Mental Toughness Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Building a Winning Mindset

The Talent Mirage

When we see someone who performs at a high level, whether it is in music or sports or academically, we assume that a good part of their abilities are the result of talent, something they were born with. That’s the Talent Mirage.

Talent Mirage - skill pyramid — Coach Wheeler’s Skills Pyramid

We fail to recognize the amount of hard work and learning that it took to develop the skills that we see. That’s why Talent is a Mirage. It is something we see… that is not there. Talent is simply the [often highly polished] skills acquired over time based on hard work and learning.

Aren’t some people born with “talent”?

We are all born with differences but it would be delusion to call it “inborn talent”. For example, maybe our parents have developed skills in certain areas so we are exposed to something before someone else. That’s not talent… it’s environment.

What about someone who is born to tall parents and are likely to become tall? That is certainly a difference… but it doesn’t guarantee that this tall person will be good at basketball. A tall person who doesn’t develop a love of the game and a strong work ethic won’t amount to much of a player. On the other hand, a small or shorter person who loves the game and puts in the effort to develop their body to its highest potential while also learning skills to become a better basketball player can be highly successful. It isn’t the cards we are dealt, it is how we play them. Talent is a mirage.

Attitude is more important than “Talent”

If you buy into the idea that “Talent” is just skills developed over time, then the key to putting in the time is ATTITUDE. Skill building is fueled by attitude. The hard work becomes FUN … with the right attitude. A player with the right attitude is coachable and can pick up ideas that will make them a better player.

A key part of “Attitude” is the ability to be okay being “bad”. One of my favorite quotes is by football coach and legendary business leader, A.L.Williams, who said…

“Remember, before you can be great, you’ve got to be good.

Before you can be good, you’ve got to be bad.

But before you can even be bad, you’ve got to try.”

― Art Williams, All You Can Do is All You Can Do

If you are going to build your “pyramid of skills” that will lead to what society calls “Talent”, you will have to get used to being bad at something before you are good at it. This is also related to the Growth vs. Fixed Mindset which I learned about through Carol Dweck’s book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success“.

Growth = Skills Mindset
Fixed = Talent Mindset

In short, the Growth Mindset, according to Dweck’s book, is when someone see any challenge as an opportunity for growth. If they fail, the growth mindset says that they have not learned how to succeed or have not put in the work to develop the skills necessary to succeed. In other words, someone with the Growth mindset doesn’t let failure stop them. They continue to build their skills until they win.

Contrast that with the Fixed Mindset. Someone with a fixed (or “Talent”) mindset goes into every challenge with the assumption that they either have the talent to succeed or they don’t. If they fail, they conclude that they don’t have the talent for that activity and should not do it in the future. As you can imagine, the world of possibilities get smaller and smaller for someone with the “Talent mindset”.

Unfortunately, this Fixed / Talent mindset is often reinforced even when someone is successful… by friends, family or coaches who see the success as a result of “talent”. The question I have for you is … “If you are trying to get across a desert, would you drink the water pointed out by someone who sees a mirage?” The Talent Mirage is a trap. Don’t get sucked into believing in Talent. You may have Skills … and you will need more skills if you are going to compete at the highest levels.

Why do so many people
believe in the Talent Mirage?

Most often, it is a case of mis-matched timelines. If a 6th grader was playing against Michael Jordan, the timeline mismatch would be obvious. When players of the same age compete, it is almost impossible to see how much time (and hard work) each athlete has put into building their skills. It is easy to attribute this difference in skill levels to “talent”, especially if one player has certain physical gifts that seem to give them an advantage. Don’t get trapped by the Talent Mirage.

“[Everything] is made, not born.”
– Seth Godin, Marketing Legend & Thought Leader
as heard on the Tim Ferriss podcast.

Don’t you want “Talented” players on your team?

YES… keeping in mind what that really means. We want players who have developed valuable skills and can perform at a high level. We also believe that players can be developed… given enough time and effort (with the right mindset / attitude). So, as coaches, our job is to recognize the skills that a player has while encouraging them to work hard to add other skills which will make them even more successful.

