Players: You want to bring something to the game, bring something to your team that can immediately affect the outcome of the game – but you don’t have time to acquire a new skill like shooting or point-guard-dribbling-abilities, or to add ten more pounds of muscle. These things take time – usually off-season time.
What can you bring RIGHT NOW?! What can you bring to today’s practice or today’s game simply by making a focused effort to actually “bring it”?
In Skills without Drills #5, I brought up the subject of meaningful touches. If you remember, there was a list of types of meaningful touches. This could overlap, but it has a different intent.
At every dead ball in today’s practice or today’s game, GIVE ENERGY to someone! Like I said, that might be a meaningful touch, but it also might only be something you say or a look you give someone or clapping your hands or some combination of these three!
This is one of those things that give back to you as much as you can give out! The more ENERGY you GIVE, the more you will find yourself energized and focused!
You might be on the bench when the dead ball occurs. GIVE ENERGY to someone next to you, or someone coming off the floor, or to your coach, or to the crowd!
You might be standing in line waiting for your turn in a drill. When the drill ends and before the next player takes their turn, it’s a Dead Ball – GIVE ENERGY!
You’re on the floor and a foul is called. Whether you’re on offense or defense, GIVE ENERGY to someone – the more the better. Give it to your teammates on the floor. Look over at your bench and direct your energy towards them!
Your teammate just committed a turnover. There’s a whistle and a change of possession. This is a great time to GIVE ENERGY – especially to the player who committed the turnover.
When your teammate takes a charge, GIVE ENERGY to them during the dead ball time.
On your way to the locker room at half-time, GIVE ENERGY to your teammates, coaching staff, fans, managers – anyone in the family!
There is no drill for GIVING ENERGY! There’s no trainer who specializes in GIVING ENERGY! It’s simply up to you! It’s something you can decide to do in today’s practice or today’s game!
LUKE 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Bouncing Back from Mistakes – Next Steps
Errors are usually mechanical, tactical or mental. This is important to understand because a mechanical error involves motor mechanics (such as a golfer moving his/her head to early, or a basketball player not squaring his/her feet and hips to the basket and shooting off balance). Sometimes, these errors are relatively easy to fix without too much work needed on the mental side of the game. Read more…
