“Intelligent, Unorthodox, Athletes”

To become the ultimate apex predator, you start by defining the traits that matter given the competitive environment. I’ve spent years building this list.

To give this species a name, I call them “Intelligent, Unorthodox, Athletes”.

Intelligent — The competition environment is changing so fast these days, strategies that are valuable today, are worthless tomorrow. Therefore, what matters more than skills, and experience, is raw mental horsepower. The ability to analyze, learn, synthesize, assess risk, and have conviction to bet big. So yes, to be a better athlete, you need a better intelligence, not only bigger muscles.

Unorthodox — To win big in sports, you can’t play by the rules of the leader, that’s their game, they literally invented it. You have to think differently, you have to attack what is weak and avoid what is strong. You have to invert the status quo, and become a master of asymmetric warfare. Most people believe what’s popular is what’s best, they copy what everybody else is doing. Never do this.

Athletes — Intelligence and innovation isn’t enough, you also need to work more intensely, more frequently, and for more time than everybody. You’ve gotta win on pure volume of practice. Physical practise on one side, mental practise on the other side. Mental toughness plays a huge role in the equation. Yet, many people underestimate its power and their performance suffer a great deal from not training it.

I was NOT this person when I was younger. I was the antithesis of this. That’s why I achieved nothing and had no confidence.

Nobody is born with these traits, they’re developed. You’re the architect, builder, and maintenance staff of you. You built, and will build, you.

So if you want to WIN in sports, stop looking for the easy way out, stop looking for the trend, gimmick, or template, start building a better player.