Squash Agility In Season Training Physical Education Essay

Squash Agility In Season Training Physical Education Essay Introduction Squash is a sport which is played by 2 individuals and sometimes played in doubles. The game is played in a 4 walled court sometimes made of glass, and uses a hollow rubber ball, which can be changed depending on the skill level of the player and the colour dot used/ ball type. Squash is a high intensity fitness sport and is not for the faint hearted, this sport places high demands on the energy systems of the body namely the aerobic and anaerobic systems. As squash is a sport which involves the movement of the entire body it is import to condition the body in order to produce the best results. Squash not only relies on the energy systems, but the players ability to reach any part of the court at any given time to play the ball, then get back to the T which is the most dominant position on the court, this is because from the T to any position on the court is shortest distance covered and thus you would have the upper hand against your opponent. Other demands are also placed on the pl ayers such as the ability to change direction quickly while maintaining dynamic balance; this is otherwise known as agility. Agility is very import in squash, in fact without it squash would be next to impossible, the more agile an individual the more likely them being able to retrieve a ball anywhere on the court at any given time. In order to be a successful squash player you need to have a varied training program, variety is the best way in order to improve as the body is placed under stress continually and never gets time to adapt. Us as humans have the ability to adapt quickly thus the muscles and training methods need to follow this trend, sticking to the same training trend will lead to a plateau and will decrease training performance as well as match performance, as said earlier. Agility is an important part of squash and in this assignment I plan to approach it in a way in which an in season training program will produce the best results for a squash player, finding the right balance between all the aspects that make up the game is key. Agility is made up of four main components and they are balance; the ability of the squash player to maintain balance while moving in any direction; speed, the ability of the squash player to move any part of their body at any given time quickly; strength, the ability of the muscles or the muscle groups to overcome the resistance applied to them and finally co-ordination, the ability to control the movement of the body in co-operation with the bodys sensory functions, an example of this would be using the racket to hit the ball while running in a sideways direction. All of these four aspects can be improved by developing weekly training programs which incorporate drills that are effective and efficient enough to produce the required results depending on the season training which in the case of this assignment is an In season agility training approach. Chapter 2: Physiology Energy Systems During physical fitness training for squash we train and recruit the two energy systems because squash is considered as a whole body activity, squash is a sport that demands a high levels of aerobic fitness as well anaerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance can be sub-divided as follows: Short anaerobic less than 25 seconds (mainly alactic) Medium anaerobic 25 seconds to 60 seconds (mainly lactic) Long anaerobic 60 seconds to 120 seconds (lactic +aerobic) These energy systems are crucial in the athletes ability to perform during high intensity matches, as well as weekly training program developed to improve overall fitness. During exercise the energy for muscular contractions is provided by these energy systems, which are the Aerobic and Anaerobic systems. Aerobic Energy System The term aerobic means in the presence or with oxygen, how it works is that the aerobic energy systems uses oxygen to produce energy, from the metabolic breakdown of fats as well as carbohydrates. The aerobic energy system is located in the mitochondria of the cell muscle fibre itself. These mitochondria are cellular energy factories if to say that are designed to make metabolism more effective and efficient and thus in turn synthesize or breakdown carbohydrates and fats as stated before to produce energy in the form of ATP. Energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely transformed from one form to another, thus the energy from the oxygen present is used to transform carbohydrates and fats into ATP. ATP or otherwise known as Adenosine Triphosphate is a nucleotide which is derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue. ATP is the major source of energy for cellular reactions, and is thus a very important compound in terms of human survival. During the metabolic breakdown of carbohydrates and fats in the presence of oxygen in the aerobic system, the process yields 36 units of ATP which is said to be very efficient; this process is known as the Krebs Cycle. During training for squash or during squash matches the aerobic energy pathways utilize energy sources to provide the ATP required for specific muscle groups to contract effectively over long periods of time. These energy pathways are more efficient than the anaerobic pathways, as they get more energy from each molecule of glucose that is synthesized. In aerobic energy system , endurance trained muscle contains more intramuscular fat and highly trained endurance muscles are better suited to use fat as an energy source during exercise. Although this is only true to an extent, due to the fact that fat requires large amounts of oxygen for it to be synthesized efficiently, during high intensity exercise oxygen becomes limited and the burning of this fat is not viable, so the body has to look for other forms of energy to keep producing the muscular contractions