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All posts for the month December, 2012

Passing On Wisdom From Dena

Posted by Keys to the Gym on December 26, 2012
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In the spirit of the holidays I wanted do something special with Keys To The Gym.  You could read this as a tribute to Dena but I would hope, and I know she would hope, that you can read it is as a sincere sharing of stuff that has benefited my life and I think others would benefit from as well.

I had the great privilege of spending a lot time with Dena during the prime of my development as an athlete.  We trained together weekly in high school and spent many hours talking by phone before and after games as my career took me all over the country.
There are three phrases that Dena has said to me over and over throughout my career, and my life.  At different points these phrases have served as inspiration on my walls, reminders in my locker, and mantras during games.
The first is “temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement”.  In a world where convenience and immediacy motivate so many aspects of our culture this one is certainly easier said than done.  One interpretation might be that we sacrifice today in order to enjoy a future benefit.  But over time I have realized that “temporary inconvenience” is actually where the magic lies in this message for me.  The knowing that everything is temporary even it is uncomfortable or inconvenient is powerful.  Wither is it a shooting slump or challenging life circumstance of much great consequence… it is always temporary.  Which has a hopefulness and awareness that we are works in progress who can always enhance oursleves.  This is one reason why I do not understand boredom.
“Focus on how you want it to feel” , Dena came up with this one on a Sunday afternoon mid-season during my sophomore year.  I was shooting horribly and saying how it does not feel right.  Dena stopped me, asked what I wanted it to feel like, and I used my answer to get really clear on how it felt when it felt good.  Knowing that good feeling well makes it easier to get into that space in midst of adversity in a game, a practice, or even off court.  I continue to remind myself of how I want to feel and it serves me daily.
My mom still jokes with me about this one, “selective memory”.  One game in high school I went 1-8 from the 3 point line which was a very, very bad shooting day for me.  After the game my mom said, I know you missed a lot of shots but I thought you did so many other good things (what a nice way to spin it, thanks mom).  And I looked at her, as she tells the story, in shock and said “What do you mean? … I don’t know what you are talking about!”  And that was true.  I had chosen not to remember the bad stuff so much so that I was a little void of reality but I would prefer that to being negative.  Though I am not proud of the teenager tone that I took with my mom, I do still stand behind the benefit in focusing on the positive stuff which is really what selective memory is about.  It is the story we tell ourselves about our performance and what we think about, we bring about (another Dena phrase that I’ll save for another day).
I am very fortunate to have Dena in my life.  And I am very thankful for the platform that Keys To The Gym has provided for me to share the stuff that has impacted my life immensely.  I hope that the stuff that we share enhances your development and performance as players and coaches.   But more than that, I hope our content sparks conversations within your teams that help you develop relationships like the one I have with Dena.
All the best in the New Year!
Sincerely,
Emily K. Nkosi

Great Passes From The Lane

Posted by Keys to the Gym on December 20, 2012
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Every coach wants an unselfish team, and every player enjoys playing on one. But the time to be unselfish is not when you get the ball in the three-second lane. When you get the ball in the lane, it is Nostril Time (see #96), time for you to get strong, time for you to go for it. Score!

There are exceptions of course. If, at the instant you get the ball, three defenders surround you and you are ten feet from the basket, not right beside it, it is best to flip the ball out to a teammate and leave the lane. You would like to stay there for rebounding position, but you shouldn’t. A pass from the lane signals the referee the way a red cape attracts a bull. Even if you can cut into the lane, get a pass, flip it back out and have the shot go up in two seconds, it is not worth the risk. Referees tend to think this cannot be done in less than three seconds, so they blow their whistles. And they’re usually right.

Any time you catch the ball in the lane, plan on shooting. Go all the way. Go for broke. If you start to go for it, then decide you can’t get a good shot and begin to make a great pass, the chances are excellent that your great assist will be accompanied by a whistle. If you know immediately that a shot is not a good opportunity, get the ball out to a teammate and you get out, too.

Referees will not call you for a lane violation when you are in there two and a half or three seconds if you don’t have the ball. But if you get the ball in the lane and pass it out, you may get a violation called for just two seconds. Anytime you get the ball in the lane and pass it out, show the referee that you are hustling to get out. Any less effort is likely to result in a whistle, even if three seconds haven’t gone by.

From Dick’s book Stuff

Fouls Are Errors

Posted by Keys to the Gym on December 12, 2012
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Players often fail to realize that fouls are errors. Not just because five of them will put you on the bench, but because they allow mediocre players to score points on unmolested 15-foot shots.

Someone dribbles down the court, you reach out, get called for a foul and think, Oh well, no big thing. It is early in the game or second half, they only get to take the ball out and the game goes on. The problem is, several minutes later, after several of the team members have a similar “harmless” foul, some mediocre player who doesn’t have a single move in his repertoire gets bumped on a rebound and goes to the line for a one-and-one. And you don’t even feel responsible as the awkward guy struts up to the line and hits two. When you foul, you are in the habit of thinking, Oh well, that’s only my first, instead of, I just gave them two points.

During the course of a half of aggressive play, there are likely to be several unavoidable fouls, but not usually enough to get the other team in the bonus situation unless there are careless, needless-error fouls, too.

The next time you make one of those early “oh well” fouls, remember that you may be giving the opponent two points they otherwise never would have gotten. Don’t be smug simply because it isn’t obvious to the fans that you gave those points that eventually lost the game.

Good players know the importance of not fouling. Except in very few cases, fouls are errors.

From Dick’s book Stuff

Ducking Out Of Site

Posted by Keys to the Gym on December 5, 2012
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Coaches always tell their defensive players, “See your man and see the ball.” And that should tell you, if you want to get open on offense to go somewhere that your defender can not see you and the ball. Often, you can do this by ducking and leaning to your defender’s back side but hardly moving your feet. The advantage of ducking out of his sight is that you disorient him. You make him wonder momentarily if you have cut backdoor, and you get all his attention—and often his feet—going after you, and then you can react accordingly.

Players trying to get open to receive a pass too often jockey back and forth, working very hard but not really going anywhere. Although they think they are confusing the defender because they are faking one way, and the other way, and the other way, and the other way, the defender can guard them by merely standing still.

Choose to go backdoor or choose to come out for the ball. And just before you choose, ducking out of sight, disappearing low and behind your defender’s head will often get you free by several steps. It workssimply because defenders are not accustomed to guarding someone who disappears! Either they lose sight of you, giving you the opportunity to thrust out while they are not prepared to move as you do, or they overcommit (thinking you’ve gone backdoor) and are badly faked out when instead you are suddenly coming out for the ball.

From Dick’s book Stuff