The Pretenders will always have excuses.
“The most effective athletes view training not as a season addition when they ‘have time’, but as an integral part of their performance they make time for.
The easiest way to tell the serious athlete from the pretender is by the seriousness & pride they take in their training.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
I’ve trained athletes a long time.
2023 is year 13 and to date we have been blessed to train thousands.
It’s so humbling to say that because I remember in the early days training 3 in my basement, thinking that there was no way in the world there was anything cooler than that.
I’ll be the first to tell you when it comes to training athletes, I know enough to be dangerous, but I certainly don’t know everything. And that is precisely what makes this gig special, there is always room to grow and learn.
But I’ll tell you what I know for certain about athletes.
The athletes who are most valuable, effective, and beneficial to their teams treat their training as if it is of the utmost importance (it is). They understand the value of the concept and understand that physically preparing themselves for their crafts is not only going to add value to themselves, but value to everyone around them.
Training is a way to be selfishly unselfish.
The pretender though? The guy who says he “wants to be the best he can be”, but pays lip service to training? That isn’t a real athlete (even if he has a good showing or two on the field) that is a wannabe.
The person who is inputting every excuse under the sun: tired, busy, don’t need it, too expensive, etc. Those are people who (by literal definition) will never be able to reach their maximum potential as athletes, because they are choosing to limit their performance ceiling.
What a shame. God’s blessed us with such gifts and we’re not even going to show him gratitude by working to maximize and share our (true) potential. I don’t think there is a bigger disservice to yourself and Our Creator.
Beyond the athletics side, too, what training has the potential to do for humans travels well beyond the ball field and after all humans are going to have (and need) training, far longer than sports.
Why not build habits now that will help you maximize your potential as an athlete today, but will also help you to be a healthier, higher discipline, generally more effective human tomorrow?
I’ll tell you, that’s what the real athletes are doing.
