It is amazing in over 20 years of coaching, a lot can be said for kids who are willing to not take shortcuts. I think it is human nature to try and cheat and be easy on ourselves, but we are only cheating our own self in these situations.
By not touching end lines when running, by going through the motions when working on fundamentals you can see if someone can be trusted in tough situations. I don't know how much I trust kids who only show up for the games and go through the motions in practice. I don't care if they have the talent of Allen Iverson, they have a responsibility to do what is asked.
Pre-season conditioning is one of the things I have always disliked as a player, but even as a coach. However, it is a necessary evil if you want to be in shape to compete at a high level. You can tell by how quickly a player sits down, bends over at the knees or complains loudly how mentally tough they are. Mental toughness is sometimes natural for some guys, but for many (including myself) it has be taught or learned.
If you sit and watch players work, practice, or compete at anything, you can tell a lot from their body language and how often they talk to the coach or officials. I can guarantee you that coaches and officials make mistakes, but they and us are not wrong every....single....time. Some players put forth an exterior that makes it look like they are a victim all the time.
Now with all I have written being said that players who are not willing to work extremely hard in practice are not successful isn't necessarily always true. There are those rare ocassions when players can go through the motions in practice and be successful in games, but just imagine what they could accomplish if they didn't act like their time was being wasted.
