Windsor Bend the Bar

02/02/2022

An entire generation of football fans have grown up with Tom Brady and the Patriots as the villainous evil empire. But this is when I became a fan. For the first fifteen years of my life, Super Bowl teams were introduced as individuals. Then you have this underdog team led by a 6th-round, first-year starting quarterback that decides to come out as a team (7:20ish). And then they proceed to upset the "Greatest Show on Turf." Twenty years, 19 playoff appearances, 10 Super Bowls, 7 rings, and countless records later, when I think of Tom Brady and the Patriots, this is what I think of. An underdog who only got a chance because the star went down and he stepped in and took that position, who repeatedly took pay cuts so his team could sign other players, who always put team success over individual accolades, who overcame lack of physical freak status with pure competitiveness and preparation...

Farewell, GOAT! Enjoy retirement!

Superbowl ###VI (36) Fox/Global original broadcast and The LAST players presentation.All rights to ESPN/ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, CTV, Global, NFL Films, the NFL a...

01/18/2022

Love this!!!

Longtime Patriots running back coach Ivan Fears stoked rumors about his possible retirement with his embrace of Damien Harris on Saturday.

01/13/2022

Here it is, the best thing you'll see today.

Never forget that being a good person is ALWAYS more important than being a good athlete.

Watch it now and discover more trending videos on TikTok!

01/13/2022

I recently shared a screenshot from a recent game highlighting how South Carolina's Aliyah Boston has increased her deadlift by 50 pounds, vertical jump by over 6 inches, and has gotten faster.

Here's how it's paying off on the court:

"One thing wasn't up for debate with this list: Boston is No. 1. After an offseason fueled by her desire to get stronger, leaner and quicker, Boston has become an even better version of the All-American she was last season."

ESPN's updated list includes a new (and unanimous) No. 1 and seven players who weren't on our preseason ranking.

01/07/2022

More of this, please!!!!

So awesome to see this highlighted during a game!

And if you don't follow women's college basketball, South Carolina is the number 1 team in the nation, and Aliyah has notched a double-double every game since November 29th. In this game yesterday, she scored 19 points, grabbed 18 boards, and had 3 blocks.

Overall, in 3.2 minutes less a game this year, she's averaging 3.4 more points, only half a rebound less, and half a block more per game than last year.

12/17/2021

Wait, he thinks he could have been better with less grinding? 🤯🤯🤯

It's in the very definition, folks: "Grind (verb): reduce (something) to small particles or powder by crushing it."

Sharpen the knife. Don't grind it endlessly and needlessly until it's dull (or broken).

Answer Mattox did I even mention you don’t make a dime in college?!?

12/11/2021

More isn't better. More is more. Better is better.

12/10/2021

Strength is never a weakness.

Also, forget the haters. Chase your dreams!

Great kettlebell commercial on how small, timely progressions get you to your goal. Content not owned by us.

12/10/2021

THIS.

If you are overwhelmed and exhausted by competing information, claims, purported secrets, and so-called biohacks in health, fitness, and performance, you are not alone. We are tired too. In this post, we are going to go deep on debunking myths, explaining why they are pervasive, and then getting to....

12/05/2021

"I’m always concerned about the concept of working harder. In general, I find that athletes train very hard, so the solution to improving their performance is not making them work harder (the 'grind'), but smarter. It’s easy to conflate, 'Will it make the boat go faster?' with 'I just need to outwork my opposition, as hard work and single-minded focus are what’s important.'"

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Abraham Lincoln:

“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”

A crew of also-rans turned into Olympic Champions using these tools and techniques. Coach Pickering selects the most notable methods and explains how to use them to achieve results and avoid spending time and energy on the things that prevent success.

12/04/2021

"If you don't have the strength to pull a single move... there is nothing to endure." - Tony Yaniro

11/25/2021

So thankful for the opportunity to do what I do and for all the young men and women who have passed through the gym and taught me so much.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

When a player says, "Thank you, coach," I always say, "Thank you," back. The truth is, they don't have to show up, and when they do show up, they don't have to listen. We see and hear about the negative side of coaching so much. Players are transferring all the time. Parents are hard to please. Kids don't work as hard as they used to, they are selfish, and they aren't as tough as they used to be.

The complaints and excuses are endless, and many of them are valid.

But being a coach is one of the most important jobs in the world. We have the ability to impact lives in ways that no one else can, and we interact with more kids than most, so the quality of our coaching, teaching, and mentoring, and our ability to build meaningful relationships really can change the world.

When the going gets tough, remember how important and sacred the player/coach relationship is. Remember how coaches have impacted your life - positively and negatively. Remember that you are having the same impact on the lives of the athletes and families that you lead - positively and negatively.

Remember the kid who came to you with no skills and no ambition who became a star. Remember the kid who would never talk who now talks your ear off every practice. Remember the kid who cried at their first practice because they didn't want to be there and cried at the last practice because they didn't want it to end. Remember the phone calls and text messages with parents who were lost and didn't know what to do with their own kid, and who needed you to help guide them and to reassure them that everything was going to be okay.

Remember that team that you were afraid wouldn't win a single game but won the league. Remember the team that you thought was going to win it all but couldn't win a game. Remember the lessons that you learned in trying to keep those kids' heads up and to keep fighting through the losses. Remember the lessons that those kids taught you as you struggled to keep your head up and fight through the losses.

Remember the team meals and the team bus rides. Remember the pre-game talks and the post-game talks. Remember the big wins, and remember the devastating losses. Remember the winning streaks and how fun they were, remember the losing streaks and how you thought you would never win again, and remember the big wins that broke the never-ending losing streaks.

Remember the pep-rallies, the cheerleaders, the roar of the crowd at the field when someone scored a goal, or hit a home run, or scored a touchdown. Remember the roar in the gym when someone gets a game-changing dunk, or a momentum-shifting three, or a big steal, or a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

There is nothing like being a coach. There is nothing like the feeling of appreciation and honor when a kid thanks you and when their parents thank you. When they do say thank you, make sure you say thank you back because they trusted you. They trusted you with their career. They trusted you with their kid. That is a big responsibility. Be thankful.

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