Effort Is As Important As Execution

The other day I said this while coaching my 9:30 a.m. TPS Method group. It just came out, and after I said it, people looked at me, then it seemed to click. They got it. Sadly the internet didn’t. I also made a meme of it the other day and spelled Execution wrong (on purpose). Comments and DM’s abounded. They didn’t get it, so I took it down.   [caption id="attachment_198936" align="alignnone" width="772"] Spelled wrong on purpose!
You didn't get it.[/caption]

Effort Is As Important As Execution

What does this mean?

Effort is the most important aspect of your training or anything you do. A half assed effort gives a half assed result. Be the whole ass. Give whole ass effort. Using the Squatting as an example: The amount of effort you give to the lift dictates the results that you get out of it. You have to give 100% of your attention and ability to get better. Execution comes after effort. This means that your Squat gets better in time. It might suck now, but if you give 100% effort to making it better, it will get better. That is why effort is as important as execution. Look at a beginner lifter; Sure, their form probably sucks, but most of them give it everything they have. If you keep at it your execution (form/technique) should improve. If you don’t give much effort, you’ll still suck a year from now. An advanced level lifter that is giving a half assed effort may still have excellent execution (technique) but I doubt they will go from an 800 pound Squat to an 825 Squat without EFFORT. I have someone in one of my groups that gave little effort for a long time and made about zero progress. His form sucked, he didn’t try very hard when things got difficult and he didn’t get much better. After a pep talk I saw a huge improvement instantly. His effort went through the roof. His form still sucked, but as a coach you have to pick your battles.

1. Is your athlete TRYING to get better?
2. Are they giving you 100%?
3. Do they have the ability/coordination/motor skills to perform the task as required?

If you said yes to 1 and 2, then you have to praise that. If you said no to 3, you have to get them where they need to be in a manner that they can succeed at. I can’t stress enough how much that I feel Effort Is As Important As Execution. If you, or your athlete is trying, reward it. If they are not giving you effort, don’t give up right away. Find out why. Sometimes their effort drops because they are not seeing the results as fast as they want to. A good coach will see that they were trying and figure out why the dropped off. If they are just lazy, you can’t coach lazy. If they need a modification, some mobility work, a change in perspective, help them. Dave Grohl has one of the best quotes I’ve ever read pertaining to the music business, but I think it applies here: “Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old fucking drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they’ll suck, too. And then they’ll fucking start playing and they’ll have the best time they’ve ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they’ll become Nirvana. Because that’s exactly what happened with Nirvana. Just a bunch of guys that had some sucky old instruments and they got together and started playing some noisy-ass shit, and they became the biggest band in the world. That can happen again! You don’t need a fucking computer or the Internet or The Voice or American Idol.” Nirvana didn’t become huge because they gave no effort. Their execution probably sucked for a long time but they stayed with it. If they can change the music industry (and kill Hair Metal-a travesty of justice) then you can squat 315, or 405 or whatever.  

• Work hard.
• Give 100% effort.
• Shut your mouth.
• You’ll get better.

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C.J. Murphy

April 18, 2019