Every coach in America is looking for a possible edge that can lead to a few more wins. That's where Michigan Director of Performance Science Dr. Fergus Connolly comes in.
Connolly first joined Jim Harbaugh's staff with the San Francisco 49ers back in 2014, with the title of Director of Elite Performance. His job under Harbaugh, both at Michigan now and in San Francisco then, is to use his knowledge of sports science and the inner workings of athletes and the mind of players and coaches to help win more games.
Tomorrow, Connolly's book Game Changer hits shelves, and from everything I've been able to gather on the book, it's something that coaches are going to want to get their hands on. It's aimed at coaches of team sports, and Connolly describes it in a Q&A session with Complementary Training as, "something for the next generation to help refocus on how to win, not cryotherapy, GPS or a gadget of some kind." It also includes visual gems like this.
To give a peek into the type of stuff in Connolly's book, he shares the three secrets to winning in that Q&A session.
"There are three secrets to winning. The Triple H rule. Honesty, Hard work and Humility. If those three are in your team, you won’t have any frustrations. You need to have a group of people who are not afraid to tell the truth, so they need to be able to take constrictive criticism and move on fast. Hard work is essential as no one gets anything done without that. And finally, humility is essential to avoiding complacency and the arrogance that trips up people who lose perspective, or get a small bit of success."
Connolly's message isn't for guys who think cryotherapy, GPS units, or the latest tech fad are the answer to more wins.
"The irony is that the NFL or NBA teams that invest the most in tech are the ones who win the least games. Seriously, you win 1 game last year and blow 15 games and you invest in cryotherapy, blue lights or eccentric flywheel technology – you really think that’s your problem?"
Head here to read the full Q&A, including a whole lot more on Connolly inspiration for the book, and his background, and add Game Changer to you reading list ASAP.