6.22 Maya Moore: Preparation and Excellence

“I think a winner has to be a master of preparation, they have to be a master of connection, extremely competitive, and have really high standards for themselves.” - Maya Moore

Are you a winner?

Tonight, I watched my 10-year old’s soccer practice. They did the usual warmups, dribble drills, and rondos.

But then, I saw kids running, and being a coach myself, I knew why: They were running because they lost.

I learned they were counting successful passes while doing rondos, and the team that had the most successful passes won while the losers ran.

So I watched to see how many times my kid had to run. She didn’t have to run the most on the team, but she did have to run. Then, I watched how she moved throughout the drill. When she was able to make a good pass, it started with her ability to receive the ball effectively, and that started with her ability to get prepared earlier.

I then, I realized her ability to be prepared in practice starts with the work she does outside of it.

Maya Moore is one of the best basketball players of all time. She once said, “I think a winner has to be a master of preparation, they have to be a master of connection, extremely competitive, and have really high standards for themselves.”

The same things it takes to win NCAA or WNBA championships are the same things it takes to win a 10-year old rondo competition.

Winners do what it takes. They prepare, have high standards for themselves, and hold themselves accountable to those standards.

They prepare for practice and games in between practice and games.

Question of the Day: Are you a winner, and how do you prepare to win?