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Archive for July, 2010

Test of Wills

This year’s Washington Redskins camp offers a textbook study of a coach’s attempt to motivate and shape a player. As detailed in this Sports Illustrated article, defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth has drawn the attention of his coach and teammates for his attitude, particularly by boycotting the team’s off-season workouts. Haynesworth failed a conditioning test yesterday, […]

Great Players, Failed Coaches

Diego Maradona’s ouster as Argentina’s soccer coach renews the debate over great players and their potential to be great coaches. As this Sports Illustrated article points out, Maradona’s recent experience as a World Cup coach ended far less successfully than his stint as World Cup player. And so it is with many athletes. So often […]

Rookie Rituals

Rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant made news at Dallas Cowboys training camp over the weekend by refusing to carry teammate Roy Williams’ shoulder pads. “I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads,” Bryant, who was the Cowboys’ first-round pick in April, said in explaining his refusal. As rookie rituals go, carrying a […]

Results or Reasons?

We just finished a TotalGamePlan volleyball camp with 16 young women at the Verona Community Center in Verona, N.J. The week went well, except for one drill. No one had any energy. No one seemed to want to improve. So not wanting to have a losing drill, the coaches made it a learning drill. Calling […]

In it or into it?

Do you know someone who is totally into what they’re doing? Tell us about it! Here’s why we want to know. The difference between in and into is the difference between greatness and mediocrity. You can be in school or into school. You can be in a sport or into a sport. You can be […]