Coach Plotkin

Novak Djokovic…one of the greatest competitors…knows he cannot control his thoughts, his emotions, his feelings… But he knows he cannot control take control of his response to the thoughts, emotions, the feelings he experiences… Hold that idea in mind. Let it marinate for a few seconds. What does that mean to you in your performance world? “I can take control of my response…I can respond to my inner impulses…” I can take control… I can go again… I can flex my attention… I can retain my intent… Djokovic breaths his way through tournaments. He instructs himself. He keeps his attention on his strategies and his opponent…and is ready to flex strategically if need be… He’s in control He’s in charge He may not be able to control the thoughts, the emotions, and the feelings that emerge into his conscious awareness. But he can take control of his response… He’s in control He’s in charge 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬…𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬…

What characteristics do the best performers have? A few common traits I've noticed: 1. Don't get tired of the boring stuff 2. Masters of compartmentalization 3. Can flip the switch 4. Know how to lose well 5. Cultivate perspective 6. Delayed gratification 7. Drive from within

“Please don’t ever judge me for wins and losses that’s not who I am as a coach. Relationships- you want it for them.” Championships change careers. Relationships change lives. Athletes. Coaches. Don’t just chase wins. Change people. That’s the real legacy. 🎥@glenn_kinley

Thought I'd share a🧵with couple of additional thoughts about this profile of Dusty May by @rustindodd, focusing on some of the work Dusty & I did together. nytimes.com/athletic/71678…

Heck yeah @KKuester15 and rest of the staff! Excited for Year 2 already! Just the beginning!

Team USA has arrived to the World Baseball Classic Final in GAME-USED United States Men's National Hockey Team jerseys.

I played for Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, and Sean Payton. I studied under some of the greatest coaching minds in the history of professional football. And after the Lord saved me, I realized something that changed everything. Every single leadership principle that made those teams thrive is biblical. They just did it for the glory of man instead of the glory of God. Here is what I mean. Belichick taught us to do our jobs. Scripture commands us to work as unto the Lord, not for the approval of men. (Col. 3:23) Belichick held Tom Brady to a higher standard than anyone else. Scripture says to whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48) Belichick cut the cancer immediately, no matter the cost. Scripture tells us that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Gal. 5:9) Belichick sacrificed personal credit and took responsibility for every loss. Scripture calls leaders to be servants first. (Matthew 20:26) Brady sacrificed personal stats for the good of the team. Scripture says do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider others above yourself. (Phil. 2:3) Brady could encourage a teammate and confront him in the same breath. Scripture says speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15) These men did not know they were pulling from eternal, biblical commands. But the principles worked. They always work. Because truth is truth whether the man wielding it knows its source or not. Now imagine this. If these principles built a two-decade dynasty in professional football with men who did not know the Lord, what would God do through His church if we humbled ourselves and followed the same playbook? What would happen in your marriage if you coached yourself harder than you coach anyone else? What would happen in your home if you cut the cancers of laziness, passivity, and selfishness? What would happen in your leadership if you stopped protecting your ego and started serving your team? The blueprint is not new. The playbook has been written for two thousand years. The question is whether you are willing to run it. I spent 10 years in the NFL and the best locker rooms I ever walked into operated on principles that Scripture laid out long before football existed. Stop looking for a new framework. Open the Book. And do your job.

Sources: Army athletic director Tom Theodorakis has reached an agreement in principle on a new long-term contract with the academy. He’s been Army’s AD since February of 2025 after arriving at the school in 2022.

The depth in this article is so unique. Read it a couple of times and something different popped each one. The father/son dynamic. The respect. The lessons. The character. The work ethic. The principles. The values. What a great read. Excellent work @gbellseattle

This is incredible. What an absolute rock star.

Mike Vrabel gives a masterclass on mindset, self-talk, and dealing with doubt. "You can't let doubt creep into what you do as a person. I don't care what you do." "You have to be able to talk to yourself and not listen to yourself so much. You have to tell yourself what to believe." Read that again about your self-talk. Talk to yourself - don't just listen to yourself. Your mind will feed you doubt, fear, and negativity. Your job is to challenge it. Tell yourself what's true, not what's easy to believe. "That doesn't say that there aren't tough times that you struggle with failure. You have to be able to recognize it and know that that is a part of all of us." Failure isn't the opposite of success - it's part of the path to it. Successful people don't avoid adversity. They expect it. They know that they must learn from the setbacks and challenges. "If you coach long enough, you're gonna get fired. Just like if you play long enough, you're gonna get cut or you're gonna get traded. That's just how this business is." That's the reality. Not cynicism...clarity. "I've tried to explain it to the players that this is what happens. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to do it with this group of guys." Tough times happen. The choice is to be a tough person that overcomes those tough times. (🎥New England Patriots )

Homegrown. Development Based. On and Off Field. No transfer portal. Proud to build with American-born players who choose to do hard things. Development and Culture over 47 months on the field and for Duty. Honor. Country. Army Soccer. America’s Team.

Secure in who you are. Confident in what you bring to the table. Humble enough to know there is always room to grow. Secure. Confident. Humble. Be that kind of leader today.

I got a couple. The United States Military Academy, widely recognized as the world’s preeminent leader development institution.

as I've said, West Point is a unique place and not for everyone that said, if you're playing there or thinking about playing there I will only say one thing - I promise you it will be worth it when you graduate. Football ends for most of us in college. Playing in a respected program on a big stage and graduating from West Point is a better idea than chasing a few checks as you bounce around the country

Indiana HC Curt Cignetti - Rebuilding Indiana "Production over potential. There's something about that. The guy that can stay on the practice field, the guy that can stay on the game field, the guy can handle success, the guy that can handle failure, has consistency in performance, he's a good teammate, he buys in to the team vision & he can stay healthy." "It's all about people. The people you hire and the people you recruit. You've got to hire and recruit the right kind of people. That have a foundation of habits, that understand right from wrong, that have passion, that love football, that want to be great, that want to learn and get better every single day. You got to have those kind of people in your organization & then create the environment where they can thrive."

Great read. A lot of focus by many on transfers, but this, this is the takeaway.. “They’ve done a great job evaluating talent and the next part is developing the talent and giving them confidence to produce at a high level.” Aspire for that to be said for Army Soccer.

Great way to spend the afternoon!

Who will be next ⌛️ Join us at our Winter ID Camp at Malek Stadium on February 8! 📰 ≫ goarmywestpoint.com/msoccercamp #GoArmy

James Clear: The ability to bounce back quickly is a key skill in life.