SE: Walker Helping Young Athletes with the Mental Side of the Game
Oct 08, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Reggie Walker summarizes his journey in 13 words: "Ex-NFL Linebacker and Captain; Mental, Physical and Sexual Abuse Survivor and Survivor Advocate." That's what Walker wants you to know on his Twitter bio. Unabashed, he opens his door and lets you into his world. Today, the former Kansas State linebacker impressively offers assistance to athletes at all levels — youth, high school, college and NFL — in his new book "The Game Within The Game — Master Yourself, Win The Game."
"The Game Within The Game" contains 122 captivating pages and virtually covers the gamut of issues athletes can face while pursuing their dreams on the playing field. In short, it's a manual for mental training that can benefit athletes, particularly those at the college level and in professional sports, while dealing with coaches, players, and unexpected situations — basically experiences personal to him, and experiences that he discovered several other players grappled with during their college and NFL careers.
"I want athletes at all levels to understand how far they get will be determined on how well they're able to focus," Walker says. "Focus on the right things using the right energy to do the right things. Use you focus and know why you're doing what you're doing. Always know the 'why,' because everything you do is going to be extremely hard. There's a reason why very few people play college football or go to the NFL and that's because it's tough. It's very hard.
"There are a lot of great things within that environment but there are negative aspects as well. You must deal with it and have your 'why' ready and available. Your 'why' is essentially going to be your energy you're going to need to get from point A to Z in whatever you do. You must know why you're doing what you're doing. That's the difference between a player in high school who wasn't successful in college, and a college player who didn't make it in the NFL. You must know why you're doing all the work necessary to get to that point. If your reason isn't big enough, you're not going to succeed. Your 'why' must be big, strong and thought out."
Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Walker grew up in Missouri before moving to Sacramento, California, just prior to high school. Walker started three years at Grant High School and was one of the top linebackers in the state of California. However, during his time growing up in Missouri, Walker says he fell in love with K-State football and head coach Bill Snyder. Although Walker had offers from many Pac-10 schools along with Big 12 Conference powerhouses Nebraska and Colorado, he signed with K-State, and emerged as a defensive leader in a career that spanned 2005-2008.
Walker signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and remained through the 2013 preseason, when he agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers and played there during the 2013-14 seasons. Then Walker signed with the Denver Broncos in 2015 and retired prior to the season after spending six years in the NFL.
"Coach Snyder had a huge impact on my values," Walker says. "One of the main lessons that I learned under Coach Snyder was there's no need to take the easy way out. You don't need to lie, cheat, steal or manipulate anyone. All you need to do is put your head down and work at it, chip away at it day in and day out, and you can get what you want. You don't need to step on anyone. It doesn't pay off for you to step on anyone. It doesn't pay for you to use some of these means to get what you want. You can treat people right and get everything that you want out of life.
"That became a very important lesson and base for my understanding going forward. I'm glad that I went to the NFL with positive values and understanding under Coach because it allowed me to create valuable relationships. I'm proud of my NFL career because I know that I worked for everything, and I did things the right way. I take a lot of pride in that. Coach Snyder helped me to understand that."
Unfortunately, not every athlete has a Coach Snyder in their life. Walker saw that in the NFL. Shortly after Walker's retirement, he sat down in his Denver home and locked himself away for three years while writing the book. Worn out from the project, he let the completed book marinate for three more years before re-reading it this past April. Former teammate David Carter read the book and said, "This book is something I wish I would've had." Carter teamed with Walker and together they've spent the past 11 months connecting with industry leaders.
Walker wasn't finished. He developed a six-week program based off his book, which ended up in the hands of many people, including renown expert Dr. Julie Ducharme. In a span of three days, "The Game Within The Game" hit No. 1 on new releases on Amazon, and Ducharme helped Walker to accredit his spinoff course from the book. The "Game Within The Game" course was accepted and accredited as a university course at The Knowledge and Innovation Center in partnership with Forbes School of Business and Technology. The plan is for students to earn college credits for taking the course in campuses across the country.
Walker, who lives in Kansas City with wife Chelsea and children Kennedy, Charlotte and Louis, appreciates audience that the book has attracted, and he continues to seek out avenues to share his knowledge.
"Growing up, you go to school and are involved with all these sports, and don't have time to really think," Walker says. "Then you go to college and then the NFL, so I never had time to be with myself and ask myself deeper questions and dive into who I am. A big reason why I wrote this book is because a lot of these questions you can answer when you're younger, and it's best to start asking yourself these questions when you're young because you need time to formulate some of these answers.
"I kept thinking if I just had this person who experienced college and experienced the NFL who taught the principles of this manual to me in a way I could listen and hear it, I would've definitely had an advantage. I'm glad I know these things now because — football to me, it was everything. I'm excited for the possibilities of what I can create knowing that I'm equipped with lots of experience and tools to make an incredible life for others. I'm excited for that."
On Wednesday, Walker helped launch a podcast called "The Game Within The Game — The Reggie Walker Podcast," with co-host Marty Wolner, a certified and licensed stress and trauma educator at SportsBrainCoach.com. The podcast allows Walker the opportunity to peel back the layers of his own mental health issues due to concussions and trauma while pursuing his goal to compete in the ultra-competitive environment of college and NFL football.
"Reggie Walker is an amazing person," Wolner says. "He has inspired many with his story of resilience and healing. His new book encourages and inspires young athletes struggling with mental health issues with actionable strategies and mental training to survive and thrive with a robust mental toughness."
The next step? Walker aspires to help NFL rookies when teams hold their individual rookie transition programs for drafted and undrafted players.
"The NFL is one job, but it's an all-encompassing job. It's your life," Walker says. "I've spoken with the NFL about some things. I definitely want these NFL guys to know what's going on. I believe I'll be able to speak to them sooner or later."
