The good thing about injuries...

The good thing about injuries is that they slow you down. That's what Gus the athletic trainer tells Martin the running back in Jon Gordon's book Training Camp. It is an important perspective that I find rings very true.

Gus' point is that an injury slows a player down mentally which can really be a good thing. I completely agree!

Sometimes the injury is long-term and sometimes it is short term. In both cases slowing down has a massive upside that I think is valuable to share with our athletes.

On a number of occasions I've had players arrive their freshmen year still recovering from an injury. It forced them to redshirt. I can list player after player who redshirted their freshman year due to an injury and went on to have amazing college career's. Slowing down their freshman year helped them with the transition to college academically, athletically and personally.

The same is true of long-term injuries at other points in a player's career. Slowing down can foster greater appreciation for the opportunity and allow growth in other areas. I absolutely love my 5th-year seniors. They typically have the best seasons of their careers. Why? Because they were able to slow-down at some point during their athletic experience.

Right now I have a few players going through some short-term injuries. An ankle sprain will certainly slow you down. But that's ok. You can narrow your focus to your upper body. Or grow as a leader. Perhaps learn your position better by watching what's happening at training and games. There is something about an injury that makes it easier to hear what the coach is saying.

My advice is embrace the opportunity to slow down and make the most of the experience.