Up Your Game ... By Playing with the Right People

I went to my 7th grade niece's volleyball game yesterday. As the season is winding to a close, it's hard to not compare those first games to these last few.

Two months ago, none of the kids knew much about anything. Today, there's a marked difference between the "A" team and the "B" team. A few kids have shifted between the two ranks, but not many.

The A team works together better. They seem to understand the rules more. Nearly all serve overhand. They seem to be a bit more naturally athletically inclined. Maybe more notably, their talents are more evenly matched. In other words, there isn't a great deal of difference between the best player on that squad and the worst.

The B team is a different story. They don't work together that well most of the time. They don't seem to understand the rules. Some are not so obviously athletic. They almost wholly serve underhand and even those rarely go over the net. Lastly, I think there's a bigger difference between the best players and the worst.

Now, some of the difference between the two teams is coaching and time spent with each group. And I empathize with the coach. It's very difficult to be one person, trying to advance the kids that are ready and teach fundamentals to those that find it all a bit harder to grasp.

What I notice more, however, is there there are a couple of kids on that B team that could really benefit from playing with the kids on the A team. Kids with glimpses of potential that could learn from and grow with exposure to a higher level of play. They're eager, hustling, proud when they get something right.

With a little encouragement and opportunity ... and a lot of hard work ... a few B team girls could really help the A team someday.

It all got me thinking about working out.

And I'm convinced it works the same way.

You rise to the level of your competition. You improve based on your surroundings. You blossom with the right support and encouragement.

In short, you do better when those around you are "better" than you.

Think that high-intensity workout your friend does is too much for you? Maybe it is today. But if you stick in a class that has gotten to be routine and sort of easy, you'll never progress.

Think that running partner who is content to run the same speed, distance,time you've been running for a year is going to help you run faster, farther longer? She's not. You'll both keep going at the same pace you've been going.

You get better by challenging yourself. By getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself a little harder. Will you be able to keep up on the first day? Probably not. But that's not your goal. Your goal is to get better than you were, not to keep up with someone else's plan.

There's a woman in my RIPPED class who is an Energizer Bunny. She goes above and beyond on nearly every section. Today we were side-by-side on the dance floor that is our workout room at the country club. She took off, adding extra things into a routine we've been doing for weeks.

And, unbeknownst to her, she pushed me. If she can do it, I'll be damned if I'm not going to at least try to do it.

I tried. I didn't keep up to her. But I did more than I normally do.

And I'm glad she was there.