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Friday, January 15, 2021

Catching Up: Ten Lessons from Recent Posts Plus Reading Defenders

 Spaced repetition is a critical part of education. So off we go. 

1. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. Hardy informs us how productive habits, like study or saving, become magnified by compounding. "Small choices + consistency + time = significant results." The one sentence I remember from the book is, "winners are trackers." 

2. What constitutes achievement? Let's backtrack to Angela Duckworth's Newtonian output equation:

ACHIEVEMENT = SKILL x TIME

3. 


4. 4-1 Zone defense. There is room for well-executed innovation. 

5. More sleep is better for college basketball players. 

Has extended sleep been studied in basketball players? Yes. Here are the highlights:
  • 11 Stanford University basketball players
  • Baseline measurements followed by 5-7 weeks of sleep extension with goal of minimum 10 hours/night 
  • Performance measures (speed, shooting accuracy) and sleepiness scoring
  • Improved sprint times, 9% improvement in free throw and 3-point percentages
  • Sleepiness scores improved
  • Subjective improvements in physical and mental well-being 
  • Conclusion: better sleep led to improved athletic performance
6. Lessons from Erik Spoelstra

7. Newell's "Big Three." 

You won't regret time invested in Coach Pete Newell's triad of 'footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed.' You play one hundred percent of the game with your feet. Not sure what footwork to practice? Go to USA Basketball.

8. Love drives parental choices. 

"Accept the Prime Directive, Starfleet Order 1." In Star Trek, the "Prime Directive is a prohibition on interference with the other cultures and civilizations representatives of Starfleet encounter in their exploration of the universe." In sports parenting, advocacy rules. "The well-being of my child/our children comes before the welfare of other children and the good of the team." There are rare exceptions but it's a good rule of thumb. Love drives the conflicts

9. Be creative. Sport affords creativity. Teams paint a canvas with a palette of space and time. Sometimes we love the results, others we hate the images. It's Kurosawa or kindergarten. 


Image from Kurosawa's masterpiece, Dersu Uzala

10. TTF (Take the first choice.) Attack Space. Excellent players win in space and this translates across sport domains. In soccer, it's the 'through pass'. In football, think about crossing patterns or delay routes from stack formations. In baseball, it's the hit and run. "Hit 'em where they ain't." 

Lagniappe: 950 likes, 1 dislike (somebody has to be different). Watch video to help decision-making.