Discipline as Love

I came across the following post on DISCIPLINE on a fellow trainer's Facebook thread. Credit to Brett Denton:

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/161/The_Myth_of_Discipline.aspx

The article is from charlespoliquin.com, the website of the renowned strength coach bearing that name. The man is highly regarded in all things physical training and nutrition and certainly knows plenty about the topic of discipline, given the work he is in. All due respect to the man.

Poliquin's take on our DDIP, Week Two theme is that the term discipline, in its traditional usage is overworked and obsolete. Love is acknowledged as the driving force in all our decision-making: "we are the result of what we love most.You either love finely-etched washboard abs more than donuts (or the reverse)..." While I absolutely appreciate the angle this author has taken on the subject of discipline and the consideration given to sports psychology, I have a few caveats, that prompt us to revisit the textbook definition of the term.

World English Dictionary

discipline  (ˈdɪsɪplɪn)
— n
1.	training or conditions imposed for the improvement of physical powers, self-control, etc
2.	systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority
3.	the state of improved behaviour, etc, resulting from such training or conditions
4.	punishment or chastisement
5.	a system of rules for behaviour, methods of practice, etc
6.	a branch of learning or instruction
7.	the laws governing members of a Church
8.	a scourge of knotted cords
— vb
9.	to improve or attempt to improve the behaviour, orderliness, etc, of by training, conditions, or rules
10.	to punish or correct
[C13: from Latin disciplīna  teaching, from discipulus disciple ]
'disciplinable
— adj
disciplinal
— adj
'discipliner
— n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

discipline

early 13c., from O.Fr. descepline, from L. disciplina "instruction given to a disciple," from discipulus (see disciple). Sense of "treatment that corrects or punishes" is from notion of "order necessary for instruction." The Latin word is glossed in O.E. by þeodscipe. Meaning

As you can see, it is no wonder that the term discipline has the reputation it does. We read things like, "training imposed; punishment; obedience; improved behavior," and automatically recoil from the entity, as it comes off as harsh and painful...something to be feared. But dare I suggest, "feared" merely by those who dare not do what is plainly difficult, attaining "a state of improved behavior, that is resultant from (disciplined) training." I believe that discipline can be viewed as love, but mostly by those who have done enough work to experience the just reward at the other side of struggle.

Discipline can be painful, that is a fact...a fact this esteemed strength coach is all too familiar with, to the point of enlightenment. Operating at the apex of the world of physical training, it is easy to become philosophical. It's kind of like a college graduate walking off the stage with his diploma and telling a prospective student undergoing orientation,  "it was easy, piece of cake." OK. Easy for you to say!

The definition of discipline talks a lot about following rules, a rigidity is conveyed. And this is appropriate, if we acknowledge one of the more antiquated definitions of the term: discipline as "a field of study." In this regard, consider your favorite subject...reading, writing, arithmetic, perhaps a second language. Or reverting back to the article's context, any physical pursuit. I always think of the martial arts, a scene from Kung Fu Theater, with rows upon rows of pupils standing on a training ground throwing punch after punch in unison - focusing on the basics. In all these examples, rules are followed, stacked like so many cement blocks on a foundation. You start at the beginning of the lesson, though you may dream of having mastered the coursework. I'm thinking right now of the power of a story, say a really good novel. You start at the beginning and engage your mind in the details of the tale, which sometimes can be a bit drab. The book takes you on a journey, with peaks and valleys. Discipline keeps you reading. When you arrive at the end of the book, as the story comes to a climax, the narrative comes together and the moral of the story comes to light. To me, that is love. Love is an emotion, one that requires perspective.

