Part 3: My UAAP Tennis Coaching Journey - Coach Daddy

During the last couple of years, I often found myself asking the question: "Until when will I coach in the UAAP?" Was it until I am old and wrinkly?! Was it until I coached the kids of my former players?! Would I finally ride into the sunset when I wasn't winning anymore?! or was it when I reached a certain number of titles that I was satisfied with and hold the record for most titles ever won by a coach in the UAAP?! I never really had a firm answer, but I knew if the time was right, and for the right reasons, then I would just know it would be time to call it a career.

Season 77, 78 & 81 MVP Clarice and Season 76 and 79 MVP Christine Patrimonio

 

Season 76 and 77 MVP Fritz Verdad

Well, that time is now. 17 seasons, 22 UAAP titles, two schools. It was a great (almost) two-decade run. I feel blessed beyond imagination to achieve so much in my young adult life. I never had a clear vision of how and when it would end, until now.  I met so many great people, from players to parents, to school officials, and other great people over the years. I will cherish all those moments and carry good memories in the next chapters of my life. 

'Intense' and 'Too Competitive'

I've had this reputation to opposing players, coaches, parents and supporters who refer to me as being 'villainous', and generally unpopular with people outside my teams. Perceived to be 'too hard' and 'intensely competitive'. If you cared too much about what people always thought about you, then you will always feel insecure about yourself. I knew who I was as a person outside the court, and I also knew who I had to be inside the court. It didn't have to necessarily be the same person. My teams and players understand that nature of me that other people misunderstand. We have this deep trust and bond that whatever is said during training and games, especially in the heat of battle should never ever be taken personal, and never to be taken outside the playing court. There is usually no time to explain the details of what is happening, or what I anticipate will happen and the players have full trust in me that what I am doing is for their welfare and the best of the team although most of it seem to make no sense at that time. It's like a superior officer in the military handing down orders to their troops. There is no time to question orders when given on the battlefield. Sometimes encouragement is needed when the players feel down on themselves, sometimes they need motivation to fire them up. Sometimes players doubt themselves and their abilities in the biggest moments, and when I see that, a quick jolt of electricity is better than a pat on the shoulder. 

With UP player Joshua Cano

The last couple of years, I was able to interact with players on the opposing teams on a more personal level, when a couple of them approached me for an interview to be a resource person for their thesis or school paper. One of them, Josh Cano, whom I've known since he was a kid, and Auden Paduganan, who only knew me as an opposing coach in the UAAP, both had the same reaction after our interview. That I was so approachable and easy to talk to, and so far from the competitor during the games. Auden even said he was hesitant to ask and afraid to interview me as I was so 'scary' during games! I guess that was the persona I had built up to opposing players and coaches. As the late great Kobe Bryant said; "Love me or hate me, its one or the other". As any student will always tell you, the teachers that they always remember and appreciate the most are the ones who gave them 'tough love', and pushed them beyond their fears and self-doubt, and never made it easy on them. A coach needs to know each and every player as a player and as a person to know how and when to 'push the right buttons' to help them achieve things they didn't even imagine possible.

I dedicated a big part of the last two decades in the pursuit of excellence year in year out for the teams, the school and the players. I remained hungry and ultra-competitive for each and every game I coached. I always played to win, just as I was when I was a kid. Anything less than my everything will just be not 'me'. But now a new challenge and opportunity has come my way, and it's time for me to dedicate all my efforts to my family. To give them the best possible opportunities to become the best at what they eventually choose to be. 

When I got married and started a family in 2014, I told my wife that I would want to someday be always there for our kids. To watch their games when they played sports, school plays and recitals. take them to and from school and just be a good father and guide them to become the best versions of themselves. Just like how I did it for my players in their respective collegiate athletic careers, although this next chapter of my life will lead me to a different path in every sense of the word! I feel a sense of coming 'full circle' when I left UST in 2011. A lot of people couldn't understand  back then how I could leave despite all the success, and a lot of things going for me and choosing a situation with more questions than answers. But just like in 2011, I feel like there is something greater to achieve in my next journey. 

Began with two titles my first season, and ending with two titles in my last season in UAAP Season 81

With two beautiful children who are quickly growing up, I feel the time is right for me to give my full time and attention to them. My wife has been taking the lead in taking care and looking after them for the past few years. She has always wanted to go back to her career in the corporate world, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been given a golden opportunity to achieve our dreams as a family that will take us to a different part of the world. With a little bit of luck and a lot of prayers and faith in God in the coming years, I can only pray that we can be as successful and blessed as I have been in the past 20 years. I feel I have accomplished so much at such a young age, and to be given a chance to chase another dream, but this time for your family as a whole is something I cannot pass up.