required to perform the exercise. Fibre type In the aerobic energy system there are fibres in the muscle which are specific to this system and these fibres are known as slow twitch fibres. These slow twitch fibres generate energy for ATP re-synthesis by means of a long term system of aerobic energy transfer. They tend to have a low activity level of ATPase, a slower speed of contraction with a less well developed glycolytic capacity. They contain large and numerous mitochondria and with the high levels of myoglobin that gives them a red pigmentation. They have been demonstrated to have high concentration of mitochondrial enzymes, thus they are fatigue resistant. In the aerobic energy system you have two types of main fibres and they are: Type I Red fibres Slow oxidative fibres (also called slow twitch or fatigue resistant fibres). These fibres allow squash players to partake in long intense games which can last for over an hour, thus providing aerobic endurance to these players. Their production is utilized after about 90 seconds of any given activity, thus after the anaerobic energy systems resources have been fully utilized These fibres Contain: Large amounts of myoglobin present. Many mitochondria. Many blood capillaries. Generate ATP by the aerobic system, hence the term oxidative fibres. Split ATP at a slow rate. Slow contraction velocity. Resistant to fatigue. Found in large numbers in postural muscles. Needed for aerobic activities, or long rallies in a squash match which can last a few minutes over the time that the anaerobic system can provide energy for(90 seconds or longer), thus revealing why these fibres are known for endurance. Type II a Red fibres Fast oxidative (also called fast twitch A or semi fatigue resistant fibres). These fibres Contain: Large amounts of Myoglobin. Many mitochondria. Many blood capillaries. A High capacity for generating ATP by oxidation. Split ATP at a very rapid rate and, hence, high contraction velocity. Resistant to fatigue but not as much as slow oxidative fibres. Needed for the transition between the anaerobic phase and aerobic phase, utilized between 25 and 89 seconds (so after the type II B fibres are fatigued, and before the type I fibres become utilized) Anaerobic Energy System The anaerobic system derives its energy from the breakdown of carbohydrates without the need of oxygen (or due to the lack of oxygen present in the metabolic pathways) to synthesize the reactions taking place hence the term anaerobic meaning no oxygen present or lack of it. The anaerobic system provides an athlete with the energy we require at the start of an exercise with the initial increase in pace for example. This energy source however is not sufficient enough to last for long periods of time through the exercise and soon as this initial energy is expended the aerobic energy system takes over as the primary ATP provider for the sport specific muscular contractions. The anaerobic system is limited and very inefficient; thus it is said to waste vast amounts of expended energy in the process. This system relies on the breakdown of stored compounds in order to produce the energy required upon request. These energy compounds are very high in energy and are often in limited supply in the human body, thus explaining as to why anaerobic effort is very intense and can only be sustained for brief periods at any given time. The energy system also makes use of stored glycogen in the muscle, this glycogen when synthesized only produces a small amount of ATP, one of the down sides of this is the metabolic waste product called lactic acid, this process of the breakdown of glycogen to lactic acid is known as anaerobic glycolysis and is one of the two ways of deriving energy in this type of system the other form of attaining this energy is known as short term energy supply in which ATP stores are briefly broken down. In the short term energy supply ATP is split into ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) releasing the energy required for muscle contraction this way or means of attaining energy is very brief and once this supply is drained the body resorts to anaerobic glycolysis. Anaerobic glycolysis is a term which is used for the nonoxidative breakdown of glycogen found in the muscles. Glycogen is a clump if to say of stored glucose molecules located in the muscles themselves. This form of attaining energy for muscular contraction on tap comes at a cost, as stated earlier on; it is very inefficient and wastes energy, for every glucose molecule broken down this process only yields 3 units of ATP and as a result gives lactic acid off as a by product as stated earlier . Fibre type A fast twitch fibre is one in which the myosin can split ATP very quickly and is associated with the anaerobic energy system. Fast twitch fibres also demonstrate a higher capability for electrochemical transmission of action potentials and a rapid level of calcium release and uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The fast twitch fibres rely on a well developed, short term, glycolytic system for energy transfer and can contract and develop tension at 2-3 times the rate of slow twitch fibres. Type II b White Fast glycolytic (also called fast twitch B or easy fatigable fibres). These fibres Contain: Low myoglobin content. Few mitochondria. Few blood capillaries. Large amount of glycogen. Split ATP very quickly. Fatigue easily. Needed for squash in short sprints to different parts of the court, and explosiveness, Type 2B fibres are utilized from 0 to 24 seconds, but this time is also dependant on the intensity of the sprint (i.e. if the intensity increases the time will decrease). Lactic acid Lactic acid is produced during anaerobic effort, mainly from a process mentioned earlier called anaerobic glycolysis, or when the oxygen supply is limited on demand. Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle and affects the ability of that muscle to perform at its full potential thus fatiguing it if to say. Lactic acid changes the ph in the muscle fibre itself, therefore reducing the overall enzyme activity and ATP production in the aerobic pathways spoken about earlier. Lactic acid is also said to reduce the contractile force of each individual muscle fibre. After exercise this lactic acid accumulation disappears quickly, as the body has its systems which remove this by product, if one were to engage in an active recovery it would also increase the removal time of lactic acid in the muscles. By squash players training their aerobic system more efficiently it helps to preserve the anaerobic system. It also reduces the recovery time of the anaerobic pathways and removal of lactic acid and its conversion back into pyruvate molecules, which could then be utilized by the aerobic pathways. Lactate Lactate simply put is a salt formed from lactic acid, this occurs when the acid rapidly loses it hydrogen ions and these ions combine with sodium and even sometimes potassium to form a compound known as lactate. Lactate threshold Lactate threshold is known to represent a transition zone that involves increasing dependence on anaerobic energy pathways. Lactate threshold basically defines ones bodys ability to clear lactic acid from the muscle as well as blood more rapidly and the transition zone that involves increasing lactate production resulting from the overall recruitment of fast glycolytic muscle fibres. Sharkey, Gaskill (2006) Chapter 3: Training Program This assignment aims at producing an effective and efficient 4 week agility In-season training program. The term In-Season refers to the peak performance period, during this period training for squash with regards to all the fitness components continues with a high intensity to maintain all the aspects as spoken earlier that squash players require, such as the four components of agility, but there is an overall reduction in total training volume so that players do not fatigue and can be at the peak level of performance for when they really need it which is during match time. Agility Drills Lateral Change of Direction Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Three cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Place the first cone on the half court line, place the second to the right close to the wall and the other close to the wall on the left hand side (The top of the T on the squash court) as seen in the diagram below: The squash player starts at the middle cone (where the vertical line meets the horizontal line forming the T) The Coach gives the signal to start and points in a specific direction, right or left The player moves to and touches the first cone, returns past the middle cone (start) to the far cone and touches that one and then returns to the middle cone, touching that one. The coach starts the stopwatch on giving the Go command and stops the watch when the athlete touches the middle cone. The better of the two trails in each starting direction, right and left, are recorded and the best score in each direction is used for scoring. T-Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Set out four cones as illustrated in the diagram above (With B being the cone at the centre of the T on the court). The subject starts at cone A. On the command of the timer, the subject sprints to cone B and touches the base of the cone with their right hand. They then turn left and shuffle sideways to cone C, and also touches its base, this time with their left hand. Then shuffling sideways to the right to cone D and touching the base with the right hand. They then shuffle back to cone B touching with the left hand, and run backwards to cone A. The stopwatch is stopped as they pass cone A. Illinois Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Eight cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Set the squash court up as shown in the above picture. The length of the course is 10 meters and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 meters. Four cones are used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Another four cones are placed down the centre an equal distance apart. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 meters apart. Subjects should lie on their front (head to the start line) and hands by their shoulders. On the Go command the stopwatch is started, and the athlete gets up as quickly as possible and runs around the course in the direction indicated, without knocking the cones over, to the finish line, at which the timing is stopped. Box Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Four marker cones are placed 10 yards apart in a square configuration (see diagram above). The player starts by getting down in a three-point stance next to Cone 1. On the command Go, he sprints to cone 2, and then shuffles sideways to cone 3. From there you back-pedal to cone 4 and finish by turning and sprinting through and finishing at cone 1. The athlete must go around the outside of each cone. Agility Compass Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: The cones are laid out as per the diagram (on the squash court), with four marker cones placed in a diamond shape, and one in the middle (placed on the centre of the T). The outer cones are each placed 3 meters from the centre. The player crouches behind and with their left hand on the middle cone, facing forwards (towards cone 5). The player then turns and runs to the right and touches the cone (2) with their hand. They then turn back and run to the centre cone, out to the next cone (3), back to the centre, out to the next cone (4), back to the centre and then finally turn and finish by running through the finish line at cone 5. The player is required to touch the cone with their hand at each turn. Timing starts when the hand comes off the centre cone, and stops when the chest passes through the line of the final cone. Rest for three minutes, then repeat the