SWAGGER IS THE BY-PRODUCT... NOT THE PRODUCT

"For us the swagger was developed by demonstrated performance and from having a chip on your shoulder and from work ethic and from being the hardest-working team and from being a tough team and from playing with passion. And all of a sudden people said, ‘Miami plays with swagger.’ Well, then it only takes a couple years where you have kids that put on the uniform and think you automatically get the swagger because you wear the U. But they don’t want to do the things that made the U special."

- Alonzo Highsmith
(Thanks SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN, Miami Herald)

AFTER EVERY WORKOUT

At the end of a workout, there’s a tendency to want to head for the showers and rush back to the pressing issues of the day.  But how you transition via a brief recovery period will determine how well your body repairs itself and responds in the coming days.  Use this simple checklist to kickstart your body’s recovery process—and get the most out of each workout.

1. Reflect
It’s important to recognize what you’ve accomplished with your training and how it contributes to your long-term vision, not just for your physical well-being and athletic pursuits but how such commitment is fueling your success.  “You’ll feel great in the short-term regardless,” says Anthony Slater, director of performance at Core Performance.  “But it’s important to reflect on how you feel and connect it back to your goals.  That reinforces the behaviors you’ve chosen and is something people don’t do nearly enough.”

2. Track
There’s no shortage of gadgets and smart phone apps to log training and measure progress.  It can be a simple spreadsheet or even paper.  The important thing is to track your workouts, not only to give yourself a pat on the back, but also to have a reference point for the following workout, or to review months later.   Track everything from your weight, energy, productivity, and sleep, for starters - and see your progress charted over time.

3. Stretch
Active-isolated stretching is most effective after a workout when the muscles are warm.  This can range from a full routine to the three or four stretches that address any mobility issues you might have.  You can also do some reflection while you stretch.  What worked and what could you do better during the next training session?  “When you combine the stretching and the reflection, it allows you to shift gears and re-enter your day-to-day responsibilities and shift back into the real world,” Slater says. (Click here for a guide to active-isolated stretching.)

4. Refuel
To refuel you body after a workout, consume a mixture of carbohydrates and protein immediately afterward, preferably within 10 minutes of training.  At this point, your cells are wide open and screaming for nutrients, and by drinking a shake or another balanced carb/protein small meal, you expedite the recovery process and maximize lean muscle growth. (Click here for five delicious post-workout shake recipes.)

5. Cool down
If you have access to a 55-degree “cold plunge” tub, spending 1 to 3 minutes in it is a great way to decrease post-workout inflammation.  Alternating between a cold plunge and a hot tub (three to five minutes) stimulates bloodflow and muscle recovery with hardly an effort.  If you don’t have access to a hot tub or a cold plunge, you can get the same effect in the shower by switching between hot and cold settings.

(Thanks Pete Williams & Sefu Bernard)

COACHES (AND PARENTS) NEED TO LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER

Had a chance to speak at length with a first year Middle School coach this week at the Nike Higher Level Camp in Florida, who also happened to have her daughter at the camp.  (Important point here, this was her daughters first "intense" ball handling camp).

Her question was (paraphrased), "how hard do I push my daughter and after being here at this camp, I'm beginning to wonder if she even likes basketball"

Her daughter was a rising Freshman and seemed to only give noticeable effort when playing defense while scrimmaging.  On offense, her daughter was clearly not engaged.  The second thing that I noticed,  her daughter didn't give the same level of effort while working on individual ball handling drills, she would only give minimal effort.

Was she lazy?  Probably not.

Coaches do not have the time to push every athlete to reach their full potential.  As bad as that may sound, think about it for just a second... ever had an athlete that just doesn't seem to care?  How many times have you wasted a lot of time and energy into trying to motivate them and show them the right way to do things, only to have them remain in that state of giving only 70% on drills?

In this particular situation, I began to watch her daughter and quickly noticed that every time she was put into the spotlight on individual ball handling drills, her effort immediately dropped as if she didn't really care one way or another.  My guess is, that it wasn't that she didn't care... it was more than likely that she felt exposed and insecure in her skills and abilities when compared to the other athletes at the camp (there were some die-hard ballers there).

