The Principle of Practice
An old adage says, “Practice makes
perfect.” That is not necessarily true. Practicing the wrong thing doesn’t
produce perfection. It is more likely that “practice makes permanent.” At any
rate, to be proficient, practice is essential. Athletes understand the
principle of practice.
Jason wanted to be a quarterback. That was not particularly surprising, since football was in the fabric of his family. His father, Jim, coached college football at the Coast Guard Academy, Lehigh, Susquehanna, and Columbia. In the NFL, he was in assistant coach and had scouting jobs with the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints, the Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills. He also had three separate stints as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys. No wonder Jim’s sons, including Jason, were attracted to football. They were cut from the same cloth as their father.
Jason read that Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter threw 500 passes a day during practice. So in 1978, Jason decided he would so the same. He threw passes in the backyard, the basement, and in the attic (on snowy days). He threw footballs into a net, a blanket, a mattress, or to someone else, usually to one of his brothers.
Jason was a student at Princeton University and was better suited for coaching than playing, but he was determined to play in the NFL. He managed to make it to an NFL team. He became the third string quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, behind the now legendary Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete. He sat on the bench, knowing it was not likely he would have an opportunity to play. Then Troy Aikman was injured. Jason was now the second string quarterback. Then Rodney Peete was injured. Jason now had his chance, but it was a tall order. In 1994, he was scheduled to play in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers.
As one sportswriter put it, the first half of the game was “bumpy.” The second half made Jason Garrett a Dallas Cowboy hero. He directed five consecutive touchdown drives. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers, 42-31. Commenting on the game, Barry Switzer, the Dallas Cowboys coach at the time, said, “That day when Jason had that game, it’s one of those games you just dream of. To come off the bench, didn’t get any snaps (during practice), and to go out and play and perform the way he did. He threw for more yardage (311 yards) than Aikman threw for any game that year.”
And years later, Jason Garrett became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Legendary choreographer Martha Graham once said, “I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles.”
To be an “athlete of God,” don’t just desire. Desire. Be Disciplined. Do (repeatedly)
ã 2014 G. Michael Cocoris November 29, 2014.
Jason wanted to be a quarterback. That was not particularly surprising, since football was in the fabric of his family. His father, Jim, coached college football at the Coast Guard Academy, Lehigh, Susquehanna, and Columbia. In the NFL, he was in assistant coach and had scouting jobs with the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints, the Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills. He also had three separate stints as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys. No wonder Jim’s sons, including Jason, were attracted to football. They were cut from the same cloth as their father.
Jason read that Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter threw 500 passes a day during practice. So in 1978, Jason decided he would so the same. He threw passes in the backyard, the basement, and in the attic (on snowy days). He threw footballs into a net, a blanket, a mattress, or to someone else, usually to one of his brothers.
Jason was a student at Princeton University and was better suited for coaching than playing, but he was determined to play in the NFL. He managed to make it to an NFL team. He became the third string quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, behind the now legendary Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete. He sat on the bench, knowing it was not likely he would have an opportunity to play. Then Troy Aikman was injured. Jason was now the second string quarterback. Then Rodney Peete was injured. Jason now had his chance, but it was a tall order. In 1994, he was scheduled to play in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers.
As one sportswriter put it, the first half of the game was “bumpy.” The second half made Jason Garrett a Dallas Cowboy hero. He directed five consecutive touchdown drives. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers, 42-31. Commenting on the game, Barry Switzer, the Dallas Cowboys coach at the time, said, “That day when Jason had that game, it’s one of those games you just dream of. To come off the bench, didn’t get any snaps (during practice), and to go out and play and perform the way he did. He threw for more yardage (311 yards) than Aikman threw for any game that year.”
And years later, Jason Garrett became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Legendary choreographer Martha Graham once said, “I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles.”
To be an “athlete of God,” don’t just desire. Desire. Be Disciplined. Do (repeatedly)
ã 2014 G. Michael Cocoris November 29, 2014.