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Preparation

by Doug Reese TTNL

Ted Williams is considered by many as the greatest hitter that ever played the game of baseball. Williams was the last major league player to hit over .400 and left the game with a lifetime average of .344 and 521 home runs eventhough he lost the prime of his career to service in the Marine Air Corp in both WWII and the Korean War.

As a rookie left fielder in 1939, Williams wasn't afraid to seek out the best players in the league and pick their minds when it came to hitting a baseball. Williams wanted to know everything there was to know from the very best in the game. Just two years later Williams hit .406 to win his first of many batting titles in the American League.

Ted Williams did not achieve this success just because he was a "natural." What truly brought him such a sweet swing was his devotion; he spent his whole life swinging a bat. As a child, he'd go out in the yard at night when everybody was sleeping and swing at an imaginary ball. His nocturnal ritual continued when he turned pro. In fact, his Red Sox road-trip roomies would often be awakened by Williams swinging a bat, a newspaper, a pillow, anything, and accidentally hitting something: a wall, a bureau, a bedpost.

Williams would also spend hours working over his bats to make sure they were precisely the proper weight (between 32 and 33 ounces). He kept his bats off the ground so they wouldn't pick up moisture and put on excess ounces. Just to be certain, he'd take them to the post office to weigh them.

Williams studied hitting like it was a science. He did his homework on every pitcher in the American League. Even today, over 40 years after leaving the game as a player, he is still sought out for his knowledge of the game.

Ted Williams paid a price to be the best hitter the game ever witnessed. In spring training each year Williams spent so much time with a bat in his hands, they would blister, then bleed. By the time the regular season would start, Williams' hands would be calloused and ready for the demands of the season. Now ready, a bat in the hands of Ted Williams was a weapon of destruction – against every pitcher in the American League.

At the age of 39, Ted Williams led the league in hitting with a .388 average, and earned the title of the oldest player to win a batting title. Williams was no fluke. His magic was in his preparation.

Athletic Principle

Preparation...practice...what do some of the best athletes in the world say about it...

"Before I get in the ring, I've already won or lost it out on the road. The real part is won or lost somewher far from withnessess - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights - Muhammed Ali, World and Olympic Champion Boxer

"Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win." - Nadia Comaneci, 5x Olympic Gold Medalist, Gymnastics

"The difference between my methods and others is great. The difference is that I train more often and lift more weights than others. I have become a great champion because of my love of hard work." Vasil Alexeyev, 3x Olympic Champion, Weight Lifting

"Everything is practice. I made a lot of goals with the head. But, I made many goals because I practiced that shot." - Pele, World Cup Soccer Champion

Practice is preparation. You have heard of the old saying, "Practice does not make perfect; practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect."

Just putting in your time in practice won't get you to the next level, especially when you are not focusing on doing everything perfect. Your hard work, sacrifice, discipline, and consistency will not mean a thing if you are practicing incorrectly. You may get better, but you will never reach your full potential, or rise above other outstanding athletes. Why? To beat the best, you have to increase the quality of your training time. Everyone has 24 hours in a day to training, but how effectively are you using your time is what really matters.

Who is the best in your sport? Watch them. Study them. Read their books. Analyze them. Seek out their knowledge. Pick their brains. Learn everything you can from them. Why are they consistent winners? Find out all you can.

Once you learn something new, drill the techniques over and over again in perfect repetition. Force yourself to do it the right way. Don't expect immediate results; you may even get a little worse for a while. That is okay. The improvements and the results you seek will come. Be patient and disciplined.

Concentrate and focus during practice. The mental work should be equal to the physical work. Look for mistakes. Make corrections. Reps, reps, reps of perfection are what you seek.

The most important thing you need to remember is that practice time is the rehearsal time before you go "live" on stage to perform. Quality practice builds confidence, and when you are prepared and confident, good things happen. That is the time when you flow into the "Zone" and go on automatic pilot.

God's Performance Principles

Preparation is so key to performance - it is the foundation! God's Word stresses the value of practice and preparation.

"Prepare your work outside and make it ready for yourself in the fields, afterward, then, build your house." (Proverbs 24:27)

To summarize this verse, you need to carry out your work in the proper order. God's Word is saying that take care of business first, then you can take care of other personal needs. If a farmer builds his house in the spring, he will miss the planting season, and will go a year without food. What good is a house when you are starving? What good is strength, without conditioning? What good is mental skills without tactics and strategy? Plan ahead. The proper execution of the plan insures success.

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." (Proverbs 22:29)

Skill is recognized and rewarded. You see skill is developed. You are not born with skill. Skill is honed by countless hours of repetition. It is sharpened by the sacrifice, the time, and the sweat you put into the effort. The famous Italian artist Michelangelo said:

"If people knew how hard I have had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all."

Skill, then is recognized for what it truly is - a treasure, a by-product of preparation and training.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had is foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:24)

Jesus, the Master Coach, said, if you listen to His coaching, His wise council, then practice what He teaches - you will be a wise individual. You then will be prepared for the tough challenges that will come your way in the future. You will not be beaten down by adversity, because your preparation has made you a rock!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:25-27)

God's Word tells us to run (compete, practice, and train) to win. That is God's expectation for us as Christian athletes. Our training should be strict and disciplined, not wasteful in our time or in our efforts. Make you body your slave.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24)

It should be your goal to train, to prepare, and to win for the glory of our King. Prepare with a purpose!