“But the gym has to be a place of humility. It’s our classroom. If you come in there with ego, you won’t learn. If you come in there with stardom on your shoulder, you’ll be afraid to make a mistake. If you come in there carrying too much pride, you won’t acknowledge your weaknesses and work on them. That’s why I prefer to keep the gym closed to visitors; I want your focus and your intensity, with no thought about how anything looks or what anyone else thinks.”
~ Idan Ravin from The Hoops Whisperer
Idan Ravin is an awesome, fascinating human being.
Imagine the kind of background required to become the.best.trainer in the NBA—the guy who the absolute best players in the world work with to get even better.
LeBron James. Chris Paul. Kevin Durant. Steph Curry. Dwight Howard. James Harden.
You have a sense of what kind of trainer would be lucky enough and good enough to work with that group? Must have been a top player or a sports psychologist or a fill-in-the-blank-basketball-guy, right?
Forget all that.
Idan LOVED basketball and worked *ridiculously* hard as a kid but he was the son of Jewish immigrants who didn’t believe in sports and he never got the chance to shine while playing at a super conservative + super small private Jewish school.
After failing to walk on at the University of Maryland he kept on training (like crazy awesome training) while playing pick up ball as he made his way through law school and an uninspiring legal career. He never let go of his dream to be involved in basketball at the highest levels.
As a young lawyer, Idan coached a kid’s basketball team which led to training an elite player which led to more opportunities. Long story short, over a number of years, he got REALLY REALLY REALLY good at helping his players get a lot better.
His personal journey is incredibly inspiring as are his stories about the athletes he trains. Their work ethic and commitment to greatness is mindbogglingly awesome.
If you’re into sports + self-development + the pursuit of being the best you can possibly be, I think you’ll *love* the book. It’s really well-written and super inspiring. (Get a copy here.)
For now, I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!
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