Not All Work is Good Work...Advice From a Young Coach
There are probably a million receiver drills out there; realistically the list of drills that actually apply to the game and produce positive results is relatively small.
In part one (Advice From a Young Coach) of his three part series, Erick Hernandez spoke about believing in yourself throughout your journey and the fact that all of us have leadership qualities within ourselves. In part two, he speaks on the fact that “not all work is good work”.
During this past off-season, I spoke to some of the best receiver coaches/trainers in the country from the Division I level to the NFL. Through this process, I deepened my understanding that not all work is good work. People assume that if they show up to the field or gym every day for two hours that they have done enough to get better. The truth is the only work that counts is the work that is directly applicable to the goal. If you had a math test tomorrow, you would not study chapters not included on the test and expect to ace the exam. The same logic applies with football. Are the drills or exercises you do applicable to the game or your goal? The work it takes to achieve any goal is directly focused on achieving said goal. There are probably a million receiver drills out there; realistically the list of drills that actually apply to the game and produce positive results is relatively small. A common saying in the receiver community when it comes to practicing route running is, “The drills are the routes”. This means that the drills we practice are actually portions of the routes we run. They are directly correlated because they exemplify exactly what we do in a game situation, and that is how you get better. Lesson number two, not all work is good work, use your time wisely.
There are so many coaches and trainers out there, so many drills, lifts, nutrition plans, etc. Finding the right thing to do, the thing that produces results, can be very difficult. We only know what we know, and don’t know what we don’t know. There is undoubtedly some trial and error involved in finding the most productive practices out there. People today are so caught up in the extra stuff (followers, rankings, status, etc.)that many people cannot tell the difference between a legitimate coach/trainer, drill, or practice from the fake ones. I admit that it can be hard to determine what or who is real in today’s world. However, there are real people and real practices that are proven to show results. The easiest way to determine a real coach/trainer is if their work actually translates to the game. If the drill does not translate to the game, if the lift does not provide proven results that enhance performance, if the nutrition plan does not produce results, then they are probably not beneficial to you and your goal. At that point, you are simply doing busy work, which is what I touched upon in the previous paragraph. Not all work is good work, good work is what produces positive results. Good work is usually timeless, tried and true. There are always advancements in today’s world and staying on top of those advancements is important for continued success, but the questions about applicability remain the same. Find people and practices that provide quality work, that help you work towards achieving your goals. Beyond that, you always have to ask yourself if you are doing everything you can to achieve your goal. Are you skipping reps, skipping meals, taking days off? It is impossible to see true results and reach a true judgement without full effort on your part. Full effort requires full belief, which is what I touched on in part one of this series. Do your part, find good work, and accomplish your goals.