Excellence inspires us. Coaches don't make players; players make players. How do you intend to get the most from the offseason? You can't think and train like everyone else and expect different results. Your task is to become the hero of your story within the team context.
The offseason allows you to figure out your identity. Figure it out or ride the pine.
Have a plan. "Plan your trade; trade your plan." - Linda Raschke
Examine, write, and study your plan. Ask coaches if you need help. Make out a realistic schedule of the specifics - how often, how long, what activities. Remember SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely.
Playwright David Mamet says about your process, "this will kill them (your opponent) or this will kill me."
Athletic performance training: aerobic (running), balance and footwork (e.g. jumprope), strength (weights) - I'll shares specifics soon.
Skill building: ballhandling, shooting (be specific), basketball moves (e.g. 1-on-1). This blog recently reviewed footwork development. You must learn to finish.
Knowledge: Reading, film study. Develop "next level thinking." If you're a high school player, what would college players study? If you're a college player, what would pros study?
Emotional: Mindfulness training. Olympic athletes and NBA players do it. 80 percent of the most successful people harness the power of mindfulness. Why wouldn't you?
Collaborate. If you're in the top 10 percent, elevate teammates with you. If you're in the middle 80 percent, commit to becoming a top 10 percenter. Work out with a partner. It's more fun, more efficient (e.g. you have a rebounder), and fosters competition.
Do it right. Practicing bad technique only imprints your flaws. Get a parent, sibling, or friend to film your shot. Examine your footwork, balance, loading from the arches through the core (hips), elbow position, extension, follow-through, backspin. Steph Curry remade his shot in high school.
Track. Yes, I'm repetitive. Darren Hardy writes in The Compound Effect, "winners are trackers." Motivation doesn't cause results. Results cause motivation.
Use old fashioned graph paper or a spreadsheet program. You'll shoot better AND learn how to use spreadsheets and spreadsheet graphics. Many jobs require a working knowledge of using spreadsheets.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. Game shots from game spots at game speed. Warm up properly with flips and close in shots.
Picasso said, "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." Steal Steve's workout.
Shoot off the catch, off the dribble, off fakes, off screens (we used trash cans as screens).
Use the glass. Many players would shoot better if they invested time in using the backboard. "The bank is always open" and scientific study shows about a 20 percent advantage to using the backboard within 12 feet.
Finish better. Fall in love with easy. Making or missing layups and close in shots often separates success from failure. Warm up with the Mikan and Reverse Mikan drills. The Tates Locke box drills are great to initiate separation. Excellent players have versatile finishes off either foot, with either hand, from either side of the basket. There's nothing wrong with spending the majority of your time on finishing inside.
Prioritize free throws. Coach Tom Hellen says, "teams that can't shoot free throws last as long in the postseason as dogs that chase cars." Take and track free throws and work them in-between aerobic training so you shoot under conditions of sweat and fatigue. Shooting is a perishable skill; you must practice.
Contain the ball. There's only one way to learn ball containment. You have to play. If individual defense isn't important to you, you won't be a good defender. You can jump rope and do defensive slides all day, but that won't teach you defense. With so-called positionless basketball, everyone defends away from the basket.
Look in the mirror. Realistically assess your progress. Build upon your strengths and diminish your weaknesses. How will you leverage your strengths to improve your team? Will your weaknesses limit your playing time and production?
Lagniappe: MSU Double Stagger Dribble Handoff PnR via Doug Gottlieb
Michigan State’s “Pet Play” (favorite set) pic.twitter.com/33fgGEK4Ki— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 17, 2019