Fast Five: Dear Young Player: Build Your Toolkit

We're here because our ancestors upgraded their toolkits. They learned over millions of years...to make fire, to chip rocks into sharp edges for cutting tools (see the obsidian glass knife above), to braid plants and animal sinew into cordage, to fashion spears and atlatls, to work metal into knives, and shape and fire clay pots.

The young player wishing to flourish must enhance her toolkit. 

1. Athleticism. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to train. Uber-athlete Bo Jackson did situps and pushups. Bundled newspapers (duct tape or string) can become a jump box. Chalk with 18-inch lines making a hexagon creates a platform for in and out jumping clockwise and counterclockwise to improve footwork and balance. Your local school has steps for you to run "stadiums" (to improve leg strength and endurance. A jump rope costing less than ten dollars is a great conditioner.

2. Shot Skills. Create your own workout. Warm up your shot by making twenty in a row from each block with great technique. Make ten in a row in the Mikan Drill. "Dribble the lines" (court boundaries and lane lines) half court. Play 'elbow to sideline' (above) with a partner...elbow shot...sprint to sideline and back...catch and shoot...repeat for a minute. Rest by taking free throws (3). Repeat and switch with your partner. The possibilities are endless. 

3. Improve your finishing. 
         Finishing off two-feet is an important skill. 

4. See the game. Learn how to watch film. 

Watch successful players and learn how to imitate (model) their individual and team examples. 


5. Read. Find your Muse. What inspires you, inflames your passion to succeed? LA Clippers executive Kevin Eastman reads two hours a day. If you did that for just three months, imagine how much more you would know. It doesn't have to be basketball. Read about leadership, excellence, education, biographies. Commit yourself to lifelong learning. 

Your toolkit is your responsibility.