Coach Sommer Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 The Heart of a Champion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Stein Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Coach Sommer,That is probably the best piece you've ever written.best,jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Conley Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Simply wonderful.-Prometheus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razz Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 so true. It is so funny to watch people complain about their looks/results/whatever and then tell them "dude, you honestly don't work for it so stop whining" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Thanks for the inspirational words Coach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Most people don't appreciate the sport they play enough to try much harder; not really into the technical aspects. I guess it does not bring them any joy. For most people I knew, sport was a way to vent competitive frustration, with bonus of girls. When most got the girl they wanted, the competitiveness was almost over. I had someone tell me they didn't workout because they still get chicks. Both funny and sad. It is an interesting subject, however.In my time around a variety of sports, I have known so many types of head casesA talented tennis player with winning records over top players, but never broke the top 500, because he would rather surf than train. Big serve, big forehand. Got compliments from many top players and ex-pros who he beat. Some people in the tennis industry were baffled he had no support, or any coaches would take him on considering his raw talent. Mentally tough, and difficult to rattle, but just didn't put in the hours off the court over enough years. He didn't really seem to believe in technical perfection, or achieving it. More like it is all match toughness and taking advantage when you have the opportunity.A football player who could win triathlons, bike races, played hockey, played tennis, whatever. A very cocky person and strong work ethic in any sport. Never did anything but semi-pro because he was too scared to go to college on a scholarship. I know Auburn and Clemson were two schools that wanted to sign him.Knew a professional bowler who when he was feeling it, was a physical and mental monster, and would run over Hall of Famers. When he wasn't "feeling it," your grandma could beat him. More DNF's than anyone I ever heard of.Sometimes, it seems like getting it right requires a perfect storm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 It requires the athlete to be willing and able to recognize that there is a specific set of qualities that a true champion has, and that they must take themselves apart piece by piece and put themselves back together again with those qualities. It takes time, dedication, and a true understanding that this is the one and only way to reach the top, no matter what sport or profession.I think "perfect storm" is a bit dramatic, but perhaps not unrealistic since it is so rare to find this sort of person. That is why there are very few true leaders in any field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 It requires the athlete to be willing and able to recognize that there is a specific set of qualities that a true champion has, and that they must take themselves apart piece by piece and put themselves back together again with those qualities. It takes time, dedication, and a true understanding that this is the one and only way to reach the top, no matter what sport or profession.I think "perfect storm" is a bit dramatic, but perhaps not unrealistic since it is so rare to find this sort of person. That is why there are very few true leaders in any field.I agree. You need to be brutally honest with yourself to create a greater product. Problem is, most people don't have that level of interest. They simply don't sweat such details. In general, every person is guilty of being lazy about something. Can't do it all. What is amazing is when people beat themselves up over losing, complain, and absolutely disdain their position. However, suggest something as simple as working harder (Practice more than 2x a week), and they are like, "dude, whatever." I don't know what people think, that it is 100% genetics, or 100% luck. I did know of a guy who believed that. Get this, he said, "This (a slot/redemtion machine) is the best psychological test out there. It shows you exactly how much control you really have in life." I took my finished drink, told him I would put it in the garbage, and successfully did it. His reply,"It was mean't to be." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 You can never prove him wrong! When people have a mindset that is not in line with what is required for success and are not open to introspection and change, it's time to ditch them and find someone with a mindset closer to what is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animalonfire Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 The Heart of a Champion Great post. I'll totally bear that in mind when making decisions.There's a quote from Amy Williams (from bath ) that I really like: "Every decision I made it was 'right, will this help me go to the Olympics or not?' Perhaps not the most articulate, but very nice philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Malin Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Man, I really need to make more time to spend on this site...great article! It needs to be added though, that behind many of these champions is an exceptional coach. I have had the opportunity to grow up mere miles from the facility where Chris used to coach at. What amazes me is that athletes