Love Over Discipline

Having rolled from the rack to come down and get to work on this discipline piece, I was writing and deleting, returning to the original article and editing...feeling my way through the prose. That is taking discipline. Love arrives in the form of my three year old Lily, who wants to practice the discipline of ball-throwing. Sitting in my recliner with laptop in place, Tinkerbell on the TV and my chocolate lab posturing in my face, her serpent-like canine tongue strategically lashing my lips, I had to make a decision. I set my computer aside and immersed myself in Lily's throwing technique. A child's attention span being mere moments, I volleyed the ball back and forth with her several times, and watched her face for emotion, any hint of her loving the activity. I throw and the ball drops through her hands, she picks it up and throws back. I throw, she drops, but recovers more quickly and throws back. I throw, she catches, and a hint of love (confidence) is apparent on her beautiful face.

It is indeed, quite easy to see how an individual can learn to love discipline. But to consider discipline as love, that is a philosophy that will take some systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority. And there will likely be pain involved.


This is merely an opinion piece. Thank you CP, for inspiring my commentary.

When Yoda says MOTIVATED, you say DEDICATED!

The entities of motivation and dedication complement one another perfectly; they facilitate one another. With a rough definition of the term motivation being "the driving force by which humans achieve their goals," usually upon positively identifying that 'driving force,' we hold onto it tightly, reluctant to let it go. It is as if we have found our way, figured something out or been let in on a secret. Consider a mouse struggling to find his way through a maze, once, and then subsequently much more efficiently. A wise person would dedicate himself to the perpetuation of this "force," so as to facilitate the accomplishment of goals and ultimately, happiness.

I am no Star Wars nerd, but a discussion of "the force" is not possible without referencing these movies. For your perspective, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_(Star_Wars). Most interesting to me and relevant to this blog is the concept of "force sensitivity," whereby an individual possesses a particular affinity for the force; they seem innately capable of expressing the force via special powers. It seems that in the Star Wars saga this ability is born and less often made.

I have seen people take hold of a kind of force, across the demographic, late in life and against significant odds. I have observed this repeatedly, outside of science fiction. Ordinary people are really capable of extraordinary things, after accomplishing which, they become extraordinary people, who show the way to others. Pay it forward. When people ratchet up to a new level of "force sensitivity," they understandably feel better about themselves, other people and the situations that life presents. A degree of wisdom manifests, as they pit the confidence of their successes against new trials. The individual seems to vibrate at a higher level and everything becomes easier to them. I have likened this to an avatar the person capably assumes; some video game icon like Super Mario who finds the magic mushroom and breezes through the game.

Sadly, some never find the magic mushroom, usually because they never look. In answer to the following exchange between Luke and Yoda: “[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.” I have seen more than a few fall chronically short of their goals for lack of self confidence or belief in themselves. But courtesy a nudge in the right direction by someone who has been where the individual is trying to go; given the right mentoring and moral support, previously insurmountable obstacles are removed - prompting a mental and finally physical victory.

Watch, as Luke strains to raise the X-Wing fighter from the swamp. R2D2 and Yoda look on with excitement...they believe in Luke and know he can do it, but he doesn't believe in himself. His motivation is lacking and so he can't express the force. But after a sufficient period of hard training, Luke catches a glimpse of his full potential, which is essentially limitless. He then dedicates himself fully to becoming a Jedi and he's off to the races.

MOTIVATION <-------------> DEDICATION

More perspective from Yoda:  

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Rise-in-kids-CT-scans-raises-alarm

Rise-in-kids-CT-scans-raises-alarm

"In the US, the average radiation dose to which we are exposed has doubled in the past 30 years. The average dose from natural background sources has not changed, but what has changed is a more than six-fold increase in the average radiation dose from medical imaging. The biggest contributor to this increase in the radiation dose from medical imaging is from CT: In 1980, about 3 million CT scans were done each year in the US, whereas the number now is over 70 million. Radiation doses from CT are typically more 100 times those from conventional x-ray exams, such as a chest x-rays or mammograms, and there is now direct epidemiological evidence of a small but statistically significant increased lifetime cancer risk at CT doses."

http://sciencewatch.com/inter/aut/2010/10-mar/10marBren/

DDIP 23 Graduation Ceremony - Special Awards issue

DDIP 23 Graduation Ceremony - diploma and ID tag issue

Perkiomen Formation Run to Cadence

Spring Mountain Marching Cadence 2

Spring Mountain Marching Cadence

DrillSpeak Manatawny

Press Release - DrillSpeak Mission to Kiddie Academy

 

Thursday, July 14 - Harleysville, PA.


