WHAT SETS DISCIPLINED ATHLETES APART?

1.  The capacity to get past distractions and maintain your focus.

2.  The willingness to condition your mind and body for the task at hand. 

3.  The ability to keep your poise when those around you are losing theirs.

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BEING GOOD EVERY DAY

“In sports, it isn’t hard to be good from time to time. What’s tough is being good every day.”

-Willie Mays-

KNOWING IS NOT ENOUGH

I remember watching a Bruce Lee movie a while back and one particular scene stuck with me.  

Bruce Lee was an instructor at a martial arts academy and was walking past a young boy that was working out.  Lee stopped beside the boy and watched for a moment and told the boy to throw a kick.  The young boy, wanting to impress his teacher, got into his stance and threw a kick -- at which point Lee angrily snapped at him and told him to THROW A KICK!  The boy (appearing mad) then put tremendous effort and passion into the next kick he threw.  Lee then smiled and walked off.  

The point of that little story?  If you are going to spend the time and effort to prepare to do something, then why not do it using the same level of intensity, passion and effort that you would expect it will take to defeat your opponent?

Practicing without aggressiveness and passion is just wasting time. 

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply it.  

Willing is not enough; we must do it."

-Bruce Lee-

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A LADY LION?

One . . . self-discipline

Two . . . competitive fire

Three . . . self-belief

SHE MUST ALSO HAVE GOOD VISION

Vision is a very encompassing matter.  A good player does more than just see her teammates -- she also sees the defense.  This particular type of vision allows the good player to make the proper decisions with the basketball.

SHE KNOWS HER STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

A good player knows what she does well and works hard to get in position to take advantage of those skills and fundamentals.  Just as important however, is the fact that a good player knows what her limitations are, her weaknesses, and stays away from them.

SHE KNOWS HER TEAMMATES STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES

This is very difficult for the average player, and in fact, it is a rare quality usually found in the best players.  That special type of player knows who the best shooters are on the team and tries to get them the ball when they are open.  She knows who the best post players are and feeds them the ball.  She knows who has trouble dribbling the ball and doesn’t put them into a position that will result in a turnover.

SHE MIXES AGGRESSIVENESS WITH PATIENCE

The good player knows when to push the ball up and when to hold it up.  She knows when to attack the basket and when to reverse the ball.  She is prepared to play at whatever speed is necessary for her team to be successful.

SHE IS HARD TO GUARD

A good player is constantly working to get open and at the same time occupy her defender.  She understands that she must move with a purpose, because she must never confuse “activity for achievement.”

SHE IS STRONG WITH THE BALL

Whether she is dribbling, passing, or holding the ball, she is going to be strong.  She is not going to let the defender rush her into a mistake.

COMPOSURE—COMPOSURE—COMPOSURE!!!

The best players never let anything upset them.  Have you ever seen Michael Jordan, Lebron, Kobe or Dwayne Wade pout on the floor or show a lack of confidence?  They don’t let the crowd effect their play; they don’t let the other team effect their play; and they don’t let any breakdowns by their teammates effect their play.  They NEVER “droop” after a missed shot or turnover.

SHE MUST BE MENTALLY STRONG

We want players that have a fearless warrior mindset.  Never surrender – Never retreat! 

SHE MUST BE AN EXCELLENT CONDITIONED ATHLETE

Good players are able to outrun the opposing players down the court for fast break opportunities.  And, just as important, we expect our players to be able to outrun the opposing players and be in good defensive position in defensive transition.  Our players are constantly moving.  They are “hard to guard.”  All of this demands a supreme physically conditioned athlete.

SHE MUST BE A SMART PLAYER

We expect our players to be able to “think” the game.  Our players are expected to constantly make good decisions while on the floor.  When and who to screen, when to pass, when to dribble are just some of the instant decisions we expect them to make.  They must also know which particular player they are defending and how to defend them.

SHE MUST POSSESS A GREAT WORK ETHIC

Obviously, to be a warrior and a supreme physically conditioned athlete, and a mentally prepared basketball player, you must first possess a great work ethic.  We demand a lot from a Lady Lion and the truly good ones are not afraid to work.  To be an elite player, a good work ethic is an absolute requirement.

Some of you will make a name for yourself this season because your competitive fire lights up at game time.  Do you remember the day or the moment you decided you were always going to do your best?  