By writing this article I feel this can provide closure to an amazing part of my life. Its like having to break up with someone you have loved so much for so long. But you know deep within your soul that you must go your separate ways. I have to give my heartfelt gratitude to all the parents who entrusted their children to be under my stewardship and care. To UST and NU admin and management, Fr. De Sagon, Fr. Roland De La Rosa, from UST, Mr. Hans Sy, Mr. RJ Ermita, Mr. Nilo Ocampo, Mr. Edwin Lee, Arch. Paul Galang and countless other people who have helped me along the way; it was an honour to have worked with all of you. To my former players in both schools, there are too many of you to mention. Each one of you was special, and taught me a great deal on how to become a successful mentor, and I hope you also learned and had a great time in your time in college. I hope to see you again in the future to reminisce the great times we all had!

COACH K OUT!

Part 2: My UAAP Tennis Coaching Journey - "Heeeeey, NU, Let's Go!"

Despite all my success in 10 years coaching UST, with 7 mens and 5 women titles during that span, I still felt that there were far bigger things to achieve and I searched for ways to 'spread my wings'. I felt I needed to show everyone that I could still produce a winner, even without the machinery and reputation of UST as an institution and how the really good players tend to gravitate towards it.  Then in late 2010, one of my father's former DLSU volleyball players and family friend Mr. Edwin Lee, who worked closely with the Sy family in SM,  contacted me if I would consider heading the soon-to-be-launched tennis program of National University; from scratch! It was an intriguing project, beginning a program with no players, no existing structure, with the league cellar dwellers in most sports. I accepted the job soon after winning the Season 73 UAAP title for the UST Mens team in 2011. I came in knowing it would be the ultimate challenge to build a winner.

Just in my first week into the job, I was in the school elevator with some students and school officials when one of the students lamented the previous days loss in basketball by NU. The school official then interjected that it was 'ok' because the team kept the score close. I knew right there how different the culture was in NU, and how it had to change for the better. I had to help and do my part in having a winning mentality on the court that would hopefully rub off on the other teams and the NU community in the future. 

Post championship interview with ABS CBN Sports

Three-peat champions NU Bulldogs in UAAP Season 77

Fast forward 10 years later, and I am proud to say that the Tennis program delivered one of the first championship titles that started the change in the culture in National University starting in UAAP Season 75. We provided the belief to other teams that they could do it as well. Our mens team won four straight titles, and had then a UAAP record 44 straight wins over 4 seasons. Our womens team were not to be outdone, also winning 4 straight titles from Season 76-79. We experienced much difficulty in recruiting players at the beginning, since we had no track record, no winning traditions, nor the name recall of the school in the regional level. Our womens team wasn't able to compete in our first year since we didn't have enough players to form a team. Yet we found a way to triumph despite the inexperience, despite the challenges. I knew it was going to be hard at the start, but not THAT hard that our efforts in recruiting players from the provinces were not even being strongly considered by their families. We had to fill up our roster with players who weren't even in our 'big board', or list of potential recruits. We had to scout and offer on the regional competitions, as our chances to land the players we wanted on the national level, and Palaro levels tend to choose the other universities.

Source: Wikipedia

First title for the NU Bulldogs in school history in only the 2nd year of the program in UAAP Season 75

The title runs of the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs from UAAP Season 75-79

Looking back on my two-decade collegiate coaching career, I will focus not on the titles won over that period, which I know will only be remembered in the pages of Wikipedia and UAAP files. As I always mention to my players: No one will remember the championships a few years after, and you will not be able to take the trophies and medals with you in your life's journey. "But what you can take with you everyday of your lives are the skills, experiences, and lessons you gained along the way". with that, I wish to share the most important and memorable lessons I learned in this chapter of my journey.

1) Winning is a skill to be mastered and not automatically a byproduct of hard work

I say this not to devalue hard work, but rather to point out that hard work alone doesn't guarantee success. It is hard enough to win a championship; It only gets exponentially tougher if you want to win again and again and again. When I began my coaching career, I was already very competitive, and grew up with that attitude of wanting to win at anything. tournaments, practices, post training sprints, even playing video games and rock paper scissors. You cannot have a switch for it. I saw no point of playing if my goal wasn't to win that game. Hard work, Dedication, Discipline are all requisites to get you to a competitive level in whatever field you are in. Developing a winning mindset, attitude and culture in your team or organisation should be an everyday habit. 

UAAP Season 78 4-Peat Mens, and 3-Peat Womens Champion (Photo by Raul Quintela)

What I am most proud of is that my competitiveness and winning attitude rubbed off on my players and teams. A lot of players that I have had the privilege to work with in UST and NU weren't the blue chip types, or national and international champions growing up. except for a few handful, they were not used to winning at a high level. It was a challenge, but yet a fun filled experience of continuously imparting a winning attitude to the players who I've come across all these years, and even more fulfilling to see it become a part of them throughout their collegiate careers in helping our squad win against highly touted opponents, as well as seeing them apply it to finish their studies, as well as in their respective professions years later.

2) Each team forms its own unique identity, and should be coached differently

In the collegiate setting, the turnover of players happens really fast. Each player plays 4-5 years, and you lose and gain new players each year. The overall identity of each team despite having generally the same players changes as players improve, mature over that 4-5 year timeline. Some coaches 'coach' the same way year in year out usually because their 'formula' and 'system' has worked. What I learned over the years is that the coach has to adjust to how he or she manages the team and the individuals even though the core of the team stays intact. 

