From the Mike Leach autobiography co-written with Bruce Feldman:
...I told the team how similar football teams are to pirate crews, guys of all kinds of ethnicities coming from all corners of society, serving a gamut of roles onboard. I explained how the pirates viewed their swords the same way football players viewed their bodies.
"They took great pride in their swords, sharpening them just like players do their bodies by lifting the weights and doing all the drills we do," I said.
The players said nothing.
I swung this long sword through the air in front of them.
"Your body is your sword. Are you going to swing your sword aggressively, but really out of control like you're out there playing street ball?" I said as I began to haphazardly swing the sword around.
"If you're frantic, without being clear-minded, you put yourself into a vulnerable position. Are you going to duck your head and swing it timidly? Or are you going to have great technique and swing it without hesitation?"
Some of 'em nodded their heads. Some laughed watching me flail around with the sword. Some couldn't wait till I stopped talking just so they could come up and touch the sword. But the point was made. We were pirates, and the next time we went into battle, our swords would be ready. "Swing Your Sword" became a battle cry for us.
Go out there today and Swing Your Sword!
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