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HEART is
an overused, abused and misused phrase in the world of
sports. Many say that they have it, but some fail to
exert it when the push comes to a shove in actual game
time.
Having
the heart is the ability to see beyond the obstacles and
muster one’s abilities to accomplish the task. Most
people say they have the heart, but most often easily
quit when faced with a huge task.
This is
not only true when in comes to the game, but also when
accomplishing tasks other than sports.
As a
teacher and coach for so many years, I have seen the
realization that most people so often realize in sports.
You can always teach the fundamentals of basketball and
team play in basketball. You can be very patient in
teaching a student how to shoot, rebound, dribble, make
an assist, make a pick, shoot off a screen and move
without the ball, among others.
Even
through patient instruction and repetition, a coach can
teach the most complicated of offensive plays whether
you’re into a run-and-gun offense, a triangle, a motion
offense.
Even
defense may be a cinch, even in executing defenses like
man-to-man, box-in-one and the pressure defense, among
others.
But I’ve
always thought that having the heart to play is what
separates the men from the boys or the people who are
talented but are saddled by preconceived limitations
before they undertake the task.
And
having the heart is more of an individual initiative
rather a group one. But once one has it, he can feed it
off to his teammates and, in a way, inspire them.
So how
does one cultivate this attitude both in sports and in
life?
First,
of course, is to gather and learn the skills needed to
be the best in the chosen field.
Second,
is to be confident that the skills you have gathered
would help you in gaining a heads up in your chosen
sport.
Third,
is to be aware of obstacles, but not be limited by
these.
There
are always ways to get the job done. There are so many
roads and routes to a destination and one only needs to
choose one that is best.
At the
onset of failure, one should never be disheartened,
determine objectively the cause of failure and apply the
lessons learned. Failures are mostly successes that are
works in progress.
One
cannot claim heart during success, but when the chips
are down. Meaning, to bounce back from imminent defeat
is worth even more than when competing successfully and
without hardship.
Even a
person with limited talent, but competes with a heart
that is far bigger than his talent, deserves a pat on
the back. |