As coaches, we often overlook that simple explanation and tag that type of player as being lazy and we give up on trying to motivate them.

After discussing this with her mom (and coach), it became evident that more ball handling skill work was needed to get her daughter over the confidence hump and to a point where she felt like she could compete with others.

Rather than label players as lazy, coaches need to look at the circumstances before giving up on a player.

4:13

THE GREAT EQUALIZER - COMPETITIVENESS

You can’t always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can always be the most competitive. 

There are bound to be days when you run into someone who is better than you.  What can you do about it?  You can compete, that’s what.  You can put forth so much effort that you cut your opponent down to size and force them to play below their abilities.  Competitiveness allows you to influence your opponent.

(Thanks Pat Summitt)

CHAMPIONS EXPECT TO WIN

Champions Expect to Win - When they walk on the court, they expect to win.  In fact they are surprised when they don't win.  They expect success and their positive beliefs often lead to positive actions and outcomes.  They win in their mind first and then they win on the court.

(Thanks Coach Bob Starkey & Jon Gordon)

DO YOU WALK IT LIKE YOU TALK IT?

Our summer workouts are optional, your choice to attend. Next season's playing time is also optional, my choice whether you play.

What few players really seem to understand, is that great players are made in the Summer... during the off-season.

If you are spending your summer at the beach, or sleeping in until noon, or using whatever other reason (excuse) you may have for not developing your skills and becoming a better player before the start of next season... you will NEVER become a better player.

Too many players these days think watching a DVD, going to a camp, or practicing in the driveway will magically propel them to the next level.  It doesn't work that way.

I hear it from players all the time... "it's too hot to practice"  "it's too cold to practice"  "I have too much homework"  "my coach never opens the gym"  ...too much of this and too much of that!  Realize that whatever  your particular set of circumstances are that is keeping you from becoming a better player... there's already a great player out there that had your exact set of circumstances when they were coming up... it's just that they found a way around those circumstances.

The real question is... do you put more effort into talking about becoming a great player, than you do in actually practicing to become that great player?

(Thanks Alan Stein & Vaughn Wallace)

FRIDAY'S MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES

I know I've been slacking off on the Blog entries for a while now and decided this morning that I will get back to it.

"Trust (from your teammates) doesn't develop from always doing the right thing. It comes from taking responsibility when you make a mistake."
- Simon Sinek

"Players are about their team. Pretenders are about themselves!"
- Joey Burton

"High school players play with their hands. College players play with their feet. NBA players play with their minds."
- Coach Holub

"You hit a bad shot, you have to get over it right there and then so you can get focused on the next one."
- Tiger Woods

"I am always ready to learn, though I do not always like being taught."
- Winston Churchill

"If losing doesn't sting, you don't need to be playing!"
- Coach Farris

"Self-discipline, competitive fire & self-belief. All the talent in the world is useless if you are missing any 1 or all 3 of these qualities."
- Chris Oliver

"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations."
- Tony Gaskins

SOME OLD SCHOOL TRIVIA

"During my rookie year with the Miami Heat, one of my teammates, Willie Burton, did something he shouldn't have done. When Jordan didn't score any points in the first quarter, Willie told Michael, 'Hey, we're shutting you down tonight. We're going to stop you.' Michael went on to score 56 points in the last three quarters. The worst thing about what Willie did was he wasn't the primary man guarding Michael. I was. So I have 56 unpleasant memories of Jordan from that playoff game." -- Steve Smith former NBA guard.

(Thanks 23isback.com)

MORE OLD SCHOOL TRIVIA

During a game in 1990 against the Orlando Magic someone snuck into the Bulls locker room and stole Jordan's "23" jersey before the game. Unfortunately the Bulls did not have a spare jersey, so they had to give Jordan a number "12" jersey with no name on the back. After that game the Bulls made sure to bring plenty of extra "23" jerseys to all future games to avoid having the same problem again.

(Thanks 23isback.com)