Bottom Line for you and I …

Take the first step on the skills pyramid Don’t use the Talent Mirage as an excuse for not putting in the effort to develop the skills that will allow you to compete at the highest levels. Don’t worry if you can’t see or even imagine all the skills you will need to become successful. Start where you are and keep working hard to improve… step by step. Someday someone will say “You are so Talented.” When that happens, just smile and say “Thank You”… knowing that you put in the effort over time to get where you are. Remember… Talent is a Mirage.

HUSTLE – It sets you apart.

At the InviteOnly 2017 PreSeason Basketball Camp held last weekend at Keene State College, I gave a brief impromptu “speech” about the topic of “Hustle” and how it can set you apart from other players trying out for your team.

Based on the reception of that speech about the importance of hustling, I figured it might be a good topic for a post on this blog as well. Clearly Hustling is tied to your mental toughness because, for most players, it does come naturally… at first. Once you start to hustle, you will find that it will become easier. You will have to think about it at first but eventually it will become automatic. You just have to make the decision to start NOW!

What is “Hustle”?

Hustling is the act of “not waiting for things to happen” but rather doing whatever it takes to “make things happen”. It is all about increasing the pace that you do things.

Why does Hustle matter?

Hustling is visible. It tells your team mates that what you are doing is important and can’t wait. It tells your coach that you are enthusiastic about being on the team and, to a certain extent, that you are a hard worker. As a player who hustles, it is clear that you are putting in an extra effort… and coaches love to see that.

Hustling builds confidence. You might not notice it, but as you are hustling, you are getting results FASTER than others. It is like you are winning a race against people who don’t even know that there is a race going on. With time, your “hustle habit” will give you confidence both in the areas where you develop skills as well as areas you have not even tried. Why? Because you will know that HUSTLE WORKS.

Hustling gives you a head start. You arrive early while others show up at the last minute. Since you have more time to become accustomed to whatever situation you find yourself in, you have more time to take [a better] action. All because you hustled while others took their own sweet time. Why do you think that “the early bird gets the worm”?

Where should I be Hustling?

You should hustle in any area of your life that you want to achieve superior results. People who hustle in business get more done and make more money. People who hustle in school get better grades and get into better colleges. People who hustle in relationships show how important these relationships are to them.

What is important to you?

hustle NOW Want to improve your chances of making the team?
Start Hustling.

Want to improve the likelihood that you will get more minutes in the game?
Start Hustling.

If something is important to you… You should be hustling.
The time to Hustle is NOW.

4 Part Basketball Year

The one basketball season ends and another basketball year begins. If you are only playing and working on your game during the “official school season” than you are missing out. Below are the 4 sections / timelines that make up the “4 part basketball year” plus the off-season. Let’s start with the day after your school season ends…

Off Season (Spring/Summer/Fall)

Spring AAU
Summer League
Fall AAU
Open gym(s) at school
Pickup games
Weight Training

Once practices can start, the season is officially ON ! Below are the parts of the season along with the focus area for each time period.

1st Quarter- Pre-Season – before first game

Tryouts
Practices / Conditioning
Learn techniques and formations
Scrimmages
Keep it simple / Learn The Basics

2nd Quarter – First Encounters (1st Half of Season)

Play first round of home/away games
Find out what works vs. competition (adapt as needed)
Fine tune & Accelerate “The Basics”
Continue conditioning / strength gains
Gauge the competition (Strengths & Weaknesses)

3rd Quarter – Revenge/Payback time (2nd Half of Season)

Must get better (the competition isn’t standing still)
Prep for playoffs
Keep conditioning / Make it Fun !
Maintain FOCUS. Stay sharp.
Take breaks when needed to maintain energy.
Cold & Flu season… rest to recover quicker.

4th Quarter – Win or Go Home (Playoffs)

Perform at your best.
Few “Easy Wins”… even lower seeds are playing hard.
Have a few surprises up your sleeve.
High level of Mental Toughness / Facing The Challenges

Why use “4 Part Basketball Year”?

Breaking up the season into “chucks”, each with a different area of focus and specific “feel”, helps your team fight the boredom of a long season. It also breaks up the grind of weeks of conditioning and keeps players fresh.

A physical test in each quarter, either as part of a game or practice, can be a good milestone to show progress when compared with tests earlier in the season. I like to have some standard tests for evaluating players and it is good to come back to them in each section of the season to show players that they are indeed getting better.

