As a college athlete I have spent countless hours in team and position meetings. Spent countless hours watching film and studying defenses and offensive schemes. All so that I was prepared for two hours of game time every Saturday. The time spent practicing and preparing for show time was often 31 time grater that the time is spent playing.
Yet come Saturday I was able to tell you what defense my opponent was likely to line up in when we lined up for a specific play, what blitz they were likely to run and what coverage they were likely to use to stop us. I was able to tell you what player was most likely to stop the play.
All of this was extremely helpful, but even with all of this information the speed of the game was often so fast that you didn't realize you were processing all this information. In stead you relied on the other members of your team to provide data to help you process this information.
Knowing where someone is supported to be at the start of a play is great, until that's not where they actuality are. This does not mean that the whole play is ruined either, it simply means that slight adaptations need to be made to execute the play to its intent.
Relying on the communication of ones team mates helps one prepare for the oncoming situation. It allows for adaptations to be made on the fly as well as for them to be made in the response to other adaptations already made. Good communication allows for these adaptations to happen while not affecting the outcome of that was intend. In most cases it improves ones ability to actually reach that outcome.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Leason 3 - Head on a Swivel
Its my freshmen year of college and I'm standing on the side lines of my first college football game. Its the first quarter and we are struggling to move the ball. Much to the teams surprise our coach calls the same play we just ran again, only to be followed up again with the same play again.
This was not the first time I've watched a fourth down push, but it would be one that would change the way I would watch the world around me. You see this down we would run the same play again (now the forth time in a row), but this time with a twist. Our wide receiver would not run the usual diversion route, but instead he would be come the primary blocker for the play. Not only would he be the key blocker for the play his block would become an inspiring motivator for the team.
After watching him smack and lift the unsuspecting outside line backer 4 ft into the air and remove his helmet, our running back waltzed through the first major hole of the game. The hole so large and our opponents so shocked by the block, a semi could have dove through the hole cleard by our reciever.
It would be the last time that line backer would step up to fill the hole created by that play for the rest of the game. Its because of this it made it much easier to run a simpler version of this 'bread and butter' play through out the rest of the game. Giving us an huge advantage.
Advantage like this are hard create on a football field let alone in the business world. Often times business professionals don't have a standard set of rules, or plays to pick and chose from. Instead they have to make quick decision on the information at hand and they are not given the luxury of recalling information that has been chiseled into their brain by watching hours of film. The mark of a truly good professional is the ability to keep ones "Head on a Swivel".
The crack back block is a powerful offensive weapon on the football field because it is quick to execute, powerful and almost always surprise ones opponent, often resulting in devastation. Its only defense it to be aware of it and to know when to look for it, and to anticipate it. The is not only applies to skilled line backers but to professionals as well.
The ability to anticipate, prepare or avoid devastation like a crack back block is often what keeps a professional separated from his or her peers. These preparations often keep them from being caught with there paints down in the event of a "fire drill" or final push for completion of tasking. Good professional are prepared for these events often days or weeks in advance and they either avoid them entirely or tackle them head on.
This was not the first time I've watched a fourth down push, but it would be one that would change the way I would watch the world around me. You see this down we would run the same play again (now the forth time in a row), but this time with a twist. Our wide receiver would not run the usual diversion route, but instead he would be come the primary blocker for the play. Not only would he be the key blocker for the play his block would become an inspiring motivator for the team.
After watching him smack and lift the unsuspecting outside line backer 4 ft into the air and remove his helmet, our running back waltzed through the first major hole of the game. The hole so large and our opponents so shocked by the block, a semi could have dove through the hole cleard by our reciever.
It would be the last time that line backer would step up to fill the hole created by that play for the rest of the game. Its because of this it made it much easier to run a simpler version of this 'bread and butter' play through out the rest of the game. Giving us an huge advantage.
Advantage like this are hard create on a football field let alone in the business world. Often times business professionals don't have a standard set of rules, or plays to pick and chose from. Instead they have to make quick decision on the information at hand and they are not given the luxury of recalling information that has been chiseled into their brain by watching hours of film. The mark of a truly good professional is the ability to keep ones "Head on a Swivel".
