Coaching Lessons From The Matrix

It should be of no surprise to anyone that the main characters of The Matrix have a lot of important things to say about coaching.

Morpheus on using objective analysis (video and statistics) – “What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”

Morpheus on the difference between playing and playing to win – “Stop trying to hit me and hit me!”

Morpheus on the importance of self confidence – “Don’t think you are, know you are.”

Morpheus on the relationship between the coach and player in the learning process – “I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it.”

Morpheus on the importance of readiness in the learner – “Sooner or later you’re going to realize, just as I did, that there’s a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.”

Agent Smith on not everything always working to plan – “Do you hear that? That is the sound of inevitability.”

Trinity on opposition analysis – “The answer is out there, Neo, and it’s looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.”

Agent Brown on not getting the anticipated results or performance – “Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions.”

Neo and a young boy on flexibility of thinking – Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.  Neo: What truth?  Spoon boy: There is no spoon.  Neo: There is no spoon?  Spoon boy: Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

Trinity and Neo on tactical innovation – Trinity: “Neo… nobody has ever done this before.”  Neo: “That’s why it’s going to work.”

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