You Gotta Love Pressure to Get Better

I came across an article on a Coaching Blog this weekend that was taken from the Harvard Business Review. The article is by a former professor of Elite Performance Psychology.

According to the author:

"The real key to excellence in both sports and business is not the ability to swim fast or do quantitative analyses quickly in your head; rather, it is mental toughness. Elite performers in both arenas thrive on pressure; they excel when the heat is turned up. Their rise to the top is the result of very careful planning—of setting and hitting hundreds of small goals. Elite performers use competition to hone their skills, and they reinvent themselves continually to stay ahead of the pack. Finally, whenever they score big wins, top performers take time to celebrate their victories."

Based on his work with elite athletes, he outlines how the "best of the best get better and better."

1. Learn to love the pressure. "Top sports performers don’t allow themselves to be distracted by the victories or failures of others. They concentrate on what they can control and forget the rest."

2. Set long-term goals, then outline short-term objectives and action steps. "Much of star athletes’ ability to rebound from defeat comes from an intense focus on long-term goals and aspirations. At the same time, both sports stars and their coaches are keenly aware that the road to long-term success is paved with small achievements. The trick here is to meticulously plan short-term goals so that performance will peak at major, rather than minor, events."

3. Compete against the best in order to improve. "If you hope to make it to the very top...make sure you train with the people who will push you the hardest."

4. Seek constructive criticism, feedback, and advice. "How do you motivate yourself to embark on another cycle of building the mental and physical endurance required to win the next time, especially now that you have become the benchmark? [Elite performers have] an insatiable appetite for feedback. They have a particularly strong need for instant, in the moment feedback."

5. Work hard; play hard. "Elite performers...put almost as much effort into their celebrations as they do into their accomplishments. Celebration is more than an emotional release. Done effectively, it involves a deep level of analysis and enhanced awareness. The very best performers do not move on before they have scrutinized and understood thoroughly the factors underpinning their success. Dwelling on success for too long is a distraction and, worse, leads to complacency. Celebrate—but push on."

6. An intense desire to compete. "What drives all elite performers is a fierce desire to compete—and win. That’s what truly separates elite performers from ordinary high achievers. It takes supreme, almost unimaginable grit and courage to get back into the ring and fight to the bitter end."

4:13

The Power of One

I’ve spent a lot of time this summer thinking about why last season was so different from the previous season. And although there were many valid reasons, ultimately I think it came down to one thing (or lack of one). Let me try and explain.

A few years ago there was a pretty cheesy movie called City Slickers. It was a comedy about a couple of city guys going to a cowboy ranch on vacation to kind of get away from all the chaos of a busy & hectic life and to try and get refocused.

One of the scenes in the movie really hit a chord with me and I’ve often thought about it since. In the movie, Billy Crystal's character, Mitch, is alone with Curly, played by Jack Palance and Curly is trying to give Mitch some profound life advice.

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?
[holds up one finger] This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean a thing.
Mitch: But, what is the "one thing?"
Curly: That's what you have to find out.

So I had to ask myself, as a team, what is our one thing? Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer. To be successful we have to blend many “one things” into one thing. We have to look at it a little differently. To truly be successful in the upcoming season, we have to have a single sense of purpose…one mission, one motivation, one passion, one focus, one reason, one love, one goal, one God, one mind, one heart, one team, one destiny…because we will only get one chance…and there can only be one winner…one champion.

If we can harness all of those into ONE, just think about the things we could accomplish.

The Power of One.
4:13

SHAZAM....err..I mean 413!

This will be my last Blog entry trying to motivate some of you toward “improvement during the off-season”. I have finally come to the realization that the few truly wanting to improve their game have already been making the time and finding a way to be there.

The lack of participation made me think of an old TV show that I used to watch. When I was a kid (yes, waaayyy back when car tires were made of stone) I, like every other boy in America, watched a TV show called Shazam. Basically, the show was about a teenager named Billy who worked as a radio news reporter and he always seemed to stumble upon trouble with bad guys. (Kind of like the gang from Scoobie-Do as a point of reference) And somehow, Billy was chosen out of all the boys in America to be the champion of good by the great wizard Shazam.

Whenever Billy would find himself in the midst of trouble, he would raise his fist and speak the wizard's name, and he was instantly struck by a magic lightning bolt that transformed him into an adult superhero named Captain Marvel that was empowered with vast super-strength. Oh by the way, as if vast super-strength wasn’t enough…he also had speed and stamina, physical and magical invulnerability, ability to fly, fearlessness, vast wisdom and enhanced mental perception, control over and emission of magic lightning and other vast untapped magical powers. WOW! As a 10 year old, I thought this was waaaayyy cool!

