Fundamentals

During my undergraduate study at Indiana University, I worked as a 'student assistant' under the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. The weight room was located in the basement of Assembly Hall; the same building where the basketball games are played. I had a daily routine of walking from one end of the building to the other in search of the world's finest coffee. I never did find it. Many times, during these walks, I heard coach Bobby Knight screaming at the top of his lungs for his players to "move quicker", "keep your spacing", "look for the open man", etcetera etcetera. Coach Knight was drilling his team on the fundamentals of basketball.

Why would the players need to work on their fundamentals? After all, if you play basketball at Indiana University, aren't you already an elite player? Of course! Coach Knight was making sure that their fundamental skills weren't deteriorating, all the while improving on his players' talents.
I was a successful olympic weightlifter. My coach was Bob Morris, now a resident coach at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Bob was similar to coach Knight in that he always demanded that I work on the fundamentals. My sport was highly technical, and the reason I attained the level of national champion was not because I was stronger than all the competition, it was because I had a technical mastery for the sport. I was able to use physics in place of strength.

I was a very small kid and I remember being scared when I started junior high school. In the seventh grade, before gym class, all the students would meet in the weight room to show who was the strongest. These strongman competitions were frequent, because back in those days there was virtually no adult supervision. I weighed 65 pounds at the start of the seventh grade, and although I was strong for my weight, I felt like a boy among men. One day, hanging out in the weight room, I heard of a weightlifting demonstration that was going to be held in our gym. Mt. Olympus was the name of the weightlifting club, and they showcased some of their best lifters at the demonstration. One of these lifters was Jim Hewelt, who remains to this day a very close friend. Anyhow, I was amazed by the demonstration and also very intimidated. Afterwards, I was trying to show off for the coach by showing him how easy it was to lift 95 pounds off the ground and over my head. I ended up falling backward and smashing my chin under the bar! Everyone in the class was laughing hysterically! Add that to my existing inferiority complex. Anyway, I still went directly to the coach and told him "I want to join your club!!" I didn't think he would be interested in me because of my size. But now, looking back, I can see what he saw; this kid has some ambition.

The Mt. Olympus Barbell Club (that was our name) was housed in the basement of the old Washington Square Building in downtown Royal Oak. Our facility looked like it was cut out of a "Rocky" scene. I liked it because we had old beaten up equipment and the conditions were sparse. It was tough! My first day there I was so excited I set the club record of 26 pullups, which may still stand to this day. On this same day, I was assigned to Bob Morris, and a very successful relationship was born.

Bob was, and still is, a master at teaching proper technique. He has the ability to keep it simple and let the athlete take over. It's synonymous with a golf swing. If the instructor gets too technical, the student just gets lost in detail. I spent the first number of months learning the movements of my new sport. I would stay up late in my room just going over the technical movements. I was a simple kid; all I needed was myself and some goals. This sport fit me to a tee.

I became Mr. Routine. At the age of 12 I had a daily regimen that was not to be broken. In large part, I had a mission that I had to complete on my own. The beauty of my sport was the short term goal and success ratio. Every day I was improving; every day I had a challenge; every day I had something I could attack! Most people who know me understand that I need consistency and challenges on a daily basis. I get very uptight when I am in a work environment that is stagnant. Through my work in title I am able to create my own short term goals, attain them, and then move on to the next. If you don't plan on improving, every day, stay in bed. At age 39 I still try to follow a regimen very similar to that of when I was 12. I feel that my consistency has brought me to a very high level in my profession, very quickly. The good news for me is that I have just begun to scratch the surface. I will continue to create the game within the profession.

My time as a competitive athlete taught me to be consistent and determined; and I have 5 national championships to support this approach. Practice the fundamentals of your profession, as this will foster long term memory and strong analytical skills. A professional career is a bit strange, as it can be filled with many unexpected ups and downs. When you compete in sport, it is very clear where you stand. Awards are immediate and well deserved. Conversely, your career may let you down from time to time because the rewards may not be as readily apparent as a gold medal draped around your neck. All the more reason to go back to the fundamentals, stay consistent, and await your ultimate reward for your professional dedication. In the words of Eli Manning, "I never stopped believing in myself."

-los lonely boy-