🏀 The Best Never Feel Like They’ve Arrived 🔑
Welcome to The Basketball Academy. 🏛️
Here’s what we’re serving up:
🏀 Hunter vs Hunted 🐺
🏀 Must Add Actions 🎥
🏀 Constraint Training 📝
LET’S DIVE IN ⬇️
🏀 Hunter vs Hunted 🐺
A Mindset Shift in Sports
In sports, there's a subtle yet profound shift that occurs after a victory. Initially, you're the hunter, driven, focused, and chasing excellence. But once you win, you become the hunted. The challenge then becomes maintaining that same level of drive and focus.
1. Embrace the Process Over the Outcome
Success can breed complacency. To avoid this, focus on the process that led to the victory, not the victory itself. Consistent routines, relentless practice, and a commitment to improvement keep the hunter's mindset alive.
2. Reframe Success as a New Starting Point
Each win isn't a culmination but a new beginning. Adopt the perspective that there's always another level to reach. This continuous pursuit keeps you in the role of the hunter.
3. Compete Against Yourself
Use your past performances as benchmarks. Aim to surpass your own records, not just your opponents. This internal competition fosters growth and prevents stagnation.
4. Develop a Short-Term Memory
Whether it's a win or a loss, learn from it and move on. Lingering on past successes can hinder future performance. Stay present and focused on the next challenge.
5. Anticipate Your Opponent's Best
As the hunted, expect others to bring their best against you. Prepare accordingly, maintaining the intensity and preparation that got you the win in the first place.
6. Create Internal Challenges
To keep the competitive edge, set new goals and challenges within your team or for yourself. This internal drive prevents complacency and keeps the hunter's spirit alive.
7. Control Your Narrative
Don't let external accolades define your mindset. Stay grounded, focused, and hungry. Remember, the journey is ongoing, and there's always another summit to climb.
In essence, staying the hunter is a conscious choice. It's about maintaining the drive, focus, and hunger that led to success in the first place. Embrace the process, set new challenges, and never settle.
Stay hungry. Stay humble. Stay hunting.
🏀 Must Add Actions 🎥
1-4 Empty BLOB
A clever way to empty a side.
Twirl - 77 - Finland
This is an incredible layering of Actions
Alabama Rip Screen Flare
Clever way to force a tag, emptying a side for a shooter.
🏀 Constraint-Led Approach
A great teaching from Philip O'Callaghan
"Why do players perform well in drills but struggle in games?
Often, the answer is representativeness. Many drills remove key game info, while full matches don’t provide chances for them to explore the skill
So, how do we fix this? Let’s talk about the Task Simplification
This adapted graphic shows the continuum of representativeness in training.
We want to spend most of our time in the Green Zone, where practice is game-relevant but simplified enough for skill development.
A common misconception about Representative Learning Design: The games need to fully represent the game.
But full game scenarios can be too chaotic for learning, while isolated drills remove key game info.
The answer? Task Simplification-Reduce without impoverishing.
Example in Basketball - A player struggling with layups might avoid attacking the rim in games.
They need more focused opportunities, without losing game-relevant information.
Layup lines = no defenders, no real decisions.
The problem? These remove key game elements like perception & decision-making.
Here’s an easy way to transform 1 on 0 finishes from Alex Sarama.
Add a permanent defender or coach in the smile and use offensive players as extra defenders as soon as they have gone. Instead of immediately getting out to space, they hang around and act as secondary help stunt defenders.
Takeaways:
To design better practices for skill development:
✅ Avoid fully isolated drills
✅ Don’t overload players with full-game complexity
✅ Find the Green Zone—where tasks are game-relevant but simplified