No Letterman Jacket Needed

Coaching fitness through the frame of a former athlete is interesting. Coaches dealing with the general population observe the best and the worst of human behavior. We see students overcome remarkable deficits and captain massive life changes. On the other hand we see men and women, undermine their own efforts, lie, and waiver in their resolve.

I often wish everyone had a background in team sports or, at least, some other lengthy rite of passage, because those who have often display behavior traits helpful for success at DEUCE Gym and beyond into their lives. In general, embarking on a journey in team sports or some other rite of passage develops skills like:

1. Discipline. Even for the best, motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you in the fight when motivation is gone. Having a team relying on you or a life long craft teaches discipline when you need to show up and perform when you don’t feel like it.
2. Feedback Acceptance. In the biosphere of performance (like that of team sports), results matter. Participation, then, is driven by best practices. If it doesn’t work it’s thrown out. If it works it stays. If what used to work doesn’t anymore, adjusts are made. As a result, athletes need to make adjustments as they go. Negative feedback becomes a guiding light rather than an emotional ordeal.
3. Being on a Quest for Improvement. No athlete or high performance individual gets points for showing up. Culturally, team sport athletes are thirsty for improvement. In that way, there’s no time wasted. Every rep, practice session, meeting, and thought is a chance to improve.

These are a few of many habits that tend to develop in athletes that have obvious transferability off the field, into the gym, and beyond later in life. For folks who’ve never set out to be the best they could be in something and/or toed the line with a team often are more likely to ride the ebbs and flows of motivation. These individuals are often more likely to be distracted by the perception of themselves than seeking out how they can improve weaknesses. Lastly, folks without a competitive background can be more apt to go through the motions because “showing up is half the battle.”

Without these basic skills, taking on something like fitness is nearly impossible. If you don’t have a solid background in team sports, for example, I guess the best you could do is save your children and find a journey they’d like to embark on to learn these lessons since, of course, you’re likely beyond the age for peewee football sign ups or band practice. If only there was an team-like environment that fostered these principles for anyone at any stage in their life…

Come to think of it.. I know a place.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach

 

PS – No letterman jacket needed.