Take the case of the 2011-2016 4-Peat NU Bulldogs, with an all-rookie lineup when we started the program. I was placed in a unique situation where I basically had the entire core to work with for five seasons. We won the title ahead of schedule on our second season, and by the time they were in their 3rd-5th season, we were pretty much on autopilot. People on the outside would often say that I didn't need to coach the team anymore because we were so dominant already. But the streak of winning carries with it a different type of burden. 

With NU Chairman Dr. Hans T. Sy together (from L-R: Coach Toto Joven, Alvin Patrimonio, Team Consultant Dominik Utzinger, Team Manager Arch. Paul Galang, and Mayor Rolen Paulino)

In 2011, myself, together with fellow coach Bobby Esquivel focused on establishing discipline, work ethic and building a champions attitude on and off the court. By their second and third season our top players Leander Lazaro and Fritz Verdad were already competing deep into national mens open events, and the other players were also playing at a very high level in mens open tournaments. The challenge now became more mental, how to stay focused on the goal of winning another UAAP title. Not getting over confident when everyone in the team knew that we were head and shoulders above everyone else. It was about finding ways to keep challenging them when we had won three straight titles. Our fourth title was by far the toughest, as most, if not all were already graduating that season. They had different priorities in their personal lives, were undergoing practicum in a real office and work setting, etc. Egos got the better of our players at a crucial point in the season and they didn't want to play with each other anymore. My role then shifted from planning strategies and battle plans, to serving as a psychologist, psychiatrist, and counsellor during that season, keeping our egos from getting the best of us. A good coach needs to make sense of what his or her team is composed of, and then filling the gaps as needed in order to get the best out of your squad. 

3) Channeling failures and negativity as your motivating factors is ephemeral. Have a higher purpose for your coaching.

My failure as a player to deliver a title for UST served as my main motivation and drive to try and win in the first part of my coaching journey. Doubt and negativity from those around me who thought I was given the job too young too soon, or that I inherited a good team, or had blue chip players in some seasons became the proverbial 'chip' on my shoulder. But as you grow and become more experienced, and succeed early on, your motivation, goals and philosophies should also evolve. When I left UST, it was partly because I felt I proved the doubters wrong, and I was looking for a new challenge. When I won in NU, I had a realisation that my driving force cannot be always because people have continually doubted me over the years. I was looking for a higher purpose as I was also maturing and evolving as an individual. I was no longer living a single life, and had started a family. Before my full attention was focused on winning the title each season. But now I had a wife and baby and other personal endeavours to look after. 

The vision of the Sy family when they decided to acquire National University and heavily invest in the sports program was to provide opportunities for more talented kids to realise their dreams, by getting quality education and experiencing success that they can carry on to their professional careers either in their sport, or in other fields. I felt the synergy of their vision with what I had been doing over the years in identifying talent that had just not been given an opportunity due to various circumstances. A great majority of the players I had coached were players who come from the middle to lower socio-economic class, and often use the 4-5 year college experience as their way to succeed not only for themselves, but oftentimes for their whole families as well. A lot of them are their families only hope for a better life, so succeeding and learning to live and carry themselves as 'winners' then became even more imperative in their time with our teams. Some have gone on to become doctors, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, teachers and successful entrepreneurs. Knowing that I made a difference in their lives just makes the titles we won together all the more sweeter!

From the book: NU Bulldogs, Acing their way to Greatness

4) No Excuses

During the latter part of our period of dominance from Season 75-79, there were looming problems that I, together with our management foresaw coming that would later on become a huge debacle for our program; Our players would all be graduating at the same time. Usually, teams lose 1-2 seniors each season and can prepare for it by developing or recruiting new players coming out of High School. Not only would I be losing our entire team in one go, but the looming implementation of the K-12 program in 2016 meant that there would be barely any players coming out of high school for two years! we had recruited 1-2 players each season after the sophomore year of our core 2011 team, but top prospects entering college knew that they wouldn't have a chance to crack our rotation for a good 2 years so most chose to go where they could immediately play. Still, we had barely enough players to field a team in Season 80 until the incoming graduates of K-12 would start college in time for Season 81. We also convinced a few of our graduating players to play one more season so we could still have enough players to field a team that year. But unfortunate events came down one after the other, and it tested my character and resolve for the next couple of years.

Having 8 players for the mens team and 7 for the womens team coming into Season 80, I still had some hope we could compete despite a depleted lineup. UAAP rules called for a minimum 7 players to play on a given match day. A month or so before the start of the competitions, we found out that 2 of our mens players were academically ineligible, and for the womens team, 1 was ruled to have exhausted her playing years, and one chose to pursue work rather than play for another season. We were left with less than the minimum players to field a team. It was devastating for our team, and even more so with the Chairman of NU, Mr Hans Sy. A lot of what happened was beyond my control, and when I talked to Mr Hans, I could see the disappointment and frustration in him, and I learned a valuable lesson right there; that there is simply no excuse for what happened even if most things were beyond my control. All the goodwill built with him and the management and administration of NU over the last five seasons, being the model program of winning on the court, and having exemplary academic records for all our players just went down the drain in one swoop. It was by far the most humbling and lowest points of my coaching career; Not being able to have enough players to field a team for UAAP Season 80.

