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Thursday, February 15, 2018

Fight Through Complacency as the Season Winds Down



"Sports doesn't build character; it reveals it." Practice and games teach us about our nature.
Thought leader Michael Mauboussin keeps a decision journal to help him learn from his decisions. After 'evolutions', I ruminate about the lessons dispensed:

What went well? 
What went poorly?
What can we do better? 
What are the enduring lessons? 

Two things we didn't do well (in victory) were defend the give-and-go and contest shots. Both require awareness and reaction. Eighty percent of the game is mental, and concentration skills complement physical ability. 

At practice, players didn't recognize the deficiency. So we worked on defending the give-and-go repeatedly out of shell. 

Life rewards work, patience, and balance. Confidence finds middle ground between uncertainty and arrogance. Sports teaches lessons, especially the fragility of arrogance. Coach Auriemma has said, "the only thing worse than losing is winning all the time." 

Lagniappe:


"Movement kills defenses." One of the simplest actions against the 2-3 zone is passing and cutting. Above, the ball is swung to the corner and the wing (3) cuts through looking for the ball. This pressures x5, the middle defender. If she picks up 3 quickly, then 5 can roll behind for a short shot of the glass (the bank is always open). If 3 receives the ball, 5 can roll to the middle for a 'small-area' 2 on 1.