There are no short cuts to being great.

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OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING

Each player on the court has a specific role that she must fill in order for our team to be successful.  This is true when we shoot the ball.   Once the ball is shot, you have one of two responsibilities: crash the offensive boards or sprint back on defense. 

The worst thing you can do is stand and watch. 

Another Sunday...another great run.  Okay it was a run for some and a difficult walk for others (me).  All in all it was a good effort and we definitely need the conditioning.  It was good to see a few new faces this week (Liz & Jess).  

THE MENTAL SIDE OF BASKETBALL

Basketball is a game of mental and physical fitness.  If you want to outperform others in the game of basketball, you have to remember to use your brain just as much as you use your body. 

Thus, You should not just workout your body, but your brain as well.  This will give you an edge on a lot of players who simply workout their bodies.  Now you may ask, " how exactly am I supposed to work out my brain"?  We'll it's simple, study the little things and improve on them.

PLAY WITH YOUR KNEES BENT

Always stay in stance and be ready.  It is your point of maximum explosion.  Just like a track sprinter coming out of the blocks.  Be ready to move.

TRY TO OUT RUN YOUR OPPONENT EVERY TIME

You will usually break their will with your first three steps.  It will help you get easy shots on offense with our fast break.  Getting back on defense quickly will help stop their fast break.

GAIN POSSESSION WITH TWO HANDS

Catch the ball with 2 hands and concentrate on the catch before you do anything else. 

BE ACTIVE

Great players stay active to force their defender to respect and defend each position on the court as a possible scoring threat following each pass.  Staying active forces your defender to play defense...something most players do not like to do.

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I CAN'T ACCEPT NOT TRYING

"I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it. I don’t believe you can achieve anything by being passive. I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it’s an illusion to me.

That’s why my advice has always been to “think positive” and find fuel in any failure. Sometimes failure actually just gets you closer to where you want to be.

I think fear sometimes comes from a lack of focus or concentration especially in sports.

I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying."

From I Can't Accept Not Trying

By Michael Jordan

DEVELOPING LEADERSIP SKILLS

When I asked how many of you were reading the blog on a regular basis, I was truly surprised to see only a few hands go up.  The real intent of this blog isn't necessarily as an oulet for team news and stuff in as much as it is a source of information to be used to develop your leadership skills.

  

Just because a person has great athletic ability doesn’t guarantee that they will have the leadership skills necessary to be an effective leader, especially in a team setting.

Every team in every sport has a handful of great athletes that spend time developing their physical skills, but spend very little time (if any) working to develop their leadership skills.

When a player is viewed by their peers as prone to one or more of the following: laziness, tardiness, arrogance, selfishness, having poor people skills, too active of a social life, or being uncoachable, it makes it almost impossible for them to be viewed as an effective leader among their teammates.  

There are just as many players that may never exhibit the negative attributes mentioned above, yet they are too quiet and introverted which is sometimes seen as a lack of confidence and although not a negative, it still prevents them from being seen as an effective leader.

In every venue we find ourselves in, whether it be on a team, in a social setting or at school or work, there will always be both leaders and followers within the group.  Being a follower isn’t a bad thing.  Some of the most amazing feats ever accomplished were performed by followers that were inspired by a great leader.  Some of us are just more comfortable being led rather than leading, and that’s okay.

Much of what I put on this blog is intended to be a constant reminder and a source of information (and inspiration) for nurturing and developing those leadership skills among the team.  But that information will only be effective if it is used.  

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Jaime Nared Update

A few weeks ago, I had an entry on Jaime Nared, the 13 year old girl that had been banned from a boys league because she was too good.  Here's the latest update...

"Success isn't determined by the hours you put in at the gym, but instead by what you put into those hours."

Fundamentals of the Mental Game

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza, one of the foremost experts of sports psychology, lists some important Fundamentals of the Mental Game.

Take just a moment to read and think about each of the these items.

1. Take responsibility for your thoughts and actions.

2. Be on a mission: know why you play your sport, what character traits you want to posses and what you want to accomplish in it.

3. Make your daily actions consistent with your mission.

4. Perform one moment at a time; confident and focused on each moment as it is played with disregard for past or future moments.

