Competitive athletics has always had its performance combinations that separate the great athlete from the rest. Back in the day, football had its triple threat performers; run, pass and kick.

The great Sammy Baugh of Washington Redskin fame is an example. A tailback in the single wing offense at Texas Christian University, he ran, passed and did the punting. He may still be the best punter I have ever seen. Tom Harmon at the University of Michigan and Frank Gifford at USC and the New York Giants are other players who come to mind. In this era of specialization there may not be many triple threats at any level.

Baseball has had its œfive-tool players; run, hit for average, hit for power, throw and catch. The great Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Alex Rodriquez, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey, Jr and Alex Rodriguez are a few great players that come to mind.

I want to introduce or better yet distinguish a different combination that defines any athlete. This trio is called skill, talent and ability. They are very distinct in the way the impact performance.

Lets start with talent. TALENT I would define as what you were born with. I think of my granddaughter, Daisy who at 2 & ½ years old would run across the lawn and jump a foot and ½ above the grass. She was very athletic without any prior training or practice.

I am also reminded of Danny Manning, the great University of Kansas All-American. His Dad, Ed played for me with the Portland Trail Blazers. After a Blazer game you would see 4 year old Danny dribbling two balls simultaneously, up and down the court. Once again, he had innate talent. All of you probably have an example or two. Talent alone, however, will not win out.

SKILL comes from practicing the fundamentals of the chosen sport. It requires refining so as to be able to replicate the fundamentals on call. A personal example is the routine I had all through college. I did at least five days a week of shooting 1,000 shots per day in the summertime; basketball, not hockey.

There are successful athletes who do not have a ton of talent but that have honed their skills such that they could compete at a very high level. Golfers are many times characterized in that way. This is especially true with male golfers. Many of the women golfers on the LPGA tour were very good athletes in several sports and stuck with golf because they werent able find opportunities to continue play after college in their other sports.

ABILITY may be the deciding factor in how greatness is evaluated. Ability is delivering your skill and talent at the highest level regardless of the circumstances. Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees is known for making sensational plays in the World Series. Is it the play itself or the fact that his team is playing for all the marbles that made the play heroic? Jeter makes those same types of plays consistently through the season without nearly the same fanfare.

Ive coached a long time and if you have too, was there someone you have coached that had the talent and skill and, yet, could not deliver the expected performance? His or her ability was missing. There were also those athletes who had B grade skill and talent but A grade ability to deliver. You know, the ones in our œinfinite wisdom we called œover-achievers.

Do not believe what I say is true. Try it on. Find out what the person is thinking that interferes with the quality of the performance.

Get your copy of Coach Todds latest book œThe Art of Losing, Coaching Athletics and Thriving in a Made-for-TV World. On-line at lulu.com or Vervante.com