Womens title recap by The Score

I promised Mr Hans and the school admin that we will come back stronger next season. This despite knowing I will have a core of rookies, and former bench players from the championship years. We had no 'blue chip' players coming the following season either. I would have to come up with a miracle looking at the rosters of the other teams comparing it to our squad. 

Season 81 started with contrasting results for our mens and womens team. Our mens team surprisingly raced to an undefeated first round with different heroes for each game day. Our womens team struggled out of the gate and was in last place at the end of the first round and was one loss away from elimination. The second round also produced contrasting results, with the men, as surprised as anyone being on top, could not handle the pressure and barely held on to the top spot, with cracks in team chemistry heading into the Final Four playoffs. The womens meanwhile racked up a win streak and just refused to go away, forcing a playoff for the second finals slot on the last day of the second round with a 5-0 sweep of the #1 team DLSU. It took every ounce of coaching knowledge and experience on my part to bring the team to the playoffs, and even took unconventional methods, and clever use of social media to set up our final playoff push. After being part of the longest mens finals series which went the full three games, and the women being part of a marathon 13-hour tie in Game 1 of the finals, against all odds, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs reclaimed the title for National University. Throughout the season, even when things looked bleak for our teams, all I could think of was the promise I made to Sir Hans that there were to be no excuses, and we would do better!

Mens Title recap by The Score

5) "For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack".

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts", (which apparently is a misquote from Aristotle) is one of my trademarks in coaching. Even while in UST, we never attracted the 'Blue Chip' players coming out of High School. In my 10 years in España, our mens and womens team never had a player who played for the national seniors team. Even in national junior squads, with RK Barte (1 season) and Charise Godoy (1 season), being the only exceptions for some reason, we never got those 'superstar' players, but got players who were hungry and determined to improve when they joined our program. 

Training Camp in UP Los Baños 2016

Post match meal with the womens team Season 81

With NU, we were able to land Leander Lazaro, who was one of the top junior players, but during that time stopped competing for more than a year while he finished his high school studies. In the womens side, Christine (2013) and Clarice (2014) Patrimonio were national caliber players that were surely game changers. But these paled in comparison to other schools who had active international level and national team members for their mens and womens teams at one time or another.  Whoever was on our squad, it was about making the players understand the collective goal, and that they could not do it alone. "The strength of the pack is th wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack", as the saying goes. The individual nature of our sport makes it even more challenging for the players to play 'for' and 'within' the team concept. Our UAAP format called for 5 matches (3 singles and 2 doubles) where players can only play once per 'tie' or match day. So player #1 is as important as player #7 on your team. Unlike basketball or volleyball where one player can score 30-40pts and account for 50% of The teams offensive output, one win is equal to 1 point for your team. Each and every member of the team has to be a star in their own role. #1 singles player, doubles player, or even reserve player or student manager, they all have an important role to play in the team and the coach has to define those roles and communicate them clearly with each individual player.

Click on the link to read the conclusion of this three part blog of my UAAP Coaching 

Journey:

http://imcoachk.blogspot.com/2021/09/my-uaap-tennis-coaching-journey-part-3.html

Part 1: My UAAP Tennis Coaching Journey - Viva Santo Tomas

 There never is a perfect time to say goodbye.

I've seen athletes and coaches come and go over my lifetime of sports fandom. Some leave at the top of their games like Michael Jordan after winning his second three-peat (albeit, returning a lesser player two years later), while some get forced out due to injuries, personal issues, declining performance and leave the game as a shell of their former selves, staying mostly for the money, or in a desperate (and oftentimes in a painful and futile) attempt trying to recapture the glory of yesteryears, one last time. Some ride off to parades and celebrations, while some walk off in the darkness of obscurity. Coaches usually get fired when they are no longer winning. A lucky few get to coach until they don't want to coach anymore,  or are too old to do so. But people around them rarely ever know why they decide to step away from the game and call it a career. I never really planned on how long I would coach; I never really looked that far when I started just after graduation in 2001 at the age of 22.

UST Playing Days

When I was first offered the job to coach for the University Of Santo Tomas Women's Tennis Team, which was just being formed as the event would become a regular event in the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 2001, I never gave it a second thought and accepted right away. There was a long tradition of playing and coaching for the Tigers (Glowing Goldies) in my family as. My maternal grandfather Conrado 'Dadong' Serrano played baseball as a catcher and Team Captain of the Glowing Goldies in the late 40's-early 50's. My sister played for the seniors volleyball team in the 90s winning several titles under my dad, August, was a multi-titled coach of the womens volleyball team from 1981-2008.