drill, moving in the opposite direction (counter clockwise, cones in order 1-4-3-2-5) Zig Zag Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant 4 3 2 1 C How to conduct the drill: Place one cone at the centre of the T of the court , then place one cone in each corner of the court allowing enough space for the player to run around it (See above diagram).This drill requires the player to run a course in the shortest possible time. A standard Zig Zag course is with four cones placed on the corners of a rectangle formed by the court, with one more cone placed in the centre. If the cones are labelled 1(start/finish cone) to 4 around the rectangle going along the longer side first, and the centre cone is C, the test begins at 1, then to C, 2, 3, C, 4, then back to 1. Court Sprints Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant C B A Starting /finished Position How to conduct the drill: Place the starting cone at the middle of the T on the court; place another cone directly in front of it by the tin board (Cone A in the diagram above), place another cone (Cone B in diagram) in the corner of the left hand service area, place the final cone (Cone C in the diagram) at the back wall of the court. The player must start at the starting position, as seen on the diagram, upon the word go the stopwatch is started, the player sprints to the wall, upon reaching cone the player remains facing in the forward direction for the entire drill, and then back tracks to the starting position, player then sprints to cone A, back tracks to cone B, sprints to cone A, back tracks to cone c, the sprints to the finishing/Starting position again. This drill must be completed in the fastest time possible with maximal intensity. Figure 8 sprinting Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: This agility drill involves very short bursts of speed followed by sudden changes in direction and is one of the best in simulating the movements on a squash court. From the start position, the athlete will sprint to the centre cone (which is placed on the centre of the T), go around it and then sprint to cone 2 (placed near to the right wall of the court). This is repeated for all 4 cones rounding the centre cone after each outside cone until the player returns to the starting position (See above Diagram). 6 Point Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Six cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: They key with this drill is that is involves multiple directional changes. Sprint to cone 1 and return Sprint to cone 2 and return Sprint to cone 3 Side-step from cone 3 to cone 4 Side-step from cone 4 to cone 5 Side-step from cone 5 to cone 3 Back peddle from cone 3 back to the starting position Double T-Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Seven cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Place one cone on the T, this is your centre cone, place one cone to the far right close to the wall in line with the cone on the T, do this on the other side as well. Now place another cone toward the back wall in line with the middle cone. Now place a second row of cones in line with those at the top of the T towards the front wall giving the player enough space to move. (See Above Diagram) This drill is similar to the T drill, there is just another row of cones, the drill is conducted in the same way as the T drill, just adding on an extra row once the player has completed the extra row they must back pedal all the way to the start/finish (Black arrows, then blue arrows, then finally the red arrows) Star Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Seven cones Stop watch Assistant G C F D E B A How to conduct the drill: Set court up as shown in the following diagram above. Player starts at A then runs to B, plays a shot, then back tracks back to the T point A on the diagram. Player then runs to point C, plays a shot then back tracks back to A again; however for cones F and G its a sprint there and shot played then side step back to the T. Player completes drill in cone order, upon reaching cone D player side steps, plays a shot, then side steps back to point A again, same applies for cone E. This exercise is done as quickly as possible. 4 Week In-Season Agility Program Before each daily Agility training session be sure to engage in a Squash specific dynamic warm up exercises, and upon completing the daily program be sure to engage in a cool down, including static stretches to conserve and increase muscle flexibility. For every agility drill, start in the ready position: feet shoulder-width apart; ankles, knees, and hips flexed in a quarter-squat position; head and shoulders slightly forward with hips and ankles in a straight line. Keep knees and hips flexed and your centre of gravity over the feet. The body cannot move quickly when it is standing straight up. From this position, you are ready to move in any direction and can hold this position if bumped from any angle. This ready position is the most efficient position for moving and reacting. For each training session, please refer to section of Agility Drills, to attain the layout of the drill as well as drill description and execution. Week 1 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Lateral Change of direction Variation: Place rubber band from one ankle to the other, to encourage side stepping movement Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 2 minutes non stop Rest Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Repeat: 2 times (Total drill count = 3) Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: T-Drill Variation: Timed T drill, player has 1 minute to complete as many Ts as possible, 1 T is counted when player returns to cone A(starting position) Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Star Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot before returning back to cone A at the T Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 90 seconds