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A little note about Football
Everyone always thought I could be a great high school football player… I’m tall, “big-boned”, and relatively athletic… all the qualities that one needs to excel in the game of leverage and angles, right? WRONG.
As I entered high school, my coaches instructed me to put on some pounds in order to compete at a higher level, something I wasn’t really excited about. But as I continued to play the game and mature as a person, and as an athlete, you come to realize that there are some things besides physical size that make you a better competitor.
Yesterday, I returned from Down & Dirty Lineman Camp located in DeLand, Florida (about three or four hours north of Broward County, just outside of Orlando). Linemen, or the “big fat guys that block”, from all over the state of Florida gathered to receive expert advice from college and high school coaches alike.
As I struggled through an entire weekend of three-a-day practices in hundred degree weather, I learned here that there are a few traits that can really help a player succeed more than just size: perseverance and determination, as well as mental toughness. If you want to be an outstanding athlete you have to set your mind on something (perhaps it’s getting past a three hundred pound linemen in your way). A perfect example of this is a teammate of mine. While he may not be the biggest kid, he worked his butt of in the gym for the past year. Summer workouts, free periods during the school, you name it. Now at Down & Dirty, he was able to defeat some of the most mammoth football players you could possibly imagine. And after completing the camp, it is obvious that mental integrity is undoubtedly necessary. As I got down in my stance for the hundredth time, my legs began to tremble and my fingers began to scream… But, I told myself you have to get through this, you have to continue. The coaches kept reminding the players: “this game is ninety percent mental, ten percent physical.” And, I can vouch, that to a degree, this is true.
Stay tough and determined and you will succeed.
P.S. Stay hydrated! It’s hot out there this summer.
As I entered high school, my coaches instructed me to put on some pounds in order to compete at a higher level, something I wasn’t really excited about. But as I continued to play the game and mature as a person, and as an athlete, you come to realize that there are some things besides physical size that make you a better competitor.
Yesterday, I returned from Down & Dirty Lineman Camp located in DeLand, Florida (about three or four hours north of Broward County, just outside of Orlando). Linemen, or the “big fat guys that block”, from all over the state of Florida gathered to receive expert advice from college and high school coaches alike.
As I struggled through an entire weekend of three-a-day practices in hundred degree weather, I learned here that there are a few traits that can really help a player succeed more than just size: perseverance and determination, as well as mental toughness. If you want to be an outstanding athlete you have to set your mind on something (perhaps it’s getting past a three hundred pound linemen in your way). A perfect example of this is a teammate of mine. While he may not be the biggest kid, he worked his butt of in the gym for the past year. Summer workouts, free periods during the school, you name it. Now at Down & Dirty, he was able to defeat some of the most mammoth football players you could possibly imagine. And after completing the camp, it is obvious that mental integrity is undoubtedly necessary. As I got down in my stance for the hundredth time, my legs began to tremble and my fingers began to scream… But, I told myself you have to get through this, you have to continue. The coaches kept reminding the players: “this game is ninety percent mental, ten percent physical.” And, I can vouch, that to a degree, this is true.
Stay tough and determined and you will succeed.
P.S. Stay hydrated! It’s hot out there this summer.
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