However, even as a young naïve kid, I knew that there was no great wizard Shazam and that there was no way a person could magically gain all those powers (by magic lightning bolt or not). It just wasn’t ever going to happen like that in real life.

The lack of participation in our workouts makes me feel like some of you think you’ll be able to just show up for tryouts, stand in the huddle and yell out “413” and somehow, God will magically bestow upon you basketball superpowers (I say bestow because Coach Moss won’t allow magic lightning in the gym) and you’ll suddenly have some serious game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.

Champions are made in the off-season…not when the regular season starts.

Discipline or Regret?

Both are your choice and your responsibility. Discipline weighs only ounces when compared to the weight of Regret.

Discipline is usually a very short term thought between one of two choices... “I will” or “not now, maybe later”. Whereas Regret can often be played and replayed in your mind a thousand times over and can feel like it weighs a ton. Regret often sounds a lot like “I wish I would have”.

What you choose to do today will have an effect on the way you feel tomorrow. Discipline or Regret, it's your choice and only your choice.

4:13

Bruce Bowen's Man-to-Man Defensive Tip's

Will YOU Be Ready? - Part II

I know my entries of late seem to have an overwhelming negative slant to them rather than a positive one and they continue to be on the same topic over & over again…improvement in the off-season (or shoes). Which should be a hint. I guess I am trying in a very subtle way to get some of you into the gym (without much success I might add).

I know the type of schedule we have before us next season and know that we need work (a lot of work) in order to conquer that schedule and the available time before Volleyball & Soccer take over is quickly disappearing.

To give you an idea of our schedule, in the first 13 days of the season, we have six games and only two practices during that timeframe. Who will we be playing in those first six games? Central (Conference Champs), Aletheia (#2 in conference), Emmanuel, Maranatha, Rutherford and RF Munroe.

Make no mistake, Central & Aletheia will be coming into our house and they will be MOTIVATED to win.
I know their coach well enough to know that he’ll have them worked into a frenzy trying to prove that they BEAT us rather than us losing because we were missing key players due to illness or injury. You can throw out all of the mental advantage we’ve had over them for the past five years of East Conference domination over the West. Now that they’ve finished #1 & #2 over the East, they no longer “think” they can beat us, they now “know” they can beat us – and it WILL be a battle. Winning gives birth to determination and determination grows into success.


Then we have Rutherford who beat us by 7 points and then we beat them by 4 points. That’s a pretty close margin for two games. It will be another battle. And to make matters worse, the very next night we play RF Munroe. Who is RF Munroe? They were ranked #11 in the State last season in 1A. Enough said.

So, will going to the gym and working out be enough?

No, going to the gym and “working out” isn’t enough. It’s easy to tell when someone is working out, but how can you tell when they’re making progress? Let’s think about it in different terms, let’s say like mowing a lawn or washing a car. Both have transparent progress, meaning that as the work is progressing, the result is visible to everyone. But with complex work such as building your ball handling skills or improving your shooting mechanics for better consistency, it is a little harder to identify true progress in a relatively short amount of time.

If you base your progress on how many shots you take or maybe how many hours you spend shooting, that is a poor measurement of improvement, since that only measures activity and not progress. You’ll need time and repetition of the proper mechanics in order to see noticeable improvement.

Before each workout you need to set target goals for the day and then afterward, you need to ask yourself the following questions in order to measure your progress.

Measuring your efforts:
 Did the work I did today significantly contribute to my goals?
 How did it help me get closer to those goals? (be specific)
 How large a contribution was it? (Did it get me 5% closer to the goal? 50%?)
 Did I use proper mechanics or did I just go through the motions?
 Do I need to adjust the workout to be more efficient in a particular area?
 Did I set the goals too high?
 Honestly ask yourself - what do I need more work on?

Will YOU be ready when the season starts?


4:13

Look Past the Hurdles

In the past few weeks, I’ve been working to open some doors for a couple of our players to have an opportunity to be seen by some college coaches. As part of that process, I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss and try to recognize and avoid some potential “hurdles” to success that players can often place before themselves without realizing it, especially when it comes to trying out for something.

Often, there is the player who sits down and establishes goals, but then falls short in making the kind of commitment and perseverance that is necessary to reach those goals. At the same time, there are other players that are very dedicated and committed, but haven’t sat down to establish the goals and lay out a map to reach the destination they desire.

Success in life (and in basketball) is sometimes luck, but more often than not success comes from having a plan and putting forth the commitment to turn that plan into success. However, if you aren’t careful, you’ll find yourself facing some of these self-imposed hurdles along the way.