Bottom line…

Looking at the overall season as a “4 part basketball year” helps your planning efforts as a coach. It should also make the year more enjoyable and more successful for your players. The outline above is just a starting point. Feel free to add your own components to each section and use the outline as a planning tool for this year as well as years to come. If you see something that doesn’t belong, please leave us a comment below. Even if you disagree, your comments and ideas will be helping us get better.

Protected: Blow out – Sportsmanship

Player Progression

As a player develops, there are certain skills that need to be acquired at each level of play. This article will lay out the skills that would go into a player progression plan * from the middle school to varsity level.

Before we get started… Let’s have FUN !

Of course the underlying “skill” is enjoyment of the game and that needs to come first. In fact, most players self-select themselves for the sport based on their love of the game and some connection that develops very early in their childhood. As a coach, it is our responsibility to take players to the next level while fanning the flames of their love of the game.

** Coach Wheeler’s view only…

The player progression described below** is based on my coaching philosophy and the style of play that I like to use for my teams.

Another coach might have different priorities depending on how he expects his teams to compete. Having said that, there are probably a good amount of overlap and none of the skills mentioned will “go unused” by a coach, especially if a player becomes outstanding in that area.

Levels of Player Progression…

I originally tried to divide the player progression into 3 levels (Middle School / Frosh-JV / JV-Varsity) but, as you will see, there isn’t much “in the middle”. I think that is because many skills have a wide spectrum with lots of different levels along the way.

The difference between a Middle School player and a successful Varsity High School player can also depend on how that year’s team defines particular roles. In other word, someone might not have all the skills of a well-rounded varsity player but the ones that they do have (e.g rebounding or defense) could make them a strong role player for the team.

Let’s start by looking at the Middle School skills…

Middle School Level

Passing (strength / heads-up)
Catching (move to the pass)
Position defense (relative to ball / athletics)
Rebounding (box out / launch to the ball)
Layup Technique (footwork / angles)
Mid-range shot (touch / form)
Run the floor (full speed / endurance)
Triple Threat / Court Vision
Growth Mindset

Frosh / JV …

[this level is basically the transition to, and preparation for, become a varsity player]

Run the floor / Speed layups (w/contact, multi-angles)
Heads Up dribble (quick & strong)
Strong “set shot” – mid-range / 3 pt. / w/o thinking

JV / Varsity Level

Power Drive (standing / full-speed / Moves)
Strong Handles
Jump (touch rim / dunk)
Pressure M2M Defense (w/o fouls, w/o “Ole”)
Off-ball defense (steals / traps / help)
Signature Move(s) – Inside or perimeter (move/shoot)
Court Awareness (instant ball movement)
Mentally Strong *
Strong Role on Team

* Mental Toughness or a Champion Mindset is a large subject and it can take years to develop but, to start with, it means that a player “Practices Like a Champion”. A Mentally Strong player is able to “out perform” opponents through their understanding of the game as well as their willingness to do what is required to win. A mentally strong player makes the other team work hard on both ends of the court.

How does progress happen?

Some of a player’s progress will happen naturally as they grow from middle school age to high school age. As they say, you can’t teach height. For some people that is not great news but there is good news too!

The good news (especially for “height challenged” players) is that most of the skills listed can be learned, even things like jump height. A good coach can help a player learn various skills and there is no shortage of videos on YouTube to show players ideas for skill building drills.

Who is holding you back?

I see it every year. A player doesn’t improve over the off-season and they are passed by other players who have improved. The missing ingredient for most players is not an exposure to the skills but rather a lack of consistent off-season work on those skills. While playing other sports during basketball’s off-season might help a player develop athletically, basketball is very much a game of skill. And skills require practice if you want to improve. I heard a good quote on a recent podcast… “If you still have the same weaknesses as you had last season [and haven’t improved your strengths], you have wasted the off-season.”

Bottom Line…

If you aren’t getting better each year, there will be someone who passes you and takes your minutes at the next level. Basketball is a team sport but it is also very competitive. There are only so many game minutes at the varsity level and they go to the best players (as defined by the coach).

