Feed kids 2 500 balls a day
REPITITION IS KEY TO DEVELOP TALENT
IKNOW I wrote about the Djokovic diet book the other week, but I want to share what I call an “SOS sports book” with you.
I’ve just finished reading the Andre Agassi autobiography called Open. It is an unbelievable story and one that any parent who is coaching their son or daughter at any sport, not should, but MUST read. Because if you don’t, you’re missing out on a gold mine of information that no coach, teacher or professor could ever teach you or your kid.
It’s also an amazing story – totally hilarious and very well written.
Agassi was being groomed to be a professional tennis player from age four. At seven, he was being fed 2 500 balls a day from a tennis ball machine in his backyard in a workingclass neighbourhood in Vegas. That’s hitting 17 500 balls a week – 1.3 million balls a year! And that’s all it is.
If you want your child to succeed, do this – whether they’re a future bowler, batsmen, soccerite, tennis player or golfer, it’s this simple. If they don’t make it, don’t blame the coach or selectors, blame it on your laziness for not feeding the 2 500 balls every day.
In Agassi’s case, his dad, a totally mad Vegas casino worker of Iranian descent, also harassed him while the tennis ball machine did the work.
He instructed Agassi to hit harder and faster than the machine and to ensure that the net was cleared. In fact, the net was raised 15cm higher than normal. They did this every day without fail. It’s so simple, yet so mind blowing.
Agassi went on to win eight majors and the Grand Slam, including Olympic Gold. Really there is nothing more to do in any sport. But the fact is, the Agassis were poor. They had no real luxuries. The dad saved every cent to buy a cheap house with a big enough backyard where he could build a tennis court. And he built it himself. They hustled their way through life, eating noodles and bread on tour. A steak was a big deal. Yet the son succeeded.
At age, 13 the dad used every cent of their savings ($3 000 or R32 200) and sent him to the world-renowned Nick Bolletieri camp. Nic claimed he was the most talented guy he’d ever come across. And that’s only because of the 2 500 balls a day.
So if you want to improve your golf swing, do 200 balls or so at least. Repetition is key. Technique will develop.
I can’t emphasise how amazing this book is. Please, please parents buy it and read it now! It will change your lives.
IF you haven’t seen it, look out for a ball bowled by West Indian Devendra Bishoo to get rid of Aussie Brad Haddin during day two of the first Test.
It’s being compared to the great Shane Warne delivery that skittled Mike Gatting 22 years ago. It pitched outside leg and clipped the edge of Haddin’s off stump.
Not as dramatic as Warne’s, which pitched 50cm outside leg, but equally impressive. Bishoo walked away with career best of six for 80 during the innings. He also got Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and Shane Watson during the innings. Look out for this boy. THERE’S a lot of talk about the alleged $10-million bribe of Fifa officials to vote for SA to win the bid to host the World Cup.
I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this. Sure we can theologise that bribery is wrong, but 10 million dollars, in the big scheme of things, is not really a big number. Most governments spend much more on cookies and coffee. In fact, when I ran Suncoast’s marketing budget I spent R40-million a year on a casino that most people in the world had never heard of.
So they spent three years of my budget to win the World Cup. If you asked me to invest that amount to win a World Cup, I would. It was for the good of the country, after all! And hey, the country would have derived several billion rand worth of media exposure, so this was a drop in the ocean.
To me this was not the main issue during the SA World Cup. There were many more untold stories involving the biggest construction companies in the country…