Das Interview mit Christopher (Chris) Harris – Basketball-Head-Coach bei Phoenix Hagen (Pro-A)

DBV – Nationalteam 2018 –

Bekomme einen Einblick in die Ansichten von Chris bezüglich seines Umgangs mit Spielern und mit sich selbst

Name: Chris Harris

Alter: 41

Sportart: Basketball

Thema Wettkampfvorbereitung:

Sebastian: „Wie bereitest du dich am Tag vor dem Wettkampf vor? Was machst du für dich und warum?“

Chris: “The day before a game is my most relaxed of the week. I try to avoid prepping, panicking, and planning. I´ve done all my homework and try and make sure that my players are relaxed and focused. This is often the one day in a week that I don´t workout for myself. I try to let my body heal on this day. I try to rest (watch a Netflix show in the evening, go for a walk in the woods, see my girlfriend or friends, etc…).”

Sebastian: „Wie bereitest du dich am Tag des Wettkampfs auf den Start vor? Was machst du für dich und warum?“

Chris: “On game day I have two rituals. I always have an energizing workout out (short, good sweat, nothing with really heavy weights that will slow my body or mind down). I always have a nap. Somewhere between 30 – 90 minutes depending on the day.”

Sebastian: „Was machst du die letzten Minuten, um dich auf den Wettkampf vorzubereiten? Was genau machst du bewusst oder unbewusst, um dich so richtig auf den Wettkampf einzustellen? Nutzt du bestimmte mentale Werkzeuge, Verhaltensweisen oder Vorgehen dazu?“

Chris: “Honestly, I try to use the toilet. It´s a few good moments alone where I try and relax. That´s about it though. I try not to get too distracted by talking to too many people.”

Thema Motivation:

Sebastian: „Was sind deine Ziele als Trainer? Was motiviert dich, damit du die Mühen aufnimmst?“

Chris: “To develop the best of young men. I am driven to teach young men how to give 100% physical and mental effort while striving to reach their full potential.”

Sebastian: „Wen würdest du gerne mal trainieren?        

Chris: “I am exactly where I want to be, coaching exactly who I want to be coaching.”   

Sebastian: „Was machst du, wenn du vor einem Training mal keine Motivation hast?“

Chris: “This doesn´t happen. Sometimes I am physically or mentally fatigued. But I always want to be in the gym with my guys.”

Sebastian: „Wie gehst du da mit dir um?“

Chris: “If anything, I try and take a moment or two to ground myself. That´s it.“

Sebastian: „Wie machst du das?”

Chris: “Therefor I go in a quite room for a breathing relaxation.”

Thema Persönlich:

Sebastian: „Was würdest du deinem 14-jährigen Ich für einen Tipp geben, den du damals hättest gebrauchen können?“

Chris: “Nothing. That would change the outcome, my path and my future. Everything happened just as it happened. I learned and changed exactly as I was supposed to. I wouldn´t change anything and I wouldn´t try to influence the outcome with any wise words for my younger self (who was too stubborn and not willing to listen anyway).”

Sebastian: „Wann war der Punkt als du dich für den Leistungssport bzw. für eine professionelle Karriere entschieden hast? Was war der Auslöser bzw. Grund?“
Chris: “I always thought I wanted to be a hockey player. I thought that as long as I can remember. At some point that changed and it became a basketball player. Now it is to be a basketball coach.
There was no one moment, but as long as I can remember, I have been possessed with living a lifestyle around team sport.”

Sebastian: „Was machst du morgens, um gut in einen Tag zu starten?“

Chris: “My morning routine starts with about 30 minutes of reading, 30 minutes of yoga and then breakfast.”

Sebastian: „Welcher Spruch, Buch oder Mensch hat dich am meisten beeinflusst auf deinem Weg?“   

Chris: “The only answer I can think of would be my parents nurturing words….´You can do it. I believe in you.´ I don´t know how many millions of times they said it. But it was a lot and it certainly shaped me in countless ways.”

Sebastian: „Wie suchst du dir deinen Ausgleich zum Sport? War das immer so oder hat sich das im Laufe der Zeit verändert?“

Chris: “I always balanced sport with time with friends. This must have been an only child thing. I have a few friends who have placed stronger value on family (their wives and kids) than I have. This just hasn´t made the jump for me personally. But for me it was always deep and meaningful time with friends that balanced me out.”

Sebastian: „Diese Balance ist tatsächlich sehr wichtig, wie ich von vielen Coaches höre. Wie gut gelingt es dir und gibt es noch weitere Dinge, die du zum Ausgleich machst?

Chris: “Probably… Let´s say sport. I do that almost every day. I spend lots of time with Daniela. She is my girlfriend and best friend too. I may watch a Netflix show once or twice a week. I don´t golf anymore. I don´t see a lot of my close friends very often, but I see some of them some of the time.”

Thema Fokus:

Sebastian: „Wodurch verlierst du den Fokus im Wettkampf oder Training? Fehlversuch eines Athleten, Schiedsrichterentscheidung…?“

Chris: “Refs don´t bother me at all. Maybe lack of discipline or strong selfish behavior. Anytime anybody (player, coach, or administrator) puts themselves ahead of the team, I really lose control.”

Sebastian: „Wie findest du dann wieder den Fokus? Gibt es ein Werkzeug, ein Verhalten oder Vorgehen, dass du da nutzt?“

Chris: “Unfortunately, I normal yell at and discipline the player. At some point I am less bothered by it, but not by any tools of mine, just because I feel better after making the player feel worse.”

