Pat Connaughton Is Putting the Chip On His Shoulder to Good Use
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Perhaps you've heard the old saying about "having a chip on your shoulder." Have you ever thought about what it means? The cliche is said to be rooted in the arguably good ol' days when disputes were often solved by the means of physical combat. In a dispute between two parties, one of them would put a small piece of wood on their shoulder and the other party would then knock that wood off signalling that they were ready for combat. From there, a physical confrontation would ensue, with the winner and their respective viewpoint being the one that prevailed.
In today's day and age, having a chip on your shoulder can sometimes be thought of as a negative aspect of someone's character. When someone says so and so has a chip on their shoulder, it typically means that they are looking for a fight or argument, sometimes with little or no provacation.
In the video below, the NBA's Pat Connaughton shares the story of how having a chip on your shoulder can actually help you become a better athlete and who knows maybe a better person. Check out the video below!
Pat Connaughton developed his chip early on as a youth playing basketball and simply wanting to jump higher. When he asked his father for advice, there was no trick or tip that was going to make it happen. The answer was simple. Wear a weighted vest and practice jumping repeatedly.
As Pat describes in the video, many youngsters and peers want to be stars, but very few have the drive and work ethic to achieve the goals they say they want. For Pat Connaughton, the formula was simple. He embraced the chip on his shoulder that was there to remind him that he couldn't jump as high as he wanted. He put on the weighted vest and found a ledge at his home and practiced jumping. Over and over. For nearly 3 years, Pat would practice wearing this vest until he was able to dunk the ball.
This early success for help set a course for Pat Connaughton's philosophy and work ethic that would allow him to be a three-sport athlete in high school. Through constant practice and hard work, he would catch the eye of Major League Baseball teams such as the San Diego Padres who would ultimately draft him before his high school career was completed. He would forego the Major Leagues to attend Notre Dame to play both baseball and basketball and continue to develop as an athlete and person.
"You're only as strong as your greatest weakness." Pat Connaughton
Let's face it, as human beings we want to take the easier road. Relying on our strengths is an easier and much more pleasurable way to get through life (at least on the surface and for the short term.) For Pat Connaughton, who says in the video that he always felt that he was flying under the radar, the chip on his shoulder helped make sure that continued to work hard on things like his conditioning and his basketball skill development.
It is this chip on the shoulder and work ethic that has continued to drive the success of Pat Connaughton as an NBA athlete with the Milwaukee Bucks and his development as a person helping his communities and those who helped him in his development. Long after his NBA career is over, you can be certain that the chip developed and honed as a young kid jumping repeatedly wearing a weighted vest will continue to drive Pat Connaughton to undreamed as of yet successes.
Pat Connaughton has joined Effective Basketball to share the exact game plan to improving your vertical leap. Why not let the guy who studied and continues to study the science of developing your full jumping potential? This series is going to shorten your learning curve, unless you want to spend the next 3+ years wearing the weighted vest. You can get your copy here or at the Buy Now Link below.
