The Secret of Jordan Spieth | Performing Under Pressure

The following interview was conducted by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt.  Van Pelt met with pro golfer Jordan Spieth as he tries to become only the 3rd golfer to win 3 majors in one year.  They touch on playing under pressure and staying calm.

SVP: You seem to have your very best when your very best is required. What exactly do you attribute that to?


JS: It seems like whenever the moment gets bigger and my heart is beating faster, I go away from mechanics and I turn to, "How do I calm my heart rate down?" And the way that I do that is by trying to zero in on a target -- to aim small, miss small. For me, that actually helps my swing. It helps my putting stroke. It helps everything in my game. It's easier for me to think less about mechanics and more about the mental side, controlling my emotions and really picking a specific target instead of worrying about how my swing looks.

SVP: You talk very much in "we" terms -- with your caddie, Michael Greller, being the other part of your team. Does he help you to find calm on the course and to tune out the noise?

JS: Yeah, I think so. After the 17th hole at the U.S. Open is a good example. I had just made double bogey to essentially go from winning the tournament to having a chance to lose. I did a good job of calming myself down, but Michael was behind me saying, "It's OK. It's OK. We still have a lead. You're gonna hit two solid shots up there and have a putt for eagle." And, you know, that kind of voice really helps me stay focused on the goal at hand, which is the next shot.

SVP: What did you learn about yourself through the process of winning at Chambers Bay? The Masters was more comfortable, but the U.S. Open was a bit more like a bar fight.

JS: I learned that the winning formula I thought I had at Augusta is actually a winning formula for all majors. It's the preparation that goes into it and then the mental strategy on the weekend. I try to avoid big numbers and seem to do that well. I think it's based on just understanding the golf course, mapping it out ahead of time and knowing where you can miss. That extra patience level that I didn't have until this year can help close the deal.

SVP: What did you learn about yourself through the process of winning at Chambers Bay? The Masters was more comfortable, but the U.S. Open was a bit more like a bar fight.

JS: I learned that the winning formula I thought I had at Augusta is actually a winning formula for all majors. It's the preparation that goes into it and then the mental strategy on the weekend. I try to avoid big numbers and seem to do that well. I think it's based on just understanding the golf course, mapping it out ahead of time and knowing where you can miss. That extra patience level that I didn't have until this year can help close the deal.

Coach K vs Steve Lavin | Duke vs UCLA

Below are a couple of quotes about Coach K and Steve Lavin before their teams, Duke and UCLA, faced off in 1997:

"I'd see those Duke teams play and I think we were both--and especially Steve--enamored of just the quality of his team's execution, how his teams played so hard, and how positive he was toward his players," said UCLA assistant Jim Saia, a close friend of Lavin's from college.

"He could not have done too much of a better job in transition," Krzyzewski said. "It appears that his team has adapted well to him. They're as talented a team as we can play, and I think they're playing so well together and they seem to be enjoying it. And to me, that's good coaching if you can do that."

Full article here: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stjo/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/newscliparchive.pdf

Steve Lavin | UCLA | The Fast Break is Such a Key Weapon

The exerpt below is from an article at Bruin Report Online where UCLA coach at the time, Steve Lavin, talks about his plan for his team in the upcoming season.  What I really wanted to archive for my notes is the following passage where he talks about the importance of the face break in the mid-90's.

Lavin:  "And the fast break is such a key weapon, it has to be a key part of your game if you want to win the National Championship. Look at Duke and Arizona, look at Kentucky, look at our '95 team. We broke down that team and figured that 1/3 of our offense came off the break, whether you are counting on baskets generated by defensive rebounds or by the defense off of turnovers. The last 3 years, with Baron and Earl, we are talking at maybe 10-15% of our offense off of breaks."

You can read the article in its entirety here: http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/story/31671-interview-with-steve-lavin-part-1

Sean Miller | Having the Toughness and Discipline to Finish Plays

"When you play against those teams that take great pride in being patient, and they are good at what they do there is no easy answer. The question becomes 'How tough are you at the end of the shot clock?' Are you willing in the last 15 seconds of the shot clock to sit down and guard the ball, will they keep seeing both, will they talk on defense or will they give up that back door lay-up at the end that kills you?"

Sean Miller

via Bob Sarkey at Hoop Thoughts

Nick Saban | Discipline is a Choice

“Discipline isn’t something you have or don’t have. Discipline is something you choose. You choose it. It’s not God-given -- you do the right thing, the right way, the right time all the time.  That’s a choice. It’s a choice for all of us.”

Via Bob Sarkey at Hoop Thoughts