Sebastian: „Danke für die ehrlichen Worte. Gibt es denn Situationen in Spiel, in denen du nervös wirst? Und wie bleibst du ruhig?“

Chris: “I am sure there are. Some games I get more emotional than others. As I watch the games from last season, I felt like there was some desperation in my coaching where I lost control in our critical phase. But some of the time I was just acting for our fans… Hard question to answer because I have seen so much and invest a lot in our culture, that there is rarely an event that makes me lose control. I can only think of that event where Adam threw the ball at the other player where I really lost it. Most of the time I breath and talk to myself for a moment, that can lower my pulse significantly very quickly.”

Thema nach dem Wettkampf:

Sebastian: „Was machst du direkt nach dem Wettkampf? Wie bereitest du einen Wettkampf nach?“

Chris: “After the necessary talks, press work, and putting out any fires that might have sprung up around the game, I sit down and begin the analysis. I watch the entire game from start to finish while tagging almost every scene. Then I group the scenes to look for trends. Then I try and objectively learn from the game. Whatever the game has taught me, I try to pass on to the team the next time I see them. Then I start preparing the coming week; do all the logistics, make sure we are analytically prepared, and decide about the macro practice concepts.”

Sebastian: „Das ist sehr beeindruckend, wie du ein Spiel nachbereitest. Wie lange denkst du noch an ein Spiel nachdem es vorbei ist?“

Chris: “Intensively – about 18 hours. Passively – about another 18 hours.”

Sebastian: „Wie gehst du mit einer Niederlage/schlechten Wettkampf um? Gibt es etwas systematisches?“

Chris: “Systematically I am terribly depressed. I complain about all my mistakes. I am a terrible person to be around. I am incapable of having fun or being nice. I cannot focus in conversations or on the lives of others.”

Sebastian: „Und wie kommst du da dann heraus? Passiert das automatisch oder was passiert dann?“

Chris: “Slowly I start to accept the reality of what happened. I slowly start to forgive myself and most of the time I start to focus on the next game, and there isn´t enough time to dwell on it anymore.
So I guess it just happens automatically.“

Sebastian: „Wie gehst du mit einem Sieg/guten Wettkampf um? Gibt es hier etwas systematisches?

Chris: “The process is the same, just that I am happy, I enjoy other people´s company and I am a lot of fun. Listen, I get dragged around emotionally by the game results. It is my absolute strength and weakness, that I care so passionately about every game.”

Thema Leadership:

Sebastian: „Wie gehst du mit Fehlern von Athleten um? Hat sich dieser Umgang bei dir über die Jahre verändert?“

Chris: “This has been pretty consistent for me, in that I have a lot of understanding for player´s mistakes. Basketball is a game of mistakes. It doesn´t do any good to nail anybody to a cross and changing behavior is a time intensive process with lots of bumps in the road. All we can do is explain, explain, explain, listen, listen, listen, and then continue to work for a better solution.”

Sebastian: „Das ist ein schönes Bild. Durch welches Verhalten oder auf welche Weise vermittelst du das an deine Spieler?“

Chris: “I mean, the easiest way to recognize my attitude to it is by me not freaking out during practices / games. I accept being naïve, but I don´t accept refusing to act upon knowledge.
So I differentiate my reaction depending on if the player is learning or not thinking.”

Sebastian: „Was ist das Erste, was du machst, wenn du eine Mannschaft/einen Sportler übernimmst?“

Chris: “Listen. I meet with the individual(s) and I listen to them.”

Sebastian: „Und was versuchst du über die Personen zu erfahren? Warum ist dir das wichtig?“

Chris: “They are the experts. The lived through the last phase. If I am there, then the last phase was unsuccessful. I try to learn the reasons for the failure and what they believe could be the difference maker for future success.”

Sebastian: „Worauf legst du besonderen Wert bei der Beziehung zu einer Mannschaft/einem Sportler?“

Chris: “Honesty and doing what is right, regardless of circumstance or consequence. Only when we have that pillar, can we start to trust each other. And if we don´t trust each other, nothing can be improved upon.”

Sebastian: „Was tust du, damit dein Athlet 100% gibt?“

Chris: “I love and encourage them about 90% of the time. 10% of the time I get in their ass.”

Sebastian: „Wie bereitest du ein Feedback an einen Sportler im Training oder Wettkampf vor? Ist das spontan oder durchdacht? Wie gehst du vor?“

Chris: “Can be both. I may plan something for a number of days, then wait for the ´spontaneous´ moment where it fits. I may just react to a gut feeling. Or I may sit down and map out the conversation. I am flexible on scripting and spontaneity.“

Sebastian: „Wie wichtig ist dir Feedback durch deine Sportler? Wie holst du es gegebenenfalls ein?“

Chris: “I value player´s feedback regarding the team, our processes, the locker room, the coaching staff, the organization, our game plan, and our execution. I purposely choose to maintain some distance and seldom ask for feedback regarding me personally. The reason for that is very barbaric and animalistic, and singularly to maintain a level of dominance. I chose to do this after having some issues with players being confused by my encouragement and closeness, where they would occasionally forget their place, which was harmful to the team and dynamic. Thusly, I chose to ask for personal feedback from players only at the end of the season. Feedback from coaches on the other, is always welcome.”

Fotos von Jörg Laube

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