It is not… getting recruited, that is. It is not Rocket Science.

I have had conversations with colleagues and students over the last few days about the excerpts from my eBook that I have been posting.  What it comes down to is that the concepts are simple, the actual “doing”, tends to be much harder.  There really is no “magic bullet”, sure-fire single thing that will get you a college scholarship.  There really is no “miracle pill” that will get the college recruiters lining up at your door.  Well, there really is a “miracle pill” that you can take, but it just takes four (or more) years and a lot of hard work to swallow!

What it boils down to is that over the next four years (if you are a freshman) you will be given literally thousands of choices that you will need to make. The result of these choices will either get you closer to your goal of being a college athlete and being rewarded for your hard work, or put you further away from your dream.    The sneaky thing, the really insidious thing, is that most of these choices by themselves aren’t “deal breakers”… making the right choice will not automatically earn you a college scholarship, and making the wrong choice will not prevent it.  So it is easy to think at the time you have to make the choice, “oh, this is no big thing”.  And you are right, this one single choice probably is NOT a big thing, but making these choices, good or bad, is incremental and cumulative. I have seen student-athletes make these same types of choices over the last 30 years of my career.  The athletes that make the majority of choices that positively impact their goal are FAR more likely to achieve that goal.  Here are some choices that bombard a typical high school athlete…

• You decide to skip the Friday after school off-season program because you want some extra time to get ready for your date tonight…. It Matters!
• You decide to take a Team Sports class next semester instead of Advanced Strength Training for Athletes because it is easier… It Matters!
• You work out with a group of 4 at a rack instead of 3, knowing that there will be more rest time… It Matters!
• You chat with your friends in the evening instead of reading your literature assignment, which you will be tested over in the morning… It Matters!
• You miss a summer-school strength and conditioning class session because you were “just too tired”… It Matters!
• You stand at the side and talk to a teammate while others are practicing and coaches are coaching instead of getting a “mental rep”… It Matters!
• You take your scouting report home, but don’t study it like the coach asked you to because your favorite TV show was on… It Matters!
• Your mom schedules a dentist appointment on the day of practice, but you say “It’s OK, we just have practice that day”…. It Matters!
• You decide to go to a party where you know there will be alcohol and underage drinking because all of your friends will be there…. It Matters!
• You are late to practice because you have a detention for too many tardies…It Matters!
• You jog through the finish of a drill instead of going full speed because you know the coach is helping someone else and isn’t looking at you… It Matters!

You get the idea, and could probably add more examples of choices you have had to make.  These type of choices come up all the time… daily… and I am here to tell you that It Matters!  It is not easy – as I said this “Miracle Pill” takes four years and a lot of hard work to swallow.  But you can do it… You Can Do More!

Tomorrow I will discuss the Purple Cow qualities of Athleticism and Quickness. 

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1