Questions come first
On my way to work in the morning, his news appears every time I listen to the radio. The host, comedian Kim Young-cheol, even said, “Player OOO appears regularly in the news corner every day.” If it is introduced every morning on a program with a high listenership rate, it would reflect the interest of many people.
Who is OOO?
This is the story of Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres). What comes to mind when you hear Kim’s name? I remember his stormy runs that blew off his helmet and his unstoppable diving catches. The moment I hear his name in the morning, a conditioned reflex occurs that gives me the energy I need for the day.
But it doesn’t really matter to me whether Kim gets a hit every day. Even if you hit well, your batting average is 30%, and the failure rate is over 70%, which is the daily life of baseball. This is because the value of ‘awesome Kim,’ who became a top performer by being nominated for a Gold Glove, is not evaluated based on hits alone. His defensive ability as he catches and throws makes it impossible not to forget, “Is that possible?” His dynamic and brilliant play is receiving praise even in the United States.
“Kim Ha-seong was outstanding in Korea, but when he went to the major leagues, he played even more creative baseball, as if his body reacted automatically.” These are the words of former NC Dinos coach Lee Dong-wook. Coach Lee recently returned to Korea after completing coaching training with the Padres this year. It is said that Manager Lee and Player Kim met several times and discussed the major league team’s training methods, environment, and mindset. Among them, there is a scene I would like to introduce. This is the part where Kim Ha-seong asks the American coach how to catch the ball and how to use the glove, and the coach explains. The timing is during spring training in 2021. Kim is said to have been training separately with defensive coach Bobby Dickerson (current defensive coach of the Philadelphia Phillies) during the Padres’ first camp, and asked him how to hold the glove when handling the ball.
Ha-Seong Kim: “What should we do?”
Coach Dickerson “How do you feel comfortable catching it?”
Coach Lee’s conversation between Kim and Coach Dickerson contained a lot of specialized content on defensive techniques, including backhand catching, center movement, and connection movements. However, as someone who studies the flow of thoughts, delivery of words, and conversation methods, I paid attention to Coach Dickerson’s first reaction. He returns the player’s question to the coach’s question. He didn’t say what he thought right away. He didn’t give an answer. He is a veteran coach who is famous enough to have received a coach award from the major leagues, but does he have his own thoughts and opinions?
Because questions come first. Only by asking questions can you understand the other person’s concerns and style. The other person actually has his or her own thoughts and methods in mind. To bring it out, you have to ask questions. Only then can we empathize and resolve the conversation accordingly. Questions are what allow you to clearly discover who the other person is and what they want.스포츠토토
Questions are also a powerful tool for enlightenment. Rather than making claims and instructions with strong exclamation marks, the format is questions with question marks, allowing the other person to reflect and discover themselves. What is the reason why Kim explained the scene from that time, a year or two ago, to Coach Lee during training? It was the coach’s question that helped Ha-seong Kim realize that catching the ball ‘comfortably’ is no different from catching it ‘correctly’. Even if you hold it comfortably, there is no problem as long as it is connected to center movement and next play. Coach Lee said, “In Korea, from a young age to the pros, we are taught to do this and not to do that. But that’s just someone else’s correct answer and standard.” “I think Kim Ha-seong has found his sweet spot,” added Coach Lee.
It’s difficult to ask questions. As a journalist, I always regret missing out on good questions. When I receive a question from someone, I try to answer well and teach. The heart and effort are imaginary, but I realize it ain’t it. It’s still not enough. The first step is to read the other person’s thoughts and feelings. This is what I’m going to do. “What do you think?” “Can you explain more?” Then you can get to know the other person better.
Korea Coach Association certified coach Kim Jong-moon coachjmoon Gmail
Kim Jong-moon is a former reporter for the JoongAng Ilbo and served as the front office for the NC Dinos baseball team from 2011 to 2021. At the end of 2018, he took over as general manager of the ‘last place’ team and led it to its first championship two years later. He is currently a Korea Coach Association Certified Coach (KPC).