FAA

I own all opinions in this blog. It is not an official publication of the City of Melrose, the School Department, Melrose High School, or the Athletic Department. 

In his MasterClass on Investigative Journalism, Bob Woodward shares the acronym FAA, FOCUS ACT AGGRESSIVELY. Amidst adversity, that has special meaning. 

Athletic contests are the sum of the parts, the individual plays, routine or exceptional. The ability to focus on each individual play defines the sum. 

FOCUS. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski preaches, NEXT PLAY. Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival, says BE HERE NOW. Others say, "play in the moment." Mickey Mantle struck out over 1700 times, but when he wasn't striking out, he played at a Hall of Fame level. 

ACT. There's a saying about too much thinking making slow feet. CARE. Concentration, as Coach Ralph Labella preached regularly, leads to anticipation, reaction, and execution. 

AGGRESSIVELY. In most sports and many games, see the aggressor to spot success. The ability to dominate the 'middle of the action' gets expressed as "strength up the middle" in baseball, "control the paint" in basketball, own the "line of scrimmage" in football, and even "superior position" in chess. Establishing control on the court begins with an attacking mindset.

FAA. Focus, act aggressively. 

Many of you who played basketball for me remember this: