She also points out a very important aspect of the drumming workshop. I quote:
"A Samba Band takes different sounds made from different instruments and blends them to make one beautiful product. [...] Whether you are an athlete on a field or court, a student in a classroom, a professional in an office, or a member of a family - you play an important role in the final sound. That team, family, company, or class is not complete without you - make your sound heard.
So what she is aiming at is the incredible team building character the community drum
ming will have for the young athletes participating in the CEP program. With 3,600 youngsters originating from 205 countries, it goes without saying that there will be plenty of cultures, attitudes, visions and moral standards. However, with music as a catalyst, they will be taken on a common ground and thus be heard as one sound. After all: No matter where you come from, there plenty of things that are universal for not only athletes, but teenagers around the world.
I would like to focus on another aspect of the drumming though. Being Young Ambassadors, we face the ch
allenge to convince athletes that the CEP program will teach them valuable lessons on their way to becoming champions. While this task is rather easy with nutrition and career management workshops, it becomes a little trickier with things such as drumming. "What use should banging on a drum have for my career as a swimmer", will probably be the question asked. The answer is as simple as it might be astonishing: The community drumming is not only a great activity because it boosts team work and intercultural learning, but also because it is actually sportive training!
Let me explain: In sport sciences, their are the so-called coo
rdination abilities. They are basically responsible that we coordinate our limbs and sensory system to work together. Or, put even blunter: Without coordination abilities, we would find ourselves lying on the floor, because we wouldn't be able to integrate our different bodily functions to stand upright. According to sport scientist Zimmermann, there are a total of 7 coordination abilities: ability to connect, differentiate, balance, orientate, react, adapt and, voilà, rhythmize. Let's take the example of our swimmer: When swimming, you need to find a certain rhythm for your strokes to be as efficient as possible (I'm sure my dear colleague Callum Ng could dwell on that ;)).
After the seminar, I was curious, so I talked to one of my coaching instructors, a certified sport scientist and coach. And he confirmed what I thought from the beginning: "Rhythmic activities, even if they are happening outside a sports setting such as drumming, are a perfect training for your ability to rhythmize. After some training, your feeling for the drum rhythm will automatically improve your abilities to rhythmize in sports."
I think that this is a crucial point for our work as Young Ambassadors: If we can demonstrate to our a
thletes that the CEP activities will not only contribute to their holistic development as humans (which is of course very important), but also improve their skills as athletes, they'll be more than eager to join in. And after what we have seen now, even activities that, on the first glance, have nothing to do with sports such as drumming, can actually be as important as a good work-out in the gym. Although I am sure that the latter can never be as much fun as being part of the best Samba band in Singapore!
ming will have for the young athletes participating in the CEP program. With 3,600 youngsters originating from 205 countries, it goes without saying that there will be plenty of cultures, attitudes, visions and moral standards. However, with music as a catalyst, they will be taken on a common ground and thus be heard as one sound. After all: No matter where you come from, there plenty of things that are universal for not only athletes, but teenagers around the world.I would like to focus on another aspect of the drumming though. Being Young Ambassadors, we face the ch
allenge to convince athletes that the CEP program will teach them valuable lessons on their way to becoming champions. While this task is rather easy with nutrition and career management workshops, it becomes a little trickier with things such as drumming. "What use should banging on a drum have for my career as a swimmer", will probably be the question asked. The answer is as simple as it might be astonishing: The community drumming is not only a great activity because it boosts team work and intercultural learning, but also because it is actually sportive training!Let me explain: In sport sciences, their are the so-called coo
rdination abilities. They are basically responsible that we coordinate our limbs and sensory system to work together. Or, put even blunter: Without coordination abilities, we would find ourselves lying on the floor, because we wouldn't be able to integrate our different bodily functions to stand upright. According to sport scientist Zimmermann, there are a total of 7 coordination abilities: ability to connect, differentiate, balance, orientate, react, adapt and, voilà, rhythmize. Let's take the example of our swimmer: When swimming, you need to find a certain rhythm for your strokes to be as efficient as possible (I'm sure my dear colleague Callum Ng could dwell on that ;)).After the seminar, I was curious, so I talked to one of my coaching instructors, a certified sport scientist and coach. And he confirmed what I thought from the beginning: "Rhythmic activities, even if they are happening outside a sports setting such as drumming, are a perfect training for your ability to rhythmize. After some training, your feeling for the drum rhythm will automatically improve your abilities to rhythmize in sports."
I think that this is a crucial point for our work as Young Ambassadors: If we can demonstrate to our a
thletes that the CEP activities will not only contribute to their holistic development as humans (which is of course very important), but also improve their skills as athletes, they'll be more than eager to join in. And after what we have seen now, even activities that, on the first glance, have nothing to do with sports such as drumming, can actually be as important as a good work-out in the gym. Although I am sure that the latter can never be as much fun as being part of the best Samba band in Singapore!
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