Coaches and teachers alike should constantly be searching for ways to help their student-athletes get better at what they do.

In this article from the New York Times, the author argues that it’s not how MUCH homework there is, but how WELL DESIGNED it is.

The article says that science can help discover how students acquire and retain knowledge more effectively.

And the principles on homework can very well apply to sports practices.

There’s no more spontaneous running around, or skipping, or games of tag, or just looking at the sky.

According to the New York Times, a growing number of schools are putting more structure into recess to “curb bullying and behavior problems, foster social skills and address concerns over obesity.”

Though those are commendable goals, the program also takes away unstructured time, those moments when all of us need to relax and daydream.

There’s no more of that on certain playgrounds. Kids aren’t allowed to straggle. They must participate. And that could mean problems.

Free time is more than just a good idea. It’s a principle. Recovery is necessary. Bodies need time to recover, and so do minds. Without this time, fatigue sets in. Injuries can occur, and people learn more slowly and retain less of what they learn.

It reminds me of the overscheduling that has become a fact of life in the United States. Parents and children race from one event to another, without a chance to absorb what has just happened. Like structured recess time, these crowded schedules come from the best of intentions. Parents don’t want their children idle for fear that drugs or other unhealthy activities might infiltrate.

But whether it’s overscheduling or recess coaches, a lack of free time carries a down side. When can kids actually be kids?

This might shock some people, especially considering some of yesterday’s news. New Jersey’s top-ranked boys basketball team is facing expulsion over illegal practices, and a 13-year-old boy has committed to play football at the University of Southern California.

Anyone who thinks those stories reflect a lack of perspective can take some comfort in the story in The Times. Peter Barston, a sophomore at a prep school in Connecticut, has been touring his area, taking a survey of why kids play.

It turns out that amid all the coaching intensity, all the parental angst and all the sports tutors, kids are just trying to have a bit of fun and be with their friends. According to the survey, winning did not register as a priority.

I recently did a talk on team-building, and began by asking the coaches what they would love to have as their signature. In other words, how would someone complete this sentence if they happened to be passing the gym or the field: “There’s coach so-and-so. He’s (blank).”

All of the coaches gave good answers, but only one said he wanted to be known as a coach whose program is fun. In view of Peter Barston’s survey, more coaches should think that way!

In his New York Times column today, David Brooks cites the book “Experiments in Ethics” by Anthony Appiah, which wonders if people have one thing called character. Instead, they have many characters, all competing with each other.

Broun, who died in 1939, might look be surprised to learn some psychologists’ view that character may not be one

In this view, Brooks writes, “Students who are routinely dishonest at home are not routinely dishonest at school. People who are courageous at work can be cowardly at church. People who behave kindly on a sunny day may behave callously the next day when it is cloudy and they are feeling glum. Behavior does not exhibit what the psychologists call “cross-situational stability.”

This article reminds me of the debate over athletic ability. Is it general, or is it specific to the sport? In other words, can you look at a fine basketball player, and expect them to fit in well on your volleyball team?

Does a person who wins the state championship in the javelin or discus have a future as a baseball or softball pitcher?

Evidence strongly suggests that motor programs are specific, and that a person’s ability in one sport tells you very little about their potential to excel in another.

So if the question of character is anything like the question of athletic ability, then we can be much less sure about the mental makeup of our players. Good character in one situation may not predict good character in another.

That would help explain why sometimes, to our dismay, a player or colleague can act in a way that seems completely out of, well, character.

It also might help explain why some players can be counted on to stand tall when the game is on the line, only to be accused of breaking and entering later that night.

This gets your attention on two levels. Not only do we hear another alarm about childhood obesity, but we also see a fundraising avenue dried up.

Obesity first. According to the article, the city’s Education Department says roughly 40 percent of the city’s elementary and middle school students are overweight or obese.

Of course, the question is why? Is it diet? Or is it all the time spent in front of screens of various kinds: televisions, computers, cell phones, etc.

It’s both. According to the World Health Organization, the key causes are increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars, and reduced physical activity.

