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Showing posts from July, 2019

The Will To Win

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The arena may just be a back yard.  Up for grabs it's not the world's championship.  Just bragging rights to who's the best on the block (remember those days!).  It's not a venue worthy of legendary prose.  But it's a place where legends often begin.  Because from such beginnings, the taste of victory is first savored.  That insatiable taste that instills the desire to be the best. It's more than all those sports page clichés of extra effort and 110%.  The will to win is a work ethic.  A dedication. A commitment to never giving up.  Find these traits in an athlete, and you'll find an athlete who's the first one at practice.  And the last one to leave.  An athlete who toils away from the spotlight, perfecting those little nuances that can later make all the difference. Though the odds are long of ever achieving fame and glory, this serves as little deterrent to this athlete.  Because even when he/she faces others with more natural talent, he/she doe

Coaching Tidbits

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Earn respect. Communicate. Offer praise when it’s deserved. Never criticize someone who is competing but overmatched. Go for brains over brawn. Be flexible. Make decisions with authority. Drill them until they have it down cold. Stress the little things to build a strong system. Pinpoint and assign responsibility. Be friendly with players but not overly familiar. Be demanding. Compete against the best. Remember, a loss can be a great teacher. Insist that self-esteem be earned. Go for quality of practice over duration.  Be organized. Control what you can and don’t worry about what you can’t. Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility. Don’t use one kid to make an example for another. Always have a positive attitude.  Be efficient and precise. Use tradition as a teaching tool. Live by these rules—humility; dignity; ask no favors & give no favors. Be proud to be on the team and remember the team always comes first. —Compliments of Florida State Basketball

Characteristics Of Being In The Zone

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In the flow, in a groove, on a roll, in the zone - whatever you call it, it’s all defining one thing. It’s that special feeling of playing like you can do no wrong and everything goes your way. You are so involved in what you are doing that nothing else seems to matter because you are so connected to your task. Unfortunately, these peak performances don’t seem to happen often enough. In fact, every time it does happen, it is usually by chance, it just happened to be a day when everything fell into place, clicked for you, and you got a taste of what it’s like to be in the zone. It’s kind of like getting a taste of the good life. Hopefully this occurrence will motivate you to do everything you can to have more peak performances. By implementing mental training skills and working effectively as a team, you can increase the chances of this transpiring on a more consistent basis and you will be able to be in the zone as one harmonious unit. Being in the zone means doing more than anyon

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

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There was a team that consisted of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. ______________________________________________________________________ A Season In Words by Dan Spainhour $19.95

Winning The Mind Game

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Positive Self-Expectancy. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You get what you expect—so expect the best. Implications for the Athlete: Always expect success—embrace the challenge! Positive Self-Motivation. Desire and fear are two of the greatest motivators.Learn to go for the rewards of success, not away from the penalties of failure. Implications for the Athlete: Embrace the excitement; it is why you train so hard. During competition you will have access to power you normally don’t have access to—use it! Positive Self-Image. Vivid visualization can assist you in building a more consistent and successful you.If you can see it you can do it. Implications for the Athlete: Picture yourself as a world-class athlete, and what it takes to get there. Positive Self-Direction. Set Goals—Keep your eyes focused on the prize.Try to be better today then you were yesterday—In everything you do. Implications for the Athlete: Ink what you think—Goals need to be written down. It’s about g