One of the books that I've been reading lately is "Vision of a Champion" by Anson Dorrance, the UNC women's soccer coach and winner of close to two dozen NCAA Championships. In the book, Dorrance talks about such things as working towards personal excellence, the competitive cauldron, and developing a winning mentality. He also devotes a chapter to parents and other supporters who, if not careful, can do more harm than good to their child's long term success. So far it's a great book that should be read by coaches, athletes, and parents.
Here's a short excerpt from Chapter 5: "The winning mentality is partly optimism, but mostly its a combination of focus, pride, competitive anger, relentlessness, hardness, fitness and courage - all the most descriptive words for competitive athletics. This type of mentality is not about skill or tactics. What it comes down to is intense desire. To get this winning edge you need to build an indomitable will. This means you must be relentless; you must never give up."
"What I love about this mentality is that it's not a talent; it's not part of a genetic code you're either born with or not. It's a choice, a decision you make to develop it. It's not an easy choice, but it is what is going to elevate you from the ordinary player. The question is: Can you make the choice to be indomitable?"
Showing posts with label attitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label attitude. Show all posts
Saturday
Friday
Crab Bucket
Crabbers on the Oregon coast know that if you put one crab in a bucket it will quickly climb out. But put two or more crabs in a bucket and they will stay they forever. Why? Because everytime one crab tries to climb out of the bucket, the other crabs will reach up and pull it back down. Unfortunately, this happens with people too. Many times, as soon as someone begins to separate themselves from the group (usually as a result of much more work and dedication), and sees a little more success or gets a little more attention, others quickly become jealous and offended. Instead of celebrating this success or trying to elevate themselves to reach new heights, these "crabs" choose to react by sulking, criticizing and blaming others. As a result, feelings are hurt and relationships are damaged and much more harm is done than good. But what a lot of "crabs" don't realize is that they all started off in the same bucket and all had the same opportunities to climb out. It's what they do with those opportunities that makes all the difference!
Tuesday
Attitude Is Often The Deciding Factor
Casey O'Toole told me this interesting story at last week's End of the Trail Tourna
ment. Casey was in one of the gyms, along with dozens of university coaches, watching one of the top high school post players on the West Coast. At the beginning of the game the girl was a scoring, rebounding, shot blocking machine who looked like she was having a great time playing with her teammates. Everyone in the gym seemed to nod in agreement that this player was destined for a big time career. Then she missed an easy shot, a teammate didn't see her open in the post, and a ref called her next blocked shot a foul. Casey told me then it was like someone had flipped the switch that controlled her attitude. When everything was going great she was great. Bu twhen things started going bad, this player made everything worse. No longer was she visibly having fun and basking in the competition. Suddenly she was surly and bitchy to the other team, yelled at her own teammates, snarled at the refs, and started to jog up and down the court instead of sprinting as she had been only minutes earlier.
ment. Casey was in one of the gyms, along with dozens of university coaches, watching one of the top high school post players on the West Coast. At the beginning of the game the girl was a scoring, rebounding, shot blocking machine who looked like she was having a great time playing with her teammates. Everyone in the gym seemed to nod in agreement that this player was destined for a big time career. Then she missed an easy shot, a teammate didn't see her open in the post, and a ref called her next blocked shot a foul. Casey told me then it was like someone had flipped the switch that controlled her attitude. When everything was going great she was great. Bu twhen things started going bad, this player made everything worse. No longer was she visibly having fun and basking in the competition. Suddenly she was surly and bitchy to the other team, yelled at her own teammates, snarled at the refs, and started to jog up and down the court instead of sprinting as she had been only minutes earlier.It was at this time, Casey said, that Amy Tucker, Stanford's longtime associate head coach, reached into her bag, pulled out her program and a red pen, and literally crossed this player off 
of Stanford's recruiting list before getting up and walking out of the gym. Casey and I talked and wondered if this player had any idea, or would ever have any idea, that just a couple of minutes of bad attitude cost her a possible scholarship offer from one of the most prestigious schools and basketball programs in the country.
of Stanford's recruiting list before getting up and walking out of the gym. Casey and I talked and wondered if this player had any idea, or would ever have any idea, that just a couple of minutes of bad attitude cost her a possible scholarship offer from one of the most prestigious schools and basketball programs in the country.I'm sure there are some coaches who are willing to overlook the bad attitude because of the talent level and I'm confidant that because she is so good this girl will play somewhere in college. It just won't be at Stanford!
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