At the end of the season, every player who is serious about their game needs to lay out their Player Progression Plan by identifying their weaknesses and strengths along with the activities that will help them improve. Ideally, this should be combined with a review by your varsity coach to determine how you might contribute most quickly at the varsity level.

Coach Wheeler’s In-season Player Progression Plan

I believe that “What we work on EVERYDAY improves over time.” That is why there are some basic elements that will show up in every practice that I run…

Physical Challenges (running / defense / strength)
Shooting
[Perfections] which covers a number of skills
– Running
– Passing
– High speed layups
– Communication
Players should show progress in the first half of the season. By the time that we have played the teams on our schedule at least once, we should be ready to take our game to the next level. A tournament over Christmas break is always a good test to see where the team is in terms of player development as well as team cohesiveness and execution.

The second half of the season is focused on extending the team’s progress. We also want to do even better against opponents the 2nd time we play them. This approach is designed to get the team ready for the playoffs. If things go well, it also gives us a seeding that helps our drive for a championship.

All team success starts with the player’s progression and acquisition of skills. A coach can teach but the player has to take responsibility for their own development. If you show that you want to go the “extra mile”, most coaches love that attitude and will give you extra attention. As a player, you have to decide what you want. Do you want to be a key contributor at the varsity level? Or do you want to sit on the bench? You get to decide based on how you progress as a player. Hopefully this article gave you some ideas to work on. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Mistakes… Deal with it!

Everyone makes mistakes. If they say they don’t, they are either lying or in extreme denial. Mistakes are part of life. The sooner you develop a process for dealing with them, both logically and emotionally, the sooner you will be equipped to react proactively to the reality of your situation.

First, recognize the mistake. In sports, it is often easier to recognize a mistake because the ball does not go into the basket or maybe it does… for your opponent. Maybe you tried to intercept a pass and did not get there in time. Or your opponent faked… and you went for it. It was a mistake… Move ON !

The second step (once you recognize your mistake) is to learn from it. If you are in a game, perhaps you can make a mental note that a particular player likes to fake a pass when he or she is pressured. Whatever happened, there should be something you can do to prevent the mistake from reoccurring. If the mistake was strategic (I’m talking to you coach), what could you have done differently to win? If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you are destined to repeat them.

The final step is to MOVE ON. As I said in the beginning, everybody makes mistakes. They are part of life but it does not mean you have to hold onto them like some sort of weird badge of honor. Learn… and let it go.

Try this…

I don’t remember which school or coach gave me this idea but I thought it was something that others should apply. The team created a ritual where they would “flush” their mistakes by making a “flushing” motion (like turning a handle) which symbolized that they were letting the mistake go and moving on. Other teams might clap or wipe their hands together (to squash the idea of the mistake). Whatever you do, a “mistake ritual” can be a useful tool so that you can concentrate on the next part of the game instead of holding onto the bad feelings associated with a mistake.

How is your team going to “flush away” mistakes? Do you have a culture that says it is OK to make mistakes of effort, like going for the steal? Will your team back you up and encourage you to take risks?

Bottom Line… On Mis-steaks

Mistakes happen. Decide how you are going to deal with them… productively. Recognize them, Learn from them and then Move On!

How to become a Top Shooter in Basketball

Become a Shooter There are 5 key parts to becoming a consistent, successful shooter in the game of basketball. They are simple to understand but only the very best players actually put in the work to become great shooters.

The 5 keys to become an excellent shooter are…

Proper form
Strength
Repetition / Muscle Memory
Game-like Practice
Mental Preparation

1. Proper form can be developed using a progression of shots from close to the basket to further out. You want to get your form correct before you worry about the other aspects of shooting. Below is a video to show you how one of the best shooters does it (notice how many shots he misses, or doesn’t miss)…

2. Strength is required to add consistency and range to your shooting. In basketball, the key muscle groups include your arms (biceps/triceps), chest/back and core muscles. Coach Wheeler has a simple workout routine that hits these muscles quickly and effectively. The key to building strength is consistency. Working with weights once in a while is not going to build your strength. In addition, lifting weights that are easy to life won’t be much help either.

3. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. To get better as a shooter, you need to “put up shots”. This will build your muscle memory as well as the strength you need in your hands and your eye/hand coordination. How many shots are enough? 100 shots per day is over 36,000 in a year or 140,000 over 4 years of high school. That seems like a large number but there are players putting in 1000 shots per day, sometimes with the help of shooting machines like Dr. Dish or Shoot-a-way, which can add up to over 1 million shots in high school. What is right for you? It depends on how good you want to be. Check out this short video showing a 1000 shot workout…

4. Game-like Practice means taking shots in the style that you will be required to use most often in a game. Once an opposing team realizes you can shoot, they are unlikely to let you stand in one spot and shoot away. You are going to need to move to get open, perhaps make a move or two so you can get your shot off. This all needs to be part of your practice plan so that you are prepared for game situations. I like to see players incorporating either a move and one strong dribble before taking their shot or working on their catch&shoot as if they are coming off a pick. Whatever you are going to use in a game, you need to work on, and perfect, in practice.

5. Mental Preparation is one area that many shooters forget about. How are you going to perform when the pressure is on and you have to take the shot to win the game? Or more importantly, are you going to be able to hit every wide open shot you get? We see it all the time… someone is a good shooter but they are given too much time to shoot and they start thinking about how they “should” shoot. Their head gets in the way and they miss. Shooting, at least from a mental perspective, is all about trusting your training and just “pulling the trigger”.

Dr. Bob Rotella, an acclaimed sports psychologist, talks about the Trusting vs. Training mindset. The Training mindset is when you are practicing and perhaps fine tuning your mechanics or footwork. The Trusting mindset is what you need to use in a game since thinking about your form will only make it less smooth and less natural.

5 seconds left on the clock. You have the ball…

It is important to put as much pressure on yourself in practice as possible so that you can get used to high pressure game situations. The other mental trick when you get into a game is to fall back on all the work you put in and remember that you have proven to yourself, over and over again, that you can put the ball in the hoop. Just trust your training and make it happen.

Bottom Line if you want to become a shooter …

If you combine these five keys you will become an above-average shooter over time. The key is consistency of effort.

Here is BONUS idea # 1 which I picked up from Dave Hopla, former shooting coach for the Detroit Pistons. “Keep track of your results.” Dave tracks every practice and shooting demonstration that he does and it is a great way to see your progress both in your shooting percentage (Dave shot 98% the time I saw him give a demonstration) as well as the volume of shots you are putting up. It is also a great way to track your “streak” or number of consecutive days that you have done your shooting workout. Don’t break your streak and you will be amazed by how much you can improve over time!

BONUS idea #2 is from a player that scored over 2000 points in his high school career, Tom Brayshaw. He says that you must “Master the Mundane”. In other words, you have to do the little things that are sometimes boring or mundane, over and over again, if you want to become a good shooter. The way I like to think of this is you have to motivate yourself to get out on the court and put up the shots, even when you don’t feel like it. It is precisely those times that separate the OK or mediocre players from the shooting stars. If it helps, imagine that with each practice session you are passing one more player who didn’t put in the effort. You are one step closer to being the best. Will you be the best? You never know who you will encounter on the court so be sure to bring your best effort every day.

Mental Toughness – Value of Problems – Part II

If you have not seen my previous Mental Toughness post: “Challenges & Problems”, check it out by clicking here. Now let’s learn how to think differently so you can solve your problems and avoid some problems altogether.

Let’s understand Problems

Mark Manson points out in his book, that our personal values and the standards we set for ourselves “determine the nature of our problems and the nature of our problems determines the quality of our life.” In other words, good problems = good life (and the opposite). Add to this the fact that we get (in terms of problems & results) what we accept based on the standards we set for ourselves and those around us.

Control the meaning of your problems…

Mark goes on to say, “Problems may be inevitable but their meaning is not. We get to control what our problems mean based on how we choose to think about them [and] the standard by which we choose to measure them.”

One man’s problem is another man’s dream.

Going back to our rich and poor example. The rich person might lose a million dollars in a day… but it is such a small part of their overall wealth that it means nothing. The poor person might misplace a dollar bill and it means everything to them because it is all that they have.

Problems have meaning and the good news is
that we get to choose that meaning.

