Dave Simon on Training the Mind and Body for a Long Pro Career
Sports and Coaching · From Student of the Game
Dave Simon on Training the Mind and Body for a Long Pro Career
Dave Simon and Brad Noll were teammates at IPFW, now Purdue Fort Wayne, back when conditioning meant a drill the team called the pain party. Partners ran timed sprints together, and if one finished early, the other got extra time. Brad was usually the guard paired with Dave, the big man, and he jokes that his job was saving Dave's legs for the game.
Dave grew up outside Chicago and was in Fort Wayne so his oldest son could attend a basketball camp. Since college, he has built a professional career of 18 seasons and counting. Brad, now heading into his 20th year in real estate, believes the lessons from a career that long apply to anyone who wants to be a pro at their work, whether they are an accountant, a banker, a salesperson, or an athlete.
From Volleyball Recruit to Big Man
Basketball was not Dave's first college sport. He was recruited to play volleyball and started at Loyola before deciding he wanted to get back to basketball, which led him to transfer to Fort Wayne. Brad remembers hearing a 6'10" center was coming and expecting another skinny big man. Instead, Dave showed up with great footwork and excellent hands, a big man who could pass.
The program was newly Division I and independent, so the team traveled west to play schools that paid them to visit. Brad still remembers a New Year's trip to Las Vegas where Dave had a breakout game against UNLV with his whole family in the stands. Dave was also a strong student, earning a 4.0 in chemistry for several semesters, a habit he credits to his mom.
“I always said when I don't want to get up and go lift on July 1st in the summer and do my workouts, that's when I know it's time for me to quit.”
Dave Simon
The Fundamentals: Mind and Body
Dave says most of what he knows about life came from sports: work ethic, preparation, and working on the fundamentals so the games feel easy. Brad adds that too many kids practice the flashy moves they see on TV before they master dribbling, passing, and shooting.
As a veteran, Dave starts with his body. "If I don't take care of my body, I can't do anything else," he says. Then comes the mind. His basketball IQ helps him cover the physical abilities he no longer has. His recovery routine is simple and consistent:
- Ice after every practice, even when nothing hurts, as prevention.
- Use hot tubs and cold tubs, and stretch before bed.
- Warm up properly before every practice, even short ones.
- Eat with care, because a veteran body does not burn calories like a college body.
- Treat recovery as just as important as getting shots up and lifting weights.
Brad sees the same arc in business. In his first years in real estate, he worked 80-hour weeks because he could. Today, with a family he wants to be present for, his business IQ lets him get more done in less time.
Working Smarter and Being Coachable
For about the first ten years of his career, Dave's routine was two hours of lifting, two hours on the court, and more basketball at night. With a wife and kids, he redesigned it. In the summer he lifts early, works out on the court for an hour, and is home before his kids are fully awake. He found trainers who keep things moving, so an hour and a half of focused work replaces two and a half hours of slower work.
The turning point came in college, when one of his coaches told him he was not working as hard as he thought. Dave was taken aback until the coach pulled up game film. "I bet you thought you were running really hard right here," the coach said, and Dave watched himself jog up the court. "There's two ways I can take it," Dave says. He could be upset, or he could accept the truth and get better. From then on, he asked himself whether he had a little more to give.
Brad connects that to goal setting. If you have big goals, you need big habits. People see the sale and the production and think real estate is easy, but the real question is what you are willing to do every day, and whether you will accept feedback. "If you're willing to be coached, now you can actually move mountains," Brad says.
Practice Around the World
Dave has been coached across the world and learned to adapt to each style. In the Philippines, practices were early because of the heat and the water breaks were relaxed. Serbian coaches are known for long, demanding practices, with ankles taped morning and afternoon. A coach in France was so precise he drew on the floor to show players exactly where to stand. In his rookie season, practices were so easy that Dave ran on his own afterward to stay in shape.
Through it all, his rule has stayed the same. "If I practice hard, then the games aren't as hard," he says. Around year 15, people started asking when he would be done. His answer was never about the games. It was about whether he still wanted to get up and do the summer workouts. Brad's version is waking up excited to reach out to past clients every day. He also warns business owners not to drop the fundamentals when sales are up, only to rush back to them when business slows.
What Does It Cost to Chase a Dream?
For Dave, the biggest sacrifice has been time with family. Early in his career, he spent most of the year overseas. Once his kids started school, he and his wife decided the family would stay rooted in the United States because basketball will end one day. FaceTime helps, a big change from the phone cards of his early years. He has also worked through seven or eight surgeries. Brad hopes listeners remember that every level of success comes with sacrifice.
Winning, Dave says, starts with providing for his family and seeing them happy. On the court, it means finishing a season healthy and leaving a team better than he found it. After basketball, he hopes to find a second career he loves just as much. He sends virtual flowers to his mom, to Brad's father for giving him a walk-on spot, and to the coaches who taught him footwork and told him the truth. He also highlights his foundation, which partnered with a former teammate to feed more than 500 families during COVID.
▶ Listen to the full episode
How to Be a Pro: Training the Mind and Body with Professional Athlete Dave Simon, on Student of the Game.
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