This morning, Dr. Drill. Mrs. Drill and the Drillbits embarked on a public health mission to Kiddie Academy, Harleysville.We were invited to Kiddie Academy by owner, Sean Thomas, to bring all the healthy motivation inherent to Dr. Drill Instructor Program to the students of his facility, who range in age from infants to nine years old. The DrillBits, clad in their camoflauge Zero Dark Thirty t-shirts raced proudly around the place in preparation for the healthy event, personifying the DDIP philosophy of "what you put in, you will get out!"


Training began indoors, where Dr. Drill engaged the group in a period-of-instruction on his "Four Motivating Health Tips:"

1.Use your head: Learn something every day at Kiddie Academy

2.Eat Right: "What you put in, you get out" applied to your diet

3.Exercise: Move it or lose it!

4.Work together: Teamwork makes the dream work!


The Kiddies of the Academy were loud and proud, shouting back cadences and giving their all thoughout the assembly. The group was highly-motivated and clearly grasped the concept of, "health-is-wealth."

Next, outside we went! The students took to the playground via marching cadence, "Nice and easy - NICE and SLOW...Kiddie Academy, HERE WE GO!" We conducted some rigorous physical training while the youngest recruits looked on.

To close the session, we brought the enthusiasm back indoors and reviewed the learning points of the day. Prizes were given out to the true motivators of the group; those who sounded off loud and proud, representing for their alma mater.

"1-2-3 DDIP, Kiddie Academy!"

As we loaded the DrillBits into the truck, the students could be seen crowding the windows, smiles on their faces and Dr. Drill stickers fashioned on their shirts!

Dr. Drill's "Mission Possible"Boot Camp Assembly Series features a high-energy, fun-filled, participation-packed performance that highlights the importance of healthy living, teamwork and moral character in America's youth.

The President's Health Initiative has brought America's public health crisis of childhood obesity and poor physical fitness into the forefront. Dr. Drill's unique program engages students in an interactive experience that energizes and empowers them to be more aware of the value of healthy habits.

"We found Dr. Drill's enthusiam to be contagious and applaude his efforts to be such a wonderful mentor to our youth. I attended a Home & School meeting tonight and all the parents in attendance said their children came home excited about their experience." A.C.

For more information on a DrillSpeak assembly at your school, contact us at

215-855-6154 or via email at drdrill0530@live.com.

www.drdrillinstructor.com/drdrillspeaks.htm

DrillSpeak Mission to Camp Manatawny!

-Press Release- DrillSpeak Mission to Camp Manatawny!   Tuesday, July 12 - Douglassville, PA. Last night, Dr. Drill and the Night Pirate platoon embarked on a public health mission to Camp Manatawny, a Christian Camp in Douglassville, PA. We were invited to Manatawny by Camp Leader and DDIP Warrrior, Dave Garrett, AKA "Bandit," to bring all the healthy motivation inherent to Dr. Drill operations to his 7th and 8th grade campers. Accompanying Dr. Drill, were a capable bunch of Pirates, who lead-by-example, personifying the DDIP philosophy of "what you put in, you will get out!" Training started indoors, where Dr. Drill engaged the group in his Stay Fit While You Sit regimen. The campers were loud and proud, shouting back cadences and giving their all. The incredible spirit of Camp Manatawny was on full display. Next, outside we went! Campers took to the fields via marching cadence, "ah nice and easy - NICE and SLOW...Manatawny, HERE WE GO!" We circled up, conducted some physical training in the "instructor leads, you follow" format. We sure worked up a sweat doing the Leaping Leni Lenape! To close the evening, the various tribes battled one another in a fierce tug-o-war, with a rope commandeered from the docks in Philly, just as the sun dropped below the horizon. There we sat in school circle, the Campers of Manatawny and the DDIP Night Pirates - unified by hard work and comaraderie: "1-2-3 DDIP, Manatawny and the Pirates, Yo Hoh, Me Hearties!" "Manatawny is a camp, retreat and gathering place situated on 87 acres in a peaceful, country setting within easy driving range of Valley Forge, Allentown, Reading and Lancaster. It is a place where groups gather to learn, to dine, to relax and to energize their creativity. It is the perfect location to revitalize body, mind and spirit. Use this section to describe your event in full. Be sure to tell your contacts why the event is being held - offered annually, to benefit a particular cause, to celebrate, etc.

