(1) Steal the Rock… Earn a Spot
“D or Die” Defender (D): Let me be clear. The top defender on the floor is going to make the team.  In most cases, the top defender is going to play quite a bit for most coaches –ask Coach Wooden. Whether on the ball or off, making defensive plays will get you noticed. In fact, off-the-ball defense (Lane Patrol) gives you an opportunity for defensive highlights. You should stay in the passing lane. A deflection, a quick push and emphatic throwdown (if it’s like that)– even a lay-up looks nice. Either way you’ll get to put your hands together and holla “let’s go” on the way back.

(2) Get Rebounds…Get Noticed

Rebound Hound (R): If you’re cleaning up the glass, you’ll get to sip the team gatorade all season long. There’s a place for anyone who’s snatching boards, on any level.  Understanding P&P (Probability & Proximity) is a  surefire way to add to your rebound total. Teams with top rebounders always seem to be higher caliber.  Ever heard of Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace or Paul Silas? I think it’s  the extra possessions and second chance shots they create . Sometimes those extra looks are easy put-backs and ways into the scoring column.

Related: “Bound Together”

(3) Jack of All Plays

Momentum Man (MM): A momentum person always seems to make big plays- at both ends of the court. It could be taking a charge, coming up with a steal, a blocked shot, a pair of big free-throws- maybe a huge bucket…whatever it is, it’s usually critical. These players bring a list of intangibles to the fray that always seem to fit the occasion; it could be something as simple as extra intensity. Every team needs a couple of these guys.

The beauty of these roles is that none requires you to have the basketball. There’s only one basketball, but those three options are always available. Besides, all things equal, you’d only have the ball 20 percent of the time anyway. This way, what you’re able to  do with the ball (when you get it) will only add to your display. Mastering at least one of these roles will not only get you a spot on the team, but will also land you a spot in the rotation. Trust me. Once you make it out onto the floor, I guarantee you’ll end up having a ball.

 

Everybody knows by now that he needs to develop his post game, and I’d love to work him through “A Dose of my Post.“ But if  I could just get him to understand “Lane Play” (The Virtual Game of Basketball), every NBA exec outside of Pat Riley and the Heat brass would be looking to give me the guillotine.

Nonetheless, LeBron is a ridiculous player as is and certainly a joy to watch. In my humble opinion he has the greatest scope of vision of any player since Magic Johnson. Yet the enigma that is LeBron James brings up an interesting discussion about capacity (what you have) and capability (what you do with what you have). I suppose it’s why we are delighted by LeBron’s spectacular demonstrations, yet truly marvel at the better players who operate closer to their capacities (Steve Nash still pops in my brain when I think of that guy) .

No matter where you are on the spectrum of  skill (physical, technical, intellectual application, emotional/grit) or PTAG , Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is what it’s all about.  Let’s suppose your PTAG is 2/3/3/3 or 11 out of 20 (11/20)- since the maximum in each category is 5. Thus, 11 would equate to level 55 (or so), still just over half of what’s possible.  Now if  your overall skill level is 10 (out of 100) you ‘re a beginner and  should push to get to level 20 and beyond and beyond– that’s obvious. My point is, once players get to around level 50+ or 60, the majority ( at least far too many) fail to get better -other than physically. Hopefully they continue to get wiser.

Skill set development suffers after that because at level 50+ or 60 players can play, even though they  may be far from their capacities. Many players think they’re better than they actually are and getting them to listen can be a challenge, especially if what they already possess is “enough”. Level 50 (on average) are top high school, level 60 upper college, and 70 approaching NBA level.  Let’s also add that  Kobe could easily be in the upper 80′s with a “Virtual” mindset (cleaner application) . Where are you? How much cap space do you have?

(related: “Evaluation Fixation”)

In the end, LeBron could (with the right information) have the highest number of all time… I’m hoping this is what Scottie Pippen meant to say. Truth is, LeBron is not nor is he guaranteed to be greater than Michael Jordan.  It’s just when you see his immense potential you know in your heart it’s possible, even though your brain may doubt it presently.

Think of the spot he’s in. He’s living the life of a king and his game is filthy–forget championship rings for a moment,.  What will be his hunger pang when he finally puts on that ring (he will). Not to mention, that  once your game gets to a certain level of development it’s hard to find people that can actually help you get better.

(related: “eMPTy Without It”)

I heard LeBron was spending time with Hakeem (Olajuwon) working on the his post game.  The lockout could be providing him more time to get it together. I guess Olajuwon should be careful too.

 

 

FOCUS=GRIT=TOUGHNESS
Let’s go….I’ll let you peek inside our journey.

Day 1

Film (2 hours).  Two+ hours of  game film breakdowns helped me to identify her defaults (skill sets  and nuances) and put together action steps to not only optimize and add to her skill sets, but also to help her be more efficient in her applications.

Q&A period (1 hour)

Day 2

Lab (3 hours)

Q&A period (1 hour)

Day 3

Lab (3 hours)

Q&A period (1 hour)

Key Point Analysis: 9/7

Here are some of the key points discussed during film breakdowns.

