Here is the next installment of stuff from STUFF, the simple C's.
Clock- Coach's reference here is to when the clock is stopped. It is an absolutely perfect time to be communicating with your team or coaches. Basketball is such a fast paced game that good players use that time when the clock is stopped to relay positive communication and reminders to fellow players. Direct players what we are doing next, where they supposed to be, or even given them encouragment to try a little harder. Encourage meant is comprised of the word "courage" which is generally needed to complete a task that you are afraid to fail at. When you encourage you give your teammate the courage to compete, the courage to try, and the courage to embrace winning. Instead of using that time to pout, complain, excuse-make, or feet-stomp use that time to focus forward and build a teammate up. If you can't think of anything to say that means you are a) a selfish player or b) a person that doesn't know how to play. In either instance that person that exhibits success blockers are likely not winners.
Complete Passes- It is simple, basketball is a game of limiting your mistakes and forcing the offense into them. The simplest thing that you can do is complete passes. If you are completing passes you are giving your team more opportunity to score while keeping opportunities away from the opponent. All teammates must be working together to accomplish this goal, but if you can complete those passes you make the defense have to work harder, shift position, and ultimately break down. This equals a scoring opportunity. Complete your passes!
Consistency- This was probably my favorite C. Consistency is what separates average players from good players. Average players point to things they do, good players keep playing because they expect those things to happen all the time. "Act like you've been there before!" Things that are do-able you should not expect praise for otherwise the praise loses its value. Praise is for the extraordinary. Good players have "an every-time kind of pride." They know that inorder to be great they must do it all, all the time, and they take pride in that. This is a winning mentality in life, family, and basketball. The difference between the haves and have nots, the winners and the losers, is such a fine line. In basketball it might a possession or two, one missed shot combined with one made shot. Most teams play 3/4's of their schedule winning or losing by 6 points or less. These scores are too close not to recognize that more consistency and a little bit closer attention to details means a win instead of a loss. A fellow coach of mine, Eric Klumpp uses a quote that I love, "When you consistently do the small things well, big things happen." This is so true in basketball and in life. Big moments rarely spring up out of nowhere, usually they are the culmination of several small acts put back to back. Pay attention to the details of your game, family, or life and big things will happen!
Criticism- Coaches would not have you be in the gym if they did not want you in the gym. Their job is to make you the best player/person you can be. It is impossible to grow and be the best you can be without the recognition of your flaws. Don't take it so personal... even if it is the flaw of someone else or he thought it was you but it wasn't... focus on the bigger picture, he is pointing out something that needs to be improved. Most coaches I know hold great affection for their players and want them to succeed... as the book says, "Suck It Up!" as we say "Man Up!" and just make yourself better. We should not care so much about our image, but rather the lasting impression of how we interact and play the game. No one is going to care how you looked, they are going to care about the effort and accountablity that you played with.
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