Develop Mental Toughness

Being Mentally-Tough is key if you are going to become the best at what you do. There are going to be days where you must keep going even though it may feel like everything is against you. Those who are mentally-tough will overcome these difficulties, and experience the rewards of pushing through.

Check out these 5 simple steps to help you develop mental-toughness from PGC Basketball.

Striving For Excellence

Coach CJ

www.chsmhouston.com
www.facebook.com/chsmhouston
@CJPomeroy1
@chsmhouston

Do you have courage?

2017 is upon us. New goals are being set as we go into the new year. Most of us know that the hard part is in obtaining the goal, and that is where courage comes in. We have to have courage to step outside of our comfort zone if we desire to achieve the goals placed in front of us this year, and grow to new heights.

Do you have the courage to do what it takes to reach your goals this year?

Finding the Courage to Grow

Reach Heights You Never Dreamed Possible!

On April 5th, 2016, the UCONN Huskies women's basketball team won their 4th straight national championship while winning their 75th game in a row. Their 3 senior starters were a perfect 24-0 in the 4 women's tournaments they participated in, and averaged more points per game than their opponents. So how do 3 incredible talents and Hall-of-Fame coach achieve unprecedented success? The answer is very simple. By committing themselves to excellence in their role, recognizing the end goal requires help, and being humble enough to serve each other in pursuit of that goal. That's called TEAMWORK.

The amount of character these girls had to have in order to win is more than we can ever imagine. They did make it look simple, but the truth is - SUCCESS IS SIMPLE. Failure is complicated.

The same is true in our walk with God. Success is reached when we keep your eyes on Christ in pursuit of His will for our life, recognizing that we can’t achieve anything of substance without His blessing and the help of others, a willingness to be broken down and corrected, and being humble enough to serve and sacrifice to help others in pursuit of their desires.

Commit yourself to excellence. Recognize that you cannot experience your dreams without the help of others. Be willing to be humbled, corrected, and selfless to help others in pursuit of their dreams. By doing so, we too can reach heights we never dreamed possible!

In Christ,
Coach CJ

President - CHSM

Website: www.chsmhouston.com
Twitter: @CJPOMEROY1 or @CHSMHOUSTON
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chsmhouston




Read about UCONN's 3 senior starters - Click Here!

Face Your Giant. Meet Your Giant. Defeat Your Giant.

When trying to reach the next level, in anything, one will encounter tougher experiences on the way. In a video game, you must defeat multiple levels of difficulty in order to beat the game. Life works the same way, and everybody is on a different level of the “game”. In order to level up, one must defeat their current level with enough “life” to help them beat the next level.

This is no different in sports. There are various levels, and while players are on a single team, the level of difficulty varies from player to player. In order to win the game, each player must conquer the level they are on and still come out of each game with life. This is what makes coaching so hard. It’s not just making sure to understand X’s & O’s, but to know how to help your team get through the difficult levels of the game with life. For this to work, each member of the team must be willing to face their giant. In 1 Samuel 17 we find the story of David & Goliath – a story every athlete has heard. However, most athletes understand the story to mean that the underdog can defeat the favorite. This is true, but most do not understand why David could defeat Goliath. Let’s look at some very important points to understand.

 1 – David had to submit to authority.

              1 Samuel 17:17-20 we find that David was commanded by his father to deliver food to his brothers. David would have never had the opportunity to defeat his giant if he did not submit to his father’s authority.

2 – David had to be passionate about the God he served, and why he served Him.

                Verses 23-26 tell us how David heard Goliath boastfully defy his God, and it stoked the passionate fire inside David’s heart to not let the enemy speak so defiantly against his God.

3 – David had to recognize the problem, and come up with a solution.

                It was one thing for David to tell his brothers how someone should stand up and fight Goliath, but it was completely different to have to tell the king that, essentially, everyone in the army was a wimp – including the king! David recognized that fear had paralyzed the Israelite army, and that for 40 days Goliath was winning the battle of the mind. This battle of the mind was the pre-cursor to the physical battle. The Philistines were trying to scare the Israelites into submission, and if they would not submit, then they would paralyze them with fear, thus making the physical battle an easier victory for them. David not only saw that, but he had to come up with the solution for overcoming the problem. (17:26-32) Overcoming the problem would only happen because….

