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Re: Instilling the "win" factor
Posted by Cliff on 6/25/08
On 4/20/08, Paco wrote:
> On 4/19/08, Sheila wrote:
>> Hi - I have a 15 year old who has the potential to be an
>> elite runner ( cross country , 1 mile, ). He is also an A
>> student and a sophomore. He is not tolerable of pain and
>> has tightness in right quad/hamstring. MRI shows no
> tears,
>> breaks. How do I instill in him that he could have a
> great
>> track future with his running potential and his grades but
>> that sometimes he needs to run through pain and suck it up?
>> Thanks, Sheila
>
> I think I know the attitude you're talking about and I
> believe (as do most coaches I know) that you are born with
> it. You can't make someone 'want it'.
>
> Also, playing through pain is somewhat of a myth,
> perpetuated by what we see in big time sports on TV. They
> risk everything, including their health, to get back on the
> field and make the bucks. It is big business. Youngsters
> must be very careful about playing through pain. They must
> know the difference between injury and discomfort and
> sometimes it is hard for them to know the difference. But
> you can't know it for him. He could have a muscle imbalance
> between the quad and thigh. Check with a PT. Don't push
> him too hard, give him time to mature into an intense
> competitor, if it is to be. Outside pressure can be a
> negative and push him away from the sport. Most athletes
> who rise to a higher level, love what they are doing. Don't
> take that away. Sorry to be so long-winded.
I have been coaching XC and Track (distance runners) for 17
years. I have never subscribed to the "born with it"
philosophy but for a while I did believe you could not make
someone want to win. Now I believe with the proper support,
modiviation, self-confidance, and perserverance anyone can be
a top athlete. My most recent success is a boy who was
running an 8 min mile in 6th grade, is now running 4:38 as an
8th grader, and is hoping to run under 4:10 by his senior
year. He truely loves what he is doing, but started working
with me because I did not cut anyone from the team. I focus
on the intrinsic values gained from the hard work and efforts
and believe this is why my athletes try so hard and love to
compete. It sounds as if your son already has a leg up on the
competition and could have a bright future as a runner. Find
a coach who emphasizes improvement over winning and is very
familiar with sport realted injuries and pain. Be sure to let
the coach do his/her job, but ask questions and bring up
concerns. Any coach who is not approachable or is unwilling
to discuss things with parents is not worth having. As for
the aches and pains. there are some aches and pains that are
appropriate for this type of activity, but many need to be
carefully scrutinized. The last 10 sentences from the
previous reply are right on (except the last one.) I suggest
you don't look for a coach who has the "best" athletes, look
for one who's focus is on (all) the athletes and is happy to
work with all levels of ability. I have only met a handful of
these people in 17 years, so good luck.
Posts on this thread, including this one
- Instilling the "win" factor, 4/19/08, by Sheila.
- Re: Instilling the "win" factor, 4/20/08, by Paco.
- Re: Instilling the "win" factor, 6/25/08, by Cliff.
- Re: Instilling the "win" factor, 6/26/08, by Paco -- Good advice, Cliff.
- Re: Instilling the "win" factor, 7/10/08, by Cliff.
- Re: Instilling the "win" factor, 7/23/08, by Darrin Hammond.
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