Posts Tagged ‘persistence’

3 Keys to Success, by Alan Stein

Monday, June 21st, 2010

This blog was 100% inspired by a concept I read on www.CopyBlogger.com (an invaluable resource for anyone who writes their own blog).

You need talent, luck, and persistence. Pick any two if you want to be successful.

Whether you are a basketball coach or player, you can reach your (realistic) goals and achieve a high level of success with just two of those three.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look…

Talent

To some degree, what most people refer to as talent, is nothing more than passion.  If you love to do something… you will do it every chance you can.  And the more you do it, the better you get.  Now obviously there are several uncontrollable factors that determine someone’s ultimate talent and success on the basketball court (height, athleticism, etc.), but in many instances, talent comes from non-stop, obsessive practice. I have never met a lethal shooter who didn’t practice all of the time… who didn’t shoot thousands and thousands of shots every single week.  Being a talented shooter is 100% controllable.

There is no debate that Kevin Durant was born with numerous physical gifts. But so are a lot of people.  So how come KD is an NBA All-Star and the league’s youngest leading scorer of all time and other 6’9” guys don’t play passed high school or college? Because KD has an unparalleled passion for basketball and he works on his craft every single day.  The same can be said for Greivis Vasquez.  I met Greivis the day he got to the United States (from Venezuela) in 2005.  He spoke very little English and weighed 150 lbs.  Now he is about to be picked in this year’s NBA Draft.  How is that possible? He made himself talented by working on his game every single day.

Same goes for coaching.  Who are some of the most talented coaches in college basketball? Coach K? Tom Izzo? Jay Wright? Do you have any idea how much time and effort those guys have put into their coaching skill sets? They love the game of basketball and work relentlessly at becoming the best they can be.

And talent doesn’t have to be all encompassing.  You don’t have to be good at everything.  You just need to have a specialty… a specific talent that makes you stand out.  It might be defense (Bruce Bowen), it might be rebounding (David Lee), or it might be shooting (Ray Allen).  Working on your weaknesses is important, but so is making your strengths even stronger!

Talent is the ability to make the most of what you have with where you are.

Luck

Honestly, I don’t believe in luck.  I think unsuccessful people use luck as an excuse. I believe luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I love the quote, “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” There is so much truth to that statement. So that means, in order to be lucky, you need to be well prepared when opportunity knocks.

Do you even know how to prepare?  Players, what do your daily workouts consist of?  Do you just jack up 300 shots or do you take game shots, from game spots, at game speeds?  Do you practice ball handling drills looking down at the ball or do you force yourself to look up (even though you may lose the ball initially)? Do you visualize a defender in front of you when making moves to the basket or do you just do the drill? Do you have a solid strength & conditioning foundation or do you just play pick-up? Equally important, are you a great teammate? Are you the type of player other players like to play with and coaches like to coach? Trust me… you’ll be a lot luckier if you are!

Coaches, do you just study the X’s and O’s or do you work on communication and leadership?  Do you put all of your focus on your out-of-bounds plays or do you spend time learning how to most effectively communicate with every member of your program? Do you reinforce great work habits with your players 365 days a year? Do you read, watch film, and network with other coaches?

I realize many resources cost money… camps, clinics, DVDs, and trainers, which can be a limiting factor for some.  However there are numerous resources that don’t (like this blog or my YouTube channel). Find them. Use them.

If you want to be lucky, you need “to be in the right place at the right time.” Instead of waiting for that to happen, you need to make an effort to create real value in every place you go and every person you come in contact with.

When opportunity knocks, will you be prepared to answer?

Persistence

This one is pretty obvious.  Don’t give up on anything you can’t go a day without thinking about it.  Never quit. Keep practicing.  Keep working.  Most people think they are persistent, but in reality, they give up after a couple of “no’s” or a few minor failures.  Be too stubborn to quit.  Don’t be so pig-headed you won’t try to new approaches or make adjustments along the way… just don’t quit. Ever.

My twin sons, Luke and Jack, will be 3 months old next week.  They have an unyielding persistence. They don’t stop until they get what they want! They are relentless and they don’t take no for answer. While that has certainly caused me a handful of sleepless nights, I hope it is a quality they never out grow.  If they apply the same persistence to the game of basketball as they do to wanting to be fed… they will indeed be McDonalds All-Americans in 2028!

Bottom line is this. If you want to be successful, on the court, or in anything in life:

Make your own talent.

Make your own luck.

Never quit.

If you want to see some impressive drills from three action packed days at the 2010 Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp, please check out http://TinyUrl.com/CP3Camp2010.

