Have any of you read TB 12 Method by Tom Brady? My biggest takeaways, after reading his new book, we’re not about his method, training or body work. It was the mindset he possessed, to perform his best, year in and year out in the NFL. Fan or not, during his career, he won five Super Bowls, and played in eight. That’s more than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL. He also performed better in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL. It wasn’t due to his athleticism or even his ability to pass the ball. Sure, he was efficient at passing the football—but in both High School and College, he simply did not stand out. He was a back up throughout most of his career—having to work extremely hard for playing time at both levels. This experience forced him to focus on the small details that could improve his performance. Even after his third Super Bowl, Tom was still motivated to continue to improve on the little things that his competition was not willing to do. He reminds me of how obsessive Michael Jordan was, while he was playing. I’d argue that Michael was more athletic—but it was because of their mindset, that they both reached the highest level of their sport year in and year out.
The next thing that stood out to me, was how seriously Brady takes his sleep, hydration and nutrition. He insists on sleeping nine hours a night, which several studies show improve performance up to 10%. He evens wears special clothing to help in his recovery while he sleeps. Next is his hydration, which was not so surprising to me because I have heard it before but the degree to which he executes it, is impressive. Tom drinks half of his body weight in ounces of water per day—but when he works out, he increases the amount and adds electrolytes. The same follows for his nutrition, in that his diet consists of mostly plant based, organic, whole foods. By doing all these things, he consistently lowers his risk of injury by almost 80%.
Brady also touches on how he puts in four hours of physical work per day. He works out, throws the football to receivers, and fits in some body work each day. He then incorporates other exercises to improve his performance—from brain and auditory exercises, to improving reaction speed and being able to diagnose situations faster. There is simply no substitute for hard work. Not only does he execute on the small things like sleep, hydration and nutrition—but he also out works his competition. Nothing gets in the way of him getting his daily workout routine in, to keep him at the top of his game. Despite being married to an internationally famous model, and being invited to A-list events, he kindly declines more than 95% of the invitations, as they’d otherwise interfere with his routine. This is a prime example of how once we get into a routine that produces the results we want—it’s vital that we do everything in our power to protect it.
While I was reading this book, I could not help but admire the level of mental toughness, dedication and discipline that Brady has. He does whatever it takes, to perform at his best. The majority of his competition is not willing to do so. Why not, when there are championships and millions of dollars on the line? The reason is that there’s something deep inside of him that drives all of this. He wants to be the best to ever play. His struggles in High School and College, showed him that he had to do these little things, to even compete. The failures he experienced, were actually blessings. It’s highly probable, that had it all come to him easily—starting in College, getting drafted into the NFL and starting—he wouldn’t have developed the tenacity to stress about the small stuff. He would have rested on his talents and abilities alone, and we’d never see the greatness we are privileged to watch now, while he plays. Are you willing to do whatever it takes? If so, contact us now!
Sincerely,
Donny Mateaki
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