Elite basketball and chess rock the mind. Both demand intelligence, creativity, mastery. Both set a long road to excellence. Garry Kasparov's MasterClass introduction works for both.
Both share a rhythm of spacing and timing. Masters see possibilities within positions, setups to attack and defend.
Let me walk you through Kasparov's introduction.
"My teaching style...is dynamic, direct, and aggressive." (Excellent teams mirror the coach's personality, philosophy, and experience.)
"Fear doesn't survive on the chessboard." ("It's not who you play; it's how you play.)
"We'll talk about openings...middle game, end game...strategies and tactics." (Crisis and opportunity arise at many points.)
"Use it as a platform for future learning." (We teach life.)
"You can always find new ideas that will make you happy...make yourself more engaged in this endless process of exploration." (If the universe didn't have basketball, someone would have to design it.)
"How this experience...could help you look...at different positions." (Basketball teaches commitment, discipline, effort, preparation, resilience, sharing, teamwork.)
"People talk all the time about one person being more talented than another..." (Talent alone is not enough)
"Hard work is a talent...you keep going, you keep fighting, you know how not to quit under pressure."
"Only the combination of...talent...combined with the talent to work hard...create a winning combination."
"If you feel enriched, and encouraged, and inspired, I hope that I will inspire you to love the game (of chess) as much as I do."
Lagniappe: Tough questions selected from FastModel.com on Self-scouting drive what we do. Better questions seek better answers.
What is most identifiable about the way we play?
What do we devote more time to, enhancing our strengths or addressing our weaknesses?
Begin to look at the game through a “per possession” lens and ask yourself how can we win more possessions?
Are there repeated situations we can recreate in practice that would help decision making?
Does what we are thinking of adding advance our players understanding of the game? Or is it just another “play” or “offense” in the traditional sense?