The Coaching Genes

From the Santamaria side of me, my grandfather Tomas Santamaria coached the Bicol Regional volleyball squads in the 1950's, and passed on his coaching experiences to my uncle, Tomas Santamaria Jr. or 'Sarge' as known in volleyball circles in the country, who coached my dad that time in the mens national squad as well as the womens team and eventually migrated to Australia, recruited to coach at the Victorian Institute of Sports, Australian Junior Volleyball team, and had a decorated career with the volleyball world governing body FIVB, as head of coaching and officiating in the Asia Pacific region before retiring a few years ago. My dad coached the NCAA winning squad of De La Salle Mens volleyball in the 1970's, the Philippine Womens national team that won gold in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games, and UST Womens Volleyball team from 1981-2008.

From my Serrano/Mondoñedo side were more of teachers, as my great grandfather Mariano Mondoñedo was the Dean of Animal Husbandry in UP Los Baños in the 1920s, and a multitude of aunts and uncles and cousins in the academe. I was able to live up to the family genes, as I was also a faculty member and admin at the UST College Of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) Sports Science Department (Sps) serving as faculty and as Internship Coordinator from 2004-2009. 

Early transition from athlete to coach

 I felt I owed my school a UAAP title, or two, having come short (repeatedly) over the course of my collegiate playing career. If you asked anyone at that time, I was the most  dedicated and invested person there could ever be in trying to lead my team to the title. I was always a sports junkie and I believed that there was a lot at stake and expectation on my part to deliver. I declined aggressive offers from two other competing schools to attend and play, the hardest of which was saying 'no' to my juniors coach, the late great Jacinto 'Butch' Bacani to join the stacked UP Mens Tennis Team together with my closest friends from tennis in 1997.  Though I knew I would be part of a much stronger team, I chose to stay in UST as it was my HS Alma Mater, as well as a sense of debt for supporting me in my battle with cancer. We placed 3rd in my freshman year and runner-up in my last three seasons as Team Captain (from my sophomore year) and De Facto coach soon thereafter. So becoming a coach seemed the natural next step for me. I was already about two summers and most weekends into my coaching career back then, working for the summer camps of my former coaches, and eventually teaching on my free time during the school year. I was also in the process of going corporate after my graduation, having reached the final stages of applications and interviews with two of the biggest multinational companies in the country. But here I was, presented with an opportunity to do what I enjoyed doing at that time, and on a mission for an unfulfilled promise to deliver a tennis title to UST, this time as a coach.

First (and second) UAAP Title Season 64

It was a seamless transition for me, mainly because I enjoyed what I was doing, developing a passion for it, and had good mentors in my former coaches as a junior. Even as a player, I was already curious and researched any reading material I could find with coaches who were consistent 'winners', even in other sports. Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, and Mike Krzyzewski just to name a few. I bought books that they authored about their teams and their winning ways. Sacred Hoops by Jackson and Leading With A Heart by Coach K influenced a lot of my philosophies in coaching. My coaching philosophy was greatly influenced by coaches who's teams I grew up watching. Coach K of Duke University Basketball, Phil Jacksons Chicago Bulls, Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves, Louis Van Gaal of Ajax and of course, Robert Jaworski's 'Never Say Die' Ginebra teams in the 80s-90s. I wanted to know their secrets to success, emulate their ability to win on a consistent basis, and become the recognised top coaches at the college and professional level.

Season 71 UST Mens and Womens Team

I was motivated to win, mostly due to the heartbreaks during my collegiate career. In my senior year, we finished the eliminations as the #1 team, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage against Ateneo, but due to a lower back injury the week before the finals, we lost two extremely close ties to again come up short of the title. I believe if we had won that title in my senior year, I would have said goodbye to the offer to coach, having fulfilled my promise and gone the corporate route after graduation. The failure to deliver a title compelled me to stay and try to win one as a coach. In the middle of that season, with the players on the mens team having a falling out with the coach, the school decided to hand me the reins on the mens squad as well. It was poetic justice as my former teammates, with me at the helm got our sweet revenge over the same Ateneo squad, while the Women's team swept the competition to give UST the first "Golden Double" in UAAP Season 64.

Back to Back Mens Titles Season 65

The following season, I was handed the job to handle both teams permanently. My former teammates had played out their eligibility in the mens squad, so we had to recruit for a new breed of Tigers. With the proper network and connections from my former teammates from Visayas and Mindanao, we were able to get talented, but less heralded players from all over the Philippines. Despite winning titles consistently, and being runner-up at worst in the next decade, I felt this sense of being just in the right place at the right time. Being a product of the long tradition of winning that was the UST sports program. This just drove me to keep winning even more, focusing on preparation, providing good scouting reports for my players, fostering a team-first attitude, and sacrificing personal gains setting aside their egos for team success.

Capping off my UST coaching career with a 12th UAAP Title in Season 73

I finished my 10-year coaching career in España winning 7 mens titles and 5 womens titles from Season 64-73. In the 10 finals series in the mens division, we developed a fierce rivalry with De La Salle University coached by a close friend in Roland Kraut 9 times, only missing our annual date in the finals in 2006 when the whole school was suspended from the league. In the womens division, UST and DLSU had 5 titles each in that span, and only missed facing each other 2x with the suspension of DLSU in 2006, and UST failing to reach the final in 2004. 