4 – …David was prepared to overcome the problem.

                Saul asked David why he thought he could defeat the giant. I’m sure he wasn’t ready for the answer! 1 Samuel 17:33-37 tells us how the Lord had prepared David. God brought multiple difficulties into David’s life before Goliath. David, on his own as a shepherd, faced those difficulties and conquered them. Conquering those difficulties allowed David to “level up” in his faith towards God, and his courage.

5 – David took what he had, and he RAN towards his giant with confidence and God’s power.

                David declined the best armor in the army because he didn’t believe it was going to help him. Instead, he took his trusted slingshot and foot speed to battle. 1 Samuel 17:43-49 tells us how David went into battle knowing that God would not only give him strength to fight, but victory over the enemy. However, for David to be victorious, he had to RUN TOWARDS his giant (vs.48).

Parents, Players, and Coaches must do the same to face and defeat their giants. In order to defeat our giants, we must:

Submit to the authority of the coach/program,

Be passionate about the program,

Recognize problems and develop solutions,

Prepare ourselves mentally to overcome obstacles in our way,

Take what we have and RUN TOWARDS the giant – knowing that if we are in the Will of God, then nothing can stop us!

This week, let’s encourage our athletes to face their giants, develop a solution to overcome the giant, and then run with confidence to meet & defeat their giant. That’s how David slays Goliath!

Healthy Communication (it's more than words!)

The longer I watch and coach, the more I realize how important communication is. Communication is food. For a team to be healthy, then it must fed healthy food on a regular basis. This is done through healthy communication. However, communication is more than words, its also body language. Each player on the team is responsible for feeding each other healthy food – through words and body language

How many times have you seen a player make a mistake and then hang their head, or walk back on defense, or simply just get lazy? Unfortunately, these players don’t realize (or are too proud to admit) that they are feeding their teammates unhealthy food. I compare it to good milk and sour milk. If we continually feed our teammates good milk, then we will grow. If we continually feed our teammates sour milk then, eventually, players will get sick. The longer a team stays sick, the harder it will become to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

On a side note - when it pertains to body language, perception really does matter. You can be the nicest person in the world, and desire to never hurt anyone. That does not mean you are not feeding your teammates/athletes unhealthy food. You cannot add chocolate to sour milk and expect it to go down easy, or keep someone from getting sick. Perception is the palate with which people eat the food you have prepared for them. Is it clean or dirty? Perception is also how you’re coach views you. As the saying goes “Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear the words you’re saying.” The thought of “what’s in your heart is all that matters” is true. However, it includes your actions. The Bible says “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” In this case, your body language is non-verbal speaking to those around you. So take note, perception really does matter – regardless of what you think is in your heart.

However, it’s not teammates alone that feed each other, but its parents and coaches. Every time we react to something with a sour attitude, then we are feeding the players sour milk. Many times we don’t think that our words and actions have a great effect on the players, but it does.

Here’s my question to coaches, parents & athletes: What are you feeding your teammates/team? Is it healthy food, or is it something that will make your team sick?

Here’s my challenge: Consider, not only your words, but your body language. If you have been feeding sour milk, then change it. If you see someone feeding sour milk, then encourage them to make it good milk. When we start drinking good milk, then we will start growing. When we start growing, then we get closer to achieving the goals we have set out for ourselves!

Striving For Excellence

Coach CJ

1 Peter 2:1-2

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.
www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)
Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1)

www.facebook.com/chsmhouston

Keeping Your Team Strong (Part 1 of 3): Parents

Because parents, players, and coaches invest so much time, money, passion, & energy into athletics it’s easy for division to happen within teams and programs. All it takes is a persistent negative attitude, over-bearing parent, or a high-strung coach to cause fracture. It takes a team effort from your parents, players, and coaches to keep your team from falling apart during the battle of the season and it's imperative that excellent programs stay united.

So how do you keep your team strong and ready to compete in every game?

