Don't give me 100%

You've probably heard it 1,000 times before.

A coach wants you to give your best effort. So what does he do? He says he wants you to give him "110 percent."

Not much has changed in my mind since I heard a coach use this line the very first time. In fact, I'm still trying to wrap my noggin around exactly what 110 percent would look like - or feel like.

After all, if everyone uses about 10 percent of his potential mind power, then why would I need 100 percent - much less 110 percent - in order to win? Seems to me if I was able to give 11% of my mind's power instead of 10%, I might move to the head of the pack.

Moreover, a one percent bump in performance is much easier to see and feel than 110. Former NBA coach Pat Riley figured this out long ago, when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers. After the team had already snagged a title, he re-motivated them by getting every single player to commit to a 1% improvement in rebounding, shooting, assists, free throws and so on.

This 1% commitment led to some staggering results. Some players, just by being able to see themselves giving 1% more, ended up doing 20% or more better than the year previous.

In Taoist internal martial arts, the focus is NEVER on giving 100% of your very best. Why? Because when you try to give 100%, you add unnecessary tension to the equation - and this tension never results in increased performance.

The other night I was warming my son, Frank, up in the bullpen prior to a Little League scrimmage. Unlike other days, he was way off in this throws. The balls were flying a couple feet over my head. Or wide right - or wide left.

I walked up to him and increased the depth of his inhale and exhale. Why? Because he was hardly breathing at all. And if someone isn't breathing with each pitch, guess what's he holding onto?

TENSION.

Just by getting him to relax via a good inhale and exhale, his aim improved 100 percent.

But then I added some other internal martial arts knowledge to his pitching. I gave him a specific percentage of his maximum I wanted him to be using when he throws. I based this number upon what I know will give him maximum velocity and control.

I can assure you the percentage I gave him was NOT 100 percent - much less the highly-touted "110 percent."

Guess what happened?

He started throwing perfect strikes to me. And they were stinging my hand. Let me tell you, when a 10-year old throws hard enough to sting your hand, he's got some ooomph.

When Frank took the mound a few minutes later, he looked great. One bullet after another. Three up three down.

Every pitcher has good days and bad days. It's rare that one who is doing poorly can be turned around on the same day. Yet, that's what happened with my son the other night.

It's a natural and typical occurrence with the kids I work with.

Last night I worked with a few of the other pitchers - all of whom are beginners. None of these kids could throw a perfect strike.

But after a few minutes of changing the mental pictures of what they're doing - they were tossing strikes.

Each kid went home believing in himself a little more than when he started out. And this belief will result in improved performance, not just in practice - but in the games as well.

Ridding your body of tension is key to superior performance. It's key to getting the most out of life.

It's key to turning wild pitches into perfect strikes.

Believe me, success isn't about giving 100 percent or 110 percent. It's about learning to get more out of yourself while feeling like you're doing less.

It's being in a relaxed-ready state that allows for maximum output.

Tension interferes with output. It creates physical, mental and spiritual resistance.

You're much better off with ZERO RESISTANCE .

Zero Interference from your mind-body.

By Matt Furey