I am scheduled to give a talk at Angelina’s in Williston Park April 11 and if I know anything at all about giving public seminars, it’s three things: 1. It’s hard to let people know about it; 2. It’s hard to get them to read the advertising; and 3. It’s even harder to convince them it’s worthwhile to come.
There are so many things competing for people’s attention that it’s difficult to awaken interest and get people to leave the comforts of their living room. But, alas, that is the task I am faced with.
Over the years I have learned many things about how to help the athlete so it’s hard to whittle it all down into a single seminar. Twenty points are way too many and one point seems too little. Maybe I ought to pick just three items. Three seems to be one of the perfect numbers.
Three is a magic number for many people. Putting aside the idea of the Holy Trinity and the interesting beauty of Francis Bacon’s triptychs, we see that literature loves threes as well. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville used to love repeating one phrase three times like “squeeze! squeeze! squeeze!”
Shakespeare always cited three characters in speeches like “friends, Romans, countryman, lend me your ears.” And let’s not forget the tale of The Three Little Pigs. The title wasn’t “Two Little Pigs” or “Twenty little Pigs.”
The magic of the number three is also hidden in many phrases including “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” “blood, sweat and tears” and “sex, drugs and rock-and-roll.”
So three is the number I will stick within my seminar, which of course then makes it clear how I shall organize the talk. It will be about pregame routines, in-game attitudes and post-game routines. What could be easier?
And as they do on TV, here’s a teaser as to what I will say.
Pregame routines: There are a few keys to a surefire pregame routine. One must be physically fit and also optimally rested. One must have full confidence in one’s ability and also have a plan which takes into account all possible surprises.
In other words, one must be ready for anything. “The Art of War” was written by the military genius Sun Tzu in the 5th century B.C. where he said, “You should be so prepared for the battle that it should always be an unfair fight.” That is what the athlete should feel and I will talk about the secrets to readiness.
In-game attitudes: During the competition every athlete must stay loose, unworried, relaxed, fluid and spontaneous in movement and thinking. This is hard to do with everything on the line, fans screaming in the stands, coaches watching and scouts taking notes about you.
The way to stay loose and focused is by being taught how to enter into and how to remain in the “zone.” Much of my work with competitive athletes will be about how to achieve this sacred place where nothing exists but the ball, the goal and you. The best at this was Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods.
The athlete must be taught how to separate from all others, how to remain aggressive and how to be totally forgiving while in the zone. And there are ways to teach this.
Post-game routines: Post-game routines include jubilation, mourning or learning depending upon what happened during the game. When victory is obtained, it is crucial to have routines which enable the athlete to digest and own their accomplishments.
If defeat occurs, the athlete must be given routines which help him to mourn, express grief, receive solace and comfort. And after all these things, an evaluation must occur which offers them a chance to learn, make corrections and set new goals. I will provide stories from famous athletes I know to demonstrate these points.
And through it all the athlete must be taught to keep in mind that he or she is more than just their performance on a given day. Sports is very data-driven, outcome-oriented and in some ways black and white so it is easy to forget that the athlete is first and foremost a human being who is far larger and more important than the outcome of a game.
So that is a taste of what I plan to talk about and I do hope you can make it to the talk.
For more information, call Angelina’s at 516-248-8200 or look at my sign in their window.
