3-D approach to coaching

Legendary basketball coaches John Wooden of UCLA and Dean Smith of North Carolina embraced the vision of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) early in their careers and it served as a guiding light as they developed not only outstanding players but also special human beings with a heart for others.

Wooden, who won 10 NCAA championships with UCLA and died at the age of 99 in 2010, was introduced to FCA back in the 1950s. “I quickly discovered the impact it could have in the lives of athletes and coaches,” he said. “Since I spent my time in that field, it was only natural that I became involved in FCA and I’m glad I did.”

Smith passed away at the age of 83 in February last year. He steered the Tar Heels varsity to the NCAA title in 1982 and 1993 and took the US to the podium at the 1976 Olympics with a gold medal. Smith was a strong FCA supporter for decades and used to appear in national conferences and camps.

Both Wooden and Smith built a foundation based on faith and athletics with their teams. At FCA, those are the two passions that are brought together to impact the world for Christ, a mission that’s been on course for over 60 years.

Since 1954, FCA has used the powerful medium of sports to spread the Word of God. It’s the largest Christian sports organization in the world and focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ.

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An FCA founding father was Branch Rickey who signed Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 to break baseball’s racial barrier. Rickey also introduced the batting helmet, invented baseball’s affiliated minor league system and was credited for drafting the first Afro-Hispanic superstar Roberto Clemente. A devout Christian, Rickey played a key role in getting FCA off the ground. Another founding father was Don McClanen who reached out to professional athletes and administrators in forming an organization that projected them as Christians first and foremost.

In 2010, FCA Philippines was established with former FCA international director Barry Spofford and coach Randy Chambers coming to Manila to set up the organization with pastor Gary Visitacion. Today, there are 10 FCA chapters in the Philippines, each headed by an area director reporting to Visitacion as national director. Visitacion, in turn, reports to FCA international ministry executive vice president Dan Britton.

Two of the 10 area directors are former PBA player Lawrence (Tata) Merced (Great Taste, 1985, 1989) and former NU head coach Jojo Villa. Merced, 55, is the area director for Cebu while Villa, 50, is area director for Metro Manila.

Villa became a full-time missionary in August 2014. An economics graduate from UP in 1987, Villa was a Fighting Maroons assistant coach under Joe Lipa and Ricky Dandan and also an assistant coach for San Miguel Beer and FedEx in the PBA. He was the Nueva Ecija Patriots head coach in the defunct MBA and was NU head coach when Danny Ildefonso and Lordy Tugade were the Bulldogs stars. Villa was also head coach for the La Salle Greenhills varsity in PRADA and PAYA and St. Stephen’s High School. He served as NCAA and UAAP deputy commissioner.

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Villa said FCA will conduct a 1 1/2 day 3-Dimensional coaching seminar “to introduce concepts that help coaches develop a strategy to fulfill their transformational purpose” starting today from 1 to 4 p.m. at the CCF Center, Frontera Verde, on Ortigas Avenue corner C5 Road, Pasig. Tomorrow, the session will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A fee of P500 will cover notes and a certificate of participation. The fee will not include meals.

Registration for today’s opening session starts at 12 noon. You may pre-register by emailing your name and contact details to [email protected] or [email protected]. The speaker is FCA Wisconsin State director and regional coaches ministry trainer Mark Hull who has 24 years of coaching experience. For the last six years, Hull was the “character coach” of the UW-Eau Claire football team, expanding that role to work with the softball, soccer, basketball and gymnastics squads. He has been a presenter for USA Wrestling’s coaches school at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid.

Villa said the 3-Dimensional coaching approach is based on extensive research regarding different coaching philosophies and the cultural influence of coaches on the lives of people. The first dimension delves on the fundamentals or the physical. The second is on psychology or the mind and the third on the heart or holism. Villa noted that research shows only about 15 percent of coaches intentionally go beyond the first dimension.

“Being a 3-Dimensional coach means you are fundamentally sound, skilled at coaching the mind and motivation of an athlete and focused on capturing the developing the heart of the player,” said Villa. “He realizes the power of the coaching platform to inspire, motivate and produce positive change in his sphere of influence. He is acutely mindful of the moral, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of the athletes.”

The 1 1/2 day seminar should be an eye-opener for those still not versed in FCA. Villa said it is an enlightening approach to coaching and a pathway to living a good Christian life. It should be worth looking into.