Defaults: established modes and nuances for play. You can create defaults for play as ifs they were Apps for your phone. Put these on the list for your “market”.

Flex on contact: gives you physical supremacy and greater stability on any impacts. It transfers the energy back into the opposition and provides leverage for you in the moment of exchange. It’s a key element of bodywork.

Absolute Speed (wide stance): Being on“Both sides of the line” simultaneously or in “virtual” terms: occupying lane 1 -3 at once. This creates tremendous speed just by virtue of your stance. Requires less physical effort—particularly with “push” and“control” foot awareness. Speed becomes a matter of exchanging the ball from lane to lane crisply.

Push (transition) awareness: Your technical push mechanics are sound. Be certain to look up the court and employ “Scope of vision” (Floor- to- rim) the absolute moment you touch the ball. Early awareness slows everything down and speeds up your processing dramatically. Floor -to-rim vision broadens your view of the surroundings, which includes early awareness of defensive intentions. Be sure to push the ball out in front initially to force a burst to catch up. Bursting to catch up creates immediate separation from the defender. The early space advantage then allows you to slow down which in turn makes processing play and decision making easier. Many times the most efficient route up the court includes bodywork,–which safeguards getting up the floor expediently w/o going breakneck speed.

Ballhandling = Footwork + Bodywork + Dribbling, in that order!

Intellectually, use mid-court as the first “Decision line” (after the big push). Be aggressive in exploring the greatest advantage for the team EVERY trip -which might include your shot or drive. Capitalizing on your opportunities not only helps define you as a player but also helps you include your teammates in a more effective manner.

Hover: The typical push is three dribbles up the floor. Once engaged the “hover “ dribble with range-of-motion (ROM) and proper “Scope”(floor to rim) will give you more time to process the action and ultimately make you more manipulative in your decision making. At the same time, ROM will keep the defender at bay and force her to respond to your movement of the ball going out into the lane — which becomes a threat. This will make navigating easier, remedy picking the ball up and cut down on Deferrals.

Deferrals are passes that don’t lead to an immediate production opportunity or create advantage for the receiver. Deferrals thrusts the receiver into the “point guard” or decision making role. You want the receiver to be able to knock down shots or be able to manipulate the defender more easily because of your effort. This mentality makes you more effective running set plays as well. It creates a ripple of advantage.

Anatomy of a Move/(ABC’s): Your leadership position- (A)allows you to initiate or be first . As the defender reacts or becomes (B) it allows you to see (C) what to do -as a response.

Key Point Analysis: 9/8 Pre-Video

Push (transition) awareness, “Scope of vision” 

False-Leg: False-leg is essentially extreme push-foot control, following an extreme threat to drive by (engage your shoulder). Hypothetically, a false-leg could be an inch or drawn out to the end of your extension to go by. As the defender retreats to catch up, stopping your push foot (on one side or the other, it depending on timing) will create separation-especially if you use proper extension or ROM (range-of-motion) in the intended direction. It’s also powerful to accelerate into stops. You’re anticipating a stop, but the defender has no clue, but they’ll have to match the energy of the burst forward, regardless of how short a distance. It’s amazing how far you can make people move with that.

Stopping on the inside foot (as the push foot) will create an outside false-leg (control foot on the outside), and vice-versa. Awareness of your push foot , leads to push foot control or having a sticky push foot. This will create a slight pause in your movement forward, which will give you more time to process so you can gauge whether you’re actually going to continue forward. An activated (established) push foot also gives you the ability (balance) to stop your control foot at whatever fraction of a step-if necessary, according to the defense. Hovers and false-legs are a potent tandem to keep your opponent off balance just like fastballs and chang-ups in baseball. Read more about this in chapter 6 (Handles in a Hurry).

Toeing your push foot early gives you much better control than rolling your foot to the toe area. Rolling to a start makes it more difficult to stop your forward movement in small frames. Skimming your foot helps you stop quickly simply because your foot is closer to the ground.

Starting your motion forward doesn’t necessarily mean your going forward– no matter how much energy you put into the early frames or start. Obviously how far you go will depend on the defensive response. So when I say able to stop anytime after you start, I mean able to STOP ANYTIME AFTER YOU START! Whether it’s a whole step, multiples or any fraction of a step, being able to stop quickly is the key to being fast in terms of impact on the defender.

The ability to control yourself (feet) or have awareness of self  in small increments or inside each frame helps you stay contrary (to the defender) and highly manipulative.  If you’re first to stop you’ll also have the opportunity to start first- whether to shoot or continue the threat to go … wherever.   

The BL (Bottom Line): The defender should never be able to gauge your stops, starts or true intentions.  But you can anticipate there responses. You have the right to operate at a different rhythm (with your feet). That’s the beauty of the Law of Leadership. This approach keeps the defender off balance just as  a quality pitcher changes pitches and speeds to keep the batter guessing.  It actually makes it easier for you to gauge responses to your threats, making it easier to know whether to stop, change or blow by-at a moderate rate.

So… how slow can you go to get there fast?  It certainly takes speed, but that of early-vision, anticipation and intelligent processing… the true lesson for clean manipulation without guessing.                                      Jason Kidd