Reggie Walker summarizes his journey in 13 words: "Ex-NFL Linebacker and Captain; Mental, Physical and Sexual Abuse Survivor and Survivor Advocate." That's what Walker wants you to know on his Twitter bio. Unabashed, he opens his door and lets you into his world. Today, the former Kansas State linebacker impressively offers assistance to athletes at all levels — youth, high school, college and NFL — in his new book "The Game Within The Game — Master Yourself, Win The Game."
"The Game Within The Game" contains 122 captivating pages and virtually covers the gamut of issues athletes can face while pursuing their dreams on the playing field. In short, it's a manual for mental training that can benefit athletes, particularly those at the college level and in professional sports, while dealing with coaches, players, and unexpected situations — basically experiences personal to him, and experiences that he discovered several other players grappled with during their college and NFL careers.
"I want athletes at all levels to understand how far they get will be determined on how well they're able to focus," Walker says. "Focus on the right things using the right energy to do the right things. Use you focus and know why you're doing what you're doing. Always know the 'why,' because everything you do is going to be extremely hard. There's a reason why very few people play college football or go to the NFL and that's because it's tough. It's very hard.
"There are a lot of great things within that environment but there are negative aspects as well. You must deal with it and have your 'why' ready and available. Your 'why' is essentially going to be your energy you're going to need to get from point A to Z in whatever you do. You must know why you're doing what you're doing. That's the difference between a player in high school who wasn't successful in college, and a college player who didn't make it in the NFL. You must know why you're doing all the work necessary to get to that point. If your reason isn't big enough, you're not going to succeed. Your 'why' must be big, strong and thought out."
Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Walker grew up in Missouri before moving to Sacramento, California, just prior to high school. Walker started three years at Grant High School and was one of the top linebackers in the state of California. However, during his time growing up in Missouri, Walker says he fell in love with K-State football and head coach Bill Snyder. Although Walker had offers from many Pac-10 schools along with Big 12 Conference powerhouses Nebraska and Colorado, he signed with K-State, and emerged as a defensive leader in a career that spanned 2005-2008.
Walker signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and remained through the 2013 preseason, when he agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers and played there during the 2013-14 seasons. Then Walker signed with the Denver Broncos in 2015 and retired prior to the season after spending six years in the NFL.
"Coach Snyder had a huge impact on my values," Walker says. "One of the main lessons that I learned under Coach Snyder was there's no need to take the easy way out. You don't need to lie, cheat, steal or manipulate anyone. All you need to do is put your head down and work at it, chip away at it day in and day out, and you can get what you want. You don't need to step on anyone. It doesn't pay off for you to step on anyone. It doesn't pay for you to use some of these means to get what you want. You can treat people right and get everything that you want out of life.
"That became a very important lesson and base for my understanding going forward. I'm glad that I went to the NFL with positive values and understanding under Coach because it allowed me to create valuable relationships. I'm proud of my NFL career because I know that I worked for everything, and I did things the right way. I take a lot of pride in that. Coach Snyder helped me to understand that."
Unfortunately, not every athlete has a Coach Snyder in their life. Walker saw that in the NFL. Shortly after Walker's retirement, he sat down in his Denver home and locked himself away for three years while writing the book. Worn out from the project, he let the completed book marinate for three more years before re-reading it this past April. Former teammate David Carter read the book and said, "This book is something I wish I would've had." Carter teamed with Walker and together they've spent the past 11 months connecting with industry leaders.
Walker wasn't finished. He developed a six-week program based off his book, which ended up in the hands of many people, including renown expert Dr. Julie Ducharme. In a span of three days, "The Game Within The Game" hit No. 1 on new releases on Amazon, and Ducharme helped Walker to accredit his spinoff course from the book. The "Game Within The Game" course was accepted and accredited as a university course at The Knowledge and Innovation Center in partnership with Forbes School of Business and Technology. The plan is for students to earn college credits for taking the course in campuses across the country.
Walker, who lives in Kansas City with wife Chelsea and children Kennedy, Charlotte and Louis, appreciates audience that the book has attracted, and he continues to seek out avenues to share his knowledge.
"Growing up, you go to school and are involved with all these sports, and don't have time to really think," Walker says. "Then you go to college and then the NFL, so I never had time to be with myself and ask myself deeper questions and dive into who I am. A big reason why I wrote this book is because a lot of these questions you can answer when you're younger, and it's best to start asking yourself these questions when you're young because you need time to formulate some of these answers.
"I kept thinking if I just had this person who experienced college and experienced the NFL who taught the principles of this manual to me in a way I could listen and hear it, I would've definitely had an advantage. I'm glad I know these things now because — football to me, it was everything. I'm excited for the possibilities of what I can create knowing that I'm equipped with lots of experience and tools to make an incredible life for others. I'm excited for that."
On Wednesday, Walker helped launch a podcast called "The Game Within The Game — The Reggie Walker Podcast," with co-host Marty Wolner, a certified and licensed stress and trauma educator at SportsBrainCoach.com. The podcast allows Walker the opportunity to peel back the layers of his own mental health issues due to concussions and trauma while pursuing his goal to compete in the ultra-competitive environment of college and NFL football.
"Reggie Walker is an amazing person," Wolner says. "He has inspired many with his story of resilience and healing. His new book encourages and inspires young athletes struggling with mental health issues with actionable strategies and mental training to survive and thrive with a robust mental toughness."
The next step? Walker aspires to help NFL rookies when teams hold their individual rookie transition programs for drafted and undrafted players.
"The NFL is one job, but it's an all-encompassing job. It's your life," Walker says. "I've spoken with the NFL about some things. I definitely want these NFL guys to know what's going on. I believe I'll be able to speak to them sooner or later."
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