One of the earliest lessons I learned in competition was that no one came to our home field and defeated our team in front of our family and friends. It was always motivating to deny the visiting team victory on our turf. There’s something special about being the home team. Teams now have slogans like “Not in our house!” and “Not in our backyard!” There is a responsibility to secure and protect home-field advantage.

I once heard of a pitcher who was nervous about starting a play-off game. The position players were steering clear of him, and the pitching coach was at his wits end over the pitcher’s behavior. The head coach finally got wind of what was going on and marched down to the clubhouse to talk to the pitcher. He looked the pitcher in the eye and said, “Son, either change your behavior, or change out of your uniform!”

It’s called the “sweet spot.” Every batter in baseball knows where it is. They dream about the sound the bat makes when they find it. From 5-year-old T-ball players to 25-year-old Major League All-Stars, every one of them wants to find the sweet spot. But it’s not just for baseball. Have you ever seen the look on a basketball player’s face when they know their shot is going in? Watch highlights of Michael Jordan from back in the day or of LeBron James now, and you’ll see what I mean.

As athletes, most of us have experienced victory on the playing field, in the gym, on the road, etc., whether on a team or as an individual. Although we may not remember all the victories, we can probably recall how we felt during that time of victory. It was overwhelmingly satisfying, wasn’t it?

As athletes, most of us have also experienced defeat—maybe even more than victory. And just as we can remember the feelings of triumph, we also remember those of loss—the sadness, disappointment and remorse. Just plain defeated.

An imprint is permanent mark. It means to engrave, etch, impress or inscribe. I remember as an eight-year-old, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride my older brother's motorcycle. I wanted to show him how "big" I was, so I took off with reckless abandonment! Around 100 yards down the dirt road, my front tire hit a hole that I never saw. As I flew through the air, my life passed before my eyes. I landed in a ditch, and the motorcycle landed on my back! Ouch! Thankfully, as a result of being in the ditch, the only part of the motorcycle that was touching my back was the muffler. As the muffler burned through my shirt and my flesh, I experienced a world of hurt. My brother rescued me and I was forbidden to ride his bike again.

My brother, Stu, was a wrestler in high school. His junior year he won 14 and lost 10, which is not bad, but he wasn’t happy with the results. So, he decided to spend one summer at various camps to get better.

Stu knew one of his weaknesses was wrestling in the standing position. He was terrible at takedowns. When he went on the offensive, he usually ended up on the bottom. His defensive strategy usually yielded the same results. At the camps he worked hard to overcome these weaknesses. He sought good coaching, made tremendous efforts, and then implemented the new strategy. The next year Stu ended up with 24 wins and only six losses!

How does strength and flexibility training improve one’s game? In what ways is a team better because of that training?

Hebrews 12:12-13 states, “strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead.”

Certainly each player is able to compete at a higher level when he or she is stronger and more able to withstand injury. Thus, we hear the admonition to strengthen our “tired hands” and “weakened knees.”

A special tree grows each year in every sport. It’s called the coaching tree. Throughout the history of sports, wesee a list of coaches who have been trained by other great coaches, who, in turn, continue the legacy to form an incredible tree. Bob Knight, Pat Summitt, Knute Rockne, Tommy Lasorda—all have great coaching trees because at one time or another, they committed themselves to being taught and they gained the knowledge they needed to pass along to others. Basketball coach Dean Smith is an example. His coaching had many branches that stemmed out to high school, college, and professional ranks and included coaches who had been and still are following in his footsteps.

Sometimes I have this dream about a big game. I’m prepared, ready, yet something’s missing. It could be I forgot my shoes, have the wrong uniform, or something is preventing me from getting into the game. The familiar dream began after a career-ending injury. You never know what the next day may bring, so play each day for the Lord. Adversity comes in various ways. Injuries are an area most athletes have to deal with at one point or another. Many are lucky and with God’s help play through an injury. However, it is hard to suffer an injury that requires rehabilitation or may take us out for the season. Satan brings thoughts of, Why me? Why give me this talent and take it away? Thoughts of quitting creep in.