Start selling into what it actually takes to become a better athlete.
“Ignoring general physical preparation, which is a critical component & the bedrock of sport performance..
And performing more sport specific work, on top of the abundance of already prescribed sport specific work isn’t ‘grinding to get better’.
It’s being naive & irresponsible.”
-Ray Zingler on X
People think they know what it takes.
But few have any clue as to what it actually takes.
Because most like to live, think, and act on the surface, they most often do what’s convenient or what they “perceive” to be right, versus taking the time to learn and act upon what is actually right.
“Me want to do gooder at sport, me do more volume of sport.”
And then people illude themselves into thinking that because they’re doing a lot, that somehow insinuates that what they are doing is effective.
When in reality, they are not at all factoring in the opportunity cost associated with doing too much of a (perceived, but not actual) good thing.
Putting endless hours into sport or sport specifics at the expense of becoming a generally prepared, more well-rounded athlete isn’t “grinding”. It’s not “no day’s off.” It’s not “beastmode”, either.
It’s dumb as shit.
It’s irresponsible.
It’s counter to physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s an infringement on development and potential. “All gas, no brakes” is really badass, isn’t it!?
And my basis of argument is coming from my misguided meathead opinion of “less sports, more squats”.
It’s coming from the abundant research out there on athletic development I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying, along with tens of thousands of hours of proof I’ve gathered by working with thousands of athletes on the floor.
Imagine if I were to tell you, in order to get better at your sport, you need to do 0 sport, and 20 hours of weight room training per week.
You’d think I was crazy, wouldn’t you? (I know I sure as hell would think I was crazy.)
“That makes no sense. That’s too much. There’s not enough rest. We need more balance!”
But with sport (activity that is immensely more “dangerous” than training) we’re quick to throw the idea of balance out the window.
We peak over the fence and see the limited picture of what it looks like someone else is doing and then we sell out to a broken ideology that is centered around adult profit at the expense of (real) athlete development?
If we want what’s best for the kids, we actually have to do what’s best.
