Belief: Most programs fail because athletes do not believe in it. They feel that something else will work better. The same is true with strength and conditioning programs. If an athlete does not believe in the program, they will not be motivated to put full intensity into their workout.

Resolve: To have resolve, you must first develop a mission of what you want to achieve. It is based on correct principles that are fundamental guidelines of how you conduct and govern yourself. Resolve entails the process of preparation and properly conditioning yourself. The process incorporates objectives, procedures, timetables, daily practices and work out schedules.

Discipline: Discipline means following through on your commitment to the mission and plan. Discipline is doing the right thing at the right time.

Courage: Courage enables one to face a difficult situation or problem head on. You must do what you believe is right and not give in to what is the popular view of others.

Perseverance: Often success does not go to the swiftest, but rather the one who is the most persistent and determined.

Unity: Unity is putting your teammates first and yourself second. The success of the team depends on you doing your part. Each athlete has a role to play that contributes to the overall success of the team. A team that has good unity, has synergism. Synergism means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Performance builds on the character foundation with the conditioning level. In order to have a complete conditioning program, you must include the following: lifting, running, stretching, proper nutrition and ample rest. The proper application of specific exercises and drills is crucial to maximize effectiveness of your conditioning program. This enables you to achieve your potential as an athlete. Regardless of an athlete's natural abilities of speed and strength, they can become better through a good conditioning program.

Lifting: The basis of a sport conditioning program is strength training. It includes the use of barbells, dumbbells and exercise machines. The purpose of strength training is not to look like a bodybuilder or to become brute strong like a power lifter, but to become a better athlete. To become a better athlete, you must become powerful and improve your agility.

Running: A running program should be in accordance to the demands of the sport. Basically, a football player needs to be able to change directions, start, stop and jump. Therefore, acceleration, agility and plyometric drills are incorporated into your running program. The practice of building an aerobic base for power sports is no longer necessary. Scientific research has proven that it is counterproductive to development of explosive, powerful muscle contractions. The running program must include short distances with maximum intensity efforts followed by complete recovery.

Stretching: Mobility drills or functional stretching drills that take the joints of the body through full ranges while doing functional movements.

Nutrition: Having enough energy to work out and practice is a primary concern of any athlete who wants to become a better athlete. Usually a decrease in performance can be traced to improper nutrition. Therefore, what you eat determines how you supply energy to the body before workouts and practices. After your workout or practice, you want to replenish all the nutrients that you have utilized to speed up recovery.

Rest: The body cannot recover between workouts without enough rest. Eventually, if you do not get enough rest, it will lead to overtraining, injuries and not attaining your goals. Getting enough rest should be high on your priority list, especially during periods of physical and mental stress. Athletes play with controlled speed, where acceleration, agility and power are the main factors.

Speed: Speed is the amount of time it takes to cover a certain distance from point A to point B. The primary concern of every coach and athlete is to develop the maximum amount of speed possible. Often times, coaches take the wrong approach to speed development. They train their athletes as if they were sprinters, focusing on straight ahead running instead of agility.

Agility: Agility is the ability to change directions quickly while maintaining good balance. Regardless of what sport you play, being able to change directions and accelerate is a primary aspect.

Power: Power refers to an athlete�s ability to apply maximum force in the shortest period of time possible. Skills are most effective when they are executed with as much power as possible. Some skills require a higher degree of speed, while other skills require a higher level of strength. Both speed and strength should be developed to the highest degree possible.

Endurance: Endurance is the ability to sustain maximum power on each play for the entire game. Coaches become concerned with the athlete's endurance levels and sometimes the wrong approach is taken. Some coaches require their athletes to run long distances to build stamina. Power sports are played in short intervals of high intense activity and with rest interval between.

How well you play in a game depends on how well you practice. The game is simply executing what you have practiced during the week. Imagine never practicing and just showing up and playing in a game. The chances of winning would be pretty slim. The three elements covered in practice are: mental aspects, techniques and strategies.

Mental: Each time a team takes the field, they must have no doubt in their minds that they are going to win the game. This confidence comes from feeling in your heart that you have been well-prepared, having mentally conditioned yourself to give 100% on each and every play and knowing that you are a better conditioned team than your opponent.

Technique: Every great coach is a firm believer in fundamentals. Technique is the medium through which power is expressed. The better the technique an athlete has, the more power he can generate when executing a skill. Conversely, if an athlete does not have the ability to effectively generate power, his technique will be limited. You cannot have one without the other. A great athlete has the ability to generate high power and express it effectively through good technique.

Strategy: Strategy is a general game plan based on the team's offensive and defensive philosophies. The philosophies are determined by the head coach and the type of athletes on the team. Plays are then devised to take advantage of the team's strengths. Then you determine the opponent's weaknesses and attack them with your strengths.

How an individual plays in a game situation is dependent on certain factors that cannot be objectively measured with a stop watch or tape measure. They are the intangibles that separate who plays well in the game and who does not.

Skill: Athletic abilities are the underlying parameters of being a skillful athlete. Learning techniques through practice, combined with athletic ability enhances an athlete's skill level. A coach is not concerned with how fast or powerful an athlete is, but how fast and powerful he plays. Body control, hand-eye coordination, concentration, timing and reactions are some of the intangibles that cannot always be coached. Either you are born with these abilities or you are not.

Effort: Success is not measured in terms of wins, but in terms of your consistent effort. Effort comes from your heart, giving 100% on each and every play. You never save yourself for later in the game. Take one play at a time. When things do not go your way, you never ever give up. You compete with all you have.

Make the Play: The apex of athletic performance is the ability to make the play. It is the culmination of an athlete�s character, conditioning, athletic ability, practice habits, skill level and effort. If you cannot make the play, your future in athletics is not promising.