Dr. Drill Instructor, Inc. 14 Lincoln Ave Lansdale, Pennsylvania 19446 www.drdrillinstructor.com 215.855.6154

Event Block

Event Block

Dr. Drill's "Mission Possible"Boot Camp Assembly Series

features a high-energy, fun-filled, participation-packed performance that highlights the importance of healthy living, teamwork and moral character in America's youth.

  

The President's Health Initiative has brought America's public health crisis of childhood obesity and poor physical fitness into the forefront. Dr. Drill's unique program engages students in an interactive experience that energizes and empowers them to be more aware of the value of healthy habits.

"We found Dr. Drill's enthusiam to be contagious and applaude his efforts to be such a wonderful montor to our youth. I attended a Home & School meeting tonight and all the parents in attendance said their children came home excited about their experience."  

  

For more information on prices/availability for your school, contact us at 

215-855-6154 or via email at drdrill0530@live.com.  

Human Resources - Mission Possible?

 
 
 
Night Pirates: tonight, you will be lead by Babushka.



GMC: You are forever on "the list." Tomorrow, you will be lead by the capable Glaze.


Warriors: Mater the Greater will be calling the shots tomorrow.


Survivors: Asspack is on point this Saturday.


All others who have tossed your hats in the ring also must assume leadership roles. You will function in support of this chosen leader, acting as their counsel and as the precious human resource which you are, to be used accordingly.


Instructors and Guides are to shadow the process, keeping safety in place and only engaging when absolutely necessary. Leaders: confide in the on-duty Instructors for curriculum, admin and logistics before crossing the "line of departure."


Your mission: To discipline, motivate, educate and exercise your unit to an optimal state-of-health.


How you accomplish this is entirely up to you...the curriculum is yours. You must honor every participant in your platoon...they have skills and strengths which you must employ appropriately to get the job done. All this is honored and considered in your devising your plan-of-attack.


Safety is paramount.


The session ends with YOU in school circle with the short stinkin hairs standing on end, speaking passionately about a mission accomplished, courtesy teamwork! The personification of a fireworks display that you are less content to watch, and more interested in acting out.

OOOO AAAAA - Ooh Rah

Harvard weight study leaves taters tottering; growers

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011/06/Harvard-weight-study-leaves-taters-tottering-growers/48932750/1

"It's just irresponsible on Harvard's part," says Gene Grabowski, senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications, who was eating a bag of potato chips when reached at his office. "Whenever a study like this one comes out, it creates a real problem for an industry."

Harvard School of Public Health vs. Industry Lobbyist?

Irresponsible, Gene? Ever heard of the glycemic index? Potatoes are broken down into glucose, in many cases, faster than soft drinks. Potatoes aren't the devil...nothing wrong with some spuds every now and then, but make french fried potaters and other high glycemic-index foods the mainstay of your diet and...BAD THINGS:

• Skyrocketing blood sugar
• Hormone imbalance
• Metabolic syndrome:
• Overweight
• Insulin resistance and diabetes
• Chronic disease

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-full-story/

Shade: A weapon against skin cancer, childhood obesity

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/06/Shade-serves-as-a-weapon-against-skin-cancer-childhood-obesity/48965070/1

Add the sun to the multitude of factors which can prevent our children from engaging in adequate physical activity. It's rays and accompanying heat are real obstacles that must be accounted for and worked around.