My intense summer camp circuit is in full swing.  Stay tuned for blogs, videos, and Tweets with behind the scenes insight from the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and all of the Nike Skills Academies (Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Amar’e Stoudemire, and LeBron James). It’s going to be an epic summer.

Speaking of which, we have officially wrapped up our 10 week long Can He Dunk? Project.  I will post the highly anticipated promo video, along with a ton of content, at www.CanHeDunk.com in early July.  ESPN/Rise is editing the final webisodes which are scheduled to air a week or two after the site launches.
Please let me know if I can ever be a resource to you for your program. You can email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.

Train hard.  Train smart.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

www.Twitter.com/AlanStein

PS: I sincerely apologize, but I have had to discontinue the 100 Exercises in 100 Days promotion because of technical issues.  However, I will be posting some valuable content in its place as well as adding a weekly Coaching Nugget downloadable PDF (free!).  You can find these resources in the Media Gallery at www.StrongerTeam.com.

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No Guarantee, by Alan Stein

Friday, January 15th, 2010

The word on the street is Mark McGuire read the second half of my blog post from last week (“Random Thoughts”) and finally decided to admit he took steroids.  Thanks Big Red, it only took you 10 years.  And it wasn’t the slightest bit obvious (insert sarcasm). All joking aside, the year he broke the home run record, the measured circumference of his right forearm was an inch and half bigger than my neck! How in the hell could that be natural?!

OK, back on topic.

One of the toughest things to deal with as an adult is the concept that nothing in life is guaranteed.  Except for death and taxes.  And while I certainly despise paying taxes, my gut feeling is I would like death even less.

This concept of “nothing being guaranteed” is so evident in sports. Jim Valvano, the late coach of NC State and one of my favorite motivational speakers, once said something to the effect of:

“Just because you work hard doesn’t guarantee you will be successful.  But not working hard guarantees you won’t be.”

Reigning NCAA National Champion coach Roy Williams said something similar:

“Working hard doesn’t guarantee success, but without it, you have no chance.”

Have you ever spent hours upon hours studying for a test… and still gotten a poor grade? Has your team ever spent hours upon hours practicing all week… and still lost the big game?

Of course you have; it happens to the best of us. Working hard and not achieving success is a tough pill to swallow.  It is hard in basketball and it is hard in life. But it is fact.  And it is something every player and coach needs to come to terms with… because no one is immune.  And when a minor setback (or failure) occurs, you have to learn from it, move past it, and get back to working hard again!

A young lady I had been working with for over a year, and who is a very accomplished high school player, tore her ACL a few weeks ago in a holiday tournament.  She was having a phenomenal season (team was 7-2) and a stellar game (had already hit five 3’s) up to that point. Then, early in the second half on a drive to the basket, she landed awkwardly while being fouled.  BAM! Just like that, she tore her ACL and her season was over.

Her father called me to tell me the bad news and told me she was devastated. As a senior, she was being recruited by several Division I schools, but unfortunately was waiting until the spring to sign… and she was distraught with thoughts that “no one would want her now.”

Personally, I was crushed by the news.  I couldn’t sleep for two days.  I really care about all the kids I work with and I felt terrible she was going through this.  She is such an impressive young lady, both on and off the court.

Unable to sleep, all I kept thinking was, how could this have happened?  She worked so hard this pre-season.  She did everything I asked of her and did it to best of her ability. After a couple hours of staring at the ceiling, I went down to my office and reviewed my notes from our sessions. I took solace in knowing we did everything possible to try to reduce the occurrence of this happening.  We incorporated numerous exercises and drills, every single workout, to reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury. We worked on proper landing. We worked on proper cutting.  We properly strengthened every muscle and joint in her lower body.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have done anything different. So thankfully, I don’t have to live with the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s.  We worked hard all pre-season and literally did everything we could have done to prevent this. Yet unfortunately, it still occurred.

I went to one of her team’s games last week to say hello, offer my support, and to speak to her father.  We had a wonderful conversation and I promised him I would help her with every step of her recovery. I also told him I was confident she would still play college basketball. The road will be tough, and it is (obviously) not guaranteed, but my advice to her was to stay positive, get ready to get back to work… and things will work out for the best.

Now, I am a strength & conditioning coach… not a psychologist by any means.  But I really believe after her short grieving period is over, she will need to re-focus and get back to working as hard as possible. I understand she is entitled to a period of time of feeling disappointed and depressed… but what’s done is done.  She tore her ACL; it’s a fact. Nothing can be done to undo that now.  Just like an errant pass or a missed shot, it is time to move on to the next play!

The most influential factor in her future success on the court will be how she responds to this setback.  This will be a real test of her character. I have full confidence she will come back better than ever because she has a tremendous attitude, relentless work ethic, and the mindset of a champion.

