“The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”
A SEAL Team Proverb
Think about the requirements put on you growing up as an athlete. On the surface, they probably don’t seem too far removed from the requirements of the modern-day athlete. Our memories of what it felt like to work hard in practice get ignited when we watch sports, allowing us to live vicariously through the players, and remember that game day feeling.
In reality, the modern-day athlete's preparation requirements are more complex and demanding than in days gone by, but WHY? I offer my perspective from the lens of a retired Navy SEAL.
I was a Navy SEAL for 20 years, and I will often get asked what life is like in the SEAL Teams. In recent years I have come to realize the reflection of my life as a SEAL does not match up with the current demands of the modern-day SEAL. SEAL training has always required individual physical intensity, the ability to learn, the application of focused attention, and the determination to face your fears and overcome your weaknesses, all while being a solid teammate.
Much like the modern-day athlete, the preparation demands of the modern-day SEAL are more complex and demanding, due in large part to the digital age and advancing technologies in virtual reality. Everyday, instructors remind SEAL trainees to “embrace the suck,” because the intensity of real world SEAL Missions cannot be replicated in training.
In sport, more complex offensive schemes, defensive schemes and game strategy combined with increased player strength, speed, explosive power, endurance and the attention to overall wellness has created an environment that puts more preparation demands on the players and coaches than ever before. I’ve met many coaches who love the term “embrace the suck”.
“We want our players to be mentally tough and physically resilient, if they don’t experience it, they won’t know how to push themselves to their limits.”
The reality is none of us really knows our limits, nor should we train to the outer edge of what we think our limits are. Coaching your athletes for performance requires understanding how to use your professional knowledge and resources.
If I told you virtual training could help increase your player’s sport IQ, improve tactical awareness, decision-making skills, and lessen the chance of injury during practice, would you employ it? Do you consider these new technologies extraneous or cutting-edge?
When used effectively, virtual training can better prepare performers cognitively for live practice. It can increase the ability to pick up on patterns and filter through the clutter and chaos that often challenge the cognitive process in decision making.
The virtual world was likely not a consideration of your predecessors. There were fewer variables, statistics and data points being tracked. Today we live in a world where information is instantaneously available and people will always want more to help inform their plan for tomorrow.
Simple, direct and provocative, “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday” captures the idea that each day brings us new challenges. Rather than push back on those challenges, “embrace the suck,” advance your knowledge and combine it with the talent of your staff, use modern resources to prepare and practice smarter. Because sometimes more is just more…
