When performance falls below the sum of the parts, the least effective response is to focus on putting the parts back together.
As Gestalt Trainers, we use Basketball and Swimming to show players how to use the connections between the parts to create something that is greater than the sum of the parts. A Gestalt.
We take players away from thinking about how to put parts together to train their ability to see all the connections between all the parts and anticipate. To offer teammates options as their own options diminish. To experience being part of something that is greater than the sum of the parts. A Gestalt.
All sports comprise interconnected parts, which means each sport has relational connections between all the parts. All sports can create performance that is greater than the sum of the parts. Some sports are more useful for training Gestalt than others.
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Basketball is the ultimate expression of team Gestalt
On paper, basketball serves as the perfect illustration of Gestalt. With connections among ten players in a relatively confined space, anyone can score from any position, and everyone can move anywhere with minimal restrictions. These dynamic connections maximise the opportunity for Gestalt.
However, the multitude of moving parts presents challenges for players in timing their connections to fully optimize the Gestalt. To address this, coaches have developed systems that help players integrate parts into a cohesive whole. Yet, focusing too much on individual parts impacts the brain in a way that lowers player's ability to recognize the connections between all the parts. They lose the ability to anticipate. A sport designed to maximize opportunity for Gestalt drops down to trying to get as close as possible to achieving the sum of the parts.
That is, until Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors came along. I copied how they embody the principles of Gestalt and discovered that I could utilize basketball to train Gestalt, regardless of individual basketball skills.
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Swimming as the ultimate expression of internal Gestalt
Swimming exemplifies the concept of internal Gestalt beautifully. Our ability to swim relies more on the connections between the parts of the swimming stroke than on the actual parts themselves.
However, traditional instruction puts attention on the individual parts of a swimming stroke. When we focus too heavily on these separate parts, it hampers the brain's capacity to perceive the connections between all the parts. Instead, we guide swimmers away from concentrating solely on the individual elements, encouraging them to focus on the connections between them. This allows the water to teach them how to connect the parts to attain something greater than the sum of its parts.
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In the 21st century, mastering Gestalt skills is crucial, as AI surpasses our ability to assemble parts.
Preserving our gestalt helps us prevent the need for therapy to unpack the parts we have put together.
Because technology-driven connections encourage us to think about putting parts together, it is essential to continually practice our *Gestalt*; otherwise, we risk losing it.
Community events for using the dynamic connections found in sports to train Gestalt.
St Albans and surrounding areas
All-ability adults play Basketball (5)Sun 29 MarWatford
Late paymentThu 31 DecAL3 5LH
All-ability adults swimDate and time is TBDLocation is TBD- League-level BasketballDate and time is TBDLocation is TBD
Using our Gestalt skills to solve problems.Date and time is TBDLocation is TBD
My
Story
Get to Know Us
In the 1990s, I was tasked with pinpointing the elements of human connection that could be effectively integrated into an innovative online collaboration platform known as Lotus Notes, as well as identifying those that could not.
I classified the forms of connection into two categories: measurable and immeasurable. The measurable connections are for agreeing on a sum of parts and allocating these parts for people to play. These were moved online. The immeasurable connections could only be done face-to-face and involved creating something greater than the sum of the parts, a phenomenon known as *Gestalt*.
As the Internet and Google began to rise, I shifted to using my connection skills to assist struggling technology projects on the verge of failure. By emphasizing the connections between all parts, I ensured that every project was completed on schedule.
After that, I focused on home-educating my children. My eldest was hyperactive, unable to concentrate on a single thing at a time, or remain still for very long. I discovered that this was due to his deep immersion in the connections surrounding him, known as Gestalt, which left him with a limited sense of self. By playing basketball together, we created a connection between us that led to him developing his sense of self amidst his Gestalt immersion. While I learned how to immerse myself in a Gestalt, my second son had withdrawn into gaming, so I reversed what I did for my eldest and drew my youngest into Gestalt.
During the lockdown, I began a six-year exploration into how "thinking about how to put parts together" influences brain function. The brain utilises two distinct approaches to engage with our surroundings. One involves selecting and assembling parts, while the other involves seeing the connections between all the parts to anticipate what is about to happen. Trying hard to put parts together takes away the ability to anticipate. We are often surprised when events fragment our assembled parts, and we don’t know why performance falls below the sum of the parts.
SkillsofWow.org is the governing body for those who coach the skills of Wow.