I am proud and thankful to claim an exemplary record over the past 10 years, with a particularly high rate of success for both injury prevention and performance enhancement.  And even though I can say, with full confidence, we did everything “right” in regards to her pre-season preparation… an injury still occurred.  We worked hard… and as we learned… success was not guaranteed (at least success in this particular instance). Fortunately, this is not the final chapter in her playing career.

It is imperative you understand you can’t second guess the importance of working hard and of doing what is right just because things don’t turn out the way you want. You still need to make the conscious choice to consistently work hard in every aspect of your life (especially in your training).  While the possibility of not achieving success is always looming, it is nothing to be feared, and certainly nothing to give in too.  If you make a daily commitment to excellence… you will absolutely “win” more than you “lose.” And I am not talking about the scoreboard.

If you read my recent blog post, “What We Do”, you can see the lengths the Montrose Christian basketball program goes to in order to be successful.  And yet we still (occasionally) lose games.  Do you think losing a game causes us to second guess “What We Do?”  No way!  And when you have a setback it shouldn’t cause you to second guess yourself either.

If you have any questions about ACL injury prevention (or recovery), or if I can ever be of service to you or your team, please don’t hesitate to email me at Alan@StrongerTeam.com. I promise to respond as quickly as possible.

If you haven’t done so, please check out (and subscribe) to www.YouTube.com/StrongerTeamDotCom.  I just posted two videos of the Montrose Basketball Pre-Game Warm-up (one before we take the court and one on-court).  Next week, I will post clips from a recent in-season strength training workout.

Also, for those of you who follow me at www.Twitter.com/AlanStein, or are my “friend” at www.Facebook.com/AlanSteinJr, I will be holding weekly trivia questions for folks to win some HOT prizes – like Nike and Jordan gear!  All of the questions will come from my blog archive… so make sure you read past posts and study up.

Play hard. Have fun.

Alan Stein

www.StrongerTeam.com

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A Tale of Two Stories, by Luke Meier

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I want to share a story that is very personal for me.  This is a story of hard work, dedication, and persistence.  At the same time, it is a story of regret.  This is the story of my basketball career.

As a junior in high school I made the varsity basketball team at Middleton High School.  As the season began the only action I saw was at the end of games that were not very close.  I was extremely disappointed with this and it showed in my body language on the bench.  After one of our first games my dad straight up called me out, basically telling me that my behavior was unacceptable.  The conversation that followed went something like this:

Me: I’m better than those guys, I should be playing.

Dad:  What are you going to do about it? Quit?

Me:  No! (Please know that I am a very competitive person and quitting was never an option.)

Dad:  Well I don’t see you going to the park getting extra shots up.  You aren’t going to the gym at every chance like you normally do.  What are you going to do about it?

This conversation lit a fire inside of me.  I worked as hard as I could.  I got extra shots up, I went to all optional open gyms and I worked my hardest to get better and help our team in practice.  In doing so, I made my way into the regular rotation and by the end of the year I was the first player off the bench, receiving as much if not more playing time than the starters.

The following summer I was in the gym four times a week from 5:30-7:00am working on my game.  From 7:00-9:30am I lifted and did conditioning.  My senior year I earned a starting spot and was named team captain and all-conference as a player.  I continued this hard work and dedication as I moved from high school to college.  I tried out for the UW-Eau Claire basketball team and made it as a walk-on.  I was the first walk on to make the team in nearly 10 years.

As I began my college career I redshirted as a freshman, only practicing with the team, never dressing for games or traveling.  The next year I was one of the last players off the bench, but I continued to work my hardest and get better.  By my redshirt sophomore year, I had worked my way into the rotation.  I earned every second of time I saw on the floor.  At the end of the year I was awarded the fireman award, given to the biggest spark off the bench.  I led the team in FG, 3 point FG, and free throw percentage.  The next year I saw more time and again I received the fireman award and led the team in free throw and 3 point FG percentage.

As the summer before my final season got underway, I was extremely excited about the opportunities ahead and I continued to work on my game with maximum effort and dedication.  About a month into the summer I broke my wrist playing in a summer league game and two weeks later I was on the operating table having a screw put into my wrist.  I had never had a serious injury and it really affected me.  I felt sorry for myself and literally did nothing to get better over the summer. Even though I couldn’t do anything with my left hand, I could have been working on my conditioning and shooting with the cast on, but I didn’t.   I got my cast off right before I left for school and even then I used the injury as an excuse.  I was way behind where I needed to be and failed to put the necessary time and effort to earn time on the floor.

