“GIVE ME 100%”

You hear this phrase ALL the time on the field and the courts but what does it exactly mean? To me, it means that an athlete should do everything in his power to make the right decisions through internal instinct to produce a positive external outcome. Going 100% doesn’t mean to push harder, it means GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT and FOCUS on what needs to be done to achieve success.  The mind & spinal cord (CNS) controls everything.  It controls how you feel, how you think, your emotions, and decision making.  No one is going to give you 100% effort if they are not stimulated andcoaches need to get the idea out of their head that giving it your all or giving 100% is measured by physical exertions because no player/athlete is going to give 100% if their mind is not in a state of motivation.  In addition, I think there is a magical equation to get athletes to move and think with 100% effort without them knowing that they are giving it their all. 

Here are a few of my thoughts to that equation:

1.  Young athletes will get board with repitition and this is because if you do the same drills over and over the mind will regress in excitation and the body will be “just going through the motions”.  Do something out of the ordinary such as playing a game of Tag as a warm-up.  Tag is a great game to play because kids will be into while moving at intense levels while also working on their agility.  The kids will be working hard and not even know that they are moving so well becaus they are having fun and laughing.  If you get the kids laughing and having a good time from time to time then they will be more intuned to what you are trying to teach them.

2.  You must ask your athlete questions such as “Why do you do this” and “Why would he/she do that” Asking questions is another way to stimulate the CNS because it prevents the athlete from just going through the motions.  It prevents them from becoming just a body moving. 

3.  If you put them down…you must bring them back up.  There are time which I am in competition mode and I’m all fired up and I tend to yell at my athletes to get my point across that the way they are performing is not okay and I expect more.  However, if I do yell and scream do to their poor performance I always make it a priority to bring their spirits back up through encouragement and motivation. 

We shouldn’t train athletes to become better…we should stimulate the mind to allow athletes to want to become better and strive to be the best at what they do.  If you find the answer to that magical equation, you will be very successful at making athletes and the people around you better and it will in turn benefit you as well.