Monday, November 15, 2010

How can chess damage you?

When you are not in healthy competition and someone else can steal your result from you because of match fixing. Or conversely when you claim a win you know you do not deserve. This is a strange one. Think on it. Observe around you, inside yourself. This can really twist your mind.

When you are not doing it for yourself but to please someone else or to compensate for their inadequacies.

When you are not set realistic goals; when you are insufficiently prepared or properly trained and supported and you are sent to bring back medals.

When you have a lousy trainer or coach who do not show you how to find the right answers but instead make you feel more stupid with every lesson that they teach you.

The net result of enough of the above is a killing of the fighting spirit. The players start to look for excuses rather than continue searching for the right answers. The disappointments with no possible resolution eventually lead to deep anger and bitterness and a siege mentality occurs that stop further learning and growth.

That is how to turn chess from a gift into a curse. But it doesnt have to be that way.

No comments:

Post a Comment