Whether or not you agree with New York’s decision, give the city credit for recognizing a serious problem.

Once again, according to the WHO:

“Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life. Of especial concern is the increasing incidence of child obesity.”

As coaches, we can hep by making sure that kids want to spend time in the gym. Any activity — running, jumping, throwing, climbing — can help cut into the sedentary lifestyle.

As for fundraising, our team has already held one this season to help defray the cost of entering a tournament. I supported the cause by eating a sugar cookie.

Thanks to the eagle eye of Larry O’Connor, who pointed out a recent story in the New York Times, we get another chance to analyze the question.

This time it’s Smith Center, Kan., home to a high school football dynasty. And once again, it turns out that values are the common denominator in winning sports programs.

“When you get home tonight, I want you to tell your parents you love them and thank them for all they do for you,” the article quotes coach Roger Barta as telling his team after another victory. “They are there for you guys, and that is what life is all about. In fact, if we in this room are there for each other every day this season, we’ll all be part of something special.”

Think about it: When is the last time you heard of a team that constantly wins just because of the sheer genius of a coach? Instead, teams win because of fundamental beliefs that are felt deeply by the coaches and transmitted to the players.

“We never talk about winning or losing around here because if you compete and work hard every day, those things take care of themselves,” the article quotes Barta as saying.

“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values,” the Dalai Lama said.

The best coaches seem to live those words.

Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt says flatly, “We will outwork you.”

Said Vince Lombardi, “You don’t do the right thing once in a while; you do it all the time.”

This ability to see is so basic that you hardly think of it. But experts see more and they see it earlier. When a baseball player is asked to explain a hot streak, he may often say, “I’m seeing the ball well.”

Hockey goalies track the puck more effortlessly when they’re in a groove. Or do they get into the groove through deeper concentration on the puck?

Even in golf, the sport that Jeff coaches at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, N.J., expert performance relies on sight. Great golfers see more possibilities when shaping their shot. In the book “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” the advice is to “see the field.”

Federer sees quickly. That is part of why he has won five straight U.S. Open titles and  is shooting for a sixth.

First is the beautiful simplicity of beating the competition. Sports psychologist Dr. Rob Gilbert came to our gym yesterday and told our team about the crucial moment:

“When you’re tired and frustrated is where it begins. Because that’s when others quit.”

Right there Dr. Gilbert has explained the difference between winners and others. For most people, the process ENDS when they’re frustrated and tired. For winners, the process BEGINS at that moment.

Second, I am reading “The Talent Code” by Daniel Doyle, a New York Times bestseller. The subtitle is “Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How.”

The author focuses on practice, motivation and coaching, with powerful stories to illustrate the points. After reading the first three pages of the introduction I want my entire team and every coach I know to read it.

Third, so far in the Stanley Cup and NBA finals there have been nine games played, and all have been won by the home team. What makes the home-field advantage so powerful, and how can the answers help us to be better coaches and athletes?

If anyone has any ideas on home-field advantage, send a comment.

A childhood game can instantly improve your chances of reaching your goals.

Melissa Johnson writes about it in Saturday’s New York Times, recalling Harvard’s epic upset of Stanford in the 1998 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Johnson profiles Kathy Delaney-Smith, who coached Harvard with a three-word mantra: Act as if.

Delaney-Smith instilled belief in her players by telling them to ACT a certain way even if they didn’t FEEL a certain way.

It’s a technique well-known and appreciated by sports psychologists.

“Act like the thing you want to become, and you will become the way you act,” says Dr. Rob Gilbert.

When we were children, we all played the game of pretend, but gave it up in favor of more practical pursuits. Who knew that “pretend,” when done correctly, could be among the most practical — and powerful — of skills?

“Your actions create your attitudes, your movements create your moods, and your motions create your emotions,” says Gilbert.

So “acting as if” can help you in every phase of your game, from acquiring skills to preparing for games.

Coach Tully’s Extra Point: Williams James was a pioneering American psychologist. His profile can be found here.