How Bad Do You Want It?

[mudvnine]

I've used the football version of this speech by motivational speaker Eric Thomas, for the past two seasons as part of our classrooms sessions with my HS teams.

Just stumbled on to this one put together for the aspiring baseball player.

I believe part of our job as coaches, is to use our sport(s) as another avenue to prepare young adults for the life lessons awaiting them.

The above is one of those examples that applies to not only preparing young men for a baseball season, but also true for the thought process, preparation, and hard work necessary to be successful in anything in life.

Here's Eric in the original speech (without the music and all of the pauses, so it flows better) that inspired the above video....

Hope you find these as helpful as I do, with the players (or even just that one player) that you may work with.


mud -

[tradosaurus]

I wonder what the annual income is for a motivational speaker?

[themaker75]

I believe part of our job as coaches, is to use our sport(s) as another avenue to prepare young adults for the life lessons awaiting them mud -

Agree 100% but as a parent I can't rely on having a coach good enough to realize this, that's why I'm the one always pointing out life lessons from baseball and basketball to my son. It's very rare that you will find the coach with enough foresight to do it for you.

[Jake Patterson]

Mud, good post!
Very well done...

I used a line I stole from Woopie Goldberg on Sister Act slightly modified.

When a ball player asked me if he was or could be a ball player I always responded ...

"When you wake up in the morning and the first thing you think about is baseball, then you're a baseball player. If you don't, your just a kid who plays ball. Both are fine, but YOU have to decide which one you are."

[JJA]

Mud, good post!
Very well done...

I used a line I stole from Woopie Goldberg on Sister Act slightly modified.

When a ball player asked me if he was or could be a ball player I always responded ...

"When you wake up in the morning and the first thing you think about is baseball, then you're a baseball player. If you don't, your just a kid who plays ball. Both are fine, but YOU have to decide which one you are."

Yep, that's a classic. Based on that (good) definition, I find that there are far fewer players are baseball players than dad or mom thinks there are. Few players really fit that definition. The vast majority are kids that play ball. Nothing wrong with that. Just an observation after seeing a lot of kids, in both baseball and softball.

[The Uncoach]

Thanks for the post, Mud. I have a pre-season party for my travel team each year where I put together different videos for learning purposes. This one now goes on the list for 2013!

[Jake Patterson]

Agree 100% but as a parent I can't rely on having a coach good enough to realize this, that's why I'm the one always pointing out life lessons from baseball and basketball to my son. It's very rare that you will find the coach with enough foresight to do it for you.

Many children are not fortunate enough to have a great coach in their lives. But there are great ones out there, several I have had the great privilege to meet and share the same court/field. They have touched many lives. I understand how you feel about your son and felt the same as both my boys grew, but what I have found was that it takes more than just the parents to raise a child. Oftentimes others have greater effect on the child than mom and dad, especially as they get older...

Poitnting out life's lesson to your son is the most important job you have as a parent, but raising a child takes more.

[themaker75]

What's with this site? I typed a whole long reply and it just logged me out so when I hit reply the message didn't get posted. Grrrrrrrrrr
In essence, yes outsiders can have a huge influence on a kid.

[HYP]

Mud,

Great video. I have been using it for a while but the football one and the original. This is the first time I saw the baseball version. Hope you don't mind but here is a video that gets me fired up and I want to hit something. More of a football video but it gets me fired up.

[HYP]

One more. Love this video.

[tg643]

I wonder what the annual income is for a motivational speaker?

Mike Eruzione became a multi millionaire off one goal and motivational speaking. Two inches to the left and he's a gym teacher.

[tg643]

Before high school I never had a coach I genuinely thought he knew a lot about the game whatever the sport. I arrived at high school an athletic, untamed athlete. Every coach I had in high school was a [email protected] It was the nature of coaches at the time. But from a technical standpoint I had good coaching. Then I played college ball. The coaching wasn't any less strict or disciplined. In fact, it was far more intense. But I learned to be a student-athlete The Bruin Way. Coach Wooden only coached basketball. But the way he did things permeated the entire athletic department. We were coached to win at life. Success in our sport was part of it. If you've ever heard Bill Walton speak reverently of Coach Wooden as if he's a god, he is.

I was watching an interview with James Worthy last night. He said Dean Smith came into his house when he was a high school senior to sell NC to his parents. Smith never mentioned pro basketball. He promised Worthy's parents their son would attend class, study hall, church on Sunday and graduate. Worthy said everyone of his teammates who did not play past college is a successful businessman. A friend of mine played for Smith. After playing in Europe for a few years he entered the business world. He's not only successful. He' an honest, straight up guy. He coaches the middle school basketball team without pay and runs the 6/7 year old basketball clinic for the local youth sports program.

What is John Calipari teaching? Grab the money and run one step ahead of the authorities?

[HYP]

Before high school I never had a coach I genuinely thought he knew a lot about the game whatever the sport. I arrived at high school,an athletic, untamed athlete. Every coach I had in high school was a [email protected] It was the nature of coaches at the time. But from a technical standpoint I had good coaching. Then I played college ball. The coaching wasn't any less strict or disciplined. Infant, it was far more intense. But I learned to be a student-athlete The Bruin Way. Coach Wooden only coached basketball. But the way he did things permeated the entire athletic department. We were coached to win at life. Success in our sport was part of it. If you've ever heard Bill Walton speak reverently of Coach Wooden as if he's a god, he is.

My favorite Wooden quote:

"Do not be concerned about your reputation. Be more concerned with your character. Your reputation is who others think you are and your character is who you really are."

[MD Diamond Sports]

In fact, it was far more intense. But I learned to be a student-athlete The Bruin Way.

When were you a Bruin? I was a Trojan in the early 2000s.

[lancers]

When were you a Bruin? I was a Trojan in the early 2000s.

I went to graduate school in USC during the 90's. My elder son is a Junior now in UCLA.