When the season began I was back where I was as a freshman, on the bench.  Throughout the year I received little to no playing time.  It was extremely difficult for me to deal with, but deep down I knew it was nobody’s fault but my own.  I hadn’t prepared and when my opportunity came, it was too late to prepare.  I understood the role of each player on the team and tried to be a leader for the younger guys.  I worked as hard as I could in practice and supported my team from the bench with enthusiasm and energy each game.  Since the time I was 10 I knew I wanted to be a basketball coach, so when times got tough I told myself, “If I can’t do this, how could I ever expect one of my players to do it.”  Needless to say, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.

During my playing career I was successful because I was dedicated, I worked harder than anyone else, and I was persistent.  That is, until that final summer.  Although I have many great memories, the regret that I didn’t do everything I could to prepare for my final season eats at me every single day.  I know I cannot change the past, but that doesn’t heal the pain of regret.  To this day that feeling drives me to work as hard as I can in anything I do because I know what it feels like when you don’t work hard and fail.  If you work as hard as you can, you may not achieve your goals; there are no promises in life.  Even if you don’t achieve your goal, you will still be a success because in your heart, you will know you did everything in your power to achieve it.  If you don’t work hard you have ZERO chance of being successful and the pain of regret will stick with you forever.

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Preparing to Win, by Luke Meier

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

A while back I read a great quote by Bob Knight, “Most people have the will to win, but few have the will to prepare to win.”  I have never met a player who has said that they didn’t want to win a game, but I have met countless players who do not do everything they can to win.  I’m not talking about during the game.  I’m talking about everything that leads up to the game, like off-season training, team practice, and your preparation to win.

Preparing to win is not easy, its hard work!  If it were easy, everyone would do it.  It separates champions from the rest of the field.  You need to work as hard as you can, be persistent, be dedicated and enthusiastic in your training and preparation.  Ask yourself this question: Do you want to win?  I’m guessing the answer is yes.  Now be honest and ask yourself: Do I do everything I possibly can to put my team and myself in a position to win?  Have I trained as hard as I can?  Do I give maximum effort in practice or when I train? Do I study the game and learn from great players?  Do I study scouting reports in order to give myself an edge over the competition?  I can’t answer these questions for you, only you know the true answer.  If the answer is truly yes, great! Keep doing what you are doing and success will follow.  If the answer is no, challenge yourself to develop your game and preparation with dedication, persistence, and hard work, because that is the only path to success!

Here are a few tips to help you prepare to win:
1.    Schedule and write down all your workouts.  Stick to your schedule, don’t miss workouts.  You have to decide how important being the best player you can be is to you.
2.    Watch as much basketball as you can.  Watch great players and study what they do to be successful on the court.  Study the moves and skills that make these players great and remember the greatest players in basketball history are the hardest workers in basketball history.
3.    Evaluate yourself.  Be honest in your evaluation.  Are you working as hard as you can?  Are you doing everything possible to achieve your goals?  What can you do to get better?

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Are You Coachable, by Luke Meier

Friday, June 26th, 2009

I recently had the privilege of working out a JUCO player by the name of Gerry Simms.  Gerry flew in from Las Vegas to work with me and all I knew about him was that he was going to be playing JUCO ball in California next year and I had to pick him up at the airport at 5 o’clock in the morning.  I had never seen him play, so needless to say, I didn’t know what to expect.

Whenever I work out a player for the first time, regardless of skill level, all I can hope for is that they work hard, they aren’t afraid to make mistakes, and they are coachable.  To this degree I couldn’t have been more pleased with Gerry.

From the get go we got after it.  About an hour into our first workout Gerry had to leave the gym to go throw up.  When he came back into the gym we started right where we left off and Gerry went back to working his tail off.  After a few hours rest we got back into the gym for our second workout.  We did so many ball handling and shooting drills that his right arm began to cramp up!  Again, he never made excuses and pushed through the workout with hard work and persistence.  The next day we had another two hour workout and Gerry was cramping in his legs.  When I asked him if he was alright he always responded “Yeah, let’s go.”  His persistence was a testament to his toughness and desire to become a better ball player.

Not only was Gerry’s work ethic tremendous, he was also very coachable.  He listened diligently whenever I was talking and he asked questions.  He was extremely focused and put great emphasis on executing each move and drill we did to perfection.  He wasn’t afraid to make mistakes and challenged himself to do things he had never done before.

I couldn’t have been happier with the time I had with Gerry.  I think all players can learn from the way he worked, listened, and learned.  I wish Gerry the best of luck as he works toward his goal of playing Division 1 basketball.  I can’t guarantee that he will achieve this goal, but I do know that if he keeps working as hard as he did with me, he is going to put himself in the best possible position to be successful.

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