I am NOT a U of M fan but I am a huge Bo Schembechler FAN
http://youtu.be/bOmQJhHfGf8
A FEW TRUTHS by JIMMY MAC
The following list stems from my recent successes and failures as an athlete and a coach, and I hope you find it useful. Because it is my list, it is more for me than it is for you, but there is no harm in sharing.
1.) It is always possible to work harder. Not necessarily longer or more often--just harder.
2.) If you try to accomplish everything, you won't accomplish anything. Pick a single goal, and dedicate yourself to achieving that goal.
3.) The further you go from your home gym, the more likely you are to run into someone who is faster, stronger, and more powerful than you. Travel, and bring your humility.
4.) You must surround yourself with those who share and support your goals. If your friends scoff when you leave for the gym at 5 a.m., get new friends.
5.) You cannot coach yourself. "Coaching by mirror" is a great way to know what a movement looks like and a horrible way to know what a movement feels like.
6.) You need to analyze your training, qualitatively and quantitatively. If you don't know why you're doing what you're doing, stop doing it.
7.) On a related note, human beings are capable of rationalizing anything. If you go looking for proof that you're on the right track, you'll find it.
8.) Easy fixes are few and far between. If it's easy, chances are it's incorrect, incomplete, or both.
9.) It is human nature to get where you want to be and immediately stop doing the things that got you there. This is a fantastic way to stay right where you are.
All lessons can't be bright and cheery. Get rid of the crap that's holding you back, and have the courage to realize that a healthy dose of self-criticism can go a long way toward making you a better athlete. We all need a kick in the ass once in a while.
"I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CRAZY BUT IT HELPS ME FROM GOING INSANE"
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
The Heart and The Fist
No video post this week as I want all of you to read this.
-I just finished a book titled "The Heart and The Fist". It is about a Rhodes Scholar who becomes a Navy Seal and proceeds to fight in Afganastan and Iraq an at the same time is able to complete amazing huminatarian efforts around the world. As an aside I am not a war proponent by any stratch but I am very interested in all areas that involve Team Building Through Extraordinary Effort!
-The author Eric Greitens describes in detail BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition Training) and specifically "Hell Week" which is the final Physical, Mental and Emotinal test in becoming a Navy Seal. This is a program in which the strongest and best American soldiers join and still less than 30% will pass.
-Greitens was asked "What kind of people make it through Hell Week? "I found his answer to be extremely relevant to where we are going as a FOOTBALL PROGRAM. The author states: " I don't know." - I know generally-who won't make it through Hell Week. There are a dozen types that fail. The weightlifting meatheads who think that the size of their biceps is an indication of their strength; they usually fail. The kids covered in tatoos announcing to the world how tough they are; they usually fail. The pretend leaders who don't want to get dirty; they usually fail. The me-first, look at me, I'm the best former athlete who have always been told they are the best; they usually fail. The blowhards who have a thousand stories about what they are going to do, but a thin record of what they have actually done; they usually fail. The men who make excuses; they usually fail. The whiners, the "This is Not Fair" guys, they self pitying criers; they usually fail. The talkers who have always looked good or sounded good, rather than actually been good; they usually fail. In short, all of the men who focus on show fail. THE VICIOUS BEAUTY OF BUD/S IS THAT THERE ARE NO EXCUSES, NO EXPLANATIONS. YOU DO OR DO'T THAT'S IT!!!
-I just finished a book titled "The Heart and The Fist". It is about a Rhodes Scholar who becomes a Navy Seal and proceeds to fight in Afganastan and Iraq an at the same time is able to complete amazing huminatarian efforts around the world. As an aside I am not a war proponent by any stratch but I am very interested in all areas that involve Team Building Through Extraordinary Effort!
-The author Eric Greitens describes in detail BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition Training) and specifically "Hell Week" which is the final Physical, Mental and Emotinal test in becoming a Navy Seal. This is a program in which the strongest and best American soldiers join and still less than 30% will pass.
-Greitens was asked "What kind of people make it through Hell Week? "I found his answer to be extremely relevant to where we are going as a FOOTBALL PROGRAM. The author states: " I don't know." - I know generally-who won't make it through Hell Week. There are a dozen types that fail. The weightlifting meatheads who think that the size of their biceps is an indication of their strength; they usually fail. The kids covered in tatoos announcing to the world how tough they are; they usually fail. The pretend leaders who don't want to get dirty; they usually fail. The me-first, look at me, I'm the best former athlete who have always been told they are the best; they usually fail. The blowhards who have a thousand stories about what they are going to do, but a thin record of what they have actually done; they usually fail. The men who make excuses; they usually fail. The whiners, the "This is Not Fair" guys, they self pitying criers; they usually fail. The talkers who have always looked good or sounded good, rather than actually been good; they usually fail. In short, all of the men who focus on show fail. THE VICIOUS BEAUTY OF BUD/S IS THAT THERE ARE NO EXCUSES, NO EXPLANATIONS. YOU DO OR DO'T THAT'S IT!!!
Monday, 13 June 2011
Just Keep Competing
http://youtu.be/imZaiGJgbsw
BY MARK TWIGHT (My mountain climber mentor)
We used to joke about "buying the ticket" as a way of making the commitment to a big climbing trip. Until we made the financial commitment, which at times meant rather a lot of sacrifice, the expedition was nothing but talk. Moreover, until it was executed, it was also just talk. Our operational maxim beginning in about 1998 was "Talk - Action = Zero" or a variation on the same. In the training environment, or anything involving modification of behavior, we believe it imperative to determine an objective beforehand otherwise the effort may be misspent. However, we also believe imposing rewards or penalties an essential component of the process - otherwise it's all talk and one can evade the hard work if self-discipline flags.
