Do More Than What Is Expected

14 Jul Do More Than What Is Expected

The other week, one of my friends went to the local pizza shop to order us takeout.

Upon walking in, the manger was vibrant and jovial, and made my friend feel like he was the most important person in the building.

As my he waited for his pizza, he observed the manager’s energy. He was cheerful, over communicative to his employees, motivating, and went above and beyond to deliver an amazing customer experience. Though he worked at an itty bitty pizza shop, one would have thought he was running a Fortune 500 company.

He took an immense amount of pride in his work – he was extra meticulous with the mundane tasks, the customer service, the relationships with his employees, and even the cleaning. He didn’t have to clean…he could’ve delegated to his employees because he was their manager, but he didn’t. He set the example.

His goal was to be the BEST pizza shop manager he could be in the small town of Lutz, Florida.

This is such an important lesson for youth athletes.

The best work is in the mundane tasks. Oh, and entitlement will kill you.

Athletes must take pride in the boring stuff, in fact, lean into it all, and be pumped up to do more than what is expected.

It’s the bare minimum to follow a coach’s program, but going above and beyond is a rare find.

This means:

– Over communicating about practice and game schedule
– Saying “please” and “thank you” to coaches
– Offering to carry the ball bag without being asked
– Researching proper nutrition and/or working with proper Registered Dieticians
– Meal prepping ahead of time when busy
– Reaching out to a teammate and being the inspiration to get out and train together
– Practicing nasal breathing
– Moving and walking daily
– Limiting TikTok time
– Managing homework and sports routines diligently
– Getting to training early to foam roll or warm up
– Getting to training early to do your 15 minute in-season speed workout
– Saying no to distractions, drama, and gossip
– Working extra on sprint mechanics, skills, mobility and recovery outside of what is programmed

All of these tasks may seem boring, but they go a long way.

Remember: a lot of athletes are average and good, but very few are outstanding.

Outstanding athletes get excited about the daily habits that accumulate for many years to come, and these habits not only prepare them to sport, but for the harsh reality of the adult world.

For more on specific sets and reps, as well as age specific programs, check out my ONLINE TRAINING SUBSCRIPTIONS HERE

For more on training the youth female athlete, check out my guide book THE STRONG FEMALE ATHLETE HERE