HURDLE #1 – “I CAN’T”
The power inside each of us is incredible if we allow it to be released. I told the story in one of our previous newsletters of a small boy in Georgia with a kidney problem, which nearly killed him. He made a goal to become the strongest person in his class, and he dedicated himself to that goal. He was not tied down with “I can’t” even though the doctors told his parents he probably would not live past 12 years of age.

From there this young man, Paul Anderson, set a goal to become the strongest man in the state of Georgia and he accomplished this also. He now went on to become super heavyweight Olympic Gold Medal winner, set nine world records and became the strongest man in the history of the world.

Paul did not stop there, however, and in 1957 a miracle occurred. There is an event called the Back Lift, where the individual gets under the weight and lifts it off the ground. Since 1896, a French-Canadian had owned the back lift record of 4,300 pounds. Paul Anderson shattered that record, by lifting 6,270 pounds, over a ton!

Your life is a product of your thoughts. To alter your life the only single course is to alter your thinking.

HURDLE #2 – “AFRAID TO FAIL”
How many times do we not even attempt to accomplish something because we are afraid to fail. We just simply let the opportunity pass us by because of the fear of failing.

It is frightening to think what might have happened to history had one man been afraid to fail. I also mentioned this one of our previous newsletters. This man lost his job, had a business fall apart, his sweetheart died, and he suffered a nervous breakdown. His life in politics read all losses when he ran for the Legislature, House Speaker, Congress and Senate, and then as a nominee for Vice-President. Yet in 1860, that same man became our 16th President of the United States of America. After so many heartbreaks and defeats, Abraham Lincoln went on to change the course of history and our lives because he was not afraid to fail.
History provides us with numerous examples of highly successful people who were confronted with many major failures, but still made their dreams come true.

HURDLE #3 – “KNOW YOURSELF”
This hurdle can be deceiving because it is not set up the same as the previous two and is the most difficult hurdle that people (especially athletes) typically face. We face it every day that we live. If we don’t “know” ourselves, we can never be truly happy or find true success.

It is vital that you know your abilities...and just as importantly, you must also know your limitations.

Real confidence comes from knowing and accepting yourself, your strengths and your limitations, in contrast to depending on affirmation from others. The beginning of wisdom is being honest with yourself. The most noble and perfect victory is the triumph over oneself.

Thinkers down through the centuries have disagreed on almost everything. However, there is one point upon which they all agree, and that is people become what they think about. Hold on to the image of the life that you want and that image will become true.

Under no circumstances, lose hope. Hopelessness is the major cause of failure and despair. You can overcome any problem if you change your focus. When you change your focus, your life will change for the better.

Always try to do your best; never give up, and God will take care of everything else.
4:13

More Kicks for Your Dogs

There's not much on the horizon when it comes to a decent pair of kicks before the season starts. Both Nike & Jordan have a couple of pairs scheduled for release, but nothing great. I think most of what will be available is more show than go, but you can decide that. Hibbets & Footlocker at the Mall both have the XX3's and the Hyperdunk is scheduled for release on July 28th (which also happens to be Coach Ty's fav) . Other than those two...there's not much to choose from. I must admit, the royal & black J's shown here do look sweet, but they are not a signature model (meaning they aren't even close to the quality shoe you've been wearing - think Duncan's). Another option is the XX2's again. There are still plenty available and the price will probably drop to around $60-$80 or so.

How Often Does Opportunity Knock?

I opened a letter this afternoon from Coach Black at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia (who is interested in one of our players) and got to thinking about what goals each of you have set (if any) with regard to playing at the next level.

There are numreous scholarship opportunities for good high school players who want to EARN them. Believe it or not, Sharee (former PCCS player) earned a scholly from Judson Christian in Alabama. Then, she and the coach got into it and she bailed for home. Comes back to PC and lands a spot on the GCCC roster (right now it looks like she may be a probable walk-on). Yes...this is the same Sharee that struggled with 12 turnovers for the game against our pressure defense and went scoreless in the 1st Qtr of the championship game in 2007 being guarded by Liz. Does that sound like college level talent? Maybe.

Let's take a closer look here at Covenant. Last season, Liz (at only 5'0") was invited to tryout for three schools (Flagler, Florida Southern & Montreat). Even after her ACL tear, Montreat was still interested. She spends about six hours a week rehabbing her leg & working to get her game back so she will be ready if another opportunity presents itself. Does she have college level talent? Maybe.

This summer, I have been in contact with a couple of schools in GA & TN that have shown some interest in Haley. She has a tryout with Covenant College in two weeks (and yes, Armstrong Atlantic is interested in her as well). She is also spending about six hours a week in the gym working to improve her game. Does she have college level talent? Maybe.

