Advice for hockey and football players

Hopefully your off-season training is moving along well.  It's at this time in the summer that I always have to break the good.....and bad news to my students. 

The saying that you can do anything in life, unfortunately, is wrong.  And worse yet, this silly, idealistic statement sets many of us up for failure, and a feeling of uselessness.

Let me explain.

If I load my bar up with 1000 pounds and try to either squat, deadlift, or bench press this, it just won't, and never will happen.  Saying that I will be well over 6 feet tall when I'm 50 years old won't happen either.  For someone who, at the age of 16, has a standing long jump of 50 inches, the dream of being an Olympic track star won't happen.

See what I mean?  There are a thousand other examples that we can use here.  I'm sorry.  One of my most difficult tasks as a coach of a Junior hockey team, or the teacher of young athletes in my gym, was to break this news to young men and women. For four summers in a row, I would see the same young man come into my gym.  This guy was great.  A great, personable, hard-working football player.  But the problem was this: his 40 yd. time was in the 5.7 second range as a 17-year-old, and by the time he was done with me, 4 years later, it had dropped to 5.2 ish seconds.  Some might say that I didn't know my stuff and was to blame.  Maybe.  But he also went to University sprint camps.  And guess what they would guarantee?  Like all other cash grab programs, they guaranteed to shave a second off his time. 

Really?  No, it's a lie.  This was too good of a kid to let this happen to, and let fail.  As I became closer to him, I could have personal, serious talks with him.  I eventually gave him my thoughts.  He played some University ball, but then stopped to pursue his studies.  I'm proud to say that he is at a prestigious University studying business, and all is good.  He always wanted that 4.6 ish time.  But it just wasn't going to happen. 

You've now been told all about the things that you can't do.

But here is the good news.  What if you put together a complete, intense, off-season program, and stick to it?  What if you truly give 100% of your mental and physical resources to it?  What if you go into camp knowing that you have done everything in your power to prepare?

And let the cards fall where they may.

As I have said before, it's great to see some numbers, and to have some goals.  But make sure that those goals are attainable.  Remember, you can't do anything you want in life.  That's just the way it is sometimes.  However, what you can always do, is try to make the most of what you have been given. 

As a parent, I always stress effort.  After that, everything will find it's way.

Try your hardest.  Then you can say that you can try to do anything in life, and be proud.

Get training everyone.  Camps are quickly approaching.