RELENTLESS

Sports performance authority Grover argues that one of the main things holding people back is their inability to accept that they have “zero limitations.”

The old joke: A taxi driver, when asked, "Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” answers, "Practice." The new joke, as outlined here: How does one get to the World Series, the NBA finals or the Super Bowl? Be relentless. Though recently named the director of sports performance for USA basketball, Grover doesn't exactly make guarantees of Michael Jordan– or Kobe Bryant–level achievements. He has Bryant himself do that in the foreword: “If you took the guys who trained Secretariat and Man o’ War and combined them into one barbarian, that’s Tim training Michael and me.” As a trainer, the author has built a respectable career, honing the talents of Jordan, Bryant, Charles Barkley, Dwyane Wade, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and many other athletes who have gone on to perform at the highest levels of their respective sports. It’s unlikely that any of these world-class athletes would waste their time with an ineffectual trainer, so Grover’s understanding of what’s needed for particular athletes is likely a safe bet. There's immense value in the lesson that the greatest athletes got to their pedestals not only through astonishing innate talent, but also a willingness to put in the time needed to hone that talent. Young players who think they are above that effort could take some important lessons from Grover. Still, "be relentless" is as clean and direct as "practice," and the majority of this book, though inspiring in some ways, is just too riddled with clichés and cheerleading.

What is the counterargument against something so obvious and simplistic?