13 Things an Athlete Will Learn from Tim Grover’s ‘Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable’
Tim Grover builds NBA legends. Among his clients are three of the best basketball players to ever set foot on the court—Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
Over the past eight years, STACK has had the opportunity to work with Grover on many projects, so we know firsthand how influential he is within the world of basketball performance training.
I recall watching Grover take Dwyane Wade through a grueling on-court drill session and weight room workout in 2009. As I stood courtside at Grover’s facility, ATTACK Athletics, I was amazed at the interaction, or lack thereof, between the two men. The entire extent of their communication consisted of a few quick glances, subtle gestures and single-word commands. Nevertheless, Wade knew exactly what to do during every second of his highly programmed workout. I quickly realized that these guys were operating on a completely different level, one that clearly works for Grover and his superstar clients.
Based on that experience and other interactions with Grover, I considered his newly released book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, a must-read.
Throughout Relentless, Grover calls upon his decades of experience working with the world’s most elite athletes to dissect what it takes not just to succeed, but to be the absolute best. He relates previously untold stories about his time with MJ, Kobe and Wade to drive home his points and explain how these legends were able to harness their “raw animal instinct.”
Relentless sets forth Grover’s belief that there are three types of competitors—Coolers, Closers and Cleaners, “whose competitive focus and passion are, respectively, good, great and unstoppable.” Cleaners are defined as the most intense and driven competitors imaginable. According to Grover, a Cleaner’s attitude can be summed up in the three words, “I own this.”
Grover provides a list of traits that define a Cleaner and challenges readers to use it to determine their level of competitiveness and focus. He discusses a total of thirteen traits to remind us that there is no such thing as luck. “There are circumstances and outcomes, and you can control both if you desire,” he writes.
He labels each trait as #1, because on his list, everything is equally important. Nothing should be skipped or glossed over.
Here are Grover’s “Relentless 13” traits that define a Cleaner:
When You’re a Cleaner…
#1. You keep pushing yourself harder when everyone else has had enough.
#1. When you’re in the Zone, you shut out everything and control the uncontrollable.
#1. You know exactly who you are.
#1. You have a dark side that refuses to be taught to be good.
#1. You’re not intimidated by pressure, you thrive on it.
#1. When everyone is hitting the “In Case of Emergency” button, they’re all looking for you.
#1. You don’t compete with anyone, you find your opponent’s weakness and you attack.
#1. You make decisions, not suggestions; you know the answer while everyone is still asking questions.
#1. You don’t have to love the work, but you’re addicted to the results.
#1. You’d rather be feared than liked.
#1. You trust very few people, and those you trust better never let you down.
#1. You don’t recognize failure; you know there’s more than one way to get what you want.
#1. You don’t celebrate your achievements because you always want more.
Each chapter of Relentless dives into one of these traits with in-depth detail and captivating anecdotes that highlight the trait in action through one of Grover’s legendary clients. Over the course of the book, these stories help Grover create a step-by-step outline of what it takes to be your best on and off the court.
Kobe Bryant penned the Foreword for the book, closing with an endorsement and a heavy dose of praise for Grover and Relentless: “This book is the blueprint for discovering what you’re capable of achieving, getting results you never imagined, and reaching the highest level of success.”
If you’re ready to find out what you’re capable of, I recommend heading over to Amazon to get your copy of Relentless.
More With Tim Grover:
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13 Things an Athlete Will Learn from Tim Grover’s ‘Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable’
Tim Grover builds NBA legends. Among his clients are three of the best basketball players to ever set foot on the court—Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
Over the past eight years, STACK has had the opportunity to work with Grover on many projects, so we know firsthand how influential he is within the world of basketball performance training.
I recall watching Grover take Dwyane Wade through a grueling on-court drill session and weight room workout in 2009. As I stood courtside at Grover’s facility, ATTACK Athletics, I was amazed at the interaction, or lack thereof, between the two men. The entire extent of their communication consisted of a few quick glances, subtle gestures and single-word commands. Nevertheless, Wade knew exactly what to do during every second of his highly programmed workout. I quickly realized that these guys were operating on a completely different level, one that clearly works for Grover and his superstar clients.
Based on that experience and other interactions with Grover, I considered his newly released book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, a must-read.
Throughout Relentless, Grover calls upon his decades of experience working with the world’s most elite athletes to dissect what it takes not just to succeed, but to be the absolute best. He relates previously untold stories about his time with MJ, Kobe and Wade to drive home his points and explain how these legends were able to harness their “raw animal instinct.”
Relentless sets forth Grover’s belief that there are three types of competitors—Coolers, Closers and Cleaners, “whose competitive focus and passion are, respectively, good, great and unstoppable.” Cleaners are defined as the most intense and driven competitors imaginable. According to Grover, a Cleaner’s attitude can be summed up in the three words, “I own this.”
Grover provides a list of traits that define a Cleaner and challenges readers to use it to determine their level of competitiveness and focus. He discusses a total of thirteen traits to remind us that there is no such thing as luck. “There are circumstances and outcomes, and you can control both if you desire,” he writes.
He labels each trait as #1, because on his list, everything is equally important. Nothing should be skipped or glossed over.
Here are Grover’s “Relentless 13” traits that define a Cleaner:
When You’re a Cleaner…
#1. You keep pushing yourself harder when everyone else has had enough.
#1. When you’re in the Zone, you shut out everything and control the uncontrollable.
#1. You know exactly who you are.
#1. You have a dark side that refuses to be taught to be good.
#1. You’re not intimidated by pressure, you thrive on it.
#1. When everyone is hitting the “In Case of Emergency” button, they’re all looking for you.
#1. You don’t compete with anyone, you find your opponent’s weakness and you attack.
#1. You make decisions, not suggestions; you know the answer while everyone is still asking questions.
#1. You don’t have to love the work, but you’re addicted to the results.
#1. You’d rather be feared than liked.
#1. You trust very few people, and those you trust better never let you down.
#1. You don’t recognize failure; you know there’s more than one way to get what you want.
#1. You don’t celebrate your achievements because you always want more.
Each chapter of Relentless dives into one of these traits with in-depth detail and captivating anecdotes that highlight the trait in action through one of Grover’s legendary clients. Over the course of the book, these stories help Grover create a step-by-step outline of what it takes to be your best on and off the court.
Kobe Bryant penned the Foreword for the book, closing with an endorsement and a heavy dose of praise for Grover and Relentless: “This book is the blueprint for discovering what you’re capable of achieving, getting results you never imagined, and reaching the highest level of success.”
If you’re ready to find out what you’re capable of, I recommend heading over to Amazon to get your copy of Relentless.
More With Tim Grover: