If and When

IF and WHEN were friends. Every week they met and had lunch. Their conversation usually centered on all the things they were going to achieve. They both had many dreams and they loved to talk about them.

This particular Saturday when they met, WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood. As usual they sat at the table reserved for them and ordered their lunch. Once they placed their order, WHEN questioned IF. “IF what is wrong with you? You don’t seem your usual cheery self?”
IF looked at WHEN and replied, “I’m not sure, I just don’t feel like I am making any progress. This last week I saw a course I wanted to take if only I had the time to take it.”

WHEN knew exactly how IF felt. “Yeah,” replied WHEN, “I too saw a course and I am going to register when I get enough money together.” WHEN then said, “well what about that new job you were going to apply for. You were so excited about it last week, did you apply?”

IF responded, “If my computer didn’t break down last week, I would have applied. But, my computer is not working, so I could not type my resume.”

“Don’t worry about it IF, when you are ready another job will come through. I have been thinking about looking for another job also, but I will wait and when the weather gets nicer I will look then.” WHEN then went on to tell IF about his week, hoping that it would cheer him up a bit.

The man at the next table couldn’t help overhear WHEN and IF. They both were talking about when this and if that, finally he couldn’t take it anymore. “Excuse me gentlemen,” the man said. IF and WHEN both looked at the man and wondered what he wanted. The man continued, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help hearing your conversation. I think I know how you could solve your problems.”
IF smiled and thought, how could a complete stranger know how to solve all of their problems. If only he knew. When he realized the challenges they faced there was no way he could solve their problems! Curious, IF asked the gentleman, “How do you think you can solve our problems?”
The gentleman smiled and said, “You only need listen to yourselves. It reminds me of an old proverb:
‘If and When were planted, and Nothing grew’.”

IF and WHEN looked puzzled. The gentleman smiled and said, “Start counting how many times you use the words ‘if’ and ‘when’. Rather than thinking ‘if and when’, start doing, take action, stop talking about ‘if and when’.”

Bob Walsh: Winning on the Road

WINNING ON THE ROAD


WINNING ON THE ROAD IS A MENTALITY.  IT IS KNOWING THAT WE HAVE PREPARED OURSELVES FOR EVERY CHALLENGE – THE EMOTION OF OUR OPPONENT, THE ELECTRICITY OF THE CROWD, THE DIFFERENT GYM, THE TOUGH CALLS.  IT IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT NOTHING CAN HAPPEN THAT WE ARE NOT READY FOR – WE ARE PREPARED TO WIN.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS TOUGHNESS.  IT IS AN ATTITUDE THAT NO MATTER WHICH WAY THE BALL BOUNCES, WE ARE GOING TO FIND A WAY.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS INTENSITY.   IT IS DICTATING THE TEMPO OF THE GAME WITH HOW HARD WE COMPETE, FROM TAP TO BUZZER.  IT IS LETTING THEM KNOW WHO THE BETTER TEAM IS AS SOON AS THE BALL GOES UP.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS BELIEF.  IT IS 100% TRUST IN EVERYONE IN OUR LOCKER ROOM AND EVERYTHING WE DO.  IT IS KNOWING THAT YOU NEED TO BE THERE FOR YOUR TEAMMATES, AND KNOWING THAT THEY WILL BE THERE FOR YOU.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS ENERGY.  IT IS AN ENTHUSIASM AND PASSION TO GO INTO SOMEONE ELSE’S BUILDING AND MAKE THEM PLAY OUR GAME.  IT IS EVERYONE ON THAT BUS BEING ENGAGED AND EXCITED.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS SACRIFICE.  IT IS PUTTING ASIDE PERSONAL ISSUES FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM.  IT IS A TEAM EGO.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS COMPOSURE.  IT IS THE POISE TO STAY LEVEL AND KEEP OUR TRUST WHEN OUR OPPONENT MAKES A RUN. 

WINNING ON THE ROAD STARTS IN OUR OWN GYM.  IT STARTS IN PRACTICE, WITH AN INTENSE PREPARATION AND A COMMITMENT TO EVERY POSSESSION.  IT IS ABOUT NEVER SETTLING, NEVER TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT, AND BEING MENTALLY PREPARED FOR PRACTICE.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS A SWAGGER.  IT IS A COMBINATION OF EVERYTHING ABOVE ROLLED INTO A CONFIDENCE THAT PEOPLE NOTICE AS SOON AS WE WALK IN THE GYM.  WE EXPECT TO WIN, AND THEY KNOW IT.

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS FUN.  THERE IS NOTHING LIKE GOING INTO THEIR HOUSE AND PROVING WE ARE THE BETTER TEAM FOR 40 MINUTES.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO WEAR A RIC BASKETBALL UNIFORM, 

WINNING ON THE ROAD IS EXPECTED.

Don't Always Pass on the Salt

-->

Don’t Always Pass On the Salt

-Eve Pearce

The mantra to use less salt has become ingrained in the health conscious, with many throwing away their salt shaker and scrutinizing food labels to choose those with the lowest salt content. Whilst reducing our salt intake holds benefits to many people – high intakes are linked to hypertension, osteoporosis and stomach cancer – there are a number of instances where additional salt is vital. Certain medical conditions and medications can deplete the body of sodium – one of the main components of salt - and during an episode of vomiting and diarrhoea you are at risk of low sodium levels. However, participating in vigorous activity can also increase your chances of sodium depletion, so during and after an intense training session or game it’s essential for basketball players to ensure that they appropriately rehydrate to preserve their sodium levels. Here we take a look at the role of sodium in the body, why depletion occurs during activity, its consequences and how athletes can maintain their levels. However, if you have previously been told you have high sodium levels, discuss this with your physician before implementing any of the advice below, as they may wish to run another blood test.

The importance of sodium

Sodium is present in body fluids, including the blood, inside the cells of the body and the fluid in which they are bathed. It plays an important role in controlling fluid balance and blood pressure, but is also essential for correct nerve and muscle function. The body aims to match its fluid intake and output by controlling fluid losses via the kidneys, in which sodium plays a role. Specialist cells in the nephrons of the kidneys – the part which filters the blood - are able to sense changes in blood pressure, which occurs when there is a change in fluid volume. When they sense a fall in blood pressure, the kidney secretes a hormone called aldosterone, which increases the reabsorption of sodium and in turn this draws water into the blood helping to restore the circulating fluid levels. Meanwhile the nervous system is able to control organ function and movement through the transfer of electrical impulses via nerve cells throughout the body. The movement of sodium and potassium ions across the nerve cell membranes allows these impulses to be generated and travel along the nerves to stimulate the target cells, which commonly might be glandular tissue to secrete a hormone or muscle fibres to initiate movement.

Sodium losses during activity

During exercise sodium is lost during sweating, so the body loses both salt and water. Dehydration itself can lead to a varying degree of problems such as headaches, confusion, muscle cramps, impaired cardiac output and heat exhaustion, where the body begins to overheat; if not treated it can lead to more serious heatstroke, which can hinder breathing and mental function and at its most severe cause organ failure. The reduction of sodium within the body drives water into the cells to balance the sodium concentration inside and outside of the cells. This causes a fall in blood volume, which is compounded by the water lost in sweat. As a result blood pressure decreases – this tends to already be lower in those who take regular exercise - which can lead to feelings of tiredness, nausea and dizziness, as well as a rapid or irregular pulse, blurred vision and even fainting. While some of these will impair performance, others will put an athlete’s safety at risk. Not only this,  but the entry of water into the cells causes them to swell, which can be particularly dangerous if this occurs in the brain. If allowed to progress low sodium levels can develop into a condition called hyponatremia, which can lead to muscle weakness, loss of consciousness, seizures and in the worst cases can be fatal.

Appropriate hydration for athletes

Although water is commonly taken to replace fluid losses during activity, this is a hypotonic solution, meaning that it has a low concentration of salts in it including sodium. While this might be adequate for gentle exercise or short bursts of activity, if taken during or after vigorous exercise rehydration will be incomplete, as salt levels will not be adequately replenished. In fact if you take too much water on board, you will dilute your sodium levels further and the risk of hyponatremia is increased. Not only is it important to consider the type of fluids consumed during and after exercise, but players need to ensure that they are adequately hydrated prior to training or a game.

The American College of Sports Medicine have produced guidelines on hydration before, during and after exercise. Two hours prior to exercise it is recommended that players drink 17 fluid ounces, which will ensure they take sufficient fluid on board and that their body has time to excrete any excess prior to the game. Ideally players should drink at regular intervals to top up their fluids and that this should be cooler than their surroundings to prevent overheating and flavoured to aid consumption. If exercising for more than an hour the fluid needs to contain added carbohydrate and salts; it is suggested that 30-60g of carbohydrate is taken in 20 to 40 fluid ounces every hour and that the sodium content is 0.5-0.7g per litre. Gatorade, Powerade and Accelerade would all be appropriate choices, though it is possible to make up your own sports drink. To determine how much sports drink you need to take after a game, ideally weigh yourself before and after; for each pound in weight lost as a consequence of fluid losses you will need to drink 24 fluid ounces to rehydrate

Dalai Lama Wisdon

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a simple level we find that if we have a compassionate heart we naturally have more friends. And scientists today are discovering that while anger and hatred eat into our immune system, warm-heartedness and compassion are good for our health.

Quote of the Day:

It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.   

-Muhammad Ali

The Power of Your Beliefs: The Sell

There are a million different ways to win a basketball game. There are countless offensive systems and defensive systems. What's the best method?

In my opinion, the power of your belief in a system is more important than the system you run.

I found this great quote from a recent Urban Meyer interview: "What's special about Chip Kelly is not that he runs an up-tempo, no huddle offense, its that he has every single person in that organization from the top down believing that's the best way to win a football game.""

John Wooden, famous coach of the UCLA men's basketball team, would tell his teams that they are the BEST conditioned basketball team in the country. Later, in interviews, he would admit that he wasn't sure if this was true; however, he trained his athletes (mentally and physically) to believe that was true. And you know what? They believed their coach. At the end of close games they would muster extra strength drawn from their belief that they were in better shape than their opponent.

I can convince a player that getting up at 6am to do a workout is better than doing a workout at 3pm because I strongly believe that is true. On one hand, someone may say that a workout is a workout- doesn't matter what time you start and the content will be the same. I look at it like this: it's 6am on the East Coast so that means it's 3am in California. How many people do you think are up right now working on their game? Maybe a few, probably not many. I would also sell the aspect of discipline, work ethic, extra time in the gym, commitment and a display of passion when running 6am workouts with someone. I think I can get a player to believe they are better when they work out at 6am as opposed to 3pm because that's what I believe....and I believe in that strongly.

A good salesman believes in their product with 100% mind, body and spirit. A great coach must find a system of play that fits their team's personnel, but equally as important, matches the coach's fundamental beliefs and values. 

Quote of the Day:

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not,
to put this plan into action."

— Napoleon Hill