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Monday, September 16, 2024

Basketball: Failure as Fuel

From Brave AI: "This ancient Japanese proverb, “Nanakorobi Yaoki” (), literally means “fall down seven times, stand up eight.” It embodies the concept of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity."

Victor Frankl's classic Man's Search for Meaning, written after he survived six years in death camps, reminds us that nobody escapes life without suffering.

Failure is a form of suffering that can often be overcome. Edison described learning from failure in producing the light bulb. "I learned 999 ways not to make a light bulb." 

Abraham Lincoln overcame a lifetime of depression (Lincoln's Melancholy), many election failures, and setbacks during the Civil War to become America's greatest President. 

Derrick White was lightly recruited in high school, ultimately getting a partial scholarship at Colorado-Colorado Springs. He transferred to Colorado as a senior at became a Spurs first round draft choice. This season he earned a double, an NBA and Olympic championship. 

Dean Smith was not an instant success at North Carolina. In his first season, his team struggled, returning from an away game greeted by being burned in effigy. The eventual two-times NCAA Championship coach wrote that he never felt a failure even when he hadn't won a championship. 

John Wooden didn't win an NCAA title at UCLA until his sixteenth season with the Bruins. 

Mickey Mantle struck out over 1,700 times during his Yankee career, leading the American League in striking out five times. He also hit over 500 home runs and helped the Yankees win seven World Series. 

J.K. Rowling at her lowest point was a single, unemployed mother on the cusp of homelessness. She conceived the plot of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when she didn't even have a pen. 

Brad Stevens' Butler teams lost consecutive NCAA Championship games and his Celtics lost an NBA Finals. This season he captured the NBA Executive of the Year steering the Celtics to Banner 18.  

Benefit from thinking about failure as both a companion and a teacher. Have a portfolio of stories about others who overcame failure and examples where you have, too. 

In examining failure, ask "What must I do to succeed?"

  • Do I need more skills? 
  • Do I need more domain understanding? 
  • Do I need more athleticism, strength, and conditioning?
  • Am I mentally resilient? 
  • Control what I can control.

Suggestions from ChatGPT

Training young athletes in resilience involves helping them develop mental toughness, the ability to handle adversity, and learning how to stay focused under pressure. Here are a few strategies that can help build resilience in your athletes:

1. Growth Mindset Focus

  • Teach them to embrace challenges: Encourage athletes to see failures as opportunities to grow, not setbacks.
  • Reframe negative thoughts: Help them turn "I can't" into "I can improve by...".
  • Celebrate effort, not just results: Highlight the hard work that leads to improvement, rather than just focusing on wins.

2. Controlled Stress Training

  • Introduce adversity in practice: Simulate high-pressure situations in a controlled way. For example, have athletes play from behind or add distractions to make drills harder. This builds their ability to stay calm and focused.
  • Focus on process goals: Help them focus on what they can control—like their attitude, effort, and preparation—rather than outcomes.

3. Visualization and Mental Rehearsal

  • Guided visualizations: Have athletes practice visualizing themselves successfully overcoming obstacles or dealing with pressure. This can help them build confidence and emotional regulation.
  • Pre-performance routines: Teach them to develop routines before games to reduce anxiety and stay focused.

4. Teach Emotional Regulation

  • Breathing techniques: Show athletes how to use deep breathing to calm themselves down during high-pressure situations.
  • Journaling: Encourage them to write down their thoughts and feelings after practices or games to process emotions and learn from experiences.

5. Positive Self-Talk

  • Mantras: Have them create and use short, powerful phrases to remind themselves to stay calm and confident.
  • Affirmations: Teach them to use positive affirmations to replace negative thinking patterns.

6. Peer Support and Team Building

  • Develop a strong team culture: Create a culture where athletes support each other and celebrate resilience. Team-building exercises can foster trust and build emotional safety.
  • Shared challenges: Create opportunities for the team to work together through tough drills or challenges, fostering resilience collectively.

7. Teach Reflection

  • Post-game debriefs: Focus on what went well and where they can improve. Resilience grows from reflection and recognizing progress.
  • Celebrate small victories: Acknowledge the progress made in handling adversity, even if the outcome isn’t ideal.

Building resilience in young athletes will not only help them excel in sports but also in life. Let me know if you want specific exercises or drills to tie into any of these concepts! 

Lagniappe. Do more than expected. 

Lagniappe 2. Players define lineups.  

Lagniappe 3. Consistency across the board, players and coaching.  

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