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Mental 1

 

MENTAL CONDITIONING #1

Play with H.E.A.R.T.


“Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to.” - Bob Cousy

 

Play with heart simply means to do your best.  To leave it all out there on the court at every practice and every game.  When we break it down it means *HUMILITY *EXCELLENCE*APPRECIATION* RESPONSIBILITY * TENACITY. To get the most out of the expression it’s helpful to know how each word could be applied to being on a team.  

Humility means to be confident in your abilities and to acknowledge the abilities of others. Humble people share credit, involve their teammates, and listen to their coaches. Excellence is all about being thorough and doing things completely. For example, excellent players always touch the line when running sprints, they don’t pretend to be hurt when they don’t want to do a drill, and they practice when no one is watching. To be excellent means to have a strong work ethic. 

Players who show appreciation are usually shown appreciation in return. Giving high-fives, saying good job, and giving compliments are all great ways to show your teammates you appreciate them. Responsible players are the ones coaches trust the most. When you are responsible your coach can trust you to be where you say you’re going to be and do what you say you are going to do. Tenacity is a quality all great players must have. When their team is losing tenacious players motivate their team to continue to play hard by working as hard as they can to get back in the game, their refusal to give up inspires their teammates to do the same. 

We may not demonstrate these qualities all the time, but if we try to practice being humble, excellent, appreciative, responsible, and tenacious we will be better players (and people) because of it. 

  1. Which one of these words best describes you? Why?

  2. Which one of these qualities least describes you?  How could you grow in this area?

  3. Referring to humility, what does it mean to “involve your teammates”? What are ways to include your teammates in plays and drills?  

  4. Who is the most tenacious person you know? Give an example of a time they never gave up.

  5. How can you apply H.E.A.R.T. to your home life and your school life?