Thursday, January 08, 2009
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
How do you handle pressure?
During the past few offseasons working with the NFL Carolina Panthers I have had the opportunity to do a little work with punter Jason Baker. His focus, preparation, and hard work are second to none and is evident yet again in an article in today's Charlotte Observer.
Jason's positive emotional engagement is just one of the many factors that attribute to his success on the field!
Enjoy!
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Punter Jason Baker says there's no pressure being the holder on kicks.
Jason Baker punts. That's obvious to Carolina Panthers fans, and he's one of the best in the NFL at his job. But he also holds. When John Kasay attempts a field goal or extra point, Baker is the guy taking the snap and putting the ball upright on the ground, readying it for Kasay's kick. We often talk about the pressure on kickers, particularly following Carolina's past two games, when Kasay first barely missed a field goal that would have beaten the Giants and then made one to salvage the win at New Orleans.
What if Baker had dropped the snap? Does he ever think about the pressure? “Do you think about brushing your teeth?” he replied Wednesday. “Well, I hold a lot more than I brush my teeth. It's just one of those things; do you think about starting your car? You just sit down and start your car.”
That doesn't mean that Baker is unaware that things can go wrong. But his attitude is probably the equivalent of a primer for dealing with pressure in sports.
“It's common knowledge that the thing you dwell your mind on is the thing you're willing not to happen,” he said. “If I say, ‘I'm going to drop this ball; I know I'm going to drop this ball,' chances are, I have a higher probability of dropping the ball.”
So he simply buries himself in the repetition of the act, letting it become almost automatic. “To be concerned about that thing that has a tenth of a percent of a chance of happening and not be more concerned about the thing that happens 99.9 percent of the time, it's really just kind of a foolish approach, psychologically.”
Often, though, people remember that tenth of a percent. As when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo fumbled a field goal snap, and with it a playoff game against Seattle two seasons ago.
Baker understands how that works, too. He bobbled a snap in the home game with Atlanta earlier this season that led to a blocked punt.
“There's no one here who's not going to have that happen,” he said. “That's what I told everybody (then). I can't tell you the last time I did that, and I can't tell you I won't do that on my next punt.
“But I'm sure as heck not going to go out there thinking that I might.”
Jason's positive emotional engagement is just one of the many factors that attribute to his success on the field!
Enjoy!
****************************************************
Punter Jason Baker says there's no pressure being the holder on kicks.
Jason Baker punts. That's obvious to Carolina Panthers fans, and he's one of the best in the NFL at his job. But he also holds. When John Kasay attempts a field goal or extra point, Baker is the guy taking the snap and putting the ball upright on the ground, readying it for Kasay's kick. We often talk about the pressure on kickers, particularly following Carolina's past two games, when Kasay first barely missed a field goal that would have beaten the Giants and then made one to salvage the win at New Orleans.
What if Baker had dropped the snap? Does he ever think about the pressure? “Do you think about brushing your teeth?” he replied Wednesday. “Well, I hold a lot more than I brush my teeth. It's just one of those things; do you think about starting your car? You just sit down and start your car.”
That doesn't mean that Baker is unaware that things can go wrong. But his attitude is probably the equivalent of a primer for dealing with pressure in sports.
“It's common knowledge that the thing you dwell your mind on is the thing you're willing not to happen,” he said. “If I say, ‘I'm going to drop this ball; I know I'm going to drop this ball,' chances are, I have a higher probability of dropping the ball.”
So he simply buries himself in the repetition of the act, letting it become almost automatic. “To be concerned about that thing that has a tenth of a percent of a chance of happening and not be more concerned about the thing that happens 99.9 percent of the time, it's really just kind of a foolish approach, psychologically.”
Often, though, people remember that tenth of a percent. As when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo fumbled a field goal snap, and with it a playoff game against Seattle two seasons ago.
Baker understands how that works, too. He bobbled a snap in the home game with Atlanta earlier this season that led to a blocked punt.
“There's no one here who's not going to have that happen,” he said. “That's what I told everybody (then). I can't tell you the last time I did that, and I can't tell you I won't do that on my next punt.
“But I'm sure as heck not going to go out there thinking that I might.”
Friday, January 02, 2009
'A Purpose Driven Life'
I recently came across this presention by Rick Warren and thought it would be a perfect exercise to analyze his talk axiologically!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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