with this outlook seem to be the norm for his kids. The first time I ran into a girl that stood out at my gym in Flagstaff (couple hundred miles away), I was pleasantly surprised to find she used to train at 4am with Coach. And then the next couple people who stood out in the gym had kids who trained with him. Again, tonight, I went to the Mountainside Fitness near my folks' house in Mesa to work on the routine I'm teaching for a golf strength training class tomorrow and saw a guy spotting his son doing pull ups. I complimented him on being the only person I've seen in a gym doing an effective pull up progression; and of course, this guy Brian's kids had trained under Coach. When Coach talks about paying the price for success, he absolutely speaks from experience. I see it in every person I meet who has trained under him. That's saying something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Man, I really need to make more time to spend on this site...great article! It needs to be added though, that behind many of these champions is an exceptional coach. I have had the opportunity to grow up mere miles from the facility where Chris used to coach at. What amazes me is that athletes with this outlook seem to be the norm for his kids. The first time I ran into a girl that stood out at my gym in Flagstaff (couple hundred miles away), I was pleasantly surprised to find she used to train at 4am with Coach. And then the next couple people who stood out in the gym had kids who trained with him. Again, tonight, I went to the Mountainside Fitness near my folks' house in Mesa to work on the routine I'm teaching for a golf strength training class tomorrow and saw a guy spotting his son doing pull ups. I complimented him on being the only person I've seen in a gym doing an effective pull up progression; and of course, this guy Brian's kids had trained under Coach. When Coach talks about paying the price for success, he absolutely speaks from experience. I see it in every person I meet who has trained under him. That's saying something.Seems to be a trait consistent with people into gymnastics. Aside from having a goal to begin with, specificity and consistency are irreplaceable. If you don't mind sticking with the goal, you will find many walls that stand in your way crumble. After one year of exposure to some structured S&C, I think most people get the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longshanks Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Very well written and inspiring article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Malin Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Something I thought of today: I remember a friend of mine told me about the time he met Jonathan. He was invited to a party at Horton's house and while impressed with the kind of party Jonathan threw, at eleven Horton excused himself, left a friend in charge, and went to bed. My friend was a straggler still there in the morning and Jonathan got up early, and rejoined the group like he'd never left. I have yet to see a college athlete come through the weight room with that mentality: even the ones who won national titles this year don't have a shred of that dedication and balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Man, I really need to make more time to spend on this site...great article! It needs to be added though, that behind many of these champions is an exceptional coach. I have had the opportunity to grow up mere miles from the facility where Chris used to coach at. What amazes me is that athletes with this outlook seem to be the norm for his kids. The first time I ran into a girl that stood out at my gym in Flagstaff (couple hundred miles away), I was pleasantly surprised to find she used to train at 4am with Coach. And then the next couple people who stood out in the gym had kids who trained with him. Again, tonight, I went to the Mountainside Fitness near my folks' house in Mesa to work on the routine I'm teaching for a golf strength training class tomorrow and saw a guy spotting his son doing pull ups. I complimented him on being the only person I've seen in a gym doing an effective pull up progression; and of course, this guy Brian's kids had trained under Coach. When Coach talks about paying the price for success, he absolutely speaks from experience. I see it in every person I meet who has trained under him. That's saying something.Coach definitely focuses on developing success habits. After meeting several of his athletes I can definitely say that they all have very balanced personalities. They all just seem like really good people, and when together they act like family. Coach has a personal style that is hard to not like and respect! They definitely all understand the concept of "sacrifice" and embrace it as one of the constants in the formula for success in any venture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newguy Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I Reread this every time I need some inspiration, incredible article!Now I think I am going to go workout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philipp Zimmermann Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Hi, I would really like to read the article. Can it be found somewhere, cause the link is not working?Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie Grace Wong Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Hi, I would really like to read the article. Can it be found somewhere, cause the link is not working?Thanks not sure if this is the correct one > https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/179-the-heart-of-a-champion/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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