I must admit! I love hip-hop music! In my community, during the late 70’s and beyond, hip-hop was the music of choice.
One of my favorite rap groups was Eric B. & Rakim. This duo was one of the most influential DJ/MC combinations in contemporary music. Their rapping style was unorthodox, unconventional, educational and hypnotic. Thus, they named one of their hit songs “Don’t sweat the technique.”
At Youth Hoops Basketball Camps, I employ similar tactics. During camp, often times, I’ll say and do wild and crazy things – be funny, act upset, playfully threaten campers, use voice inflections, etc.
To maximize camper’s retention level, I’ll perform one of those wild and crazy things simultaneously, while teaching them or demonstrating something. This links the teaching point and the wild and crazy thing together. This is called anchoring. In other words, when your kid recalls the wild and crazy thing (which is memorable), they’ll also remember the teaching point.
I’ve used this technique repeatedly, at Youth Hoops and in the corporate world as an instructor. Your kid not only learns at an accelerated rate, it’s also easier to keep their attention thru the duration of the camp.
