Resources to Help Athletes Make Better Lifestyle Choices
Q&A with Division I Head Baseball Coach, Greg Moore. What are some resources you are using to help athletes make better lifestyle choices?
The best resources to help learning lifestyle choices depend on the athlete’s ability to digest short, medium or long thoughts. There are Twitter Minds, Article Eaters and Book Pythons. Each is open to consuming based on a sort of intellectual endurance. The goal is to give the right resource at the right time.
A simple quote is the best teacher for the Twitter Mind. The article instructs the Eater. Pythons devour books as the most ready to make lasting lifestyle choices. Here are resources and exercises for each level of learner.
Level 1
Best Resource Type
Good quotes to begin extracting ideas from and for comparing ideas.
Exercise
Build out thoughts using a great quote:
This gives the value of abstract, interconnected ideas to a T.M. in short bursts. Ask them to unpack their own ideas around the famous words.
Have an athlete choose from the internet a quote that resonates with them.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do - and I believe that.” – Derek Jeter
4 Questions
Why did it resonate with you?
What simple idea does the quote reinforce?
How does this apply to your day-to-day life?
What would be the result after one month?
Level 2
Best Resource Type
Articles, audios and videos that challenge the athlete to think critically.
Exercise 1
Watch Mental Game E60 about Evan Longoria. Study his mentor.
Who was the person’s most influential teacher (mentioned in the video)?
What can I learn about that teacher?
Did he write any books that I can read?
Exercise 2
Read book previews and reviews to inspire more reading. Challenge the athlete to read this or a related book when a review peaks interest.
Melanie Kirkpatrick, Author of 'The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience'
Exercise 3
Make a 2-pitch combo. Begin with a player’s favorite movie. End by asking the player to read a book close to their movie passion.
Movie: Gladiator; Related Book Topic: Roman/Greek history
Movie: Top Gun; Related Book Topic: Navy or aviation (current or past)
Movie: Caddyshack; Related Book Topic: Golf history
Movie: Unbroken; Related Book Topic: World War II
Movie: iRobot; Related Book Topic: Artificial Intelligence
Level 3 – Books that Stick for a Lifetime
'Way of the Peaceful Warrior' by Dan Millman (1980)
Pseudo-non-fiction about an aspiring olympic athlete who discovers an eastern way of training from a wise gas station attendant.
'Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball' by George Will (1990)
An intricate look at the craft of baseball from a Pulitzer Prize writer, outsider to baseball, with great investigative and writing ability.
'When Character Was King' by Peggy Noonan (2001)
A biography of one of the country’s most beloved modern figures; Ronald Reagan. Noonan writes about the importance of character in the world’s most complex leadership role.
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