What if the rich person chose to think that losing a million dollars was not a simple fluctuating in the stock market and was the start of financial ruin? The meaning of the loss could be ominous or inconsequential. Which one is right? Neither. Or maybe both. The point is that we CHOOSE what things mean for ourselves and very often it has more to do with our habitual thinking than the “reality” of the situation.

5 Counter-intuitive ways of thinking

Mark Manson offers 5 new “ways of thinking” which can help you become better at solving your problems and recognizing opportunities for personal growth. The 5 Ways or “New Value”are…

Radical Responsibility
Empower Uncertainty
Embrace Failure
Leverage Rejections
Gain Perspective of Mortality

Radical Responsibility means taking responsibility for EVERYTHING in your life. It doesn’t mean that everything is your fault… just that you have the ability to respond to anything in your life. Everyone will encounter problems that are not their fault, but it is HOW you RESPOND that determines the quality of your life. What most people miss is the idea that we have much more control over our lives than we imagine. Unfortunately, most people just “go along” with whatever is expected and, as a result, they get mediocre (or worse) results. Bottom Line… Take Responsibility for your life. That’s a radical idea isn’t it?

Uncertainty is another opportunity for personal growth. If you already know all the answers, you won’t be searching for new ideas or new answers. If you adopt an uncertain approach, you are open to opportunities you would have missed. We should also keep in mind that there are things we don’t even know that we don’t know. Open the door to uncertainty.

Embrace Failure. We are all going to fail at one time or another. We can let it eat us up or we can see it as what it really is… a learning opportunity. Failure highlights our “blind spots” in ways that we rarely seek out. Think of failure as a gift… but don’t quit.

This might sound good, but what if you can’t even think of a potential plan of attack? What if the prospect of a HUGE failure is intimidating and you still don’t know where to start? What if it seems like you have already failed… before you are even “in the game”?

Lower the bar for failure… Do Something

Mark Manson explains a great way to lessen the anxiety associated with potential failure through the “Do Something” rule that he learned from one of his teachers. “If you are stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; Just start working on it. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, the simple act of working on it will eventually cause the right ideas to show up in your head.”

“Don’t just sit there.
Do Something.
The answers will follow.”

Mark adds, “Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.” Once you take action, you often find that the small successes provide motivation while the small failures provide ideas that point you into a productive direction. “If we follow the ‘Do Something’ principle, failure feels unimportant.”

So, start failing. Start small. Do Something. Do anything. As Nike says, “Just Do It.”

Leverage Rejection. Manson says, “We are defined by what we choose to reject.” For example, if we value something, we must reject what is not that something. To value X, we must reject non-X. What we reject defines our identity. If we don’t reject something we don’t stand for anything. Decide what you stand for. It will make your decisions clearer and keep your life aligned with your important values.

Gain Perspective from Mortality. We could all be hit by a bus tomorrow… but we rarely think about how short our life could be. In the timeline of the cosmos, we are a flash in the pan, a brief flicker in history so how much does it matter that someone cuts you off in traffic? Stoic philosophers would advocate to think about death at all times so we would appreciate our life more. Mark Twain once wrote, “The fear of death follows the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

Your own mortality is the ultimate “Big Picture” view and it helps put everything into perspective. Don’t deny your mortality… use it !

Which Problem is worth a F&ck?

Bottom line, you get to choose how you respond to the problems in your life, how you solve problems and even which problem you choose to tackle. Problems are a blessing and each new one gives us an opportunity to grow. What do you give a f*ck about?

Mental Toughness – Challenges & Problems

This post is about Challenges (sometimes called “problems” by other people). It was inspired by some ideas I learned from a book I just finished called “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. I should warn you… the F-word is used throughout the book… ALOT. Not that it bothered me as I was reading. It seemed to come from the author’s authentic voice and probably added more “flavor” to the book than if he had used the word”care” instead.

Bottom Line?

It is a book about what you care about and how to deal with things that you either don’t care about or should not care about. Obviously understanding the difference for each of those categories is critical for anyone who wants to lead a productive, successful and fulfilling life.
Bottom Line… good book. Read it.

Now let’s talk about Challenges…

Everyone has problems. I prefer to use the word “Challenges” (and it should be clear why by the end of this post) but Mark calls them problems so we will go with that… for now.

Picture two people.

