This man is helping K-State football with inspiring words ... and a sledgehammer
Make room for a sledgehammer.
It looks like Kansas State football players will have a new toy to carry onto the field before games next season, and maybe some new swagger to go along with it.
Both are gifts from Ben Newman, a motivational speaker/performance coach who has worked with North Dakota State, Alabama and the Miami Dolphins. He is now sharing his methods with the Wildcats.
You may have seen his first interaction with the K-State football team about three weeks ago. He spoke to the entire roster of players and gave them a stirring speech about hard work and unity. He told everyone in the room to be ready to “pound the stone,” a catchphrase he borrowed from author Joshua Medcalf that’s meant to encourage relentless effort even when immediate results aren’t showing.
He brandished a sledgehammer to accentuate his point.
“I promise,” Newman told them, “if you show up every single day and you choose to be relentless and you choose to pound the stone, this is going to be one hell of a story.”
K-State shared a clip of the video, and it has been viewed about 70,000 times.
Players reacted to it positively, as well. When Newman finished his speech, they took the sledgehammer and decided to make it their own. Team leaders brainstormed five key words to etch on its side that would help inspire them as they embark on their first season under new coach Chris Klieman. They agreed “family” should go first.
“The players loved it,” Newman said in a phone interview. “They embraced it and took the sledgehammer from me when I was done. They said, ‘We are taking this to practice. We are taking this to games. Is there a place to hang this in the locker room?’ To rally around something where there is this visualization that we are all doing this together, all of our hands are on this sledgehammer pounding the stone every day, gives us a really strong foundation to build on.”
Indeed, it seems like K-State football players were more motivated than usual for the start of winter workouts. Newman’s “pound the stone” philosophy suggests a good weight-lifting session now can mean as much as a touchdown pass on game day, at least in the grand scheme of things. They are taking that to heart.
But these new ideas that revolve around a sledgehammer raise one big question:
Who is Ben Newman?
For K-State football purposes, he is a special consultant based out of St. Louis that combines sports psychology, training and coaching in a way that helps players maximize their potential. But he also works with businesses outside of sports, including Microsoft, Wells Fargo and Quicken Loans.
One day, he speaks to a crowded auditorium of businessmen. The next he responds to texts from football players hoping to get locked in before a practice or game.
“What I typically do is hit the heart at a very deep level with players,” Newman said. “I try to understand how they are hardwired so I can encourage them to think bigger about what they can accomplish together and then build strong relationships. As a performance coach, you have to be ready for anything. The work defines itself over time.”
Newman has spent a lot of time around Klieman. They are close friends.
They first joined forces when Klieman was coaching at North Dakota State. Newman wasn’t sure what help he could provide to the Bison, given their history of winning national championships, when Klieman called four years ago. But he gave it a try when Klieman refused to take no for an answer.
“I love that man,” Newman said of Klieman. “Coach Klieman is a special guy, and he cares so deeply for his players. But he’s always looking for an edge. I told him, ‘I think you’ve got this thing figured out. You don’t need me.’ But he said he’s always looking for ways to get better and that his teams can’t ever get content. He wants to improve every single day.”
Newman worked with North Dakota State for the next four seasons and the Bison won three national championships. It was during that time that Newman came up with the phrase that has become Klieman’s battle cry: win the dang day.
As word of his success spread, Alabama coach Nick Saban asked him to speak with his players last season and the Miami Dolphins invited him to work with their rookies.
He has built relationships with countless players and coaches along the way. He says he is already getting text messages from K-State players asking for advice before workouts, and he’s doing his best to help get them in the ideal state of mind.
“Some guys just need a little extra fire,” Newman said. “Everything else is already inside.”
His future correspondence with the K-State football team is to be determined, but Newman plans on returning to Manhattan for the spring game in April and hopes to be on the sideline for a few games next fall.
The better he gets to know K-State players, the better he can help them on Saturdays.
Last year, Newman had the unique opportunity to take part in the FCS championship game with North Dakota State and then the FBS championship game with Alabama. In time, he hopes to share a similar experience with K-State players and their new sledgehammer.
“If this team embraces and continues to build on the family foundation that existed decades before we ever got on this campus there are going to be some special things that happen,” Newman said. “I can’t give you a timeline, but I think K-State fans are going to realize something special is being built every single day. And they are going to see some special energy on the field, guys fighting for each other like they never have before. The rest is going to take care of itself.”
