Training as a way of Life

I've worn many hats down thru the years; athlete, parent, executive, teacher, fan, and coach. 

 Consequently I have little difficulty in addressing the subject: Training as a way of Life.

 

Attitude is the key.

 First,  you've gotta believe that "if it's gonna be, it starts with me." 

 Assume responsibility for your own success.

Second, motivation comes from within, not without: 

 

Don't worry about what everybody else is doing and/or  saying. 

And third, never be satisfied with what you did yesterday:

Tomorrow's challenger knows who you are.

Thats what I taught my children; thats how we trained. 

Their friends were welcome to join in, or, had to wait until after practice.

How did my ideas and beliefs affect them?

  

 Lets look and see.

I'd like to think that they got their fashion sense from their mother, and their good looks from me.

[Since I focused on the boys in discussing Wrestling; I'll focus on Court here.]

   

Court was trained to do most things with a blind-fold on; aside from "pin the tail on the donkey", she learn to dribble, shoot, and pass the basketball with blinders on:the objective was to capitalize on that fraction of a second, that the defender hadn't even thought of. 

  

Courtney Leigh_2004

  That look of determination has been on her face ever since I can remember: When she was a little girl (4 or 5), she use to suit up, and run the hills with me: Rain, snow, or sunshine.

 On the basketball court I referred to her as the "little general", because she use to call the plays before I could diagram them (in the huddle):

Of course that impressed her teamates, and before long they were listening to her instead of me.

This is how we looked in Middle School (1991) : #12 Mary Faulkner, #5 Debbie Duber, #13 Missylou, #11 Gwen Shire, #10 Maggie Reedy, Yours Truly, #3 Murphy Culpepper 

Their record was 23 wins, 2 losses; 4 of the 6, eventually, went on to compete on the varsity team for Lake Mary High School. All 4 attended and graduated college. 

 

95/95 LMHS: Can you locate them in the team photo, taken after winning the Checkers Tournament at Lake Region:

Notice the center of the photo; Debbie & Courtney kneeling, Maggie bending over with hand on Court's shoulder, and Murphy (#25) standing.

 

Pictured here with son Deshawn: She now has a "lil blue devil" of her own to teach the ropes.  

Psychological Warfare..strategic thinking

     

It's not enough to just win, you must "whup your opponent good"; so that he remembers it the next time you meet.

 Clint James Harris 2003

Big Ed, Wayne, John 1970

If  my opponent attacked, I defended, then counter-attacked. If he laid back, I attacked, blunted the counter-attack, and re-attacked:

Turned the match into a war of attrition, execution, and endurance... If I lost, then, I knew how much harder I needed to train for the next encounter. 

                     Bradford aka Lil Harris

" ...there are no free throws in wrestling..."

Connecting the Dots II

 

 

By the dawn of the 21st. Century, Brad had become "the Wizard".

In this photo, left, he's teaching CJ the drill.

To keep abreast of changes within the discipline, both boys attended a minimum of two camps annually: Brad studied strategy and tactics under Coach Gable at the Iowa Camps; technique at Clemson.   

      Richie & Brad_return from Iowa in 94      

 Clint is eight years younger than Brad, so he missed the "Iowa Years":

Whereas Brad knew the Brands brothers: to Clint they were "the legends."

 

   Aside from training in Lockhaven, Clint frequented the Chertow Camps,  the Citadel, N.C. State, and the Granby Camps in Virginia.  

   Training in Huntington, West Virginia 2002/Russian Arm-Tie

Irrespective of sporting discipline, the fundamentals are the same; 

Competence,

 Confidence

and Commitment.

 Graduation: Univ. of Florida 2004

The Three C's _ Competence, Confidence, Commitment

 Grappling mode refers to the nexus at which knowledge, motivation, and ambition meet; the combination of the three act to produce a synergistic effect of herculean proportion.

Much of what I learned in the rings was transferable to other environments;  such as the Classroom, Home, Work, and even the Community.

On the wrestling mat there are two circles; an inner circle, approximately 6 feet in diameter; an outer circle, approximately 27 feet in diameter. Two men enter: one man leaves in victory, the other in defeat.

Recognition of the fact that knowledge, motivation, and ambition is a prerequisite to victory is the underlying message behind  "the ring is no place to go looking for a lesson".

Associative Reasoning_Storybooks & Fairytales

The late Henry H. Littlefield, a professor of history, an officer and a gentlemen, the wizard of oz, had a "Grappler's mentality".

"we compete, win lose or draw."

I am proud to have served under his command: for it was he who reminded me that the ring was no place to go looking for a lesson; to man-up in the face of adversity; and, that little red ridinghood had left the building.

Lessons that I proudly passed on to my children; lessons that they needed to know.

Otherwise recall that  which learned men already know; the words of 16th Century Statesman Niccolo Machiavelli:

..you must know that there are two ways of contesting; the one by Law, the other by Force. The first method is proper of Men, the second to Beasts; but because the first is frequently insufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second.

Therefore, it is necessary for a prince to understand how to avail himself of the beast, and the man.