It's not easy being good

I recently finished a training session with a client of mine who is in the 8th grade. He's a great kid, works hard, and he wants to get better. About 20 minutes into our workout his face is covered in sweat, his shirt is drenched, and he had a look on face that said he wasn't sure if he could make it through the workout. I kept pushing him to continue to work hard, to move quicker, faster and to be more efficient. I told him it's not easy being good. It takes a lot of work and dedication to become good and even more hard work to get better. If it was easy being good then every basketball player would be on an even playing field. The hard work is what separates the average player from the good player and the good player from the elite. You get out of basketball what you put in it. So if you show the game hard work and commitment then the game will show you success.

You Got The LOVE?

When I was a kid growing up, my dad always asked me if I loved the game of basketball. Loving the game of basketball is like loving your parents, siblings, grandparents or anyone else in your family. When you love your family you enjoy their company and look forward to spending time with them. You work hard at improving relationships and getting to know one another. You also get out those relationships what you put in them. If you show your parents that you are responsible about your curfew then you build trust with them. If you show your family members respect then you too will receive respect. Also being part of a loving family takes commitment. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do but since you are committed you do those things.

So how is all this related to basketball? Loving the game of basketball is like loving your family. If you love the game of basketball then you look forward to getting out on the court and playing and improving your game. You put in the hard work to improve the relationship you have with the game. This can be done shooting 400-500 jumpers a day, working on conditioning, improving your ball handling, getting in the weight room to become stronger, or studying game tapes to see how to improve your in game performance. You get out of basketball what you put in it. If you put in the hard work and dedication then you may have the opportunity to earn that scholarship. Most importantly when you love someone or the game of basketball you must show commitment. When you are truly committed it shows your dedication, determination, and discipline.

A lot of players don’t love the game of basketball, they love the idea of being a basketball player. It’s a great idea to be able to score like Kobe or to be able to play the point like Chris Paul. But when it comes to putting in the work and commitment a lot of players go from love to like. When you love the game of basketball no one has to tell you to go to the gym to improve your game. You are begging someone to take you (if you can’t drive yourself). If you can’t get to the gym then you are working on your ball-handling by dribbling the ball up and down the street. If you can’t dribble the ball then you are doing some sort of conditioning. If you can’t do any conditioning then you are doing push ups and sit ups. Someone that has the love of the game finds some way to improve their game. So ask yourself this question. You got the love?

How do you practice?

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Nothing But Net Basketball will be hosting a 4 week Offensive Skills Workshop starting July 17 in Conway. Workshop is for boys and girls in 7th-12th grade. Workshop will continue every Friday through August 7th. Workshop is $90 and each trining session is 75 minutes in length. Visit www.NothingButNetBball.com for more information. Also visit www.NothingButNetBball.com/newsletter.aspx and sign up for our free newsletter for all the updated information on NBN Basketball and receive additional drills and tips.