I chuckle every time I see this quote by Notre Dame coaching legend Frank Leahy. He was the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1941 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1953. He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to serving in the US Navy during WWII.

He compiled an insane record during his 11 years as Notre Dame’s head coach. His teams were unbeaten for 6 seasons, won 4 national championships, shared a 5th, and had 4 Heisman Trophy winners. Lastly, Notre Dame did not lose a game from 1946 to 1949, one of the greatest feats in college football history. He also has the second-highest winning percentage in college football history, behind Knute Rockne, also of Notre Dame.

So, what was Frank Leahy’s secret sauce?

As with any great coach, player or practitioner in virtually any sport or endeavour, and as you might guess, he was a hardcore believer in practice. Specifically, intense, hard-hitting football practices with plenty of scrimmages (simulated football games).

Players who played for him described his practices as extremely physical and hard-hitting, often producing the best-conditioned college football team in the country. But Leahy was also a stickler for details and fundamentals. Not surprisingly, like most great coaches, he believed in endless repetition to achieve flawless execution. According to legend, his quarterbacks would practice catching snaps until their hands bled.

He once held a brutal practice on Good Friday. As the players trudged back to the locker, one jokingly said to a teammate, “Now, I know how Jesus Christ felt 1,941 years ago.“

Other great coaches have similar practice philosophies. Take Pat Summitt, the legendary women’s basketball coach at Tennessee. She was known to set up trash barrels around the basketball court in case her players needed to vomit from sheer exhaustion during practice. No wonder why she won 8 National Championships. Like Leahy, she was an extremely demanding coach.

You can see where I’m going with this.

Greatness often comes from passion and practice.

Hell, Jimi Hendrix is known to have obsessively practiced 8 to 12 hours a day.

And so it is with martial arts.

Too often have I seen folks who express a desire to be excellent and yet do only the minimum to achieve minimum proficiency.

Greatness does not come from the McDonald’s drive-through approach or using AI Chatbots to find homework answers. No way, Jose.

One of my private clients was an elite gymnast who competed internationally. He has described to me his training on an elite level. On the wall of his gymnastics facility is a wooden plaque entitled “Death Circuit.” On that plaque is the routine for the “Death Circuit” workout. According to my client, this workout is a three hour workout, with 5 minute breaks for each hour. He told me that the “Death Circuit” workouts elevated his skill level, enabling him to compete internationally.

Talk about hard-core practice!

Now, I recognize that the discussion above applies to competitive sports and, in the eyes of some, not necessarily to the pursuit of non-competitive physical endeavors.

I don’t think there is any difference. If you want to excel in something, whether it be in competitive field or in a non-competitive endeavor, you still have to train and practice.

I don’t train Modern Arnis for competition but for the love of it, self defense and personal development. My desire to excel has been present from the beginning and has yet to die down. So I train and practice whenever I can!

I’ve often implored students and others to undertake solo training to supplement their once-weekly class or private lesson. “Dude, spend 10 minutes per day doing this move.” Unfortunately, they do not follow through.

How do I know? I often ask them. To their credit, many are honest when they answer “No, I haven’t been practicing on my own at home.” One kid was mortified when I said, “I can tell you’re not practicing.” In any case, I am secretly thrilled when a student has been consistently practicing on their own.

In any case, while I chuckle at Frank Leahy’s practice quote, it conveys the message that greatness or mastery comes through relentless practice.

Greatness does not come from wishing; it only comes from practice.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment and I’ll respond!