Belichick's The Art of Winning overflows with coaching advice (see above).
Preparation envelopes our process. In The Art of War, General Sun Tzu reminds us, "every battle is won before it is fought."
Preparation takes time. Lincoln wrote, "I apologize for the length of this letter, I did not have the time to make it shorter."
Reading, studying video, physical training, mindfulness, going to clinics, writing... everything prepares us.
Preparation comes before, during, and after competition.
Before:
- Mental and physical preparation
- Hydration (see lagniappe)
- Game planning
- Refocusing possession by possession
- Taking a deep, cleansing breath
- "After Action Review" part of next game preparation
- Recovery (hydration, thermal contrast, massage, nutrition, sleep)
When #basketball athletes are even just 2%😟 dehydrated shooting:
— Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN (@Wendi_Irlbeck) May 20, 2025
🏀3-pt decreased 18%
🏀Free-throw fell 11%
📉Avg sprint times = 4 sec. slower & total lateral movement times were 5 sec. slower.
⏱️Fluid & electrolytes are key to support focus, power, speed, muscle 💪during play https://t.co/sX8iv5001b
Lagniappe 2. Excellence is more than talent.
My thoughts after working w/ 15+ College Players the last 3 weeks-
— Phil Beckner (@PhilBeckner) May 20, 2025
Talent has never been higher
Maturity has never been lower
Bodies are Strong
Minds are Weak
Talk is Great
Actions don’t Match
External Social Media looks CONFIDENT
Internal Self-Talk and Belief is FRAGILE
