Happy Friday! I hope you’re gearing up for a great hockey weekend — let’s get into this week’s Playbook.
One thing I like to do on a regular basis is read or watch whatever content I can find, straight from the horse’s mouth. The best players and/or coaches in all sports (when they are talking about their own experiences) are always fascinating to me, and of course we can all learn a lot — then apply it to our own situations.
In Tom Brady’s very insightful newsletter 199 this week, he broke down what he considers excellence in any endeavor (not just NFL football) to be, and I loved his framework.
So today, I’m going to summarize that and apply it to the sport we all care about — (field) hockey 😉
When you watch or play against top players — in hockey, golf, football, or any sport — it’s easy to think excellence is something they’ve always had.
But that is almost never the case. There is usually a progression, and it’s not a smooth one.
Then you move up to the next stage, and the cycle starts over…
What this progression illustrates is that excellence isn’t a moment. It’s what happens when consistency compounds and you are determined enough to keep going every time you are challenged and find yourself back at Step 1.
A very important idea to keep returning to in your playing career is that excellence is not perfection.
But it is doing more things right than wrong — consistently.
And not on a 50:50 basis. It’s not one good moment followed by one poor one. It’s closer to 85:15.
What does having a good game mean? It’s a phrase bandied about all the time.
“He had a good game.”
“She played well today.”
It’s a subjective opinion, of course, as all sport analysis is. But when I think about an excellent game, it’s performing your role on the field well 8 or 9 times out of 10.
That means:
Are you setting yourself these kinds of targets when you think about your game?
If you do, and you hit those targets, the game starts to look different. You will make better decisions more often.
Your execution holds up under pressure, and your impact on games will grow and grow.
A friend of mine, Jerome Dekeyser, played in two Olympics for Belgium. He told me that for the 2008 Beijing Games he set himself a target for the entire tournament.
In an Olympics, you’ll play between 5–7 games. His goal was to mis-trap the ball no more than five times in the entire tournament — just five. He wanted to ensure his teammates could trust him with the ball.
In that tournament, he ended up mis-trapping the ball three times.
That is excellence.
It’s not a talent issue. It’s not because they’re not capable.
It’s because they fall into a very common pattern:
One good day.
One off day.
One good play.
One bad play.
One training session where standards slip.
Over time, that averages out. And average doesn’t move you forward.
There is a common phrase in sports analysis right now — “moments players.” Players capable of outstanding moments of quality and incredible skill. But you only see this in flashes, not consistently.
The concerning part is that some people are convincing themselves this is enough — that if you have enough “moments players” in a team, someone will eventually produce a bit of magic to win you the game.
This might happen occasionally — sport can be random at times. But this is no way to win matches consistently.
“Moments players” prove they have talent, but not consistent application — which, by the definitions we are discussing here, is the opposite of excellence.
The best players don’t avoid mistakes. They avoid drift.
They set themselves demanding targets every day and don’t let standards drop.
They are not resetting every session. They are building and progressing.
This shows up across all areas of your game:
Most real progress happens just outside your comfort zone.
It’s the process of trying something new → getting it wrong → adjusting → and trying again.
That process is uncomfortable — but it’s also where the learning is.
Players who improve quickly don’t avoid this. They search for it and spend time in it.
Excellence isn’t something you arrive at. It’s something you build — day by day, decision by decision.
Not by being perfect, but by being consistent enough, for long enough, that your level starts to rise.
Don’t be a “moments player.” Strive for excellence.
Hi Adam,
It’s working!!!! Thanks for doing what you do. To Ross, too. Our girls are beginning to really apply their skills to the game & it was really evident this weekend. Everyone comments on their skills and I tell them it happens thanks to Leap & in our basement or messy toy room.
Just so grateful for this service that Leap provides as it makes field hockey much more fun for them!!