I was so dedicated to perfecting my skills that when Mom came in to kiss me good night, without fail I was lying in bed shooting the ball to the ceiling. As Mom said good night, she would tuck the ball under my arm, as some mothers would a child's Teddy Bear, then turn out the light. Sleep didn't come easily because my mind constantly churned new ideas regarding the ball-handling and dribbling drills my dad had taught me that day. The second ingredient is dedication. You gotta do it.
Dedication is what separates the common from the champion.
Determination Our final ingredient is determination. This is the need to stick with it because a champion will always have hurdles to overcome. The true test of a champion is how they respond to setbacks, whether it be injury, defeat, or personal tragedy. One athlete you may remember from the 1992 Summer Olympics was swimmer, Pablo Morales. His was an incredible story of determination.