Thursday, May 17, 2007

Recruiting - You are not good enough!

Talent is what rules athletic recruiting. If you can figure out how to get evalulated by a coach, the rest is up to your talent level relative to the coaches needs and talent evaluation style. That said how do you get real good at what you do? Besides natural ability, there is something else. I call it "uncommon focus and drive" to do things that make you the best you can be.

I mention this, yet again (for those of you who read my newsletter at www.athletesadvisor.com for all those years can attest) because simply playing your sport, playing on the travel team and showing up at practice a few hours a day does not cut it. It might for the uber talented, but not for most of you.

In a previous post I wrote about the practice habits of the current New England College Lax player of the year, Greg Rogowski, of Merrimack College. On Tuesday, the son of a man I sat next to at a recent awards dinner was featured in the Times Union. Matt Johnson, a lax star at Bethlehem HS has earned a scholarship to play for the UAlbany Great Danes. Albany, an NCAA quarterfinalist as of this post, has a very strong, rising program. What made me chuckle was how Johnson would sacrafice summer fun to stay at home and take 250 shots a day on his backyard goal. Rogowski claims to have taken 400-500 a day, even soaking the balls in hot water during the winter.

Question: Do you think there is any connection between their practice habits and the results they have on the field? Don't try to argue there is not.

So, you say you want a college scholarship and you say you want to be the best and you even say you work hard. But do you really? Think it over and when you wake up tomorrow decide what you need to actually do every day to be the best you can be.
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