Overfilling one at the expense of another is a self-induced sanction on your potential.
“In order to maximize performance in sport, you must look for the buckets that aren’t full & start filling them.
Doing what you like doing & doing what everyone else is doing are likely full buckets.
By continuing to pour into what is already full, you limit your potential.”
-Ray Zingler on X
You limit your potential because trying to pour into what is already full is a misuse of finite resources.
There is nothing wrong with doing what you like to do, obviously. I think it’s important to draw motivation from the activities you like, however if you don’t take the time to “eat the vegetables” you don’t get to be the best you can be.
It’s just the way it is.
I totally understand it from an athlete’s perspective.
The fun part is playing the game, right.
This is why we play so many games, tournaments, showcases, and have practices galore, skills lessons, and you name it (that is still one I’m trying to understand – kids are playing for “Elite” organizations practicing and playing monumental volumes of sport and the coaches have to sell ADDITIONAL lessons on top of the volume? *Hmmm Emoji*)
We are trying to maximize the “fun” part. And I get it to a point, however (heavily) prioritizing dessert over vegetables comes with a cost.
If we place the majority of the emphasis “on the game” at the expense of the other elements that go into maximizing performance foundationally, we don’t get to be our best.
And that is why I push this stuff so hard.
My goal as a performance coach isn’t to create “weight room” junkies.
It’s not to try to push “my passion” or “my perspective” onto others. It’s to help them get the most out of their experiences doing what they love doing, which is PLAYING sports.
I will never try to “compete” with a kid’s time. I’ll never try to tell an athlete or parent that strength & conditioning needs to take precedence over their time in sport.
I want sport to be the primary lever.
But I also recognize this:
The sport bucket is full. It’s overflowing if we’re being honest.
Can kids trade 10% of their time away from sport? 15% for some of the non-glamours components of performance?
They absolutely can.
And what this will do from a mental & physical performance boost IN sport will yield a tenfold return and make their time in sport even better.
Pay attention to the other buckets. The “secret” is usually found in one of them.
