NBA All-Star and D1 Owner and Ambassador Chris Paul Talks Consistency, Motivation, and Longevity

“It’s different when you walk into a D1 and you see someone being pushed, who is really, REALLY going after it. That matters.”
- Chris Paul on MOTIVATION

Chris Paul is a 10x NBA All-Star and has spent nineteen years in the league, currently playing with the Golden State Warriors. Throughout his career he has also been a D1 Training trained athlete, Division I collegiate athlete, and D1 Training Ambassador and owner. During a recent conversation with D1 Training Founder and CEO, Will Bartholomew, Paul spoke about the important role coaches play in the lives of athletes over time, how consistency breeds longevity, and about the fulfillment that comes with being invested in D1.

“I will never forget the very first day I set foot in that gym,” he said about visiting a new D1 location. Laughing, he joked, “I was like, I’m done, I’m ready to retire.” Obviously, to the relief of his fans, Paul did not retire from the NBA. He continues to play ball, but he is passionate about helping kids in sports; teaching young athletes the correct way to train. His involvement in D1 Training has given him an opportunity to do that.

“It’s important to start introducing the right moves to kids because habits are everything. If you’re a kid and you learn to move the right way, you’ll move the right way as an adult. I’m a big advocate for kids,” Paul said.
At D1 Training, it doesn’t matter which sport or training program student athletes are on, they’re going to learn the best, safest way to train on the turf and in the weight room, from coaches who are experts in their field. Paul says he is a product of all his coaches.

“Coaches are everything,” he said. D1 Training Coaches are thoroughly vetted and certified, experienced teachers for young players who come to D1 to train. “It’s being mindful of how to lift,” Paul says. “It’s very important at this age that these kids start developing the right movement patterns so they’re not going out for all these sports and being injured.”

In addition to the movement, the environment of a workout space makes a difference. There are words written on the walls of every D1 Training facility. Words like respect, confidence, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Paul says those are the kinds of reminders, when you look up and read them in between sets, that can make all the difference, and that he still lives by some of the character-building principles taught to him by coaches early in his career.
Then there is the vibe on the field and in the weight room, where it’s all about the push.

Paul says motivation plays a key role in proper training. “I don’t care what kind of athlete you are, when you train, you still want to be motivated. That’s what you get at D1 training with other athletes. They may be in a totally different program. They could be tennis players. They could be soccer players. But on those days, they give you a little push.”

At D1 Training, both in the training programs and in the business operations, it’s consistency and processes that are the differentiator.
“I pride myself on consistency, doing the work. Consistency over years,” Paul said. “There’s a lot to be said for that.” As an older player in the league, now playing against athletes nearly two decades younger, taking care of his own body means training consistently, even in the off-season.
The same is true for business. “D1 has been around for twenty years,” he said. “There’s something to that.”

D1 Training is the Place for the Athlete, specializing in Division one-type training for anyone with a fitness goal, from age 7 and up. Click here to learn more about how you or your kids can benefit from the prescription-based training programs at D1 Training.