Tag Archive: football world cup

1. The Positive Choice: Dennis Pursley quote

   23rd February 2011 2:17 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Every successful coach understands the importance of creating a positive training environment. Our thoughts, choices and decisions will be influenced by the environment around us.

    A commitment to excellence is extremely difficult to sustain even under the best of circumstances. It becomes almost impossible to sustain if we are surrounded by negative influences, or by those that promote self indulgence or mediocrity.
   

   As much as we are able, we should immerse ourselves in an environment that is conducive to the pursuit of excellence. This means that we should choose our friends from among those who are striving to be the best they can be, and who are willing to make the necessary commitment to achieve that goal.

    It means that the books we read and our entertainment choices should be inspiring and challenging.

   Most importantly, we should challenge ourselves to “keep it positive” in all of our thoughts, words and actions.
   

   The closer we come to achieving this objective, the more likely we will be to achieve performance excellence.

   Thanks to John Hogan for the heads up.

   This is underpinned in our club motto “Turn Up, Stand Tall, Try Hard.”

2. Can you become the next Michael Phelps?

   31st January 2011 11:42 am 1 Comment

   Bob Bowman is an experienced swimming coach.

   
   

   It didn’t take Bowman long to realise what he had when an 11-year-old Michael Phelps joined his swimming program in 1996.

   
   

   Immediately the coach knew he had something special, mainly because the youngster had already broken national records but was still very raw in technique.

   
   

   Obviously the technical coaching has worked. “I feel blessed every day,” Bowman said. “I have such a talented athlete who can overcome my coaching and still do well. I just try to stay out of his way mainly.

   
   

   “When he was a little younger he surprised me a little bit but not any more. Now he comes up with his own set of challenges and I try to go beyond that. “He’s a kid who really loves to work and he loves to challenge himself, and I think that’s what comes through in his training. Everything he does he compares it to his past performance and tries to get as close to his best training effort that he can.

   
   

   “That’s how great athletes are motivated. They are not motivated by other people, they are motivated by themselves and that’s where it has to come from because ultimately when you’re at the top there’s no one to catch.”

   
   

   Can you compare how you train to the young Michael Phelps?