between drills Day: 2 Agility Drill: Illinois Agility Drill Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 30 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 1 minute Agility Drill: Box Drill Variation: Timed minute, continue drill till time is up Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute (Timed) Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 45 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Double T-Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot while completing the drill Intensity: 70% HR Max Time: As fast as possible, with respect to intensity Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 30 seconds between drills Week 2 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Court sprints Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 1 minute Repeat: 3 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: 6 Point Agility Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (80% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest time: 30 seconds Day: 2 Agility Drill: Agility Compass Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 45 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Zig Zag Drill Variation: Run as far as you can in 1 minute Intensity: High intensity (80% HR Max) Time: 1 minute (Timed) Repeat: 2 Times Rest period: 1 minute 30 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Figure 8 Sprinting Drill Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 1 minute between drills Week 3 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Lateral Change of direction Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute non stop Rest Time: 30 seconds Repeat: 2 times (Total drill count = 3) Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: T-Drill Variation: Timed T drill, player has 1 minute 30 seconds to complete as many Ts as possible, 1 T is counted when player returns to cone A(starting position) Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Rest for 2 minutes Star Drill: Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot before returning back to cone A at the T Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 90 seconds between drills Day: 2 Agility Drill: Illinois Agility Drill Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 30 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 1 minute Agility Drill: Box Drill Variation: Timed minute, continue drill till time is up Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute 30 seconds (Timed) Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 45 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Double T-Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot while completing the drill Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 30 seconds between drills Week 4 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Court sprints Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Repeat: 4 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: 6 Point Agility Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Repeat: 4 Times Rest time: 30 seconds Day: 2 Agility Drill: Agility Compass Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (65% HR Max) Time:

7 Habits by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey book is titled â€Å"The 7 habits of highly effective people† helps to develop individuals’ personality in relation with others. The author takes us on the journey thru becoming proactive. Than we learn to realize where are we going with our life. The next step is to set priorities in our life. What things are important and what things can wait. We also learn how to achieve compromise that is satisfactory to all parties involved in daily activities. The author teaches us how to practice empathetic communications and the importance of the team work. Once all of that is achieved we are reminded to renew ourselves thru elements of nature. The first habit is â€Å"Be Proactive†. It says to take control over your own future, and that every one of us is in control of their own future. The proactive people do not blame others for their misfortune. The first step to become proactive is to take initiative and to act or be act upon. When I was working in a plant, and wanted to advance to a supervisor’s, I took initiative. I have studied the blueprints; observed and learned from others, and then I became an assistant, and then a supervisor. There were several other employees that started their careers at the same time as I did, however, they did not take the initiative. When I was leaving the field they were still working at the same level when they have began. Listening to our language is another very important aspect of becoming proactive. My favorite phrase is Stephen R. Covey had mention in his book is – â€Å"Let’s look at our alternatives†. Many people like to say â€Å"There is nothing I can do†. Another very important aspect of becoming proactive is to look where we focus our energy. In his book, Covey refers to two circles: circle of concern and circle of influence. Proactive people focus on the circle of influence. This circle includes things one can do something about like, health, family or work related problems. Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their energy on the things that they have no control of, like terrorism; weather etc. â€Å"Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expand our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive†. (As cited in Stephenconvey. com, 2009 p. 1). Begin with the end in mind† is the second habit. Every creation, design or invention is first created on the paper before it is actually build. My next project is to build a shed. Before I will invest time and money on generating the material, first I will have to make a plan of that building. Once I will accomplish that I can began to build. According to the author we should always know where we are going with our lives. â€Å"To begin with the end in m ind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where your are now and so the steps you take are always in the right direction† (Covey, 1989 p. 98). The best way to get there is by creating Personal Mission Statement. That statement concentrates on where you want to be, and how to get there (Covey, 1989). In the first habit you are a creator. In the second habit you have a vision and in the third habit you put all those things into a prospective. The third habit is called â€Å"Put first things first†. This habit helps us manage our lives. There are four quadrants to our time management. Based on those quadrants, it is more convenient to schedule future tasks. Daily or weekly plan can be made to focus on the priorities. That plan is never solid; it will most likely change as the daily tasks progress. It is really important to manage priorities based on those quadrants (Covey, 1989). The fourth habit called â€Å"Think Win/Win† moves us into interdependence phase. Our relationships with others depend on our mentality of thinking. Many people would like to receive the promotion or save their marriage but, they were not able to properly interact with others. There are six paradigms of human interaction (Covey, 1989). The fifth habit is to seek to understand, and then be understood. That means that the listener should not just hear the other person, but try to empathize with him. Most of the people can hear what others have to say; however they don’t listen to others, the message that other person is trying to relate goes by them (Covey, 1989). The sixth habit is to synergize. The author is relating to work in the teams. He states that the all team members are worth more that each of them separately put together. The group depends on each other. The differences between the people make the group stronger because of their differences. Every individual has a different prospective (Covey, 1989). The last of seven habits is to sharpen the saw. Most people tend to forget themselves and tend to stay in one place. Many of the people tend to focus on the activities that are not relevant to their goals or values. Every person should continue to grow using the four elements of nature. That involves staying fit in physical condition. That can be achieved by proper nutrition and daily exercises. Mental fit refers to reading and writing. Social element of nature refers to servicing to others. The last element is to stay spiritually fit by studying and meditation (Covey, 1989). In conclusion, the seven habits written by Stephen R. Covey, teach us how to become internally focused. They are the simple set of rules for successful life. That refers to both personal and private life. We go thru seven changes that will make ourselves more aware of the world and people that surround us. References Covey, Stephen R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Trial of Henry Kissinger

Amanda LakeyInternational Relations Book Review 18 April 2012 Kissinger’s Offenses The book the Trial of Henry Kissinger was written by Christopher Hitchens, a political opponent of Henry Kissinger. He is considered to be a pretty controversial figure because of his confrontational type of debate. He is considered a political observer, polecemist, and a self-proclaimed left -winged radical. He can be remembered for being a critic of Henry Kissinger, Mother Theresa and Bill Clinton.The Trial of Henry Kissinger took a long time for the author to write because he collected a lot of incriminating evidence to help bring out the wrongdoings Kissinger has done during his political career. The book focuses on Hitchens’s examination of the evidence of Henry Kissinger’s supposed war crimes. Hitchens thinks that Kissinger deserves prosecution â€Å"for war crimes against humanity, and for offenses against common or customary or international law, including conspiracy to co mmit murder, kidnap, and torture† ( Hitchens 2).To the author, Henry Kissinger is just a great liar who seems to have an amazing memory. According to Hitchens, Kissinger may be connected to war casualties in Vietnam, massacres in Bangladesh, planning murder in Chile when the US was not at war with them, involvement in the murder of the head of state of Cyprus, enabling a genocide in East Timor and kidnapping and murdering a journalist from Washington DC. The logic in which the author uses appears to be pretty persuasive to the reader. It is difficult to argue with one who uses such solid support in his opinions.This book seems more like pure fact than just what the author thinks. If I were to have read thinking Henry Kissinger was innocent, afterwards I would start to think that he should be charged for the things he did. I think many Americans are not aware of the kinds of secrets acts that happen within the political system. This is an eye opener for many citizens; one shoul d not get away with committing a crime, even if he has a lot of power. One of the main events the book focuses on is Kissinger’s involvement with the bombing of Cambodia.The bombing of Cambodia would need approval from congress before it could occur. Unfortunately, Nixon and Kissinger never tried to get approval and went ahead with the plan anyways. They would try to hide these happenings from society. The bombing of Cambodia actually took place for about fourteen months, and â€Å"as a result of the expanded and intensified bombing campaigns, It has been estimated that as many as 350,000 civilians in Laos, and 600,000 in Cambodia, lost their lives† (Hitchens 35).These events were leaked into the newspaper by American journalists, and Kissinger tried to find those responsible by wire-tapping phones. Another one of the events that took place is Kissinger’s involvement with the Vietnamese War. During the 1968 Paris peace talks, Kissinger came into the discussion a nd said that â€Å"he thinks any pullout next year would be a serious mistake†¦ he favored a continued winding down and then a