In my English class we were speaking about our favorite words a few weeks back and I was struggling to come up with one until an email I just received...new favorite word of the holiday season is....drum roll please...CHRISMAHANUKWANZAKAH. Enjoy

The mental side of sports is very important for success.  Really, our mentality dictates our quality life.  Belief in ones abilities comes from preparation and having faith.  This is very important when times are tough.  "Things are difficult before they are easy."  To get through the difficulties we must have faith and confidence.  Also, continue to have markers to reach to keep us from getting discouraged.  If times seem tougher it is a good idea to retool and change the next marker we have in mind.  

In a team setting, there are many important phases that build the mentality of success and confidence.  First is Buying-in to the team system and ideas.  Second, is being together.  When times are difficult the team must stick together and be there for each other.  Third, is to believe.  Believe in yourself, your teammates and your coach.  These are three key ingredients for success not only in athletics but life.  It is very important to have a support system that helps guide you and that you can lean on when times are tough.  This system helps to reinforce our belief in ourselves and each other. 

Remain confident and realize that whatever you're doing, it's hard before it is easy but there are ways to get through difficult times more easily.  The main one being a support system.  Anyways, continue being driven and dedicated and mainly have faith.    

This past weekend, I saw "The Social Network" movie with my blogging class.  It was a very interesting movie about the development of Facebook and the ensuing court case questioning who really had the idea. Mark Zuckerberg or someone else?  The movie was good because I did not know the story behind Facebook's development to the extent the movie covers as well as the court case that resulted.  There were a couple things that as athletes we can take from the characters in the movie.  First and foremost is the dedication of the twins who are suing Zuckerberg.  They are student athletes at Harvard and their dedication to crew is profound.  Early wake ups to row and their constant training is awesome.  We have discussed dedication before but its importance to success is reinforced by the characters.  Another trait is the passion of Mark Zuckerberg.  He gives the majority of his time to developing Facebook and making it "cool" rather than profitable until the right time.  Although Mark's passion ruins his friendship with Eduardo his passion is something to be admired. 

Mental tools are very important to success.  There are a few in particular that I will share.  These definitions were compiled from numerous team training booklets.  They are very important traits to have in order to be a successful athlete but also to be a good person.  

Character-the personal make up of an athlete.  The complete traits that form and reflect the individual nature of an athlete.  

Grit-firmness of character; unconquerable spirit.  Unyielding constant courage in the face of hardship or danger.

Respect-attention to a right privilege, entitled position, or a player considered to certain rights or privileges. An understanding of who is around you and where you are. 

Discipline-Not cheating yourself or your team.  Training to act in accordance with the rules. Activity, exercise or regimen that develops or improves a skill.  A set or system of rules and regulations.  Training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.  Doing it right because you have taught yourself no other way. 

Passion-any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. A strong desire for success.  The reason for which you live, train and play your best everyday. 

Sacrifice-to forgo personal gain for a common goal both on the ice and off.  Going without individual recognition for the team's advancement. 

Confidence-full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness or reliability of a person or team.  Belief in oneself. 

Accountability-Doing your job and being there for your team.  The state of being responsible or answerable.  The complete acceptance of one's thoughts, efforts, actions and responsibilities not only to one's self, but more importantly to his teammates and team. 

Enjoy!! Take these traits to heart and as shown in the Facebook movie they can make you successful but do not do so at the expense of friends and being a good person. 

Energy System Training

I hope everyone is well motivated and being consistent in our efforts to reach our goals.  We are going to get into some scientific principles of training.  Energy system training to be specific.  There are generally two types of metabolism.  Those that tax primarily the aerobic system and those that tax the anaerobic system.  Now all activities, not just sports involve both systems.  However, usually one system is more dominant than the other.

