The Real Athlete blog

Kevin Durant

by Alan Stein 12-24-2010 02:56 PM Athlete Career Development | Human Relations

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I met Kevin Durant during his junior year at Oak Hill and began working him out that spring. He then transferred to Montrose Christian for his senior year (I was the team’s strength & conditioning coach).

Fast forward to today. KD is an All-Star and one of the NBA’s most potent scorers. Even though I no longer work him out, we have kept in touch after all these years.

This past weekend, Blair and I flew to Oklahoma City to see the Warriors play the Thunder. It was a whirlwind trip – in and out in less than 24 hours. But it was one I will never forget.

Athlete Weekly Rundown: Renardo Sidney in shape?, the taxman will be looking for Cliff Lee & Kevin Durant's humble nature

by Matthew Allinson 12-17-2010 08:21 PM Athlete Weekly Rundown

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It was an exciting week. I interviewed former NFL Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington over the weekend. He is one of few former athletes who has his own radio and tv show, as well as his own newspaper column. He is cerebral, articulate, and incredibly engaging. During the in-depth interview at his house, we talked about his new sports apparel company, XTREME PROCISION, as well as his experiences in the NFL. He talked very openly with me about some of the mistakes he made and also shared a lot of wisdom about how the younger players can best make the transition to the League. I will be working on the first segment of the interview this weekend and hope to publish it soon.

I was also very pleased to bring on another new contributor this week. Sports attorney and adjunct professor Justin Sievert will be covering issues relating to NCAA student-athletes, in addition to providing commentary on general sports law issues. Check out his first column about Cam Newton and whether the NCAA got it right.

I am eager to see the one-of-a-kind talent and fellow Baltimore native Josh Selby in uniform tomorrow as he makes his collegiate debut for Kansas.

Athlete Development

Calling out the owner and your entire coaching staff is not advisable, at least if you want to return the next season. [Terrell Owens blames Bengals coaches]

I can't help but feel sad for Yao, as his career may be in jeopardy and he hasn't even had the opportunity to realize his full potential on the court. [Yao out for season with stress fracture]

Mental Strength in Practice for Peak Performance

by Gregg Swanson 12-16-2010 12:33 AM Training | Sports Psychology

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Do any of these statements sound familiar?

“In practice, I didn’t fumble once. Yet, during a game I fumbled a few times.”

“In practice, I hit 4 out 10 balls. Then during a game, I can only hit 2 of 10.”

“I easily make 8 out of 10 free throws at the end of practice, yet in games I’m shooting 40%. It doesn’t make sense.”

Do you find that at times you perform at a specific level in practice but are unable to perform at this same high level in the competition?

Game Preparation

by Alan Stein 12-14-2010 10:22 PM Coaching | Sports Psychology

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Dictionary.com provided this definition of the word "prepare":

[pri-pair] – Verb

To put in proper condition or readiness.

How do you prepare for games?

1) Do you get 7-8 hours of sound sleep the night before a game?

2) Do you review your playbook or read your opponent’s scouting report before you go to sleep?

3) Do you eat a healthy, energy packed breakfast the morning of the game?

4) Do you pack your uniform, shoes, etc. in advance to avoid scrambling at the last minute?

5) Do you “dress for success” on game day to put yourself in a confident state of mind?

The Untold Story of Trades and Free Agency

by Jad Richa 12-14-2010 09:05 PM Athlete Relocation | Athlete Services

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All sports fans know the excitement of their favorite team trading for an impact player or signing a big-time free agent. Whether they see it on an ESPN scroll or get it from a Twitter or Facebook update, there is always that level of excitement as to how this will help their favorite team.

While the athlete also experiences this excitement, it is usually accompanied by a level of anxiety that is natural when leaving your comfort zone and having to uproot your family from their current home. For an athlete in this situation, having the comfort level to know they can make one phone call and have this entire process handled for them is a tremendous relief.

Cameron Newton's Eligibility: Did the NCAA Get It Right?

by Justin Sievert 12-11-2010 06:36 PM Legal | News | Special Event

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Tonight, the Heisman Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding player in collegiate football. The finalists for this year's award are LaMichael James of Oregon, Kellen Moore of Boise State, Andrew Luck of Stanford, and Cameron "Cam" Newton of Auburn. Although the award will be given out this evening, perhaps the bigger story is not who will win, but whether Newton—the award's apparent front-runner—should even be involved, or what the eventual aftermath could be if further evidence surfaces regarding his eligibility.

Athlete Weekly Rundown: Athletes filing trademarks, DJ Rony Seikaly & Kryie Irving's friendship

by Matthew Allinson 12-10-2010 07:54 PM Athlete Weekly Rundown

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We brought on Former Major League baseball player Buddy Biancalana (starting shortstop on the 1985 World Series champion Kansas City Royals squad) and his business partner Steven Yellin of PMPM Sports to provide their insight about motion in sports and zone training on Access Athletes. Be sure to check out their first column. We will be adding several new expert contributors in the coming weeks.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with legendary Baltimore Colts runningback Tom Matte. He was voted one of the top-10 most versatile players in NFL history. The guy did everything on the field, including filling in as an emergency quarterback when Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo went down with season-ending injuries. In fact, Colts head coach Don Shula put a list of plays on a wristband that Matte wore during those games, which is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was incredible hearing his stories about playing under Woody Hayes at The Ohio State University, as well as his tremendous feats during his 12-year NFL career and two Super Bowl appearances.

Human Relations expert, Dr. Tim Thompson, had an excellent commentary this week about pro athletes and infidelity. We will also be posting a commentary about Cam Newton tomorrow prior to the Heisman Trophy Presentation.

Chronic Injuries in Athletes: Are they busts, or is there more to it?

by BJ Maack 12-09-2010 11:04 PM Training | Athlete Career Development | Injury & Rehabilitation

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So the news broke a few weeks ago that Greg Oden, the heralded former No. 1 draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers, will miss yet another season. Three years, three major surgeries. First, it was a cartilage injury that required microfracture surgery on his right knee. Last year, he sustained a fractured patella on his left knee. Now, unrelated to the patella, is a new injury to his left knee, also requiring microfracture surgery. This guy was supposed to be the next Kevin Durant, right? Wait, my bad…same draft. That's right…the Blazers PASSED on Durant to get Oden. That's another story. Anyway, Oden was to be a star, and now folks are calling him a bust.

Know Your Role

by Alan Stein 12-09-2010 10:07 PM Athlete Career Development | Coaching

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Does every player in your program know what their role is? Are you sure?

A major factor in your team’s success is getting every player to:

Know their role
Accept their role
Have pride in their role

Coach Jones takes a unique approach. Prior to our first game, he conducts a 15 minute meeting with every player and their parents. He offers his thoughts on their first 3 weeks of practice, he clearly defines their role on the team, he estimates how much playing time they will get, and he outlines his expectations.

Mental Strength in Sports Performance

by Gregg Swanson 12-09-2010 09:53 PM Sports Psychology

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Mark Spitz once said, “Practice is 90% physical and 10% mental and competition is 10% physical and 90% mental.”

How true!

There is a vicious cycle that occurs without the help of mental strength. There’s a trigger—it could be a missed catch, a dropped pass or a missed putt. Whatever it is, this event gets anchored into the psyche of the athlete. You don’t have to be a professional for this to happen. This can happen to a weekend warrior, amateur or semi-pro athlete.