Training Camp

What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else

Jon Gordon

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780470503119
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Persönliche Entwicklung
• Subtopic: Persönlicher Erfolg

Training Camp is an inspirational story filled with invaluable lessons and insights on bringing out the best in yourself and your team. The story follows Martin, an un-drafted rookie trying to make it in the NFL. He's spent his entire life proving to the critics that a small guy with a big heart can succeed against all odds. After spraining his ankle in the pre-season, Martin thinks his dream is lost when he happens to meet a very special coach who shares eleven life-changing lessons that keep his dream alive—and might even make him the best of the best. If you want to be your best— Training Camp offers an inspirational story and real-world wisdom on what it takes to reach true excellence and how you and your team (your work team, school team, church team and family team) can achieve it.

Chapter 1

Kickoff

Martin Jones stood at the five-yard line waiting for the kickoff. He could feel the electricity in the air. The stadium was packed with 60,000 people—all screaming wildly—but Martin didn't hear a thing. His eyes were focused on the flight of the ball. His ears were filled with the sounds of his own breath and the perpetual thumping of his racing heart. The smell of fresh-cut grass reminded him of the hundreds of games, practices, and kickoffs that brought him to this very moment. He had played thousands of hours of football throughout his life, and yet he had never experienced a moment quite like this. It was the moment of all moments. It was his first pre-season game and as an undrafted rookie trying to make it in the NFL, this was his one shot to get noticed.

Veterans didn't have to get noticed. First-round draft picks with big signing bonuses didn't have to stand out. But undrafted nobodies had to do something special during the pre-season to catch the eye of the coaches, scouts, and key decision makers who would decide their fate. Every play, every moment, every movement mattered. This was his one shot to do something special, to make the statement that he had what it took to compete with the best football players in the world. A great play meant he would be on the team for at least another week. A mistake would surely mean the end of his dream. An average play … well, that wasn't an option for Martin. Playing it safe was never his style, and he wasn't about to start now. He was going to go for broke or fail trying. He owed it to his high school and college coaches. He owed it to his family. He owed it to himself.

And as Martin caught the kickoff, he made the most of his opportunity. He ran slowly to the left looking for an opening as 11 opposing tacklers raced toward him. When his blockers met the defense with fierce collisions, he cut to the right and saw the opening he was waiting for. It wasn't a big opening, but it was big enough for him to sprint through it into the open field. A player dove at his feet, but Martin was one step ahead. One person to beat and he was in the clear. The kicker, the last line of defense, ran straight toward him, but Martin made such a quick fake that the kicker fell to the ground and Martin ran past him.

All that could get between him and the end zone were two players chasing him. One dove and just missed his leg while the other closed in on him. Martin pumped his arms and legs as fast as he could and ran toward the end zone like a man shot from a cannon. Seconds later he was celebrating a touchdown with his teammates in the end zone. He not only caught the eye of his coaches and thousands of fans, but he also electrified the crowd with his speed and athletic ability. Everyone but Martin was stunned.

Chapter 2

Ankle Sprain

When a player catches a coach's eye, the coach tends to give him more opportunities to show his stuff. This leads to success if the player is the “real deal,” or failure if the player is a “one play” wonder. Coaches know that any player can look like a superstar on any given play, but the “real deals” have a knack for making great plays often. So it was no surprise that the coaches put Martin in at running back and called for him to get the ball on a screen pass. Expecting Martin to get crushed by the opposing tacklers, they were pleasantly surprised when he made a one-handed catch, broke two tackles, and outran the final defender into the end zone for another touchdown. Now everyone noticed Martin Jones.

But what no one noticed was that Martin turned and sprained his ankle while eluding the tacklers. The injury didn't stop him from scoring a touchdown—thanks to the adrenaline pumping through his body—but while he was standing on the sidelines after the play, his ankle quickly began to swell up and Martin knew he would have to let the trainer know the unfortunate news. He was done for the night. As Martin sat on the sidelines, shaking his head, the ankle got bigger and the pain grew worse. Martin only hoped it wasn't a serious injury. He knew all too well that it was very unlikely for an undrafted rookie to make the team, and the probability of an injured undrafted rookie making the team was zero.

When the game was over, Martin hopped on one leg to the training room to receive treatment for his ankle.

Chapter 3

Press Conference

After the game, the head coach surveyed the room. Yes, the season was here. Another year of football, and this meant another year of stupid questions from reporters. While he wanted to tackle every single one of them, he had learned to play their game in a more civilized but skillful way. They would ask questions that would hopefully prompt the coach to make a statement or share a quote that would give them a headline or something negative to write about. The reporters feasted on controversy and negativity, and they loved when he and the team gave them plenty of it. The coach, however, had discovered the art of starving reporters. His answers were short, always positive, and focused on the future, not the past. He gave them enough info so that they could do their jobs but decided it was best for him and his team to do their talking on the football field, not in the media.

The media on this night, however, didn't want to talk about anything negative. They were far more interested in the positive performance of Martin Jones.

“Where did he come from?” they asked.

“A small Division 1 program,” coach answered.

“How come no one ever heard of him?”

“Because he wasn't drafted. Every year there are guys who get invitations to training camp who aren't drafted. I used to coach with Martin's college coach and heard good things about him, so we decided to give him a shot.”