pull out†¦ so it is too late to affect the election† (Hitchens 19). Kissinger was having secret meetings with the North Vietnamese, specifically the negotiator Le Duc Tho.He was hiding these meetings from the rest of the governments officials who should have been involved. These peace talks ended up being futile, but they did help him gain more of a reputation with Nixon. Nixon was not happy with the way the Vietnamese War was turning out, so he decided to invade the neutral countries of Cambodia and Laos; this resulted in one million deaths in Cambodia and 350 thousand deaths in Laos. Even after everything that occurred, Henry Kissinger signed a peace treaty with Le Duck Tho in 1973. The two of then were then awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.Henry Kissinger was one of the people who helped start the war, and he is also the person who helped fi nish it: â€Å"It took Henry Kissinger to ensure that a war of atrocity, which he had helped to prolong, should end just as furtively and ignominiously as it had began† (Hitchens 20). According to Hitchens, there is a Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in which the names are listed by date, not alphabetically: â€Å"The first few names appear in 1954, and the last few in 1965† (20). A majority of the American population would not know that we went into Vietnam as early or as late as the memorial claims.The author also talks about Kissinger’s role in Bangladesh. Kissinger supported Pakistan in the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. He wanted to show China how useful the United States can be when it comes to tactical alliance so they would side with America and oppose the USSR. Kissinger helped support the extermination of many Bengalis: â€Å"Kissinger had received some very bad and even mocking press for his handling of the Bangladesh crisis, and it had somewhat spoiled his supposedly finest hour in China† (Hitchens 50).The Nixon Administration also was involved in a controversial military coup in Chile. Nixon had given the CIA permission to hold a military coup in order to prevent Salvador Allende’s inauguration. Allende was said to have ties with communist countries, which is something that caused the United State’s to have a rocky relationship with Chile. In 1973, the military coup caused the death of the Chilean leader. After this happened, Augusto Pinochet took control of Chile and began to bring a reign of terror to the country. Two cases were filed against Kissinger and dismissed during these times.He was blamed for being involved in the military coup and disregarding those civilian’s and their family’s lives when he encouraged the Chilean repressive regime. The Trial of Henry Kissinger is one of the more recent books written in 2002 about the wrongdoings of Henry Kissinger, but other books were prev iously written before this time. One of the books is called the Price of Power written by Seymour M. Hursh in 1983. The other book is called Sideshow written by William Shawcross in 1979. There was obviously a great time span between these two books and the most current one, but they all seem to have the same idea.They all seem to discuss Kissinger’s involvement with the Nixon Administration and try to charge him as a war criminal. The other books seem to focus on the topic of Cambodia the most, but the Trial of Henry Kissinger seems to discuss more circumstances for which Nixon should be charged for. The Slideshow seemed to think that Cambodia was one of the biggest crimes Kissinger and President Nixon committed: â€Å"Neither the United States nor its friends nor those who are caught helplessly in its embrace are well served when its leaders act, as Nixon and Kissinger acted, without care.Cambodia was not a mistake; it was a crime† ( Shawcross 396). According to the book the Price of Power Nixon and Kissinger both appear to be in denial that any of the occurrences were their fault: â€Å"Kissinger and Nixon would repeatedly claim that the failures in South Vietnam and Cambodia were not their responsibility but the fault of Congress, which had cut off funding for the war† (Hursch 640). The book the Trial of Henry Kissinger is able to expand on these arguments more by giving solid evidence.One of Nixon’s associates who worked alongside Kissinger claimed that if the plan for Cambodia did not work then Henry would get in trouble: â€Å"Kissinger was caught between the views of his staff- several of whom resigned in protest when the invasion began- and the need to please the President† ( Hitchens 28). Compared to the other books that has been written about Kissinger, I think the Trial of Henry Kissinger is the most helpful and informative, but because of the use of excerpts from government documents and memorandums, it can be a little difficult to read.I also feel the author did not use enough counter arguments when he wrote the book. I feel like this is supposed to be an argumentative book in which the author tries to sway the reader to agree with his side. I think there is enough evidence to back up the authors claims, but the book would be even more believable had he tried to bring in opposing arguments and prove them wrong this way, there would be no arguing that Kissinger did do something wrong. All in all, I think this book is very useful for people to learn about Henry Kissinger.To be honest, before coming into this class, I had never heard anything about him or the terrible things he was involved in. I think this book gives good background information in order to show the reader what kind of person Kissinger is and why he should be treated like a criminal. Because there was so much evidence from government documents used in the book, I have almost no arguments against the author’s claims. Re ferences Hitechens, Christopher. Trial of Henry Kissinger. Verso, New York. 2001. Print. Hursch, M Seymour. The Price of Power. 1983. Print. Shawcross, William. Sideshow. 1979. Print.