We had the most memorable battles during those times, with De La Salle parading junior and national standouts like PJ Tierro, Yannick Guba, Pop Sabandon(+), Nico Riego De Dios, Irwin De Guzman, Nico Faller in the mens side, and Regina Santiago, Michelle Panis, Berry Sepulveda, Martina Guba in the womens side. The Tigers meanwhile had the likes of Pius Ocampo, Maclean Barraquias, Art Calingasan, Raymond Villarete, Miguel Narvaez, Jordan Cimafranca and RK Barte for the men, and Charise Godoy, Ziarla Battad, Melody Barraquias, Julie Cadiente (+), and Nikki Manalo for the womens side from 2001-2011.

We exchanged titles and it provided a healthy competition in our sport that kept us from relaxing at any point, always trying to find ways to get better, because the other team is surely trying their best to win the title the following season. I firmly believe that these experiences in my first 10 years played a big part on my drive and determination to always be fully prepared as we always had the slight disadvantage with the quality of top players in most of the seasons that we played. We relied on teamwork, cohesiveness, and always having that 'chip' on our shoulders whenever we played.

Click on the link to continue with the second part of my UAAP Coaching Journey

http://imcoachk.blogspot.com/2021/09/my-uaap-tennis-coaching-journey-part-2.html

"If you build it, they will come..." The rise of the NU Bulldogs

If you build it, they will come...

This famous line in the 1980's movie Field of Dreams (by Kevin Costner) in a nutshell has been the mantra and the vision of the leaders of National University since they took over the reins of the school back in 2008. In a few hours, the National University Bulldogs Men's Basketball team will have the opportunity to end the longest title drought in all of college basketball. Sixty years to be exact, since NU last won the men's basketball crown in the UAAP, and it would be a historic moment if the Bulldogs' defense and intensity (and a little bit of luck) can hold up for another tense, and emotion-filled game at the Araneta Coliseum this afternoon. But rather than delve into the x's and o's of the game, I would look at this game from a different perspective. Instead of the match-ups and stats, I will try to look at the "bigger picture" so to speak. At the heart of it all, people may say that "It's only a game". Indeed, it is only a game to some, but on the broad and young shoulders of the five who will take the floor rides the hopes and dreams of an almost forgotten community.

UAAP whipping boys

Much has been said about the resurgence of the sports program of National University when the Sy family took over the ownership of the school back in 2008. Some would say it has been a 'meteoric' rise from the ashes for the laughing stock, or whipping boys of the UAAP wars for the most part of the last three decades. Since I became part of the league both as a fan and as a player back in high school for the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, playing against NU would be considered an 'automatic victory' for your squad. There would be some seasons in Basketball, Baseball and Chess that the Bulldogs would be somewhat competitive, but would always fall short in the end. All that would change early in 2008 when the Sy family (not the SM group of companies) bought majority ownership of the school just when the school was about as close to running aground (in every sense of the word). Parts of the Main Building of the school had burned down a few years back, and the student population was down to about a thousand. The rescue from the Sy family couldn't have come at a better time.

The vision

When the Sy family took over, they thought of ways to uplift the image and market the school at the same time. Existing sports programs got a major boost with improved facilities for training and equipment among others, while new programs were started such as the Men's and Women's Lawn Tennis teams. I was brought in to start the tennis program in 2011 and we have been very fortunate to have been successful in such a short span of time (winning the Men's division in Season 75 and 76, as well as the Women's title in Season 76). Other teams like Baseball (Season 74), Beach Volleyball (Season 75 and 76), Men's Volleyball (Season 75 and 76) and most recently Women's Basketball (Season 77) have also claimed the crown for the school in the Seniors Division. The success of these programs have inspired the others to do the same, and as the famous John Wooden would say; "Winning breeds winning". But since that first title of Baseball in Season 74, and the numerous titles that followed, something was still missing.

The NU Community

Title after title came to the school in UAAP and other collegiate competitions. The first time the Cheerdance team won in Season 76, there were hardly any supporters from NU in the arena to witness their triumph. Basketball, Volleyball and other televised events would often have near empty seats in the NU section. Maybe all the losing seasons made the students and alumni stop caring for the school and the teams involved. Even when you see them in the arenas watching, their passion and energy in cheering for the school paled in comparison to the other school's rabid fans who would scream and shout their lungs out just to lift their teams' spirits. Even when they secured a top-seed heading into the Final 4 of Season 76, you just couldn't 'feel' the crowd was into their Bulldogs. Maybe I was just spoiled from the passionate UST fans that would troop to the venues and cheer proudly for their alma mater, win or lose. Even during basketball games early in Season 77, you would see an improvement in attendance, but the "passion" was still lacking in the fans. Maybe it was that nervousness as two of the squads top players Ray Parks and Jean Mbe were no longer around, and students, fans and alumni were fearing for the worst, that NU would go back to the bottom of the standings.

