Laurence Gonzales wrote a marvelous book, Deep Survival. He discusses a lethal Korean form of martial arts involving swords, Kum Do. Within the practice, masters teach the four "Poisons of the Mind" - fear, confusion, hesitation, and surprise. Courage provides clarity and action and overrides the Poisons of the Mind.
Taking a charge demands courage (or foolishness) in a world of concussions. Rebounding tough or polishing the floor to recover the 50-50 ball require mettle.
Taking the big shot informs a different type of courage.
Ball pressure takes fortitude. You will get beaten, but can recover and should get help. You'll also get flattened by hard picks. That demands toughness and spunk.
Standing up to bullies takes courage. Coaches can be bullies. The good ones don't intimidate to communicate.
Supporting a teammate can show strength.
Being different necessitates exceptional strength. Jackie Robinson got no welcome mat or heralding trumpets. Spit and racial epithets greeted Robinson. Bill Russell dealt with systemic racism during his early years in Boston. Dean Smith endured death threats to bring Charlie Scott to North Carolina basketball.
Reinforce to players to do what is right, to have moral courage. Hazing teammates is wrong. Mistreating underclassmen is wrong. Going along to get along can be wrong. Courage comes in many forms.