If you truly want to play at the next level, you must be willing to put in the time to do what is necessary to get noticed by these schools. If the only time you ever practice (for improvement) is during our season practices, then you won't have to worry about a tryout - because it isn't likely to happen.

It doesn't take tremendous talent to play at the next level. It only takes desire. Do you have it?
4:13

How Important Is It?

Champions don't become champions on the night of the big game. They become champions during the off-season, when they spend countless hours in the gym working to improve the weak areas of their game.

Why is it so important to improve during the summer? Because it's too late to start improving during the first game, especially against Central.

Summer workouts begin on Friday.

4:13

Video For Sale

Sheff takes a much needed "mental" break after a few weeks of grueling preparation for her tryout at Covenant College on July 25th. In-between working and Church, she's been getting into the gym to improve on her ball handling and shooting skills...and based on the progress I've seen so far...she's going to be the most dangerous player in our conference next season!!!

HOORA
4:13

You Go Girl!

Too Funny!!!

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

Okay sports fans, several of you have commented that you REALLY-REALLY-REALLY like the J's (old habits die hard huh?). So I went on an Indiana Jones sort of mission (except without all the natives, snakes dangerous stuff) trying to uncover any new colorways scheduled for release before hoops start in the Fall. And...low & behold...Jordan just released a limited edition Black & Royal XX3 in Europe and although no date has yet been set for a US release, anything is possible.

Keep you fingers crossed.

Goodbye to our J's?

Over the past few seasons we've searched (often in vain) for a good team shoe that delivers both comfort & outstanding performance. We eventually settled on the very pricey Air Jordan's. This season our search may be over before it really gets started.

Although Chelsea is going to be our official "shoe tester" next week by test driving a pair of the latest Jordan XX3's, I really like what I've been reading about the new Nike Hyperdunks.

Could it be that we may say goodbye to our beloved J'$?

The Hyperdunk is Nike's lightest and strongest basketball shoe ever (or at least that is their claim). Weighing in at only 13 ounces, (our Jordan XX1’s and XX2’s were 19 ounces each) so the Hyperdunk is lighter than what we’ve been playing in, which theoretically should give you better performance on the court. The shoe also features two new Nike technologies — Flywire, extremely lightweight and strong footwear construction (made with crossed wires). Super-strong nylon filaments provide precise support similar to the suspension cables in a bridge, and allow a radical reduction in weight with material only where it’s needed for structure. In addition, NIke is also introducing Lunarlite, an extremely lightweight foam cushioning system.

The down side?

Like the J’s, they’ll set you back some allowance money...
Set to be released on July 1st, expect a price tag around $110

What do you think?

212 Degrees

At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degrees, it boils.
And with boiling water comes steam.
And with steam, you can power a train.

That one extra degree changed everything.

How many opportunities have you missed out on because you were not aware of the possibilities that could occur if you applied a small amount of extra effort beyond what you normally do?

What if you thought about 212° in the following ways?

212° As a Friend
Choose to visit or talk with one extra friend each week and create 52 additional discussions among friends for the year.

212° As a Leader
Act in accordance with the understanding that your role is that of developing and encouraging others to succeed by becoming the best they can possibly be.

212° At Home
Eliminate one half hour of television watching each day and you get 182.5 hours each year to allocate elsewhere in your life. (that's the equivalent to four and a half weeks of time per year). Or use that one half hour each day to read your Bible and grow in the Lord.

4:13

Girl Power!!!

A very cool clip (thanks to Momma' Paris) from a soon to be released Gatorade commercial. When I first watched the clip, I thought it was surely a Lady Lion!

What's Your Excuse?

I came across an article this morning that made me think about why some players eagerly look forward to practice and why others need constant motivation and often find a convenient reason not to practice or try to improve their skills.

Every team has a couple of athletes that truly love the game and want to get better and will practice every time the gym doors are open. They don’t have to be motivated to get into the gym. Those same couple of athletes usually lead their team in most of the categories (i.e., scoring, assists, etc.) and tend to be the better all-around players on the team. Coincidence? I think not!

To most, practice is boring and always seems to be so repetitive. Games are the important thing, right? After all, we play basketball to play basketball, not to train to play basketball.

It is true that we learn a great deal about basketball from playing in games through the trial & error process. By playing the game, players gain experience, which improves other aspects from decision-making to anticipation and a variety of strategies, but playing does little to improve your overall fundamentals.

Improvement requires deliberate practice. A game doesn’t offer enough repetitions of a particular skill to improve those fundamentals. Improvement requires practice, concentration and repetition.

The Legend is CONFIRMED!!!