The Underdogs

Believe it or not, the basketball squad had been tagged as pre-season favourites for the past 2 seasons.  Maybe because of Ray Parks, but it probably didn't fit well with the fans and alumni, let alone for the team itself. But this year, nobody expected the Bulldogs would contend in the pre-season, and it might have been for the best for the team and the community. playing under the radar and with no undue expectations. As the team played one do-or-die game after another, current and former students started to identify themselves with the team. They now had a genuine affiliation with the team, and more pride with their school. For more than six years, the Sy family, led by Mr. Hans, with NU officials Mr. Teddy and Nilo Ocampo, Mr. RJ Ermita, Mr. Junel Baculi, and all the supporters of the school and teams have tirelessly rallied around the community. Today, winning the championship will just be the icing on the cake. The visionaries of the "new" National University have already won. They have realized their dream, as the community will rally behind them. And going back to that famous line in the movie... "IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME". 

Static vs Dynamic Stretching: What's best for warm-up

A good coach knows that every training or workout starts with a standard warm-up routine, usually consisting of a stretching session. I still vividly remember as a kid playing tennis and basketball, wherein the team captain would lead stretching and the rest of the team would form a big circle with the captain/leader stretching an arm or an out-stretched leg and counting “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8” with the chorus of “8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1” coming from the rest of the team. If you share the same memory as me, then you had been doing Static Stretching in your childhood. If you get to watch live sports in arenas or stadiums, and get to see the athletes usually in some corner of the arena doing a sort of rhythmic slow dance, twisting, lunging, swinging their legs, then you are witnessing the more modern Dynamic Stretching routine.

Which one is better? Are they different? Or does it even matter if you stretch or not? We try to compare the advantages and disadvantages of using Static and Dynamic Stretching during Warm Up.

Static Stretching

Coaches through the years have advocated static stretching for warm-up for 1) Prevention of Injuries and 2) Enhancement of Performance. It is composed of various techniques that gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position (to the point of discomfort) and hold that position for 30 seconds to two minutes. But recent studies have shown that not only is it non-beneficial for warm-up[1], it is even detrimental to performance as there is no evidence that static stretching prevents injuries. Studies have also shown a decrease in muscle stretch, eccentric strength, peak force and explosive movements.[2]

Dynamic Stretching

Coaches who are updated on the modern studies of sports performance know the importance of dynamic stretching. It consists of functional based or sport specific movements, increasing in range of motion, reach, speed and movement to prepare your body for the forthcoming physical exertion or sports performance. One objective of Dynamic Stretching is to reduce tension across the joint or around it.

Static vs Dynamic Stretching: What’s the big deal?

Let’s compare your body to a car that will run in the morning. We usually let the engine run a few minutes before moving and running slowly before going 100kph, right?! You’d be heading to the mechanic regularly if you turn on the engine and go immediately from 0-100 in less than 30 seconds! That’s the basic idea of the warm up in sports. So for you to take your muscle from a resting position, to more than 100% of its capacity during your warm-up (static stretch) is pretty much asking for trouble. 

The goal is to activate the muscles that you will be using for your workout GRADUALLY, rather than ABRUPTLY.

According to Todd Ellenbecker, Director for Sports Medicine for the ATP World Tour (Tennis)

“Research studies have shown that static stretching has been found to produce a short-lived decrease in muscle performance,” says Ellenbecker. For example, if someone does static stretching with their legs, he may not have explosive jumping ability for up to an hour after he does that stretching. With dynamic flexibility, you don’t have that loss in muscle strength.”

By elongating (stretching your muscles and holding it in that position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, you are taking it to its limits and beyond. It is similar to taking a rubber band to its stretchable limit and holding it for a prolonged period. After you let it go (if it doesn't break), it usually doesn't go back to its normal state, but rather seems loose, limp and weak for a short while. Same goes for your muscles.

Tips and Suggestions

Keep it short

Dynamic stretches are meant to be done over a short period of time. The idea is to warm up, not to get fatigued doing it. The entire routine should not last more than 10 minutes according to Ellenbecker.

It varies on what sport/activity you will do.

There are a lot of variations on doing dynamic stretching exercises. Keep in mind the sport or activity you are about to partake in. If it’s tennis, then there will be a lot of activation on the spine, and hip area. A lot of lunging and twisting on the torso as this is the demand of the sport. This may be the same in softball and baseball. If let’s say you will be running, then the exercises will be mostly targeting the hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles.

Don’t eliminate static stretching!

While dynamic stretching/warm-up is the recommended pre-workout routine, static stretching still has a place in your workout. After training or a vigorous workout, you may feel fatigued and tight in some areas of your body. This is a good time to relieve that tightness/soreness on the particular area with a good static stretch. 

