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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Basketball: Implicit Bias

We don't know what we don't know. But worse, what we know can be wrong

From the Perception Institute:

We are what we do. We are our attitudes, choices, and effort. We are often unaware why we make our choices. 

Harvard University has an ongoing project to measure and help us understand our implicit biases

Keep asking questions, keep digging; seek understanding. Kevin Eastman wrote in Why the Best Are the Best, that review of a Celtics-Lakers playoff game revealed that the Celtics gave away 32 points through defensive errors. And they were an elite defense. Reduce mistakes. 

Many of us keep notecards, spreadsheets, and notebooks of information, drills, plays. Have we reviewed, edited, and revised them lately? Medicine has a saying about treatments - never be the first to adopt or the last to throw away. "Kill your darlings." The better drill replaces the older one. 

Lagniappe: 

How good is our process? Professor Michael Roberto shares from Building a Healthy Board of Directors culture. Replace Board of Directors with PRACTICE. I've edited one section as an example:

Agenda Construction. Include a clear description and purpose of each segment. Allot time proportionate to importance. Practice begins with items that require immediate action. Devote the next block of time to learning and refining critical strategies from the intermediate-to-longer term. The coach prepares with specifics to address those needs.

Vital themes for us this season include:
- Understand our and opponents' intent. Execute ours; limit theirs.
- Apply and defeat pressure.
- Win individual offensive and defensive battles. Technique beats tactics.
- Improve player and ball movement to get easier shots.

Prioritize these areas in practice. 
- Improve defensive communication.