elitefts™ Sunday Edition
Selective Aggression
I thought of this on the way to work this morning, and it’s something I try to get across to the kids in practice when they’re acting like assholes – when they get in fights or start posturing at each other like a bunch of jerk-offs. I’m calling it the principle of selective aggression, and I just made this up now.
Clog Ups
When I go to work every morning, I’m dealing with THEM – the millions of f-ing idiots that clog up the world when you’re trying to get from point A to point B. They walk too slowly, they stand in all the wrong places, they drive like assholes, they stop in the middle of the sidewalk for no apparent reason, and they do a million other things seemingly designed specifically to piss us off. As an example, I don’t know about you, but I CANNOT walk down a flight of stairs slowly. There’s a pace I’m used to going down, and when someone in front of me is taking one step at a time and I can’t get around them, it’s slow torture, even though I rationally know they might not be able to go as fast as I want them to for health reasons.
The same shit happens in commercial gyms. When you go into one of these places, how many guys are in there who are just in the way? They have no idea what they’re doing, they’re not doing anything useful, they’re taking up space – and what’s worse, they eventually affect those of us who go there with a plan.
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Hypocrisy
I realized that by letting these people get me all enraged, I’m being a hypocrite. Because in practice, when my kids get pissed off and aim their aggression at something other then their assignment on the field, I flip out and get on their asses. What’s the point, right? Why fight one of your teammates? Get pissed off at the kid, then go take it out on a drill if you’re in practice, or your opponent if you’re in a game. Anything else is a useless waste of added energy, and I’m constantly telling the kids this.
I thought of that this morning on my way to work when my blood pressure started rising. Stupid shit is always going to exist. The general public is always going to have its share of morons. Why waste energy sitting there fuming about it? The idea is to accept that it’s going to happen, to just let it happen, and take all the energy you were going to spend being infuriated and outraged and apply it to what you really need to do.
Don’t Waste Motivation
Go to work or school and be a beast there. Get up in the morning and train, or go train after work or school, and be a f-ing animal there and train your balls off – but be a damned Zen master the rest of the day, so you don’t waste that motivation on things and people that absolutely don’t deserve it.
I’ve been working with this approach for a few months now, and my life is definitely better for it. Yet, another lesson learned from football.
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The Angry Coach is the strength coach, and also a positional coach, for a successful high school football program. Since 2001, an impressive number of his players have gone on to play college football, including several at the Division I and I-AA levels and two who have played professionally in the NFL. The Angry Coach has also worked with athletes at the college and professional levels in a variety of disciplines, including football, track and field, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, rowing and mixed martial arts (MMA). For professional reasons, the Angry Coach will not be using his real identity.
View The Angry Coach’s Training Log 
Great advice Coach.
I can’t stand those people who walk slowly either! and it’s worse when you are in close quarters like a staircase, There’s nowhere to go! and I let it get to me, then I look like the idiot who is doing some funny hipster dance trying to get by them.
Great article. This is exactly how I live my life, using my general anger and hate toward society, to fuel my workouts and training sessions, with a little heavy metal sprinkled in for extra power.
On a side note, I enjoy signalling (while driving) and then changing lanes in front of an impatient A-hole who is trying to pass me. Also, slowing down my walking pace when a highstrung D-bag is behind me. Try it, I guarantee you will be smiling and enjoying the moment, knowing the misery that you are causing someone.