So once upon a time there was this one guy who had a press conference and shared his attitude regarding one part of being an athlete. You may remember, you may not. But just to make sure we're all on the same page:
Maybe it's because I'm a coach that I disagree with his tone, and his last statement. I will say that I think some guys in the next generation of "ballers" have this same mindset. I see it in my practices, some of my fellow coaches' practices, where great talent fails to really push themselves to get better because it's practice. Yes, we talkin' 'bout practice. Maybe people don't pay to see practice. And yes you can compete at a high level and all that outside of practice. But where are you improving your game? Remember, people have this thing called pride, and some even have this ego thing going on. They aren't going to take you embarrassing them lightly. What will they do? PRACTICE. I saw a shirt the other day that pretty much sums it up: "Each rep you take off gives someone an opportunity to beat you."
So, yes - we talkin' 'bout practice.
The last statement is pretty disturbing though. "How...can I make my teammates better by practicing?!?" Really? Here's how:
1. Builds chemistry
Okay, so you are the franchise guy. Great. So your check is much larger than everyone else's. That's not going to make them like you. But to see you, who the owners, coaches, and fans have deemed "the great one" working just as hard as the lowest of the low, if not harder, says something. It gives your words added weight when you tell someone to pick it up a little. It usually means that when people come after you for a mistake or have issues off the court, that someone will not only help you, but stand by you when the vultures come out. People will not only see your franchise tag as a label, but will see it as a symbol of leadership and a rallying force.
2. Pushes boundaries
People have a natural tendency to live in their comfort zone. When people show up to practice with the right mind set, you should spend a little time outside of your comfort zone. Do it enough and now your comfort zone grows. When people play you close, you are used to it, so it doesn't throw you off your game. When people take away your first option, you are okay looking for options 2 and 3. When you get to that point where your body used to say stop, you can keep going a little longer. If you are comfortable in practice, you aren't working hard enough. If you don't practice then you definitely aren't working hard enough.
3. Teaches your coaches
Coaches tend to have their own idea of what the strategy will be. Sometimes the strategy won't work, and you can get that from practice. Perhaps he/she had a vision of how a play would go with a certain squad. Set up a couple of reps against a live defense and we'll see just how genius that vision may be. Practice lets you fine tune the little things before the game. Set this screen a little higher, cut a second later. Or maybe we just need to scrap it all together because the skill set just doesn't favor that scheme. Those adjustments can be made well before the first fan walks into the arena at practice.
The list could go on and on, but I have to finish laundry and prep for my game tomorrow. I'm sure the above young athlete (Allen Iverson, if you didn't know) grew older and wiser with time. Hopefully the athletes I noticed with a lackadaisical attitude towards practice will have a similar opportunity to keep playing and laugh at their younger self, as he did.
No comments:
Post a Comment