ACCEPTANCE means RECOGNITION not RESIGNATION. Accepting that a problem exists is not resigning ourself to its permanence. Acceptance begins transformation. I need more skill, athleticism, patience, knowledge.
Kondo not Rondo. Marie Kondo sparked the minimalism, decluttering movement of KonMari.
Irrelevant? Hardly. Alabama Coach Nick Saban has long preached, "clear the clutter." Stick to what works.
Don Meyer discussed the evolution of coaching, "blind enthusiasm, sophisticated complexity, mature simplicity."
The protagonist of Redbelt knows the value of simplicity.
But Jon Kabat-Zinn, teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction reminds us of the dichotomy in Beginner's Mind. He quotes Suzuki Roshi, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's there are few." Expertise can limit our vision. The known blinds us to discovery. Kabat-Zinn tells us, "why didn't I see that?" Knowing prevents openness to learning. Don't allow experience to shut us down.
Apply the principles of KonMari to basketball.
- Eliminate or restructure activities/drills that do not advance game play. Brian McCormick emphasizes random versus block practice. How useful are traditional layup lines, three-man weave, and punitive running? McCormick adds, "no laps, layup lines, lectures."
- Pass more; dribble less.
- Every player needs "go to" and "counter" moves.
- Teach scoring on one dribble from outside the arc.
- Do not habitually catch and put the ball on the deck. Preserve your options.
- Be "shot ready" on the catch.
- "The ball scores." Stop scoring; play 1.5 (your man and half of another).
- Reduce fouling. As Kevin Sivils says, "foul for profit."
- Cleaners need game winning moves. What's yours?
Shooting drill. Eldon Campbell '25'...make five in a row and advance to the next spot. The goal is to take only 25 shots. Add difficulty with a time limit.
Set play. Lakers SLOB. What's the plan? LBJ back cut? Pin down? SLIP? Do-si-do?
Lagniappe. Loyola knows defense.
Lagniappe 2. Experiment. Last night I made no-knead bread, but deviated from the recipe. I combined three cups flour and one teaspoon salt. But instead of adding the yeast and the (1.5 cups) water together. I separately activated the yeast (0.5 teaspoon) in lukewarm water for five minutes. I then combined the mix and allowed it to rise for 2.5 hours in the oven (with the light on). We were rewarded with the best outcome to date through experimentation and patience.