We get energy from food sources which the body will convert into ATP which is necessary for muscle contractions and nerve transmission.  The system that we are using will determine how the body produces the ATP that will be used.  The phosphagen and glycolysis stages are used mostly for anaerobic metabolism as this will provide ATP the fastest.  The Krebs Cycle and Electron Transport Chain (ETC) are used for the aerobic system because although it takes longer to produce the ATP, ultimately more of it is usable.  Now without getting into how ATP is made in each stage we can just discuss how this can help our training. 

We know exercise that taxes the aerobic system is longer duration and at a lower intensity because of the way the ATP is produced.  Anaerobic exercise will be short duration but at a much higher intensity because here we receive our ATP much quicker but in lesser quantities.  How can this influence our training for sport?  Be specific about which system is more dominant in your sport.  Do you sprint for 15 seconds and then usually recover or do you jog at a steady pace for a longer duration?  Once you know which system dominates your sport you can adjust your training to be more sports-specific.    

I hope many of us have reached some of the small goals that are leading us to our bigger goal since my last post.  Now we need to set markers that will most contribute to our success.  The best way to do this is to improve on your weak points.  Everyone likes to train the things they are good at and to do the things they enjoy.  If you have the ability to run long distances you probably spend a lot of time running long distance.  Or if your good at passing but not shooting you probably pass instead of shoot in game situations.  Train your weak points and they will no longer be weak so when the time comes to use those talents you will have  the confidence in them.  This is not to say to stop training your strengths just to put more emphasis on your weak points.  Another key to success is the intensity at which we train.  Bottom line, "no intensity, no improvement".  It's better to train hard three times a week then go halfway 6 times a week.  When you go to the gym, track, therapy room or field always push yourself to do better than last.  Little improvements every time will lead to big improvements just like our goal setting.  Put the most effort into every training session and be honest with yourself about how hard you are really working.  You can read about training on blogs, watch motivational movies or dream about past achievements but it all comes down to doing it.  If you don't train hard you won't improve.

Now that we have established our accomplishments are going to be loftier than getting out of bed, it is important to decide what we wish to achieve.  Whether it is a championship(for our athletes) and/or overall health and fitness(for anyone) the best way to succeed is to set smaller goals (preferably markers as we will discuss in another post) that will lead to our ultimate goal.  It is much easier to reach and stay dedicated to simple more easily attainable goals in the short term.  While the long term goal is the ultimate driving force behind our dedication and commitment it is these smaller markers that will keep us from getting discouraged.  There will be obstacles along the way which can frustrate even the most dedicated.  By breaking down our path to success in small steps it will be much easier to stay disciplined and remain consistent.  Consistency is one of the most important traits to have in order to be successful.  For our athletes, this means shooting extra foul shots, penalty kicks or backhands on a consistent basis.  If you commit yourself to this extra practice when it comes to overtime in the championship you will have the confidence to succeed.  For those who are hoping for a healthier lifestyle, you to can set smaller goals.  An example here is dieting or weight loss.  If your ultimate goal is to lose weight maybe 10 lbs. the key is to set your small goal as losing 1 lb per week.  It is much easier to commit yourself to the goal of a pound a week than 10 lbs without it being broken down into smaller steps.  So the lesson is to break down your ultimate goal into simple small easily attainable goals.  For the 2% that this blog is dedicated to we can take a lesson from the 98% who believe achievement is getting out of bed.  But for us, getting out of bed is a small goal that leads us to our bigger goals.  "Success. Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it."  So set the small goal to get out of bed and work hard at achieving the small markers and we will be on our way to our ultimate goal.

The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm defines achievement as "a great accomplishment, often accompanied by a sense of triumph.  Or, as it is known to 98% of the population, getting out of bed in the morning."  This blog is for the other 2% whose achievements are greater than getting out of bed.  While the focus of this blog is athletic success, the content will apply to anyone seeking a healthier, more dedicated and active lifestyle.  So, get out of bed and commit yourself.  Giving excuses is only admitting failure.  No "my alarm didn't go offs" because we will not fail.