Team Hypnosis?

[rockchalk jhawk]

Since we're all sharing articles, here's one in the local paper that I found to be pretty entertaining. National coverage in 3... 2... 1...



http://www.kansas.com/news/state/story/687562.html

St. John abuzz over teammates' hypnosis
Comments (9)
Recommend (4)
BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle

After the St. John High School boys team had won the state basketball championship two years ago and was runner-up last year, the team went just 7-6 through last week.

So the coach tried something different: hypnotism.

Most team members underwent two 45-minute sessions last week to increase their concentration and focus. It's not clear what happened during the sessions; the therapist who led them wouldn't say, and the coach did not return phone calls.

Monday night, the school board voted to stop the sessions.

"It won't be going on any more at school," said superintendent James Kenworthy. "If parents want their child to do that, they can contact the licensed therapist on their own."

Hypnotizing students perhaps sends the wrong message to students and surrounding schools, said Kenworthy, who has requested a transcript of the sessions.

"At the high school level, it's not appropriate. We are trying to get kids to understand who they are and what they are. It may give kids a mixed message if you can't do it on your own."

Winning basketball teams are a tradition in St. John, a town of 1,200 about 90 miles northwest of Wichita.

Kenworthy said the hypnotism of the Class 1A team has been the talk of the town.

Coach Clint Kinnamon had sought the help of Carl Feril, a Church of Christ minister who is also a clinical family and marriage therapist.

Feril would not discuss what happened during the team's sessions, saying his was a privileged therapist/client relationship.

"Any client I work with, particularly a minor, would always have a written parental consent," Feril said. "I cannot confirm or deny I work with those people."

He did say he has worked for 20 years with people suffering from anxiety disorders and depression.

Players' parents received letters last week asking them to sign permission slips for their sons to participate in the hypnosis.

School board member and parent Mitch Minnis gave his permission.

"My son says, 'Dad, it's pretty cool. It's hypnotism!' We saw it as more of helping the kids with focus and concentration," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the boys bought into it."

Minnis said the letter said that the hypnosis wasn't mandatory, so he wasn't concerned.

"If they were blindfolding kids and making them walk off the south pier of town, I might be concerned," Minnis said. "But I think this is a novel approach and it might even help them do good in schoolwork if they know what buttons to push to concentrate."

At least one parent had concerns.

"We just asked our son not to participate and we didn't sign the paper," said Merlyn Spare, a St. John school board member and parent. He is also track and cross country coach in nearby Stafford.

"I am a coach myself and I try to teach kids to be visionary and believe in what they are doing," Spare said. "I think a person who is solid on their feet doesn't have to do this. I think it is something a person could rely on and become hooked to."

The Kansas State High School Activities Association has strict rules about what players can and cannot do. But hypnosis isn't mentioned in the rules.

"We have rules... about performance-enhancing substances -- the clause of anabolic steroids... issues with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. I guess we have not encountered the question. It's just never come up," said Gary Musselman, executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

Scott Ward, a sports psychologist with the University of Kansas, said hypnosis is not believed to be that effective in sports.

"When I think of hypnotism I think of someone going into a comedy club and being hypnotized to cluck like a chicken," Ward said. "It's not used in sports with the leading athletes."

On the other hand, visualization and imagery techniques frequently are used.

"The premise of sports psychology is to give power to the athlete and have them getting more confident and motivated using the tools they have within themselves," Ward said. "But really, when was the last time you saw Kobe Bryant or Peyton Manning stick their finger to the palm of their hand to get ready for the next play? I do not believe or encourage anybody to use hypnotism."

Tuesday night, the St. John Tigers played the Western Plains Bobcats in Ransom. They won 53-43.

Before the game, Bobcats assistant coach Jerod Horchem was a bit incredulous when he heard about the hypnosis.

"Personally, I'm not concerned," Horchem said. "If we did something like that -- we'd probably hypnotize our guys, they'd fall asleep and never wake up. But if that would make them shoot better and I could do that in the next 10 minutes, then get me a watch on a string.

"What it all comes down to is playing hard. You look for things that will bond the team. It doesn't matter what it is, if it helps, that's good."

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

When I was in the Naval AVROC program our Drill Instructor (U.S. Marine Corp) thought that we didn't have our head and a$$es together he thought the best way to get them wired correctly was good old fashioned PT.

A good two hour practice of wind sprints and the such should do it. But, hypnotism for H.S. basketball players is just sheer nonsense.

MTD, Sr.


P.S. The KU looked pretty good in the 2nd half against Baylor.

[Mark Padgett]

It would be pretty cool if you could get them to the point that whenever you blew the whistle, they would all cluck like a chicken.

[rockchalk jhawk]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

P.S. The KU looked pretty good in the 2nd half against Baylor.

That's what I hear. I turned it on to watch when I got home and laid down on the couch. It didn't take long before that turned into some pretty serious Z's.

That happens quite often actually on my off nights during the season.

[DonInKansas]

Oh, the joys of small town Kansas sports. I love it!

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

It would be pretty cool if you could get them to the point that whenever you blew the whistle, they would all cluck like a chicken.

Imagine all the turnovers, because they'll be busy flapping their wings! Or you wouldn't have to worry about T'ing the coaches up, because they're just clucking away nonsensically!

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Or you wouldn't have to worry about T'ing the coaches up, because they're just clucking away nonsensically!

I just tell 'em to cluck off.

[Mark Padgett]

At the risk of repeating what was said in the "owl" thread, you could have a lot of "over the beak" calls.

Or, if it was their baseball team, you'd have a lot of "bawks".

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Or you wouldn't have to worry about T'ing the coaches up, because they're just clucking away nonsensically!

I thought this is what coaches were best at?

[williebfree]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I just tell 'em to cluck off.

Get the Cluck out of here!

[ref2coach]

Originally Posted by jurassic referee

i just tell 'em to cluck off.

stcu

[KristenMiller]

I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal about a small town hypnotizing their team. Beats the days, of the students out their really trying, and never getting off the bench to play in a game. This way everyone gets an equal shot. From my understand theirs a lot of schools doing away with extra curricular activities, because the economical situation has really put a crunch on their budgets. Hypnotism only works if the individual allows it to, and if the parents agreed and signed the form, then whats all the ruckus about? I just think theirs a lot more important things for the world to come together in unison for, instead of knit picking everything they see and hear. Drama never seems to stop does it?? I personally went to school at St. John High, and even though I never had Clint Kinnamon as my coach, I agree with the decision he made. Everyone may not agree with all that coach Clint Kinnamon does, but after all he's only human, and I think it's a shame that theirs people out their grabbing straws to try to put a halt to something that maybe a new technique on high school sports. I have never read anything about hypnotism that links it to be addictive. After all, we have high school kids out drinking, doing drugs, but we find it important to start a forum about how bad coach Kinnamon is for hypnotizing his basketball team. If my son was older, and had coach Kinnamon, I would have signed the form in a heartbeat. So heres what I think... WAY TO GO COACH KINNAMON!!!!

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

I thought this is what coaches were best at?

True, but now they'd be clucking nonsensically and moving funny!