Weaknesses Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh - 1027 Words

Kensie Campbell Paper 1 EN 231 9/20/17 What comes to mind when one hears the word hero? We typically refer to a hero as someone with superhuman powers or qualities of bravery, wisdom, and strength. â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† narrates the story of a beautiful, powerful man named Gilgamesh who is king of Sumerian city-state Uruk. In hopes to reverse his destiny, Gilgamesh journeys from one end of the world to the other in hopes to find immortality. The poem of â€Å"El Cid† is about a gentleman who fights to reestablish his honor after being exiled from Spain upon accusation of treason. After conquering the Moorish settlements in Spain, El Cid is pardoned by the king and his daughters are married off to royal Spanish princes. However, upon deeper†¦show more content†¦After winning the fight against the princes, El Cid’s daughters remarry to new princes who are relatives of king Alfonso. Alfonso announces, â€Å"See how he grows in honor who in good hour was born; his daughters are wives of the Kings of Navarre and Aragon. Now the Kings of Spain are his kinsmen, and all advance in honor through My Cid the Campeador. (1460-1463)† Despite his past ranking, El Cid’s defeat of the princes and news of his daughters’ remarriage into royalty aids in his social promotion to the top. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, is not so lucky. His weakness is something that he cannot escape. Since Gilgamesh is part human, death is an inevitable fact of life. Gilgamesh’s fate is first foreseen when he has a dream about a wild man Enkidu. Gilgamesh tells his mother,† Stars of the sky appeared, and some kind of meteorite of Anu fell next to me. I tried to lift it but it was too mighty for me, I tried to turn it but I could not budge it. – I loved it and embraced it as a wife. I laid it down at your feet, and you made it compete with me. (220-231)† Gilgamesh learns his destiny is to love Enkidu, but the gods create Enkidu to destroy Gilgamesh. When the goddess of love sends the bull of heaven to kill Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the bull, but the gods are not happy. As punishment, they speak the curse of death upon Enkidu. Heart-brokenShow MoreRelatedA Long Narrative Poem That Is About Heroic Deeds And A1631 Words   |  7 Pagesculture and person who wrote it is an epic poem. A great deal of writers use epic poems to tell the tales and quest of heroes. It played a crucial part in the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia because it recorded the epic deeds of heroes and their culture. The epic of Gilgamesh meets the criteria of an epic poem because the plot centers on the hero of unbelievable stature, it has a wild setting, and it in involves supernatural and godly forces. The epic poem of Gilgamesh plot centers on the hero of UnbelievableRead MoreReview Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh 1097 Words   |  5 PagesN.K. Sandars, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is one of the most well-known stories in literature. Gilgamesh ruled the city of Uruk and one of the most advanced cities during the third millennium B.C. He orders his people to build the strongest walls by protecting them from dangerous attacks. In the Epic, he is described as physically strong, beautiful, and wise ruler of Mesopotamia. Yet, in the beginning, Gilgamesh was uncontrollable of his powers. His people can’t take it anymore and so they prayed to theRead MoreThe Iliad, Odyssey, And Epic Of Gilgamesh1466 Words   |  6 PagesThe Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from othe r individuals. 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When analyzing the relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu there are many factors that go into play. It is really the sole foundation of the whole Sumerian epic and it really changes the whole personality of Gilgamesh. In order to get a better understanding of how the two characters complement each other we have to first break dow n their individual appearancesRead MoreThe Epic of Gilgamesh: The Ignorance of Gilgamesh1001 Words   |  5 Pages In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s pursuit for immortality is marked by ignorance and selfish desire. Desire and ignorance, as The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha suggests, pollutes man’s judgment resulting in his inability to break the cycle of birth and death. At the core of Gilgamesh’s desire resides his inability to accept the inevitability of death, making his rationality behind the pursuit of immortality ignorant and selfish. 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