The crack back block is a powerful offensive weapon on the football field because it is quick to execute, powerful and almost always surprise ones opponent, often resulting in devastation. Its only defense it to be aware of it and to know when to look for it, and to anticipate it. The is not only applies to skilled line backers but to professionals as well.
The ability to anticipate, prepare or avoid devastation like a crack back block is often what keeps a professional separated from his or her peers. These preparations often keep them from being caught with there paints down in the event of a "fire drill" or final push for completion of tasking. Good professional are prepared for these events often days or weeks in advance and they either avoid them entirely or tackle them head on.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Leson 2 - Sharpen the Saw.
In the world of sports keeping your athletic skills sharp comes with lots and lots of practice. Practice time outweighs an athletes' performance time on average 5 to 1. With such a large percentage of time spent practising athletes often forget how much time they spend on personal improvement.
For most athletes practice is not the only time they spend improving their skills or abilities. Most professional or collegiate athletes spend hours in film, meetings and workouts that add to the time that they spend on personal improvement. When I look back on the amount of time I spent as an athlete improving myself, I'm amazed that I have not carried this over into my business life.
It was always an important philosophy of my coaches to "sharpen the saw". It was always a strong teaching point for each of my coaches to harp on this subject. They cited example after example where effort and self improvement was the only thing that separated us (our team) from them (our opponent). If we were more prepared and practised then there were no factors within our control that could turn the tide of the game against us.
In the business world this same principle applies. Some of the best developers I know are the developers who make the time to attempt out of the box ideas, new patterns and technologies. Imagine if the business world implemented such efforts to improve there products or services.
Their willingness to implement and test these technologies and ideas is just one attempt to work more practice into 'game time'. Yet this is not enough equivalent to 'sharpening the saw', many of these developers also talk about what they are trying on their own time, what they are working on in the open source world or how they are giving back to a more local community.
It are these attempts to 'sharpen the saw' by these developers have inspired me to sharpen my own saw.
Within the last month I have started a public project to enhance my knowledge of a new language. I have started this blog to improve my writing abilities and skills in conveying my thoughts to others. I have also enrolled in free college classes offered purely on-line.
Even with all of these personal attempts to improve, I still feel like I am behind the curve. In a lot of ways its just like college athletics, without constance improvement you will quickly fall behind you opponent.
Check out my project at: Git Hub
Check out the college course here.
For most athletes practice is not the only time they spend improving their skills or abilities. Most professional or collegiate athletes spend hours in film, meetings and workouts that add to the time that they spend on personal improvement. When I look back on the amount of time I spent as an athlete improving myself, I'm amazed that I have not carried this over into my business life.
It was always an important philosophy of my coaches to "sharpen the saw". It was always a strong teaching point for each of my coaches to harp on this subject. They cited example after example where effort and self improvement was the only thing that separated us (our team) from them (our opponent). If we were more prepared and practised then there were no factors within our control that could turn the tide of the game against us.
In the business world this same principle applies. Some of the best developers I know are the developers who make the time to attempt out of the box ideas, new patterns and technologies. Imagine if the business world implemented such efforts to improve there products or services.
Their willingness to implement and test these technologies and ideas is just one attempt to work more practice into 'game time'. Yet this is not enough equivalent to 'sharpening the saw', many of these developers also talk about what they are trying on their own time, what they are working on in the open source world or how they are giving back to a more local community.
It are these attempts to 'sharpen the saw' by these developers have inspired me to sharpen my own saw.
Within the last month I have started a public project to enhance my knowledge of a new language. I have started this blog to improve my writing abilities and skills in conveying my thoughts to others. I have also enrolled in free college classes offered purely on-line.
Even with all of these personal attempts to improve, I still feel like I am behind the curve. In a lot of ways its just like college athletics, without constance improvement you will quickly fall behind you opponent.
Check out my project at: Git Hub
Check out the college course here.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Lesson 1 - Bring a Pen
One of the most valuable lectures that I received in college was not given by any formal college professor, or during any formal class. Instead it was given to me three weeks before my first college class ever began. It was given by a man that I would spend the next four years referring to as coach.