The first one is the richest person in the world. Or maybe just the richest person you know or have heard of. For this example, NOT Donald Trump (his problems are in a completely different class). Getting back to the rich dude… Do you think they have problems? Think about it… Where are they going to invest all their money? Who can they trust with their money? Maybe they want to help people… which charity (out of the millions who might deserve help) should they donate to? Finally, how are they going to spend their money? If you have not seen the movie Brewster’s Millions with Richard Pryor, find a copy and watch it. Rich people definitely have problems.

On the other end of the spectrum, picture the poorest person in the world. Hopefully it is not someone you know. Maybe they have horrible clothes that don’t keep them warm enough. It is easy to imagine that they don’t know where their next meal will come from or where they will sleep. It is not hard to imagine their problems.

Why are we comparing these two people?

First they both have problems. In Life, you will always have problems. Get over it and move on.

Second, and this is a critical point, there are different types of problems. Some problems are better to have than others. What if the rich person was overweight and had terminal cancer? All of their “good problems” might be wiped out by a bad problem.

Where am I going with this?

You are going to have problems and you are going to have to deal with them. The Buddha put a different way, “Life is suffering.” Mark says “Life is a never-ending series of problems.”

Let’s Talk Happiness

It may seem like a hard right turn to go from “everyone has problems” and “Deal with it” to talking about Happiness but Mark brings up a good point in his book that explains how problems are related to your happiness. (And probably not in the way that you expect.)

One of the premises in Mark’s book is that “Happiness is solving problems.” Mark adds, “To be happy, we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action.”

I like this idea. Happiness is not a destination. It is something you do along the journey.

In other words, don’t bother saying “I will be happy when I get a raise” or “… when I get married” or “… when I have kids”. Solve the problems that are in front of you and keep moving in the direction of your dreams… knowing that happiness is a worthwhile journey.

Happiness is a process.

Part of that process is figuring out what you are willing to tackle, which problems you might LIKE to solve, while you are on the journey to your dreams.

There will be problems you would have never chosen… but they still need to be solved. The funny (?) thing is that everyone will run into a pile of sh*t along the way. The question is what (or how much) are you willing to push through to get a great life?

Mark says, “Struggles determine our successes. Our problems birth our happiness, along with slightly better, upgraded problems.”

In other words, the joy is in the struggle!

Quick Review:

Everyone has problems (both good and bad).
We will always have problems and the act of solving them brings happiness (“along with slightly better problems”.)
We get to choose how we approach our problems.
(Hint: we can call them challenges or opportunities.)
(More about how to approach challenges/problems in Part II of this post)

Defensive Tools – M2M

I am always surprised by how few players understand the tools that they have available to them as defensive players on a basketball court. Too often players rest on defense and don’t focus on what will help their team take the ball away from the opposition or make it more difficult for them to score. If a player applies the skills described below, they can go from reacting to the offense to taking control of their opposition’s offense and dictating what they do.

The top defensive skills that every player should use on defense are Position (distance, charge,steering), Jab Step, Face Guarding (the right way) and Weak Side Steals.

Position. This is the most basic form of defense and it us where most players stop. Why? Because it may be “good enough” to be considered “defense” but I would challenge you to go beyond just “good enough” and take your defense to a higher level.

Within “position defense” there are many aspects that players can apply. In particular, there are a number of ways to guard a post player (front, side or behind) and it depends on your relative size as well as the help that you can expect from your team mates on defense.

Relative distance from the dribbler. In terms of position, I often see players back away from their man when they think that they are not quick enough to stay with them. They hope that the added buffer will give them more time to react and prevent their player from scoring. What usually happens though is that they allow the offensive player to build up momentum and drive by them even faster. As Homer Simpson says… D’OH !

What’s the solution? This is going to sound counterintuitive but pay close attention. Instead of backing off, the answer is … Get closer. Much closer. It is almost like wrestling because the offensive player can’t dribble in front of themselves (because the defensive player is there and can steal the ball) and any move around the defensive player will require more effort than it would if the offensive player is given room to move.

