A Few Habits at a Time

I will make sure to continue with parts 2 and 3 of my thoughts on Confidence later this week, but I wanted to share briefly a lesson I learned yesterday.

Before every game, I review a memo I wrote to myself. It contains things I want to think about, things I want to change. It is something of meditation with a view towards transformation. My goal is mind renewal, with the thought that better thinking leads to better playing. A quiet few minutes before the game serves to help me get my mind right for the upcoming contest.

Yet I realize that I have been doing two things wrong with regard to the list. First, I have allowed it to grow too large. Though I started with good intentions and a somewhat manageable memo of thoughts, as time has gone by, I have kept adding to it. Now, rather than being encouraged, I can end up somewhat overwhelmed. Rather than bringing real, concrete, lasting change, I have brought on myself confusion and/or a little discouragement.

Second, I have thought through the things on this list only before the games. This is foolishness. For if this list contains some habits (both mental and physical) that I want to change, I am foolish to think that I can change them only in the game. No. I need to think them through daily and work on them daily–in practice or in the games.

So here is my practical application. First, I have narrowed down my list. Sure, there are numerous things I could work on. After all, I am by no means a master of the game of basketball. However, if I try to tackle too many things at once, I am bound to lead myself into confusion and discouragement. If, on the other hand, I focus on a few foundational things for an extended period of time, I can bring lasting change. Then I can move onto something else.

And second, I am going to review my short list daily. Before practice. Before games. On a day off. Whenever. And, in fact, I am going to be praying for God’s help. For I surely need it.

So I encourage you. What is your short list? Sure, you could list many things you want to improve upon. But what are 2 or 3 things that, if you change them, will lead to change in many other places. Think foundational. Think the root of the tree, not the fruit of the tree. For if you take care of the root, the fruit will come and it will be sweet. What mental habit do you need to change? What game-time habit do you need to change? Whatever really. Pick two things to focus on and then focus on them until you master them. Review them daily until they become a good habit that is hard to break. It won’t be easy, but in the end, it is bound to be fruitful.

Making my list and checking it daily,

Joe

Selcuk 89 Banvit 86

Lost a tough one last night on the road.  We were up two with a minute left and ended up losing it.  Definitely not a fun way to lose.  But then again, there is no fun way to lose.

Our team as a whole didn’t play well and I led the way.  Just didn’t play smart basketball, allowing the other team to take me out of my rhythm.  I also wasn’t aggressive enough attacking the defense.  Yet another lesson to learn the hard way.

It was a big game for us.  If we had won, we would have been in eighth place.  Now, we are in 10th and still fighting for the last playoff spot.  Still nine more games to go, but they will all be wars.  For in this league, when you play the teams at the bottom of the league, you often have a harder match, because they are playing to remain in the league itself.  The last two teams are demoted to the second division.  The team we played yesterday was in that position.  That is why they played so tough.

So I play and learn, learn and play.  But as we all know, the learning process isn’t easy–for individuals and a team.  As for the stats, here is the box score.  I ended up with 11 points, but shot way to many threes and made only 1.  Terrible.  It is still very frustrating to think about.  But as I said to one of my teammates last night, it is only a complete loss if I fail to learn from it.
Looking forward to the game next week and learning from this one,

Joe

Confidence Part 1

Confidence is one of those things that every player needs, but that few players have.  Sure, some players might have an aire or appearance of confidence, but for most of us, confidence comes and goes.  I have heard countless players (including myself), say, “I don’t know what happened, but I just lost my confidence and couldn’t get it back.”  And this rings true no matter how good a player might be.

Confidence is also something that separates the good from the best.  It’s an “X-factor” so to speak.  It makes one player rise higher than the next, even if he is not as naturally gifted as others.  It enables one player to take the big shot and/or play big in the big game.  And the lack of it, of course, ruins the careers of many.

My history with basketball confidence is an interesting one.  I always gave the appearance of confidence.  I was good at faking it I suppose.  But deep down inside, I was always questioning myself, and always the worse off for it.  Over the past few years, however, I have had something of a breakthrough when it comes to basketball confidence.  Lessons have been learned and I am a much better player because of it.

I offer you (at least) three lessons in confidence.

1)  Confidence, in order to be real and rich and deep and effective and abiding, must be based on reality.

2)  In order to increase your confidence, you have to learn to talk to yourself rather than listen to yourself.

3)  If you focus too much on confidence, you are bound to lose it.  You are best to just play.

We’ll focus our energies this week on lesson number 1.

1)  Confidence, in order to be real and rich and deep and effective and abiding, must be based on reality.  

What I mean by this is that when it comes to playing basketball, you cannot convince yourself of something that isn’t true.  Confidence, in order to be real and rich and deep, needs to have a basis in reality.  You need legitimate reasons to be confident in your basketball abilities.  As human beings, we are oftentimes fond of deceiving ourselves, but as basketball players, the evidence is too obvious.  We are either good shooters or we are not; good defenders or not; good passers or not.  The evidence speaks for itself.

Take shooting, for example.  If we are making 4-10 in practice, standing still, with no defenders, why are we surprised when we shoot 2-10 during the game?  Should we have confidence in our jump-shot if the evidence proves otherwise?  I think not and trust you agree.  Or if the offense is scoring on us at will, should we have confidence in our defensive abilities?  The answer is obvious.

This being true, we come to see how important proper training really is.  Not only does practice strengthen the muscles we use for basketball and, when it comes to highly-precise movements such as shooting and dribbling, enable precise muscle memory, but practice also builds confidence.  As a shooter, I practice not only to train my body how to shoot, but to train my mind how to think.  That is, to train my mental ‘confidence’ muscles by seeing the ball go in the basket time and again.  See, I need to teach myself, “When I shoot, the ball goes in.” And practice enables me to do just that.  It renews my thinking and helps me become a more confident shooter.

Naturally, this is nothing terribly profound, but it must be pointed out that the mental training of the mind for greater confidence is one of the most important aspects of practice.  Practically speaking, if you want to grow in confidence, practice until you do.  If you are not comfortable dribbling with your left, practice until you are.  If you lack confidence in your jump-shot, shoot until you lack it no longer.

Of course, this isn’t the whole story.  But remember, we are only on point #1.  Two other points still remain.  For now, remember this:  you can’t lie to yourself as a basketball player.  Be diligent to give yourselves reasons to be confident (via practice) and your confidence is bound to increase.

Growing in confidence with you,

Joe

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