// archives

Archive for May, 2009

Using Time Well

“Most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.” ~ Henry Ford Can “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Biggest Loser” offer something for coaches? Both reality TV shows offer the same model: a contestant forms an objective, has a finite amount of time to achieve the objective, and then works with a […]

Meaningful Work

Yesterday we spoke about making the gym experience a meaningful one for the athletes. It turns out that acclaimed author Malcolm Gladwell has something to say about the topic. Being interviewed by Charlie Rose, Gladwell lists the elements that go into meaningful labor. (You can watch it here; the part about labor comes well into […]

Sports and Child Obesity

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” ~ Dale Carnegie If parents are hoping that team sports will help their children lose weight, they better look more closely at the situation. An article in Time Magazine quotes two studies that suggest the same thing: that forcing kids to exercise may […]

A Story of Commitment

“If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you’re doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It’s tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on.” ~ Lou Holtz Lacrosse coach […]

One Moment at a Time

How do you win a seven-game series? The obvious answer, of course, is to win four games before your opponent does. But doing that is tricky. Winning a playoff series is a psychological minefield in which each team must fight the temptation to put the math ahead of the moment. “It’s all about staying in […]

One Moment at a Time

How do you win a seven-game series? The obvious answer, of course, is to win four games before your opponent does. But doing that is tricky. Winning a playoff series is a psychological minefield in which each team must fight the temptation to put the math ahead of the moment. “It’s all about staying in […]

What You Do and What You Get

Give attention to the details and excellence will come.” ~ Perry Paxton As a player, Gary Burley helped the Cincinnati Bengals reach the Super Bowl. Today, as a coach and mentor, he is now helping young people reach for the heights. He founded ProStart Academy, whose goal is to produce “citizen athletes.” “Coaches have to communicate the […]

Looking Deep into Your Sport

In the last post we talked about the Hubble telescope, and how it reflects mankind’s curiosity. It is pointed outward, with the purpose of looking deep into the universe. Today, coach Gary Pritchard and I have released Part 3 of our podcast, “The 10 Things Great Coaches Know.” We hope that, just as the Hubble […]

Journey of Discovery

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ~ Albert Einstein Today a space shuttle is scheduled to take off for a maintenance mission to the Hubble telescope. This will mark the final trip to the Hubble, which was launched in 1990. Years ago astronomer Carl Sagan spoke beautifully of the telescope and what it said […]

Training Toughness

“No pressure, no diamonds.” ~ Mary Case A few days ago, Kobe Bryant was discussing his team’s situation after it lost Game 1 of its playoff series against Houston. “To win a championship, you’re going to have to face some adversity,” said the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar, shrugging off the results of the first game. […]