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Perfecting the Present, Improving
the Future
Father Bray principles of perfection
of the present and innovation for the future are
the principles I feel will have the most relevance
for me if I wish to be a successful person in
the future. They will apply to me not only in
my immediate future at Iolani but later on as
well, such as when I go to college, become a working
adult, and start raising a family. Father Bray
used perfection to make his players and himself
the best they could be in the present, while encouraging
innovation for growth and improvement in the future.
Bray enforced his principle of perfection on the
boys through repetition and strict discipline,
while teaching them innovation by constantly looking
for ways to improve the present.
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Bray illustrated his principle
of perfection through discipline and repetition
during practice with his boys. Discipline taught
his boys to have both the mental and physical
strength to complete the task set before them.
Repetition gave them a way to drill what they
needed to know into their heads, repeating it
again and again until it was second nature. If
repetition and discipline can be achieved, perfection
will naturally fall into place. For instance,
on one occasion, he made his players walk through
the same play countless times until they had the
position and movements perfect. If a single person
were to step out or make the wrong move, he would
make them run it all over until it met his standards.
Father Bray taught the boys discipline in going
through the play without running, passing, or
tackling, and simply walking until they proved
themselves to be both knowledgeable and capable.
The team would go through countless hours of repetition
until it was flawless and every person knew his
duty by heart.
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Father Bray’s emphasis
on innovation is another principle I feel will
have relevance to me in the future. Without innovation,
a person lacks the capacity to grow and develop.
He is stuck at his current state because he has
nowhere to go nor anything to improve on. Innovation
shows initiative in wanting to become a better
person. Bray always strived to look for ways to
improve and better both himself and his players,
whether it was trying something completely new
or improving on what already existed. Innovation
takes perfection to a whole new level by going
in a different direction or trailblazing another
path. It also works horizontally once there is
nothing else to improve on in a particular field.
Father Bray was one of the first coaches who changed
his plays and tactics year to year, always coming
up with new ideas and different scenarios for
his players and him to work with. By doing so,
Father Bray kept from becoming too predictable
and always kept his opponents on their toes. Bray
also used innovation to buy the newest and best
equipment for his players, being one of the first
coaches to insist on facemasks, even before they
were mandatory and the college level. Bray had
an edge over his opponents because his players
were better protected on the field and fewer of
his starting players were prone to injury.
If I wish to have a successful,
satisfying future, I must follow Father Bray principles
on perfection and innovation. Perfection will
make me use discipline and repetition in becoming
good at what I currently do, while innovation
will give me the opportunity to journey on new
paths into the future and improve on what already
exists. In doing both, I can be assured that I
will be trying my hardest and working to the maximum
capacity of both what I think I am capable of
and what I actually am. If I can apply his principles
to perfect the present and innovate toward the
future, then I can be satisfied in knowing I put
my best effort forward toward whatever I put my
mind to.
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