Happy Friday everyone,
Enjoy a few quick hitter clips from our FCL Athletes below before we dive into our Weekly Thought.
#1 - Billy Dwan scores in transition for Syracuse in a 12-8 win over Johns Hopkins
FCL Athlete Billy Dwan scores one of two goals on the day!
#2 - Eliza Osburn scores for North Carolina on a double hitch and go in a 19-3 win over Pitt
FCL Athlete Eliza Osburn scores one of two goals on the day. She also tacked on an assist.
Enjoy today’s thought on the trap of perfectionism.
Many athletes chase this idea that they must be perfect in order to succeed. That is simply not true, in life or in sports.
Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer
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📧 Coaches Corner: Deemer Class’ 5 Favorite Coaches Community Drills
🎥 Upcoming Webinar: Zone Offense with CNU’s Mikey Thompson
🎧 Stop Chasing Perfection & The Art Of Trainability
🪤 The Trap of Perfectionism
A lot of athletes grow up with the same belief.
If I can just be perfect, I'll succeed.
Perfect practices. Perfect shots. Perfect games.
It sounds like a strength. It isn't.
I/ Andre Agassi’s battle with perfection
Andre Agassi
In 1994, Andre Agassi was one of the most talented players alive. He was also underachieving. So he hired Brad Gilbert — a guy who squeezed everything out of average talent and was known for one thing: winning.
Before Gilbert agreed to coach him, he told Agassi what his real problem was.
Not his serve. Not his footwork. Not his fitness.
"You always try to be perfect, and you always fall short, and it messes with your head. Your confidence is shot, and perfectionism is the reason. You try to hit a winner on every ball, when just being steady would be enough to win ninety percent of the time."
Agassi went on to win six of his next eight Grand Slams.
Not because he hit the ball better. Because he let go of the wrong standard.
II/ The problem? Perfection doesn’t exist
“When you chase perfection, you’re chasing something that doesn’t exist.”
Athletes have moments where everything clicks.
The shots fall. The passes feel perfect. Each decision pays off. But those days are rare.
If you rely on perfect days for your confidence, you have a fragile foundation.
The best players don’t expect perfection. They have resilience. They compete when things aren’t perfect.
Excerpt from Open, Andre’s autobiography. (excuse my sloppy highlighting)
III/ Consistency beats hero ball
Gilbert emphasizes a simple idea: stop trying to hit a winner on every ball. Just keep the rally going.
In lacrosse, you don’t need to score on every dodge or get an assist. Not every shot needs to be a highlight.
On defense, you don’t need to take the ball away every time you’re guarding someone.
Move the ball. Move your feet. Make the simple pass.
Singles and doubles win a lot more games than threading the needle on a skip pass or chasing the home run check.
IV/ The mental game matters more than the physical game
Talent matters, obviously. But mental strength allows players to better leverage their talents.
Chasing perfection is a mental trap. Players who chase it tend to spiral when things go wrong.
Players who focus on playing disciplined stay composed when games get messy.
And games always get messy.
V/ Refocus from perfection to progress
Perfection is not the goal. Progress is.
The best players aren’t perfect players. They are reliable players. They are resilient players that can handle setbacks without spiraling.
They stay steady when things aren’t going well. They make simple plays when others force things.
They keep showing up with the right mindset.
In sports and in life, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s being solid enough, often enough, for long enough to win.
Coach Class and Coach Dunn
📺 How to Become an Elite Shooter (D1 Attack Drills)
How do you become a great shooter? We asked five of our FCL Athletes to show some of their favorite drills that have allowed them to rack up goals at the next level:
Hunter Chauvette (Johns Hopkins)
Ben Dutton (Saint Joseph's)
Jack Speidell (Harvard)
Luke Miller (Notre Dame)
Mason Cook (Loyola)
Check it out now and we hope you can take something away from it to add to your workout!
✅ Want to see more workouts from our FCL Athletes? Check out our YouTube page for offensive and defensive workouts!
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