The statistics on becoming a professional athlete are humbling. According to data obtained from the NCAA by Lynn O’Shaughnessy of CBS in her article The Odds of Playing College Sports, roughly .08% of high school football players (or 8 in 10,000) will be drafted to play in the NFL. The chances are longer in the NBA and slightly better for the NHL and MLB. The point being, it is a long shot for any athlete to play at the professional level. To get there requires a separation from the competition and from those around you that also have the same stated goals. So how do you do that?
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time.” –Vince Lombardi
As an example, we recently started working with an NFL player who was drafted highly and is currently in a contract year. He often trains early in the morning – as early as 6am (and he lives over 30 minutes away from our facility). For the time he has been with us, he has never been less than 10 minutes EARLY to a session. That is the difference – the edge. The best ones make getting to that next level a priority to the point that nothing else will get in the way. This very morning he made the comment, “I really didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning – I didn’t sleep very well last night, but I made a decision that I wanted this more.” That’s the level of dedication, consistency, and discipline it takes to get there. You have to be willing to do what it takes every time, not just when it’s convenient or comfortable, but day in and day out, every time.

Do your actions match your goals?
Many athletes aspire to play high-level college and even professional sports, but do they really mean it? It is much easier said than done. Statistically, playing division 1 sports is highly unlikely (less than 7% of high school athletes play a college sport at any...
4 Reasons why your sleep schedule might be *failing* you
Sleep. Some may say that this is one of the best parts of their day. Others will say that it is overrated. When it comes to the purpose and effects of sleep, there is still a lot that we do not know. Partially because sleep studies can sometimes be unethical (no one...
Are you bringing the right solution to the problem?
The concept of bringing the right solution to match a problem can be applied in a host of situations. In this context, I’m talking about pain and injury. If you have orthopedic-related pain (meaning in muscles, joints, or tendons/ligaments) and you find yourself...
In-Season Training
I’m sore. I’m tired. I had a really hard practice. I have a game tomorrow. I have homework. I’m taking 3+ AP courses. I have work. I want to hang out with my friends. The list of excuses goes on and on about why you can’t train in season. But those that truly want to...
Want to Improve your Agility? Play Games
Sounds too good to be true right? With the majority of content online pushing cone drills, ladders, fast feet, and footwork drills it understandable why many are skeptical when told playing games will do a better job of improving your in-game agility than those...
Does your trainer need to be an “expert” in the sport you play?
The short answer is no. Sure, it helps if your trainer has a background in the sport(s) you play. But as long as they understand how to program for you, the demands of the sport(s), what you need/want to improve on, and your goals for the weight room/sports season,...