From the Basement to the Hall of Fame

If someone would have told me 20 years ago that I would own a successful business, have a patent, and worked with the Flyers and various other professional and collegiate programs I probably would have thought they were nuts.  When I was a teenager all I was interested in was football and girls and not sure which was more important at the time.  Because of both of these passions, I was sure that I wanted to pursue college.  I know in order to meet more girls and continue playing football, I needed to hit the books.  Once I made this connection, I went after it and was able to become a collegiate athlete.  After graduating from college after a successful football career, I was looking for something else that would peak my interest.  I wanted something that would enable me to get the excitement of sports and utilize my entrepreneurial spirit.  One day when I was walking I was thinking about several names I could use and I came up with FASST.

Since I thought of the name and created my program, we have come a long way.  I began working with individual athletes, developed some speed camps, and set up a gym in my basement.  We currently have a 3400 sqft facility, a patented reaction device, and software that is utilized by 1,000′s of athletes.  I was able to channel the energy I used to develop myself as an athlete and immersed myself in learning, gaining certifications as a strength and conditioning specialist, and building championship caliber athletes.  My focus and determination that enabled me to become Muhlenberg Colleges all-time leading rusher in only two seasons while gaining a top flight education was integral in helping me push forward and achieve my goals.

Tonight I am going to work with one of my first athletes, Dan Persa and it makes me feel proud that my program was created and forged around athletes like Dan.  The same motivation I had as an athlete I saw in Dan when he was a high school athlete.  I saw first hand how a strong training regiment, unbelievable work ethic, and a never say never attitude could create a world class athlete.  It is awesome that Dan is pursuing his dream of playing professional football and at the same time giving back to the athletes of FASST.

I often get asked what the key ingredients are to building a successful business, training program, and motivating athletes.  The formula that I have followed to build my hall of fame athletic career, FASST Performance, and mold that athletes of FASST are quite simple.  Below are the following points that I feel are integral for anyone looking to pursue their dreams and become a success in whatever they choose.

1. Passion = If you love it, you will work towards it.  If you hate it, you will avoid it.  When I write about loving it, I’m not talking about loving to do the tedious and mundane grind of your passion, I’m talking about the passion to do what you love.  My passion is helping anyone achieve their best in whatever sport they choose.  My passion is the enjoyment of seeing my athletes reach their goals and build awesome lives because of their efforts.  My passion is pushing myself to create programs and opportunities for both my athletes and family.  Because of my passion, I am able to do all the mundane and tedious things associated with building a business and a better life.  Early on I found it was pretty easy to make money but it was difficult only if I hated what I was doing to earn it.  If you have a passion, pursue it and the money will come.  If you are solely focused on the bottom dollar there is a good chance you will never be satisfied.  If you love what you do, the satisfaction falls in achieving your dreams and the payment is extra reward for doing the small stuff between the lines.
2. Dedication = If you dedicate yourself, you will get results.  Some people dedicate themselves to the buffet line and they get a bigger waistline.  Others dedicate themselves to healthy habits and feel great about themselves and a healthy lifestyle.  Regardless of what you choose to dedicate your time to, jump in with both feet and get immersed.  Many times I meet with young interns and athletes who are interested in so much but dedicate themselves to nothing.  Because of this, they always feel like something is missing.  They are correct that something is missing and the missing piece is dedication.  Once they commit and jump in, it is easy to stay motivated and see some results.  Once you gains some momentum, the sky is the limit.
3. Persistence = I learned that when I ran the ball in football, that three yards eventually becomes 10 yards, 10 yards becomes 30 and 30 yards becomes 60 and a TD.  By continually pressing the course and expecting some bumps has always been my approach to my business and training.  Many times this is a missing element in peak performance.  In academics we are taught to make the least amount of mistakes. From years of this type of thinking, we often become fearful of making mistakes.  While taking strides toward mastery, it is integral that we make mistakes and correct our paths.  When this occurs, the neural circuits become much stronger and the learning is richer.  When I would teach, I saw many able minded students avoid some excellent courses because they feared that a poor showing would impact their overall average.  I would think to myself what this person might do if they were faced with a huge opportunity in the “real world.”  Would they eagerly take it or would they doubt their ability and avoid it.  If they would have practiced persistency and pushed themselves when they were faced with a challenge, maybe they would be better off.  I know that this has been one of my strong points and also has been with many of my most successful athletes.  All of us have been knocked down in various ways and the winner has always found a way to “dig in” and keep pushing toward their goals.
4. Commitment = In today’s society it seems as if this word is a curse.  If you are joining a health club it is often stated that there is no “commitment” or when someone begins a program, they ask if they are able to cancel.  In my life I have always believed that if you aren’t committed you aren’t in the game and if you cancel, you quit!!!  All of us have self doubt, reservations, or hang ups.  That is part of being a human.  If you didn’t have these feelings, there would be no reason to push yourself to achieve anything.  The next time you feel yourself hesitating to commit, just say “F” it and do it!!!  The best way to cure apprehension is to commit yourself.  If everyone was always waiting for the perfect time to be a parent, to begin college, join an exercise class, or introduce themselves to a special someone, no one would get anything done.  Once you commit yourself, use number 2 and 3 to push yourself until completion.

Hopefully these tips that have helped me in my life reach a few of my goals can help you move closer to yours.  Remember that these are my opinions and by no means the only way to accomplish your goals.  Examine what you have used to accomplish your most memorable feats and use those as the template to create your future successes.  Tonight I’m jacked up to work with one of my favorite athletes that I have enjoyed following throughout his career.  It is exciting to see how he is able to use all the things he learned from everyone along his journey to pursue his future aspirations.  I know that tonight all the athletes in attendance will be very fortunate to have worked with such an accomplished, humble, and awesome person!!!

Have a great weekend and rip it up!!!

Coach Brader