An Intelligent Nervous System

Great athletes' will talk about calm experiences of "Slowing Down Time" a process of taking in large amounts of information much more quickly than usual and storing that information in the subconscious mind. The perception of time will have different effects on different athletes but time will remain the same. What separates the good from the great is the ability to bridge the gap from the subconscious and the conscious mind. The great athletes can see each individual movement, it's sequence of segments and scan through the universal principles in their mind to figure out which movements to apply to their current position for an optimal result. Over time this process becomes natural to the athlete and eventually they see movements in a blink. 

The Fuel

FEED THE FURNACE. The goal is to find the foods that fuel the body, game in - game out.

The furnace is your metabolism and it's role is breaking down and digesting food, converting food to energy, storing food for energy, repairing damaged bones and tissues, making new cells cleaning out toxins and manufacturing hormones. A functional metabolism will produce good energy, which then produces normal weight, good muscle mass, strong bones and excellent psychological and physical health.

Functional Foods that Improve Energy

Protein - eggs, meat, poultry, fish, wild game

Carbohydrates - fresh or frozen fruits, 100% fruit juice, starchy vegetables, such as sweet potato, yams, potato, carrots, beets turnips etc... and above ground starchy vegetables

Fats- saturated fat from lean meats and poultry, cheese, butter, coconut oil, olive oil.

Dysfunctional Foods that Suppress Energy Production

Vegetable protein (soy, legumes, nuts, seeds)

Carbohydrates from grain and legumes

Polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils

A Common Thread

Common threads I look for within the experts are a set of principles that have a universal application with acute variables and progressions for a specific outcome. I can see the different philosophies and programs (which is a good thing due to the fact the amount of people out there) but if there is a lack of agreement on the general set of principles with respect to the body, there will be chaos.  

There are brilliant people in the rehabilitation/ health / fitness/ performance/ coaching world, I would even say GENIUS but as history will show they have been unable to agree with each other. Can we rely on them alone to help us understand the true drivers of success and happiness in health, fitness and vitality? 

The players coach

"Quality leadership means knowing when it's time to guide athletes and when it's time to allow athletes to guide you" - The players coach. 

quality's of the player's coach

Values

Intense curiosity

Quest for knowledge

Honesty

Truthfulness

Courage to question

Acceptance after proof/verification

Team Spirit

Wiliness to fail

Wiliness to change

Achieving things, not avoiding them

Fundamental before Skill

What athletes' want in a Coach - nfhs

Competence

Approachability

Adaptability

Support

Fairness

Motivation

Personal Concern

Are YOU Running with the Devil?

• lacking sleep 
  
• over consume alcohol
• smoking
• recreational drugs
• surrounding yourself w/ negative or "know it all people" 
• lack proper recovery 
• poor eating habits
• lack proper hydration
• late nights
• anxiety
• stress
• over training

Check your Ego

"How an individual perceives success influences on the way they behave, think and feel in an achievement setting"
1. Ego Involved

• More concerned with how to prove rather than improve their ability
  
• Selfish
  
• Winning is everything
  
• Preoccupied
  

2. Task Involved

• Feel successful when they gain skill and knowledge
• Focus on achievement
• Primarily think about how to accomplish or get better at a task
• Fiercely Competitive

According to Warren Bennis great leaders didnt set out to be learders. "They'd had no interest in proving themselves, they just did what they loved-with tremendous drive and enthusiasm-and it led where it led" Mindset Dweck, PH.D. pg.82