I found the excerpt below on a website about pre-game speeches which a coach may make to his team. We work on all the little things each and everyday in practice. We work on our service toss, our serve, our lobs, cross court ground strokes, our footwork and discipline. Our serve is the only stoke where we have total control.
Take Care of the Little Things
(this speech can be adapted to any sport. It can also be easily lengthened or shortened depending on your time constraints.)
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves." Most of you have heard that phrase before, right?!?! Did you ever stop to think about what it really means? What are the little things? What are the big things? And, how do the big things take care of themselves?
As an athlete you need to focus on the "little things", the aspects of your game that you directly control. You have control over how you execute your offense and defense. You have control over your hustle, your speed, your drive and your effort. You have control as you are positioning your body against your opponent. You have control over your attitude, your spirit, your passion, and your good sportsmanship.
The bigger things are not in your direct control. Don't concern yourself with the referees (or officials), or the way the other team is performing. You can't control the crowd, the coaches, or your teammates. Don't focus on these aspects. The bigger things will take care of themselves.
If you focus on the bigger things- the score, the calls, or the opponent, then your individual effort will suffer. Blocks will be missed, rebounds will be lost, turn-overs will happen. Keep your mind and body focused on only the items that you can control and that you need to perform.
When you execute the little things to perfection, then the score and the victory will take care of themselves! The victory will happen. It will happen because each one of you has done your part. Your collective efforts will come together as a victory.
Two Little Things About A Stroke We Use - An Effective Way To Hit An Overhead
