On October 29, 1941 the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, visited Harrow School. He stood before the student body and concluded his life changing speech with the following words.
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in…”
This weekend I watched an overmatched volleyball team get spanked in the first two games. They were half a step behind. Out of position on every block. And late on every spike.
Before the 3rd game the coaches had a long meeting away from the players. And the players had a long meeting away from the coaches.
I watched each meeting closely. With about 40 seconds remaining before the start of the 3rd game, the two meetings joined into one.
Immediately there was a tremendous SHIFT in the energy on the court.
I looked at my wife with a big smile and said, “They are gonna come back and win.”
She wasn’t so sure. Who could blame her? After what we just watched the odds were probably a 1000 to 1 they were going to comeback.
Yet, there was a different team on the court. No they didn’t bring in the JV. It was just the mental attitude had shifted.
Game 3 started with a 3-0 run for our team. Then there was an exchange of points and finally the underdogs (our team) put the game away.
Game 4 was almost identical to game 3. Towards the middle of Game 4 the crowd started to take notice and get into the game. And the team began feeding off the crowd. They closed out the game with a 3-0 run. There we were tied 2 games a piece.
Before Game 5 another long meeting took place. And again I sensed an energy shift. This time the opponent’s energy had changed. They started out 3-0. Our team was behind and the crowd was deflated.
But the players and coaches didn’t let up. You could see in their eyes, their posture, and their attitude that it wasn’t over until the fat lady sings.
They never panicked. They never gave in!
Point by point each player did their job. They made sure they played the game until the final whistle blew. And when it was all over they pulled out an amazing come from behind victory!
It was amazing to experience.
Their victory was a testament to the power of a strong vision, a passion to play each and every point, and a deep desire to “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in…”
I hope you enjoyed this story and you use this lesson to build yourself a big, powerful goal that you want to achieve.
Best,
Coach Nolan
PS If you are ever looking for a fast and effective way to develop the mental toughness and physical skills to be an Elite Soccer star… I strongly urge you to check out my Gold Medal Training Program. It’s packed with the tools and techniques that will build a desire to “Never Give In” and catapult your game to the next level. nberentis@gmail.com
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