1. Plant some damned trees!
2. Erect some man-made shelter...perhaps of solar panels, which power fans that would cool the playground and provide light for physical activity in the evening, when temperatures are lower.

But by all means, we must increase exponentially the quality and quantity of physical activity in and out of the scholastic setting.

The Importance of Being a First Responder

Last Saturday I took part in a CPR re-certification. As it was an absolutely beautiful day, I wasn't exactly looking forward to spending what would amount to four hours indoors, going over material that I already felt I had a good command of. However, I must say that it was time well devoted to sharpening up on the basic life-saving methods that will undoubtedly serve me well someday.

We gathered at a fellow Instructor's home, at 1pm. As I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by a jovial middle-aged man with a smile and his hand stretching through the window of my jeep, prior to it even coming to a halt. It was Joe Cohen, I would soon learn, our CPR Instructor and extremely nice guy, who had also agreed to allot a portion of his weekend to teaching us this valuable skill. We gathered in a room in the house and passed around CPR manuals, while Joe set up his video, which would help guide the instruction. The host generously provided food and beverages.

I braced myself for a very long and boring curriculum, but I was soon to be reminded of the importance of refreshing one's skills in the basics and it was glaringly apparent that Joe genuine enjoyed, if not loved to teach CPR. Our class was heavy on practical application, the student:teacher ratio was extremely favorable and Joe took all questions with enthusiasm. There were five students attending this CPR course, but I don't know why there weren't fifty! During each section of the instruction, I found myself moving from adult to child CPR dummies, rehearsing the procedures on the different sizes...considering the anatomy and imagining a particular situation and how to ideally respond. With children in this world now, I was more motivated yet to know what the hell to do.

The importance of knowing how to respond and being that person to respond first, when others are either paralyzed with fear or apathy, is extremely important. Anyone who has ever witness someone choking can attest to how truly scary a situation that is. Once, when I was traveling in upstate NY, we stopped a some greasy spoon for a quick meal. A few tables over, there was a very large family (literally and figuratively) enjoying their lunch, when the amiable chatter gave way to silence. I looked over to see a teenager holding his neck and going through various stages of color change, obviously choking, while his family looked on, apparently unable to provide aid. After what seemed like perhaps 10 minutes, a young man from the kitchen strode out and beat us all to the punch; grabbed the boy from behind, delivered a few sharp thrusts and out came a french fry. Quite the hero, he absolutely saved a life that day.

We all have the potential to be the hero...to act, but there are books written on the sort of situation where scores of people stand on the scene, while someone teeters precariously on the boundary of life and death but NO ONE TAKES ACTION! After sitting for Saturday's CPR cert, it is crystal clear in my mind again that rehearsal of immediate actions; of the fundamentals, is paramount. I am no stranger to this notion, but still I forget. When I was in the USMC, we were constantly training on the basics: taking care of your person and your gear; employing your weapon system; operating in various terrain; what to do in the event of a near ambush? Far ambush? How to cross a danger area? Contact front, R/L. We would conduct rehearsals for every mission we would carry out, going through the sequence mentally, prior to embarking on the actual mission. For then, it was the real deal, and mistakes were unforgiving.

We should all therefore have a basic command of the life saving steps - RESTORE THE BREATHING, STOP THE BLEEDING, PROTECT THE WOUND, TREAT FOR SHOCK. We must all know how to act in the case of emergency, to prepare ourselves to be first responders. We should also seek out the best, most qualified and enthusastic teachers to educate us. I am confident that Joe Cohen was that person, last weekend. Thank you Joe and see you again soon, with a larger group.

To book Joe for a CPR/First Aid certification, contact me at drdrill0530@live.com.