[1] GLEIM & McHugh (1997) Flexibility and its effects on sports injury and performance, Sports Medicine

[2] KNUDSON, D. et al. (2000) Acute Effects of Stretching Are Not Evident in the Kinematics of the Vertical Jump

Cheap shot or accidental hit? A scientific analysis of the Jeric Teng-Jeoffrey Javillionar incident from a Tiger and a Bulldog

The "Push", "Hit", "Contact", "Cheap Shot" or whatever term you may want to use (depending if you are a UST, NU, Teng, or Javillionar fan) on the incident that happened in yesterday's UAAP Season 76 Men's Basketball game between the UST Growling Tigers (my Alma Mater) and the National University Bulldogs (my current employer) has caused fans from all over, from UAAP hardcore fans, to students and alumni of both schools to provide their differing opinions on what really happened at the 1:19 mark of the second quarter of that fateful game.

We, as fans can only surmise on what really happened, and it may only be Javillionar and Teng themselves who can really provide the meaningful and conclusive answers as to the reasons and motives (if any) that led to the contact that clearly affected the outcome of the game and future games especially of the Growling Tigers this season.

What I will try to accomplish is to dissect the factual evidence (ala-CSI, or in this case, Nat Geo's Air Crash Investigations) based on the game video, applying my amateur-level knowledge of Physics as well as some Bio Mechanics (all provided by my years in UST). God-willingly, we can come to an objective and unbiased conclusion as to the true nature of the incident (intentional or accidental).

(1:21 2nd Qtr)

1:21 mark, Ray Parks is double teamed in transition as Teng (at the Free Throw Line) is settling on defense focused on the ball but seeing that the fastbreak attempt by NU has been stymied, stops (and looks) tries to locate his man. Javillionar is not on the screen/play.

Jeric Teng suddenly moves to the direction of the 3-point area while still focused on Parks and the ball, seemingly trying to cut off any passing lane for Parks to his shooters (scouting report?), who by this time has managed to extricate himself from the double team and threatening to make a move to the basket or make an attempt on the basket. Javillionar is still not in the picture.

1:20 2nd Qtr: At this point, we see Javillionar enter the picture. (Notice his blurred figure, indicating he is moving pretty fast) Javillionar is trailing the play so we can assume he was running at a fast pace, when he sees the following: 1) Parks getting out of the double team, and 2) the WIDE OPEN LANE. So he naturally starts sprinting to make a dive cut to the basket, and Parks seems to sense this as well as he sees Javillionar starting his dive and is in a position to pass the ball. Teng in this picture quickly realizes this as well and is about to make a fateful adjustment on defense. Notice that Javillionar's direct line to the shaded lane (arrow) does not in any way interfere with the current position of Jeric Teng. Simply put, he had an open path to the lane, was the first player to make a move in that direction and wasn't running into the path of Jeric Teng.

In this frame you clearly see the two players making initial contact. Notice that Javillionar keeps running on the same path (compare to previous frame) and Jeric Teng is now on top of the key after making a sudden sidestep towards his right trying to anticipate a Parks pass to the area (as compared to a couple of steps to the side of the free throw semi circle the previous shot indicating that he suddenly changed direction again). In the laws of physics, it is said that two objects cannot occupy the same space at any given time. At this point (though picture is blurred), you can see that Javillionar hasn't lowered his shoulder, or extended his forearm, and more importantly is not looking at Jeric Teng (indicating no intention to hit or harm). Another thing to note is that Ray Parks, from a passing position, is suddenly attempting a shot at the basket, and this catches both Teng and Javillionar by surprise.

1:20 2nd Qtr: At this point, the two big bodies have collided at high speeds, notice that Javillionar still does not have a lowered shoulder, or extended arms or forearms, indicating that he is as surprised as Teng with the contact. Unfortunately, Jeric Teng, in the nano second right before impact (and at this point) had lost his proprioceptive sense (proprioception - the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts.) He is helpless at this point, unable to know what is up and down, left or right, thus losing control of his body to brace for the impact (ground/floor). What makes it worse is that he has his arms extended and in an awkward position. The succeeding impact on the ground is what causes the injury on his shoulder (Sorry Jeric, no push can ever pop a shoulder as you claim. But an arm on that angle that impacts the floor surely will).

In sports terminology, it was a "bang-bang" play. The action was so sudden, and took only 2 game seconds. You can watch the video above, but you still won't see what exactly happened unless you have super slow-motion video. It was a very unfortunate incident indeed, something that we don't wish to happen on any player. But in my humble opinion, it was an unintentional hit, and nine times out of ten Jeric doesn't get injured on that play. It was just a a multitude of factors that had combined and gone horribly wrong for Jeric, sort of like a "perfect storm of physics" according to my friend from DLSU Carlo Bautista. I understand the Teng's and the UST fans getting emotional and calling it a 'dirty play', add to that Javillionar having the reputation of an 'enforcer'. But fact of the matter is it was an accident that no one wanted to happen. The UAAP Commissioners Office also had just finished reviewing the video, and gave Javillionar a 'warning' for the incident. Further proof that basketball experts concluding that it was not an intentional hit.

With that, I wish Jeric Teng a speedy recovery and hopefully he doesn't miss any games and comes back 100% for the rest of the season!

Photos and Videos courtesy of the ABS-CBN Youtube Channel.