As a scared college freshmen walking into my first team meeting I would quickly learn that everything I knew about football was wrong. The game that I learned in high school about power and speed would quickly be replaced with planning, practice, teamwork, compassion and patience. This new style of play would push my fellow teammates and me to not only be better athletes but to simply be better people in every way possible.
Having struggled to earn a varsity letter in high school I had a vast knowledge of what adversity was, but it was in this lecture that I learned that the next four years of my life would be spent simply trying to reach a new level of play and excellence.
Statistically speaking an incoming freshmen class usual starts with 100 to 180 players on the first day of camp, by the time camp is over 20 - 40 players will already be gone, by the time a freshman's first year is over 30 to 60 players will not report back to camp. With injuries, scholastic struggles and other personal reasons affecting players lives a typical senior class of football players will only consist of 8 - 30 players. This is to say that a typical football team only retains 20% of its freshmen for all 4 to 5 years of eligibility.
Knowing this it makes me extremely proud to say I played all four years of college football, and graduated on time.
It also makes me wonder what it is that makes 20% of us successful with so much adversity to overcome.
It was one of the 80% who didn't make it all four years who sparked the lecture that I will never forget. As our team attempted to fill out a questionnaire it was the abrupt yell of "are you kidding me, you come to a meeting to work and didn't bring a pen." that taught me the importance of being prepared. My coaches screams of frustration and disappointment drove him to detail the amount of effort that goes into preparing yourself for success.
It always perplexed me how mad it made coach when we forgot a pen but it was not until I was in a professional setting that I began to understand what he was trying to convey. Be prepared, for any situation. It amazes me that in a professional environment the number of people who are unprepared for meetings, miscellaneous tasks even new developments in their job.
I have come to learn that it is easier to stay prepared for different situations than it is to recover from unprepared situations. Understanding every part of your trade is invaluable. It improves your ability to speak about the parts you know and how they interact with the parts others know.
Simply put, bringing a pen makes you more prepared to cash a check than the next guy.
As a scared college freshmen walking into my first team meeting I would quickly learn that everything I knew about football was wrong. The game that I learned in high school about power and speed would quickly be replaced with planning, practice, teamwork, compassion and patience. This new style of play would push my fellow teammates and me to not only be better athletes but to simply be better people in every way possible.
Having struggled to earn a varsity letter in high school I had a vast knowledge of what adversity was, but it was in this lecture that I learned that the next four years of my life would be spent simply trying to reach a new level of play and excellence.
Statistically speaking an incoming freshmen class usual starts with 100 to 180 players on the first day of camp, by the time camp is over 20 - 40 players will already be gone, by the time a freshman's first year is over 30 to 60 players will not report back to camp. With injuries, scholastic struggles and other personal reasons affecting players lives a typical senior class of football players will only consist of 8 - 30 players. This is to say that a typical football team only retains 20% of its freshmen for all 4 to 5 years of eligibility.
Knowing this it makes me extremely proud to say I played all four years of college football, and graduated on time.
It also makes me wonder what it is that makes 20% of us successful with so much adversity to overcome.
It was one of the 80% who didn't make it all four years who sparked the lecture that I will never forget. As our team attempted to fill out a questionnaire it was the abrupt yell of "are you kidding me, you come to a meeting to work and didn't bring a pen." that taught me the importance of being prepared. My coaches screams of frustration and disappointment drove him to detail the amount of effort that goes into preparing yourself for success.
It always perplexed me how mad it made coach when we forgot a pen but it was not until I was in a professional setting that I began to understand what he was trying to convey. Be prepared, for any situation. It amazes me that in a professional environment the number of people who are unprepared for meetings, miscellaneous tasks even new developments in their job.
I have come to learn that it is easier to stay prepared for different situations than it is to recover from unprepared situations. Understanding every part of your trade is invaluable. It improves your ability to speak about the parts you know and how they interact with the parts others know.
Simply put, bringing a pen makes you more prepared to cash a check than the next guy.
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