The method(ology) of the motion offense and Obama

In basketball the philosophy of the motion offense is, roughly, this: practice and train your athletes to be able to execute specific skills independently of yet in unison with teammates within a free-flowing (unregulated? unbounded?) system. The devils are in the details. An effective motion offense depends on a number of variables not the least of which are discipline and unselfish, skilled players. It requires that the coach have significant confidence in his system, because the philosophy of the motion offense is that the coach doesn't micro-manage each offensive possession. The methods and methodology of the motion offense can take months, if not seasons, before it can be fully and successfully appropriated by the agents of action (the players). And the motion offense is a commitment. A coach and a team have to "buy in" to doing "the little things." In a well-executed, highly efficient motion offense the "little things" become seamless; they look easy. On the other hand, a raggedy motion offense will quickly expose the failure of discipline, precision and execution.

The methodology of the motion offense relies on a bottom-up model of training. A motion offense believes that a successful strategy emerges from commonplace skills integrated and executed with disciplined precision. A motion offense depends on this consciousness of discipline and execution; this is what is meant by "buying into the system." Again, the training focuses on habituating activity from a bottom-up model.

I'm thinking about the motion offense today for a number of reasons. One, the motion offense would be a fantastic case study for testing out some of the arguments that I am making in my dissertation. The major claim/argument from my dissertation is that the linear, top-down literacy model of New Literacy studies is flawed. The NLS model states that abstract literacy practices (i.e. attitudes, beliefs, values, ideologies) determine literacy activities (i.e. the physical acts of reading/writing, the individual, concrete motor-movements that are the act of consuming, producing or talking about text). The model that I argue for in my dissertation is non-linear. I emphasize the role of literacy activities. But mostly I do so because of the nature of the data. And I think the motion offense would be a good case study of this model. But, since I would be approaching such a study having already determined that the motion offense probably supports my argument there could be some problems...

Second, I'm thinking about the motion offense because I see some similarities in the bottom-up model of this strategy and the bottom-up strategy of Obama's campaign for the presidency. I've been thinking about some of the strategies that have made Obama successful to this point. It has required disciplined agents acting with discipline and executing with precision. It has required these disciplined agents to act both independently and within a system. Obama has created a political motion offense.

This talk about the methodology of the motion offense is extrapolated from my dissertation writing and the thinking that has accompanied both the researching and writing. This is an example of the results of dissertating that won't or wouldn't necessarily be recorded in the dissertation itself. In fact, the dissertation research has inspired a way of thinking that has led to the creation of two businesses (ObamaLlama and another that will be coming soon [prototypes are being produced as we speak]). As an outside observer you are no doubt thinking WTF does the literacy practices of student-athletes have to do with designing, marketing and selling a plush toy? It has to do with I have, at one point, dubbed "the literacy of execution." That's a cheesy nomenclature and doesn't actually mean a whole lot. Better it would be to call it "experiential learning." Or learning by doing. Learning in context. Other than that, ObamaLlama has almost nothing to do with research on literacy. And yet, if I hadn't been doing this dissertation I probably wouldn't have moved forward with the ObamaLlama. Or maybe I would have. Who knows?

I've moved relatively far afield from my points about the motion offense. So I'll bring it back to and then leave you with this: literacy studies and studies of literacy offers an approach to understanding how people make meaning in the world. It provides insight into how people move and jockey and theorize within the boundaries of a governing system. You can extrapolate some interesting things. Maybe you cannot extrapolate accurately. But it produces a conscious awareness of the relationship between individual acts and socially determined practices. In observing (and consequently questioning) norms you come to think some interesting thoughts... or at least I have.

p.s. if you are a venture capitalist and you want to invest money in somebody who thinks they've developed some valuable ideas... j/k ;)

Break time's over. Back to the diss!!!