MESSAGE #1187 A TIP FROM JOHN MCENROE
There are scores of players who can hit every shot in the book who never make it into a Grand Slam event. Those who make it are there because they are mentally tougher. They wanted it more.
-JOHN MCENROE
MESSAGE #1179 PRACTICE MAKES IMPERFECT
“Practice makes imperfect. People practice until they ‘think’ they know it. The key is to remain a learner.”
-ELLEN LANGER, Ph.D, Harvard
In conversations I’ve had with Dr. Langer, we spoke about how when practicing, athletes need to be mindful. Don’t just practice in perfect conditions, practice in realistic conditions, i.e., in tennis, practice hitting balls with different pace, spin, and depth coming at you. Practice in sun and wind and extreme cold and heat. Practice with people better than you. Practice with people worse than you.
Notice what is happening, make adjustments.
Rarely will conditions be perfect, so why practice that way?
MESSAGE #1161 MENTAL WEAKNESS
Recently, I was teaching a high-level high school player and we were playing a groundstroke game to 11 points.
I was up 7-1 and he said to me, “Can we play another one after this one?”
In his mind, he had already lost.
And then he really did lose.
When you think about the future, you can’t perform well in the present.
Remember what the great philosopher, Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over til it’s over.”
MESSAGE #1135 TAKE SOME MEDICINE
“There ain’t much fun in medicine, but there’s a heck of a lot of medicine in fun.”
-JOSH BILLINGS
Take a break and have some fun.
Google jokes or comedians.
Take a walk in nature.
Cultivate gratitude for all the big and little things in your life.
Smile for one minute.
Call/text your loved one just to say you were thinking about them.
Too busy to have some fun?
Then you’re TOO BUSY…
MESSAGE #1097 THE KARATE KID
I have a confession.
I like taking notes at movies.
The movies I like to watch are inspirational. They have a lot of great quotes. Recently, I went to see The Karate Kid, I knew it would have some good quotes. Here is my favorite…
There is no such thing as bad student only a bad teacher.
The “evil” kung fu instructor’s motto was “No fear, no mercy.”
Mr. Han’s (good kung fu instructor) motto was “Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. Fight hard, earn respect…Kung Fu is about making peace.”
I know coaches that tell their players to call the ball out when it is close. They teach them to be jerks on the court. They think winning is everything.
Is it?
When I work with athletes and business professionals, I ask them, “At the end of your life, what do you want to be known for?”
The answer is never, I want to be #1 in the world, or I want to be a millionaire with five homes and a boat.
The answer is always something like, “I want to have been a role model; someone who made a difference and led by example. I want to be known as someone who went all-out, regardless of the situation.”
We may not all be coaches, but we are all teachers. We may be teaching our children, our friends, our parents, our fans, our employees or a stranger on the street. But what are we teaching them?
Roger Federer said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.”
People say, nice guys finish last.
I say, nice guys are winners before the game begins.
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