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Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Great Players Run a Marathon not a Sprint

Elite players share common characteristics, both tangible and intangible. "They control what they can control." 

Few athletes bring elite size, athleticism, and skill. Most grow the latter two, blending intangibles in search of excellence. What choices stand out on the path to skill, strategy, physicality, and psychological dominance? 

Be relentless. Trainer Tim S. Grover wrote in Relentless, "You don’t become unstoppable by following the crowd, you get there by doing something better than anyone else can do it, and proving every day why you are the best at what you can do.” Commitment doesn't guarantee elite status, but a lack of commitment assures something less. Additional readings:

  • Legacy by James Kerr
  • The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant
  • Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

Be coachable. Great players seek coaching. They want to know and do to become their best. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Coach Wooden preached EDIRx5 - explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition times five. That formula combines coaching with relentlessness. Wooden said of Bill Walton, "He never tired of practicing the little things." 

Serve the Main Thing. "The main thing is the main thing." What is the main thing? Great players make teammates better. Some talented players can't 'figure it out' because they see themselves at the center of the universe. Phil Jackson's quote, "Basketball is sharing" distills the essence. Elite players balance the quest for individual excellence with team play.  

Build skill. Exceptional skill requires extraordinary work. And time. Kobe Bryant took a thousand shots daily for a hundred summer days. But there was only one Kobe Bryant. Track everything to document progress.

Make great decisions. The first of "The Four Agreements" is "be impeccable with your word." That means accountability to others and to ourselves. Work to make good decisions on and off the court. Len Bias had the ingredients to become a Hall of Fame player and his drug overdose nullified those gifts. Other players succumb to The Life over The Game.

Expand your vision. Vision includes 'immediacy' and the horizon. Great players study the game, theory and practice. They study great teams, opponents, and themselves. Film study is a mandate.

 

Footwork. Pete Newell preached footwork, balance, and maneuvering speed. Footwork is a separator. You can practice pivoting indoors without a basketball. 

  • Improve general footwork by jumping rope
  • Improve pivoting with box drills from elbow against defense
  • Refine wing moves (jab, rip, reverse pivot with deep step
  • Catch and pickup one-dribble shot (include sidestep 3) practice eyes closed initially 

Mental toughness. There's no cookie cutter program. Mindfulness, visualization and affirmations, the Carlstedt Protocol. 

An unappreciated part of improving is the individual's will to improve. If it's not important to the player, we can't 'install' it. That's why the dropout rate for programs like the Navy SEALs and Army Rangers is so high. The road to excellence is a marathon not a sprint. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. Nothing about winning is easy.  

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