Will you get beat when you are playing up-close, in-your-face defense? Probably, but you will make the offensive player work for it. You might even pick up a charge if the offensive player gets too physical. The key is how you (and your team mates) react on defense when you get beat…

What happens when you get beat? Two things. First you stop shuffling, turn your hips and RUN to catch up and, hopefully, pass the offensive player so you can stop them or at least control where they can move. Secondly, it is critically important to stay in contact with your offensive player and, ideally, steer them in a direction where your team mates (or a sideline) can provide help defense. This means that if they drive by you on the right side, you don’t let them come back to the left side. It is a common mistake for defensive players to give up once they are “beaten” by the offensive player and basically let the offensive player continue toward the basket.

Why do I have to stay with the ball handler? Aside from preventing them from returning to their strong hand, you want to be ready to trap them when your team mate comes over to help. This is a great time to steal the ball since the offensive player’s options are limited and it should be easy to anticipate what they will do.

Take the Charge. This is related to playing position and can be done by either the primary defender or someone helping stop a drive. If the primary defender is doing their job and “steering” the ball handler, the help defender can often set up and take a charge. The key for a help defender in this situation is to remain active and ready to prevent a pass to your man.

Jab step. By making a move at the offensive player, you are seeing how they will react. Most players have a preferred hand that they like to dribble with and once you know which one it is, you can anticipate where they might like to go and either get in the way (play position) or fake like you are going to get in their way (using a jab step) to force the offensive player to react. This is an important way for a defensive player to take control of the offensive player and limit their effectiveness.

Face Guarding. This is a defensive skill that relies on using your eyes as well as the eyes of the offensive player. In short, most offensive player’s eyes follow the ball when it is being passed to them. This can give a defensive player an insight into where the ball is coming.

Why would someone pass the ball when you are there as a defender? Because when you are face-guarding, you have your back to the ball and they think that you can’t see it… but you can see where it will go based on the eyes of the offensive player.

Can the offensive player beat someone who is face guarding? Sure, but it requires an offensive player to recognize what you are doing (which they might do after a steal or two) and then they would have to consciously look somewhere else while following the ball with their peripheral vision. It can be done… but in many cases, in the heat of competition, face-guarding is not recognized and the defense has the advantage.

Weak side defense – set up the steal. This is another area of Man-to-man defense that is often overlooked. The weak side is the side of the court AWAY from the ball handler and most coaches teach players that they should split the court and “build a wall” so that the ball can’t come over to their side. This is good in theory but too many players forget that a long pass is one that should be intercepted. The longer the pass, the more time you have to get to the ball.

Why aren’t more long passes intercepted? Because weak side defenders lose sight of what the ball handler is doing and they don’t see the pass until it is well on it’s way. How can this be changed? By knowing 1) when you expect the ball handler to pass and 2) seeing the clues that they are going to pass in your direction. If a ball handler is about to dribble into a trap and they are a good offensive player, they will be looking for someone to pass to BEFORE they get to the trap. If the ball handler looks toward your man, it is likely they will pass to them. If it is a long pass, the throwing motion will be bigger than a short pass (depending on the strength of the ball handler) and if you are watching the ball handler, you should be able to see it start so you can get a jump on the pass and intercept it. This same approach can be used on the strong side even when the pass might be shorter. By anticipating the pass, you gain a huge advantage over the offense and can force more turnovers.

Conclusions re: M2M Defensive Tools:

Coach Wheeler on M2M Defense…

“Defense should never be passive and reactive. It should challenge the offense and make it difficult for them to do what they want to do. If someone can call a play, your defense is not working hard enough. A successful defensive team drives the offense more than a little crazy and pushes them out of their comfort zone.”

Will you get beat? Probably, especially if the other team is very good. But you will get beat more often if your defense is passive and reactive. As a player, won’t you get beat by your man? Certainly. This is one thing that many coaches don’t want to address. They tell players to “work harder” and get in front of their man. This is great if you are faster/quicker than the offense, but what happens when a player can’t stay in front of their man? Shouldn’t there be a plan for this situation? Especially since there is almost always a mismatch somewhere on the floor and a good offense will figure out how to exploit it. That is where TEAM Man-to-man defense comes in along with the skills mentioned above.

What do you think? Are there other M2M defensive tools that you find are highly successful with your teams? I would love to hear your ideas and opinions. Would you like to see a video showing how Coach Wheeler implements / teaches these ideas with a team? Please leave a comment below.