Peak Performance
Wanting Great Things
My family just returned from a vacation on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where we got a close-up of people trying to get the most out of their time away.
Whether it was a walk on the beach or para-sailing over the Sound, these vacationers wanted great things out of their week by the ocean.
This idea carries [...]
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 the [...]
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 the girls [...]
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 in a [...]
Wooden Wisdom
John Wooden thought of himself as a teacher. If you want to be a great coach, you must be one, too. Here is a poem that Wooden recited from memory. It underlines your value as a coach:
No written word, no spoken plea
Can teach our youth what they should be
Nor all the books on all the [...]
Initial Ability and Final Ability
Sorry to have neglected the blog for so long. Various book projects are taking up time and energy. But today the message is so important that I had to get it out there. Think of it as: How to grow the next Phil Mickelson.
Jeff Beer is the golf coach at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in [...]
A Strong Warmup
The other day, with practice only about 10 minutes old, I spoke to some players about their work habits. One of the players protested.
“But that was only warmup,” she said.
Only warmup?
What could be more important than a strong warmup?
Warmup sets the tone — physically, mentally and emotionally — for what will come in the rest [...]
Dancing With the Stars
In watching “Dancing With the Stars,” did you ever wonder what it would be like to be on the show?
You’re closer than you think.
In a very real sense, everyone is living a version of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Just consider the format. The dancers get a certain period of time — one week — to prepare. [...]
What Is Possible?
Today posting resumes after a hiatus to finish a book I wrote with Gary Pritchard, called “10 Things Great Coaches Know.”
It turns out that Opening Day of the baseball season, the final game of the NCAA basketball tourney and an episode of “Dancing With the Stars” all intersected.
And what unites these three apparently unrelated events? [...]
Ron Lundy’s Lesson
I haven’t been able to blog every day because of a book deadline. But there was an item in the news that deserves mention.
Ron Lundy, a legendary New york disc jockey for decades, died earlier this month at the age of 75. Lundy was renowned for a sparkling, cheerful drawl that warmed all his listeners.
One [...]