Since I was a kid, I had heard about a large hammerhead shark nicknamed Fred (where the restaurant got it's name I presume) that used to frequent the kiddie pool at St. Andrews State Park every couple of days. Take a look at some RECENT pictures from the kiddie pool. Looks like Fred's grandkids are in for a visit.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Every once in a while, you come across something so ridiculous that you can't help but be entertained. My IQ probably dropped 10 points during the time I watched this. Be forewarned, this boy is NOT normal!

Things Aren't Always The Way They Seem

I asked for Strength....
and God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom....
and God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity....
and God gave me a Brain and Energy to work.
I asked for Courage....
and God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love....
and God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors....
and God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ....
but I received everything I needed!

Things aren’t always the way they seem or the way you were expecting them to be but you should always trust in God.

Always!
4:13

How Strong is YOUR Belief?

I try to continually encourage each of you to believe in yourself and in your abilities. Because if you believe that you can do something, you often miraculously find the ability to do it... even if you've never done it before. And if you fall down in your attempt, if you believe that the slip up was nothing more than a delay instead of a denial, then you'll get back up and keep going after your goal. With the right mindset, you can change that initial lack of belief into an overwhelming passion for success.

Last night I watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Fakers (err..Lakers) and the Celtics. The Lakers were up by 24 points…in the 1st quarter!!! I’m sure the Celtic players were feeling helpless and like the game was going to be a blowout and what made it even worse was that it was on national television for all of the world to see.

But the Celtics coach Doc Rivers (a former Spurs player wouldn’t you know) refused to allow his team to accept what “looked like” certain defeat. He knew that they were as good as the other team. He didn't have to explain the basics of basketball. He knew his only job was to keep their heads in the game and keep them focused on chipping away at the lead. For those of you that didn’t watch the game, the Celtics ended up winning 97-91.

The big lesson here is that you can have a lot of things going wrong and yet still get your outcome... that is if you don't give up on it. You have to have unshakable belief in your ability to do whatever it is that you are doing to succeed. You must believe that failure is NOT an option.

Success and happiness always starts between your own two ears. Don't wait. Begin right now and throw that smile on, and keep thinking all day, I can. I can. I can.

4:13

The Recipe for Success

In my short time as a basketball coach, I’ve coached a total of seven different teams. I've coached some good teams and I've coached some bad teams. I've coached a team with huge potential that underachieved and I've coached a team with little potential that overachieved. I've coached a team where the players dreaded going to practice and I've coached a team where the players couldn't wait to get to the gym.

In team sports, there is a very fine line between success and failure. Which side of that fine line a team will ultimately drift toward is usually decided by something beyond athletic talent. It comes down to an often misused term - team chemistry. The term ‘team chemistry’ is often mistakenly used by sports fans to describe why a team is so successful, but the truth is that every team has it’s own team chemistry, be it good or bad. And that chemistry is determined by the overall attitude of every player on the team.

Fill a roster with players that are unselfish, professional in their approach to improvement (regardless of how good or bad their skills may be), that practice & play with tremendous heart, and that truly care about each other, and success is almost guaranteed.

4:13

hey you guys.
um it would really be nice if yall would please pray for me. right now im stuck in the middle of a hard decision that i have to make and its really tearin me down. i love you ladies so much and i would really appreciate it.

thanks,
Liv

Lazily Floating Along

Hidden within the hill country of Texas near the small town of Gruene, is a beautiful emerald colored river that the girls and I visit each summer during our trip to Texas. According to Hannah it is the highlight of our trip. We all jump into inner-tubes and for about three hours, we float lazily down river allowing the current to take us wherever it will until we reach the bridge where we get out. During the trip we experience the excitement of rapids that rush us beside and up against small boulders peeking up from the water. We experience the eerie feeling of anticipation and helplessness just before we drop over a small waterfall. And no matter how hard we try to stay together, the swift current always separates us by sweeping us in-between the numerous cypress trees that occasionally rise up out of the water. For three hours, we are totally at the mercy of the river…and it is always fun!



In many ways, I think our team found itself in a similar situation last season (minus the fun). We floated lazily through the season allowing the currents of adversity to carry us wherever it would. By the end of the season, I think most of us were probably glad that the trip was finally over. I want this season to be a different experience. I want to end the upcoming season being able to say that it was fun! Although we should always prepare for and seek success, we should also prepare for adversity rather than just allowing whatever negative currents we may encounter dictate where we end up.

In essence, we need to be ready to make lemonade out of the lemons that sometimes get thrown our way. Lemonade lessons start in the gym this Friday night 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

Jess may not have watched the video, but I think she's got it!