Coaches, RIGHT NOW Players & Blackhawk Down

In the movie Blackhawk Down, there is a sequence worth watching and discussing with teams 7^th grade and older.  In it, a group of Army Rangers retreated to their base camp after a brutal firefight in Somalia.  They prepared to re-enter the fight in order to rescue elements of their unit that were in grave danger.  One of the Rangers, PFC Thomas, distraught by his recent combat experience says he cannot “go back out there… that’s crazy”.  His leader, SSG Struecker, makes the point upon which we should focus our young men’s attention.  He says, “Thomas, it’s what you do RIGHT NOW that makes a difference…it’s your call.”  Watch this scene and talk to your players about what it would look like if they were RIGHT NOW players... how much of a difference could they make? 

Some will make the mistake of thinking that there is no application between war and real life.  But having served in the 2^nd Ranger Battalion and as the father of two boys, 12 years and older, I know that they can learn a great deal from SSG Struecker. 

We not only express who we are by what we do RIGHT NOW, but our character is actually molded by what we do or do not do RIGHT NOW.  Boys and young men train to be who they will become through an infinite number of actions in the RIGHT NOW.  A few of these moments are critical and defining, but all of these moments forge a pathway to habit, good or bad.  SSG Struecker understands the power of "RIGHT NOW action" and the consequence of it.  As PFC Thomas' Coach, Struecker encourages right action and then is quietly elated when Thomas chooses to act rightly. 

Ultimately, our boys really have only one choice in life: “what will I do RIGHT NOW?”  The way they act in response to this question will deliver a consequence, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes great and sometimes seemingly insignificant.  But one thing is certain, the type of man they will become will be sculpted more definitively every time they answer this question with action.  Some boys will choose to spend RIGHT NOW in front of a screen playing video games, while others will spend it learning, being challenged, experiencing.  Some boys will always defer to someone else to answer this question for them, while others will face this question alone and often under pressure, taking chances, experiencing the instruction of reward and defeat.  Some boys will always have someone who shields them from the consequence of their actions when they turn out to be negative and significant, while others will learn the lasting and valuable lessons taught by consequence.

As a coach, much like SSG Struecker, you have an opportunity to challenge boys every practice and every game to energetically tackle RIGHT NOW consistently, with passion and conviction.  And you have the opportunity to teach them that they are not just doing it to win games and to just have fun, but because they are developing one of life’s most critical muscles that will either power them into a successful manhood or fail them and enslave them to perpetual adolescence.  

RIGHT NOW players:

• Never give up, that is allowing the past and the future to determine the present
• Never argue with officials, that is allowing the past to infect the present
• Never argue with the coach or chide fellow players, that is a cancer to the present
• Never allow emotions to hijack their play, this empties them of their potential RIGHT NOW
• Always practice every play, every drill, every conditioning drill as if it is the last second of the most important game of their lives
• Always stay focused on every moment of every game, what can they be doing RIGHT NOW to put themselves in the best position to help the team?
• Always encourage fellow players
• Always believe that the future can be altered in the present
• Always maintain a focus on the most productive use of RIGHT NOW

Here’s an example.  Two weeks ago, during the Oregon-USC football game, the USC quarterback threw a pass to the back of the end zone.  The USC receiver thought he was being “held” by the defender.  He slowed down to draw the attention of the officials and began to argue that he was being “held”.  On the other hand, the Oregon defender, the RIGHT NOW player, continued full speed to the pass and intercepted it.  If the USC receiver had played in the RIGHT NOW mode, he could have at least knocked the pass down and thwarted the interception, if not caught it himself for a touchdown.

This type of play in games doesn’t just happen.  Young players train to be RIGHT NOW athletes (or not to be) during every practice.  Some jog through drills, drag their heels during conditioning and think of the next game as something to consider in the future.  While, other athletes run every drill at game speed, use every minute of practice to push their conditioning to the next level and treat every second as if the next game’s final result depends on what they do RIGHT NOW.  Successful athletes capture the future by seizing the full potential of RIGHT NOW.  As Vince Lombardi said, “Some say practice makes perfect, but I say NO, only perfect practice makes perfect!”  Lombardi understood that tomorrow’s game is won or lost RIGHT NOW!  And, I would add that the success of your players' future lives depend upon their ability to develop the habits of RIGHT NOW men.

I would strongly encourage all coaches to deliberately develop a RIGHT NOW culture.  Inspire your players to play RIGHT NOW in practice and in games, so that they prepare, play and then ultimately live at their highest potential.  After all, success belongs to those who prepare most effectively for life’s most critical moments and then seize those moments with clarity of thought, convicted purpose and perfected action… this can only be done RIGHT NOW.  

Remember, how your boy plays on the “fields of friendly strife” will be how he fights the greatest battles of his life.

For a great example of a RIGHT NOW player, watch this video of Michael Jordan during his famous "Flu Game".  And remember, one of the things that Jordan was most famous, was his consistent tenacity and focus in every practice.  Jordan did not just become this RIGHT NOW player in the limelight, he practiced every day as a RIGHT NOW player and when the situation called for him to step up, he was ready, RIGHT NOW!

What Your Boys Can Learn from Navy Seal Heroes



Tyrone Woods



Yesterday at dinner I told my boys (14, 12, 7) the story of the two CIA operatives and former Navy Seal veterans who were killed in Libya.  I asked them, "Why do people like that run into the fire when they don't need to, while most people run from the fire?"  As current information would indicate (many details are still unclear), Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were located a mile from the US Embassy when it came under attack.  Against orders from their superiors, they "ran to the fire" and attempted to defend the consulate against an organized and highly armed terrorist attack.  They held off the enemy for up to 7 hours before being killed.



Glen Doherty

My boys were perplexed with this question.  Initially they thought that this is just what men do.  After continuing to probe, they determined by consensus that people in the military "train" to "run into the fire".  And so they concluded, it is practice that prepares a man for moments like these.

They stumbled upon an understanding of something that used to be known by everyone from Aristotle to George Washington, from Thomas Aquinas to John Wooden, but is woefully misunderstood today.  Courage is not a trait that passes from generation to generation through strands of DNA, nor is it the result of an emotionally motivated moment. Rather, courageous action is possible when one deliberately practices it.  Then, when opportunity presents itself, it springs into action naturally, logically, habitually yet heroically.

My boys and I talked about the opportunities in sports to practice such courage.  Since they are all currently playing basketball, we talked about how some of the kids looked for opportunities to "get out of" the conditioning drills or to run them at half speed.  And, we talked about how it is particularly hard to "gut it out" in the last 5 minutes of practice when the coach makes them run lines.  I told them, "it is in these moments, when your legs feel like they are on fire, that your opportunity to practice courage calls to you."

In most youth athletics we should seek to motivate our sons and our players not by fear, but by inspiring them to ascend to a higher plain where choosing courage consistently is not just for short term athletic gain but it is also a necessary step towards a successful manhood.  It is important to constantly challenge our boys in sports and in life with this question, "will you practice to run to the fire or will you accept a life where you will always run from it?"

Remember, how your boy plays on the “fields of friendly strife” will be how he fights the greatest battles of his life.

For more on Courage in Sports Act of Valor "is" for Our Boys