With help from your:

Parents

No doubt you are sacrificing a lot for your kids to play. A lot of times you expect a return on your money thru playing time. Much of the complaints that a coach receives is due to this one reason, and it can be a serious detriment to the team. If you really want to be about the team, then make it a rule – NO COMPLAINING ABOUT PLAYING TIME. A coach already has to deal with the inconsistencies of players during a game, player egos, and attitudes (all players have an attitude – it’s either helping the team, or hurting the team). The last thing a coach needs to be thinking about during the game is “will my parents be mad at me”. A coach cannot do his best if he always has to think about what parents think of him/her.

Now understand this, your son or daughter may deserve to play the most. They may be the best player on the team. Complaining to your coach about this though only causes a coach to take his mind off of the TEAM. You don’t know what a coach is already thinking about, or why he makes the certain decisions. However, you aren’t helping the TEAM by telling the coach how to do his job better. If it’s something that really needs to be addressed, then consider these things:

(1) Encourage your kids to overcome. Life is not fair. Teach your kids how to overcome the hard times now. This only prepares them for what they will face later in life. Whatever you do, don’t quit simply because they aren’t playing as much as you want. This example will teach your athlete to be loyal to the decisions they make.

(2) Set up a private meeting with the coach and ASK - not demand - what your athlete needs to do to EARN more playing time. Don't forget - other athletes may have worked just as hard as yours.

(3) Review how much work your athlete really is putting in. Are they making EVERY practice? Do they do specific workouts outside of practice? (FYI – playing ball at church or with your friends does not count). Are they obeying the coach’s instruction during practice & the games? Does your athlete carry themselves with a good attitude regardless of the circumstances? Are they on top of their schoolwork? If they aren't excelling at one of these items, then that could be what’s holding them back on the court.

We will do more for our teams, programs and players by teaching them how to get through obstacles, rather than away from obstacles. Stick to it – OVERCOME!

Coach CJ

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.

www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)

Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1)

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Live in the Present

It’s all too easy for us to think about our past.  We see pictures from friends, reminisce at family reunions, and tell our co-workers about what we used to do.  Sometimes, we just think about we want our future to be.  I am a dreamer, and I love to think about the future and what I want it to be.  I find myself thinking about my next step (that is still 10 steps away!), or what I want for my kids 5 years down the road.  As a matter of fact, I just recently found myself thinking about past friends in Colorado and new changes for the future, but then God began to speak to me.

Now don’t misunderstand – it’s not wrong to remember our past, or put together our future goals and bucket lists.  I wonder though, do we think about these things at the expense of the present?  As I pondered this thought, the Lord started to bring a few things to my mind:

Longing to live in the past. 

All too often we step outside and smell something that reminds us of where we used to live, or we go on vacation and remember how nice it was to be closer to family, or see old friends and wish it could be “just as it used to be”.  It’s not abnormal for us to have these thoughts, nor is it wrong.  However, sometimes, I think we let these thoughts hang around so long that we begin to desire the past, instead of being grateful for where God has put us in the present.  So much so, that at times we fail to see the incredible things happening right in front of us.  Our kids making new friends and building life-long relationships, or the blessings of God in our home, or the fact that someone was moved toward God because we allowed Him to use us.  When we fail to see what’s happening right now in our lives because we are looking behind us, then we end up sacrificing our present for the past.

Desiring to skip forward to our future. 

This is something I struggle with a lot.  I have such BIG visions and lofty plans and I just want God to put them all in order right now!   Sometimes it might be in regards to a job situation, or maybe we want a new house, or we want the kids to hurry up and grow up so we don’t have change their diapers, spoon feed them, or get up with them in the middle of the night.  It's not uncommon to have these thoughts.  We want to pay the house off, get rid of the car loan, or just get away!  There’s no problem with those things – it’s natural.  You should want to get rid of your debt, and if your job situation isn't healthy for you or your family, then you should want to move.  We just can’t let these things worry us and neglect to take care of the here and now.  When we do let these thoughts dominate our thinking, we usually find that our attitude goes south.  When the attitude goes south, then usually our relationships, work, and family life go the same direction.

So how do we fix this!?!?

Be grateful for where you are. 