Often people imagine that the declaration of intent, especially to peers, binds one to the effort and ensures the motivation to accomplish the stated objective. However, this is at best talk, maybe even posturing, and words are nothing compared to the financial commitment of "buying the ticket" or establishing an "effective" penalty for failure. Talk is a two-edged sword, sure peers might help, and maybe the notion that someone else gives a shit holds one on course, but should one fail it can be easy to share the responsibility when others were involved (in a real or imaginary way).
Recently, psychologists studied the effects of announcing one's intent to do something on their actual output and execution. It's one study, done on law students in an academic environment but enlightening nonetheless. They created a "laboratory version of the public pronouncement" and tied it to a work challenge to measure students' effort. The outcome? "Those who had made their intentions known to the experimenter—that is, to the public—failed to follow through with intensity. They talked the talk, but given the opportunity to walk the walk, they dodged it."
I read this and began laughing out loud.
It's easy to pretend to be someone when it's all talk. Few will ever call bullshit when an obvious do-nothing exclaims of a sudden his or her intent to do something. It's not nice to slag people, and we never know when someone might actually overcome their bad habits. Some forget the exclamation altogether, why bother paying attention to someone who is full of shit anyway? Others take note then quietly observe the process and outcome, watching as their "friend" fails yet again to live up to the words. But when all that's riding on the outcome is a 50/50 toss-up between being ignored and being judged, hey why not flip the coin and announce the intent? Maybe, in that moment, someone will mistake the words for having already done the thing, which, according to the study is often how the talker treats it: by confusing the symbolism of the announcement with doing the work.
The study concluded that, "simply stating a strategy for becoming a good lawyer made them feel like they were real lawyers, and this inflated self-image paradoxically made them less hard working. They had become legends in their own minds ..."
The goal is not the thing itself. Broadcasting it is not execution. The fellow I wrote about in the Self Delusion essay on the public site confuses announcements about his goals and plans with the actual doing of things. I don't ever say "just do it" (it's trademarked anyway). I say SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO IT. Then you can write your blog. Internet declarations of intent carry as much weight as the excuses used when one falls short. Besides, you can always do more than you think so announcing your intentions can be self-limiting.
What the world needs is less talk and more action.
WALK IT
Declaring Intent Is Not ExecutionBY MARK TWIGHT (My mountain climber mentor)
We used to joke about "buying the ticket" as a way of making the commitment to a big climbing trip. Until we made the financial commitment, which at times meant rather a lot of sacrifice, the expedition was nothing but talk. Moreover, until it was executed, it was also just talk. Our operational maxim beginning in about 1998 was "Talk - Action = Zero" or a variation on the same. In the training environment, or anything involving modification of behavior, we believe it imperative to determine an objective beforehand otherwise the effort may be misspent. However, we also believe imposing rewards or penalties an essential component of the process - otherwise it's all talk and one can evade the hard work if self-discipline flags.
Often people imagine that the declaration of intent, especially to peers, binds one to the effort and ensures the motivation to accomplish the stated objective. However, this is at best talk, maybe even posturing, and words are nothing compared to the financial commitment of "buying the ticket" or establishing an "effective" penalty for failure. Talk is a two-edged sword, sure peers might help, and maybe the notion that someone else gives a shit holds one on course, but should one fail it can be easy to share the responsibility when others were involved (in a real or imaginary way).
Recently, psychologists studied the effects of announcing one's intent to do something on their actual output and execution. It's one study, done on law students in an academic environment but enlightening nonetheless. They created a "laboratory version of the public pronouncement" and tied it to a work challenge to measure students' effort. The outcome? "Those who had made their intentions known to the experimenter—that is, to the public—failed to follow through with intensity. They talked the talk, but given the opportunity to walk the walk, they dodged it."
I read this and began laughing out loud.
It's easy to pretend to be someone when it's all talk. Few will ever call bullshit when an obvious do-nothing exclaims of a sudden his or her intent to do something. It's not nice to slag people, and we never know when someone might actually overcome their bad habits. Some forget the exclamation altogether, why bother paying attention to someone who is full of shit anyway? Others take note then quietly observe the process and outcome, watching as their "friend" fails yet again to live up to the words. But when all that's riding on the outcome is a 50/50 toss-up between being ignored and being judged, hey why not flip the coin and announce the intent? Maybe, in that moment, someone will mistake the words for having already done the thing, which, according to the study is often how the talker treats it: by confusing the symbolism of the announcement with doing the work.
The study concluded that, "simply stating a strategy for becoming a good lawyer made them feel like they were real lawyers, and this inflated self-image paradoxically made them less hard working. They had become legends in their own minds ..."
The goal is not the thing itself. Broadcasting it is not execution. The fellow I wrote about in the Self Delusion essay on the public site confuses announcements about his goals and plans with the actual doing of things. I don't ever say "just do it" (it's trademarked anyway). I say SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO IT. Then you can write your blog. Internet declarations of intent carry as much weight as the excuses used when one falls short. Besides, you can always do more than you think so announcing your intentions can be self-limiting.
What the world needs is less talk and more action.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
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