5. Focus on the process of playing the game rather than the outcomes of your performance.

6. Realize that you can't control what happens around you but you can control your response to it, and that you be in control of yourself before you can control your performance.

7. Develop your mental skills so you constantly perform near the best of your ability and have "something to go to" when adversity strikes.

8. Practice what you are going to do in your performance.

9. Learn each day.

10. Keep it simple, smart.

TEMPORARY INCONVENIENCE = PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT

In other words, making sacrifices is part of experienciingg success.

NEVER SAY "I CAN'T"

Simple assignment today, grasshoppers.

Watch this video 5 times.  Then send me your list of reasons (if you dare) why you think you

can't be a great shooter, or fulfill any other dream you have.

Truth is... you are a Superman waiting to happen.

Start using your imagination to create the future you want, instead of looking at where you are now or what you messed up in the past.

Don't ever pass up the opportunity to build the habit of success and winning in your mind.  It will always pay off.

You'll find yourself discovering corrections to your stroke.  You'll notice great shooters and find better ways to emulate them.  You'll ask for help and look for the information you need.

Think of it like a puzzle which only you can solve.

Quit looking for reasons why you can't do it and start using the tools God has given you.

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WHO AM I?

I am your constant companion.  I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.  I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.  

I am completely at your command.  Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.  

I am easily managed - but you must merely be firm with me.  Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.  I am the servant of all great men; and alas, of all failures as well.  

Those who are great, I have made great.  Those who are failures, I have made failures.  I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a man.  You may run me for profit or run me for ruin-it makes no difference to me.  Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.  Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I? I am habit!

The Difference Between Coaching & Criticism

Great story in the Charlotte paper yesterday about Bobcats PG Raymond Felton and his relationship with his coach,Larry Brown.

Felton, a four-year veteran from UNC, welcomes Coach Brown's teaching and understands his role as the quarterback on the floor.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

There are jobs in sports that invite unique scrutiny:

Being Bill Parcells' quarterback. Being George Steinbrenner's manager. Being Larry Brown's point guard.

Charlotte Bobcat Raymond Felton knew it was coming – the nagging, nitpicking, foot-stomping and shouting.   It's been nearly a month since he started running plays for Brown, and his response to all the fine-tuning?

Keep it coming.

“It's tough love,” Felton said Wednesday.  “He's all for his point guards, but at the same time he's all over his point guards.

“He stays on me.  He stays on D.J. (Augustin, the rookie backup) but he's harder on me.  That's because I'm the starting point guard.  And I can take it.”

There's hardly a moment when Brown isn't correcting, and he's in Felton's ear the most.  It's always been so, through 24 NBA seasons with Brown as coach.  Felton knew it would be constant, knew it could be shrill.

One of Brown's favored catchphrases – “Players must learn the difference between criticism and coaching” – applies to no one more than his starting point guard.

“I'm the guy who makes the other guys go,” Felton said.  “If I'm not getting it done, then how is D.J. supposed to (learn)?  He's on top of me all the time – in practice, (watching) film, any time we're together.  But I can take it.”

“One time (Tuesday) he wanted me to run a certain play and I was running something else.  He got on me for that,” Felton said.  “He knows I can play basketball.  He just wants me thinking it a little more.”

That's requisite to being Brown's conduit on the court.  When Felton screws up, it's his fault and when someone else screws up, it becomes his fault.

“If they're not in the right spot, I need to get them in the right spot.  A (layman) might say, ‘Dang, that's not right!' ” that he takes the blame, Felton explained.

“But it is – I'm the point guard, and if they're not in the right spot, It's my responsibility to get them there.”

Friday Practice Update

Friday's practice is still scheduled for all players EXCEPT the volleyball team members.  I didn't realize that they already had an end of the seaso sleepover scheduled for Friday (I though it was Saturday).   For those of you that feel the new offense is confusing...please be patient with it.  I promise you that you will end up loving it in the end.

SUN TZU ON TRANSITION DEFENSE

"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted."

-Sun Tzu-

The Art of War

Lessons From Geese

FACT #1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow.  By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

LESSON: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

FACT #2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone.  If quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

LESSON: It we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go.  We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

FACT #3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.

LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.  As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

FACT #4: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
LESSON: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging.  In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater.  The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

FACT #5: When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of the formation and follow it down to help and protect it.  They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again.   Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up the flock.
LESSON: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

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I just came across one of the best ball handling workouts I've ever seen.  It's from a camp and the ball handling workout also serves as the dynamic stretching to begin each days practice.  It's a long video [1 hour], but if you'll spend just five minutes watching it, you'll see some great drills we can utilize to sharpen our BH skills.  Click on the link and enjoy.

Ever Heard the Word ARETE?

ARETE deals with the concept of being the best you can possibly be which is a daily journey.  Arete is not about a destination -- it's a process, not a result.  It is something you must strive for each day in all facets of your life.

From Wikipedia:

Arete (Greek: ἀρετή; pronounced /ˈærəteɪ/ in English), in its basic sense, means "goodness", "excellence" or "virtue" of any kind.  In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function; the act of living up to one's full potential.

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Great Group

Despite the evidence to the contrary -- including the fact that Michelangelo worked with a group of 16 to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel -- we still tend to think of achievement in terms of the Great Man or the Great Woman, instead of the Great Group.

A Great Group is made up of remarkable people -- strong individual achievers – that agree to work together toward a shared goal.

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Focused Attention

In an October 13 Sports Illustrated article titled “Manny in La La Land,” Los Angeles Dodgers’ general manager Ned Colletti says:

“I’ve been around Maddux, Bonds and Manny…they see and understand the game at a higher level than everybody else.  The game slows down for them.  It’s like they see everything in a frame-by-frame sequence.  It’s different from everybody else.”

 

The same happens in basketball players, too.  We try to account for a player’s success with many different reasons.  For example, we can look at LeBron James’ size and athleticism and attribute his success to these qualities.  And unfortunately, when we attribute success to these qualities, we start searching for the same qualities in our teammates and use those qualities as a baseline to determine potential success or that someone is an underachiever. 

However, athleticism is only a part of the story, just like a player’s shooting ability is only a small part of what it takes to be a good basketball player.

The best players focus their attention on the task.  They do not allow internal self-doubt or self-talk or external distractions affect their performance and their attention.  Manny Ramirez was “locked in” during the post-season.  That term represents his focus and attention, his ability to silence his mind and focus completely on the pitched ball.  He picks up subtle cues from the angle of the pitcher’s arm or the way the ball leaves his hand, which enhance his timing and ultimately his success.  The game slows because his attention is directed correctly.

One of the biggest deficiencies for younger players is slow reaction time.  The slow reactions do not necessarily mean the players are slow or not athletic.  Instead, they take too long to notice the subtle cues that an elite player, or even an experienced player, sees.  These younger players react at a conscious level, which is far too slow.  It’s not their fault, it’s just that they have not yet developed that court sense.  Elite or experienced players react at a subconscious level – they have learned to anticipate.

How many of you have seen the email floating around with the words of a sentence scrambled, yet your brain could easily read the sentence?  [Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.]

Neuroscientists have come to realize that how you perceive something isn’t simply a product of what your eyes and ears transmit to your brain.  It’s a product of your brain itself…visual perception is largely a result of statistical expectations, the brain’s way of explaining ambiguous visual signals in the most likely way.  And the likelihood of these explanations is a direct result of past experience.

To develop this sense, players must reach a certain level of skill and experience and that comes from deliberate practice.  Deliberate practice requires a specific goal, repetitions and feedback.   The deliberate practice enhances the experience.  Many players play a lot.  However, if a coach does not guide the experience and nurture the player’s development, there is some improvement from the experience, but not a giant leap.  Some players – often elite players – pick up on these cues on their own.   They focus their attention on the important cues and ignore extraneous information.

On the court, a player with the ball has to see the whole court and make a decision.  With nine other players, plus fans and coaches screaming, there are numerous distractions.  How does a player like Steve Nash consistently “see” the open man before he appears to be open?  He focuses his attention appropriately so the game slows.  Then, due to his experience, he quickly reacts based on statistical expectations.  

Blah, blah, blah…I know it sounds like garbage, but it’s true.

Nash makes the play look easy, because the game slows due to his directed attention, while a developing player makes the play look hard because it is so much faster in his less experienced, less focused mind.   What we often attribute to “eyes” or passing skill is actually a combination of experience, attention and confidence, a dynamic interplay of skills that we typically take for granted.

