"The best types of shoots are the ones where you're having fun." - Jimmy Chin
Elite adventure photographer Jimmy Chin shares his approach at MasterClass. I am literally the world's worst photographer, but a solid brain thief. Chin informs that the impossible becomes reality, illustrated by his work Free Solo.
Chin's process involves - concept, pitching, execution, and editing. Basketball overlaps these.
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” - Christopher McDougall
Concept. What's our worldview? Compete...to become the faster slow gazelle or fastest lion. Expand your vision, decisions, and execution within teamwork and accountability. Become a better teammate starting with your "first team" - family. Be accountable for effort and collaboration with the girls next to you.The Pitch. We consistently teach a value hierarchy - family, academics, extracurriculars... the same values my coach taught fifty years ago. I'll never tell you that basketball is more important than grandma. If you're sick or injured, get better. It's not the WNBA. Show us excellence in the classroom and we trust you to become your best on the court.
Execution. Basketball comes without guarantees. Define, learn, and refine more actions well; the execution (and score) begins to take care of itself. For example, at a recent practice, I worked with a rebounder on catching the defensive rebound, pivoting away from the middle, and delivering a two-hand overhead pass (thumbs down, fingers out) to the guard above the level of the free throw line. Why? Because it wasn't good enough. Will she do that in a game? I don't know. If she doesn't, then work more. It's not rocket science.
"The picture is made in the editing room." - Ron Howard
Editing. Coach Wooden's EDIRRRRR (explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition x 5) only works when the repetition informs better edits. Most of us need editorial guidance (mentoring, coaching) because of contentment and distraction. And few exceptional players embrace criticism "have you tried ________?" If you practice "box drills," do you focus on mediocrity of the lot or excellence of a few? Are you tracking?
Challenge yourself (edit) with time, records, competition against a partner.
Recap: Whether it's basketball or biology, soccer or sociology, have a concept, a pitch (plan), measure execution, and edit. If you want to make a team, find a role, and expand it, goals aren't enough. The magic is in the work.
"You have to be able to deliver what they want, not what you think they want." - Jimmy Chin
Lagniappe: BOB Beauty from @BBallImmersion shares a TRAFFIC JAM
Need a late clock baseline inbound play that works? Great set up on this play as the cutter & screener walk to run before the main action for a backdoor opportunity. Edit made easy with @KlipDraw ...seriously don't know why you wouldn't get it! https://t.co/NqI6TTY03S pic.twitter.com/hiQFfy64Nq— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) August 14, 2019
Lagniappe 2: Chin says, "Great editors are brutal." On a shoot, he takes 35 to 40 THOUSAND images. He and an editor (e.g. National Geographic) each select 500 to 1000 usable pictures. They cross-reference those to 35-50 and make final hard choices to get to the 15 to 20 that survive into the magazine. Find your best stuff.
Lagniappe 3: If you had to show one action to represent your basketball life, what would it be? Mine would be diving to secure a loose ball, an extra possession. "The ball is gold."
