I was training one of our athletes the other day.  Just him and me.  He was moping around through most of the session.  Of course I ask in a most caring, coaching manner, “What is your deal today??!!”

“Oh, I’m soooo tired,” he says in a voice that I hear on TV of actors playing patients who are about to die.

He was tired because of basketball camp, pool, I don’t know, I wasn’t listening much once I heard the myriad of excuses why.  All I know was our workout session was that much more of a challenge because of me constantly reminding him to work hard during this rep and urge him to push on.

I’m sure there are people saying, “Adam, you’re a little harsh on the guy.  Maybe he was tired.”

You know that thought crept in my mind, the far back position of my mind.  I’ve heard these kids whine so much about being tired during their workout sessions throughout the years, I’m getting immune to it.

Why you ask?

As soon as he struggled through his last set of his last exercise, he asked his mom if he could shoot baskets.  When she reluctantly said yes, he ran at a dead sprint for the basketballs.  He picked out one and was running up and down the court, launching shots, practicing his dribbling at full speed, and trying out these new moves he learned at camp.

Boy, certainly don’t look tired now, do we!

So, you were tired when it was my time and I’m asking you to do drills that might be a little challenging for you.  But, that tiredness goes away when it is your time and you can screw around as you please.  I get it.

Look, when I get an athlete that comes to train with us and has done a practice for their sport for 2 hours prior to them coming to meet us.  I get it, that athlete is tired.

If you are tired because you stayed up late, laid out by the pool, slept in and played video games all day, I don’t want to hear it.

Your parents are paying a nice chunk of change to have us improve you as an athlete.  I’m asking for 2 or 3 hours of your time a week.  You think you can muster up something to work hard for 60 minutes straight?  Is that too much to ask?

Next time you come in, you better be fairly confident that you really are tired.  Think about it for a couple of seconds before those words leave your mouth.  If I’m in a good mood and actually inquire why, your excuse better be you were moving furniture to help raise money for orphans for 24 hours straight or something similar.

Otherwise, I don’t want to hear you whining about being tired.  I don’t want to see you mope from drill to drill.  Get in here, do the work, give us 100%, and leave a little bit better athlete than when you came in.