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How to Succeed in the Game of Life

Below are a few excerpts from the book "How to Succeed in the Game of Life."   It’s a compilation of interviews with 34 great coaches.  The author asked them a variety of questions and I have included a couple of their answers to the following:  (1) How do you define success?  (2) What's the best advice you ever received?  (3) What are the qualities for success?

These answers are applicable to an athlete on the court or in your personal life off the court.

DEFINING SUCCESS

Brian Billick: "For me, it clearly is maximizing the talent that you have, whether it's personally or on a team." 

Bill Cowher: "It's finding happiness, and how many people you touch along the way.  How many people you can leave your impression on.  To me, that's a successful person -- someone who can be a part of someone else's development, is happy with what they're doing, and has a passion for what they're doing."

Anne Donovan: "Success to me is the satisfaction of knowing that I've been prepared.  I've done absolutely everything I could do that's in my control to be prepared."
Tony Dungy: "Doing the absolute best that you are capable of doing.  That's not the same as winning every game -- it's being as good as you can possibly be."

Herman Edwards: "Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain and accomplish for yourself.  It's really what you do for others that matters."

Jeff Fisher: "The hardest part of success is that you have to keep on being successful.  You can't just flash. We're being evaluated day by day, week by week, game by game, year after year.  So you want to avoid the flash.  You want to strive to establish a winning expectation and maintain it."

Tom Osborne: "Doing the best you can with what you have.  Having good character, a good work ethic, integrity."

Mike Scioscia: "Achieving your potential as a person."

Tubby Smith: "It's the satisfaction within each individual that they've given their best effort."

Joe Torre: "It's how you feel about yourself.  Success is getting the most out of your ability."

Bill Walsh: "Success is progress.  It's becoming better at what you do.  That's what I always emphasize with the players, that if you can improve your skills and take advantage of it, that's success."

Lenny Wilkens: "If you help people to be better, to accomplish something, to succeed at something, then I think you see some success, and that's not easy to do." 

BEST ADVICE

Dusty Baker: "Roger Craig told me to try to put people in situations that they're most likely to succeed in."

Brian Billick: "Stay true to yourself.  I think that people too often try to emulate someone specifically that maybe is not true to their character.  And that inevitably is going to fail because you're not able to maintain a consistent level of interaction when it's not true to your demeanor."

Scotty Bowman: "A person has to be his own guy.  You can take good ideas from a lot of people, but you also have to have some of your own."

John Chaney: "I always say to my guys, 'The most important day of your life is today.  This very minute is the most important minute of your life.  You must win this minute.  You must win this day.  And tomorrow will take care of itself."

Bill Cowher: "Never take yourself too seriously, particularly if you've had success. It takes more than one person to make your success -- that's an element of being part of a team."

Tony Dungy: "My dad...always told me to not complain about problems and look for solutions."

Brad Gilbert: "Don't ever be late.  Ever.  If you're late, you're not respecting the rest of the guys on the team."

Bela Karolyi: "Always be yourself.  Don't try to copy anybody."

Bill Parcells: "One of the more difficult things to do is decide what you want.  But decide what you want to do and then be willing to persist until you give yourself the best chance to achieve that."

Tubby Smith: "Just do your job.  Do your job and finish it and everything else will take care of itself."

Bill Walsh: "Find something you're extremely interested in and become the very best you could be in that area.  In my case, it was offensive football, so I just thrived on learning more and more about offensive football.  Commit yourself to something you have a passion for." 

QUALITIES FOR SUCCESS

Bill Cowher: "Pride in your work.  Successful people take pride and become the very best at what they are given at that time."

Anne Donovan: "The ability to overcome adversity."

Scotty Bowman: "Attitude.  I really think that there are a lot of things that you can't change, that are out of your control, but your attitude is in your control."

Herman Edwards: "Perseverance."

Brad Gilbert: "An incredibly positive attitude."

Carrie Graf: "Your ability to handle adversity."

Bela Karolyi: "Perseverance.  To continue to move toward your goal."

Tom Osborne: "Sound character."

Bill Parcells: "Integrity."

Tubby Smith: "Honesty."

Bill Walsh: "Patience.  Tenacity.  Passion."

Lenny Wilkens: "You have to be honest.  You have to build trust with people."

John Wooden: "Industriousness and enthusiasm."