“So he's a diamond in the rough?” one of the reporters asked.

“That remains to be seen,” coach answered. “He made some great plays, but it was just one game. There's a lot of training camp left.”

“How come he didn't play anymore after his second touchdown?” another reporter asked.

“I am told by the training staff that he sprained his ankle while running for his second touchdown.”

“Is it serious?”

“We don't know yet.”

“Will he make the team?”

“The jury is still out on that. A lot of guys have talent in this league, but you have to be able to withstand the wear and tear on your body that this game demands. Getting hurt during training camp is honestly not a good sign. It's a rough game and a long season. So we'll see. I have to run, guys. Thanks so much,” coach said as he walked briskly out the media room door, thankful the media wanted to talk about Martin Jones and not the team's poor defensive performance.

Chapter 4

Pain

Martin was watching the press conference while icing his ankle in the training room. He slouched forward and put a towel over his head. Coach was right. It was a long season and it didn't matter how much talent a player had; if he was injured, he couldn't show it. And while coach didn't say it, Martin knew what he was thinking behind the words. “Rough game,” “wear and tear on your body,” “long season”---they were code words for “Martin was too small to play with the big boys.” What a surprise, Martin thought. Here we go again. His height and size had always been an issue. Coaches were concerned that, at 5 feet, 7 inches, he wouldn't be able to sustain the hits from bigger, more powerful players. College coaches worried that he wouldn't be able to make the jump from high school to college. Too small, they said. His body won't be able to take the pounding. Ignored by the big-time college programs, he went to a smaller school that didn't measure him in terms of inches. Then when he became one of the top running backs in college football and set all kinds of school records, new critics and doubters emerged, saying the same old things. He was too small for the NFL. He wouldn't be able to sustain the hits. He won't be able to stay healthy. That's why he didn't get drafted. But it didn't bother Martin. He had spent his life proving the critics and doubters wrong. He knew that while they could measure the length of his body, they couldn't measure the size of his heart. All he needed was a chance, and now that chance was in jeopardy because of a stupid ankle injury.

“What do I do now?” Martin shouted in frustration.

“Now we wait and see how bad it is and how quick it heals,” said Gus, the head athletic trainer, as he walked back into the training room.

“Sorry for yelling,” Martin said as he tried to contain his anger. “I didn't think anyone was in here.”

“It's okay. As you can tell from my hair and the wrinkles on my face, I've been an athletic trainer in this league a long time and I've seen my share of injuries, and they are never fun and always frustrating,” he said with a thick New York accent.

“I just have to get back on that field. This is all I've got,” he said as he punched the table he was sitting on.

“I know,” answered Gus. “I know.”

He did know. He had seen thousands of players come through training camp. Some came from the finest football programs in the country; others came from jobs bagging groceries and building houses. They came from farms in the Midwest, the streets of California, the bright lights of Texas, and the suburbs of Florida. Some came with fame and fortune; others were so broke they had to sleep in their cars. Yet all of them came with their eyes wide open and a dream to play in the NFL. For some guys the dream came true. They made the team with only a dime to their names and in a few years they were household names, celebrity endorsers and multimillionaires. Others were not as fortunate. They came to training camp with a dream and left with a bruised body and a broken heart. Of those who failed to make the team, some would give up on their football careers, while others would keep their dream alive and make it eventually with another team or play in Canada. Gus had seen it all. He didn't know Martin, but he knew his story was like the stories of so many who came before him. He also knew that to help Martin he could do what he had done for the last 30 years for countless players: help him heal as quickly as possible, make him laugh, and share a word of encouragement. It was his role and he took pride in it. Gus looked at the ankle.

“See, the swelling is already coming down. Are you a fast healer?”

“Yes, always been. How long do you think I'll be out?”

“Hard to say. A few days. A week, tops. Good news is that it's not a high ankle sprain.”

“A few days. A week,” Martin said grimacing and shaking his head. “They'll probably cut me before then.”

“I'm not so sure, Martin. You played great tonight. You might have made them curious. They may want to see what else you can do before they make a decision to let you go. Besides, injuries are not all that bad. There's an upside, you know.”

“Like what,” said Martin who never heard anyone say anything positive about an injury before.

“Like the fact that an injury slows you down.”

“Yeah, they really slow you down when you can't run on them,” Martin said with a big smile and laugh. He was known for his big smile that he would flash during college games and afterward for the local media, but he smiled a lot less frequently these days.

“No, I mean they slow you down mentally so you can think more clearly,” Gus said, chuckling. “Everyone comes to training camp and within the first day, their head is swirling with new rules and information, greater expectations and demands, and new strategies and techniques. Suddenly it feels like the earth is spinning faster and you're on one of those teacup rides in an amusement park. Frankly, the fast pace of life and football throws a lot of players off balance. There's so much to remember mentally and so much pressure to perform physically that players lose their way. So, my new friend, the upside is this: A minor injury and a few days off from the whirlwind is a great time to get refocused and think about what you truly want. It's a time to get your head right.”

“But what good is having my head right if my leg won't move?” Martin said.

“Great point, but what good is having a healthy body if your mind is not in the game?” countered Gus. “While my job is to help athletes stay strong and healthy, I've been around enough of them to know that how you train the mind is actually more important than how you train the body. Everyone comes into this le...