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Your current circumstances may not be what you want them to be, or what you think they should be, but it is what it is.  God has known all along that you would be where you are today – He is not surprised!  Instead of asking the Lord to move you, or give you a new job, or resolve your financial woes – try thanking Him for his goodness and grace to you.  The will of God is to praise Him in everything we do, and everywhere you are.  If you find that difficult to do, then instead of asking God to change your circumstances, ask Him to change you and to help you realize His awesomeness around you.

Understand that God holds the future.

In Jeremiah 29:11 we find these awesome words of hope, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  This great verse constantly reminds me that God has a plan for my future!  As long as I honor Him in all that I say and do, and obey Him when He speaks to me, then I will have a life of peace.  I may go through trials and tribulations, but because my hope is in Him, I am assured that His peace will be with me (Phil. 4:7).

It’s OK to think about our past, and sometimes it’s necessary to look at our future.  We just can’t let those thoughts dominate our mind and rob us of the present.

God has a great plan for us right now, and we don’t want to miss it!

Coach CJ

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.

www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)

Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1

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Enjoying the 2013 NCHBC!

It’s finally here – the National Homeschool Basketball Championships of 2013!  There are 35 states that have homeschool sports – the NCHC will have 25 of those states represented at this years tournament in Springfield, MO!  For 21 years the NCHC has given homeschool athletes a chance to compete against each other in one city, for 1 week, to claim the crown of “Undisputed Homeschool Champion”!  

This tournament has also provided athletes with a chance to prove their talent on the biggest stage in front college coaches and scouts – a chance they rarely get during their season.  The list of athletes who have played in front of college coaches and scouts is quite long, and with the advancement of social media and addition media coverage during the NCHBC 2013, the list will only get longer.

As a 10 year veteran of the NCHC, I have come up with a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” to help athletes, parents, and coaches enjoy their week and continue to help make this the biggest homeschool sporting event in the country!  This is by no means a requirement - just some helpful advice :-)

o   PLAYERS

§  Do

·         Drink LOT’S of Water/fluids

·         Eat Healthy

·         Support other teams in your programs

·         Meet players from other programs in other states

·         Hang out with your teammates and family as much as possible

·         Watch the great teams play

·         Be crazy awesome when watching teams in your programs play

·         Reflect Christ in all you say & do

§  Don't

·         Stay up late/get up late

·         Be a recluse (get out with your teammates/family)

·         Eat junk food

·         Play dumb practical jokes or pranks

·         Try to dunk if you really can’t dunk

·         Get mad at referees, other players, teams, or fans

·         Anything that could disqualify you from participating

·         Say things on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other Social Media sites that scouts can use to cross you off their list

o   PARENTS

§  Do

·         Encourage your athletes to watch/support other teams in your program as much as possible

·         Check the brackets ALL THE TIME

·         Know where the gyms are and get there as early as possible for games your athletes play in

·         Be crazy awesome when watching teams in your programs play

·         Hang out with other families in your program as much as possible

·         Use creative chants to support your team

·         Reflect Christ in all you say & do

§  Don't

·         Let your athletes stay up late/get up late

·         Be late to games

·         Assume anything

·         Badger referees, other players, other teams, other coaches, or other fans

·         Use chants that are discouraging or degrade other teams

o   COACHES

§  Do

·         Check your bracket often

·         Know what games you need to be at and what time you need to be there

·         Carry extra uniforms with you

·         Have all of your parent/players phone numbers

·         Go through your entire NCHC coaches packet

·         Communicate the essentials to your parents/players early and often

·         Meet the NCHC Staff

·         Reflect Christ in all you say & do

§  Don't

·         Assume Anything

·         Expect Tournament Staff to answer your question as soon as you ask it

·         Allow your players/fans to taunt other teams – especially if you are winning big

·         Forget your scorebook

·         Allow frustration to take away from your players experience

All of these items are crucial to making sure your week is the best that it can possibly be, both for your team and your programs.  Greater excitement leads to greater atmospheres, which lead to great games, which lead people to your programs, and scouts to your players!

Do these things and you will have the best sporting event of your life!

See you in Springfield!

Coach CJ

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.

www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)

Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1)

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