Living in Boston lately it seems like one of our franchises is winning a championship or on the verge of winning a championship every season.  As a sports performance coach I have learned some lessons from these Boston sports teams and share what I have learned with the athletes I train.  Recently I was laid up from Back surgery and the first few days I spent in bed so all I could do was read.  I read two books about two of Boston’s championship organizations, the Patriots and the Red Sox. 

The first book I read was Patriot Reign by Michael Holley.  This book was written about the post Super Bowl XXXVI Patriots and while they were on their way to yet another championship in SB XXXVIII.  The book was a unique look into an organization which is now the flag ship for the NFL.  But, at the time it was just a team which came off of one of the greatest upsets in sports history when they were the under rated and the over achieving Patriots and shocked the greatest show on turf.  In Holley’s book I was able to take away a few very important lessons of why the Patriots are successful and why year in year out they are one of the top teams in the NFL and these lessons I try to share with my athletes and I hope they take seriously in their training and life. Now I want to share these lessons with you.

First, Swagger isn’t worth Shit! In the Book Bill Belichick is said to have blown up in a meeting the season after SB XXXVI after one of the players said in a newspaper that they had to get their swagger back from their super bowl year.  Belichick said in this meeting about their “swagger” from the previous year. “It wasn’t about a fucking swagger.” He went on to talk about how their success in the Super Bowl XXXVI year was about their sense of urgency, a sense of urgency about playing well, being smart, and capitalizing on every opportunity and situation that comes your way.  Now how do I apply this to my athletes is simple.  When you think you have accomplished something you haven’t, when you think you are working hard you are not and someone else is out there working harder than you.  Life is about living each day to its fullest, taking advantage of the all the opportunities that come your way.  There is no room for swagger in sports and in life.  If you go around with a swagger it doesn’t mean you are something big. It just means you’re an asshole.

The second thing I learned from Patriot Reign is that success is more about preparation then perspiration.  Everyone and anyone can work hard.  Working hard is simple it is about putting forth an effort and if you have a pulse you can put forth and effort.  But, being prepared is something that takes more than just physicality.  It takes both a physical and mental approach.  The reason the Patriots are better than every NFL organization is not because they work harder than everyone else.  It is because they prepare harder than everyone else.  The patriots are an organization which prides itself on preparation and accountability.  These two things are the code that every member of that organization lives there professional life and I am willing to bet they also live their personal life this way.  In regards to training athletes it is my job to be prepared to give the athletes I train a proper program design to help them achieve their goals.  But, it is their responsibility to be prepared outside the weight room by making sure they are eating right, getting enough sleep, staying out of trouble, getting good grades so they can still participate in sports, and etc. You can design the greatest program in the world but if the athlete does not take accountability for their actions outside of the weight room then the program won’t be worth the paper it is written on. 

Lastly, I learned from the Patriots championships that when you talk about anything related to your organization or team it needs to stay positive.  This is a quote from Belichick in the book about talking about your team “you’ve got three choices, talk about yourself, either say something constructive or be supportive.  Otherwise shut the fuck up.  Okay? Shut the fuck up.  We don’t need anything other than one of those three options.  Either you get better, you support someone else who is trying to get better, or you have a constructive suggestion.”  Now this is a key lesson for anyone who is a part of a team.  But, I feel you should use this mentality when thinking about yourself and what you are doing.  Many times we all fall victim to self defeating thinking.  Whether it is doing a max lift or asking a girl/guy out who you think is out of your league many times you think yourself out of it before you do it.  When you think about yourself and your ability try taking the Belichick way of talking about your team.  When thinking about yourself and your abilities you got three choices.  One, think about yourself and where you want to be and what it is going to take to get there.  Two, think something constructive.  And third, think supportive thoughts.  If you are thinking any other way then you need to tell yourself to shut the F up and think positive and supportive thoughts.