The mind must contain the horses of the brain.  

The brain can take you where you want to go, but can also take you other places not so pleasant. The lesson? YOU must show the brain the way to have things go your way.  This is something you can’t ignore.

 ( “Listen to the Message”)

Alas, the brain is but a tool and fear its great inhibitor,  tis why for gain, the rule for you is to steer nerves to the perimeter… and show them the door.

How else can you absorb the distractions, noise and summon the poise to perform on the floor. What’s more, you must be environment proof (whatever the scoop) or your skills too can go poof … and so can minutes. Getting them back … a helluva chore.

Only be scared if you’re not prepared. Even then fight to win. But, if you know what to do, then  you gotta break through the shackles of doubt and continue to deliver what’s on the menu.  Anything less than 130% of self MUST NOT CONTINUE.  What’s all the work for?

It’s C.A.M. (Calm Assertive Mind) … THAT’S THE PLAN.

Inside you’ll find the keys to unwind and relax perhaps. Especially when there’s chips to stack and circumstances to smack. Put “i n” to it , if you’re tense and get intense. Instead of  allowing brain tricks, do a brain shift. Change the F in fear to G and let your mind ride free of indecision and apprehension. They’re a no-win proposition  and usually around when performance is poor.

Oh, by the way did I mention…

Confidence is the key to your tool box, fear and it’s sphere of doubt are the locks.  So get inside yourself to find wealth (“What You See… Is What You Get”). Without it it’s tough for jocks to tick-tock and see clock. Forget about the crowd roar.

I know I’ve said nothing you haven’t heard before. There’s nothing new Son… especially under the basketball Sun. But things are always changing. And how you adjust to the constant flux will determine which reality you land on.

I implore you to employ all you have in store to sip from the cup of joy.

Let’s be honest.  Not all coaches are fair. They all seem to want to win, but some are hell- bent on winning a certain way, and that may or may not include your services– in the beginning. Sometimes no matter how well you perform, coaches- especially at the college or pro level or any situation where they have a plethora of options, may not play you … just because. You choose it. He may not like something about your game, something about you, or whatever. It really could be… just because? SMH

I personally believe that coaches who don’t allow the players to decide who plays (based on their play), should be lined  up and exterminated.  It goes against the true spirit of competition and our american principles. It’s beyond wrong – but it happens all the time. And worse, everyone seems to stand idly by and let it happen.

The answer, if you find yourself “caught up”…

Resist the urge to whine to that seemingly sympathetic ear. Your teammates- and others want to support you (usually), but in reality they’re  singularly focused on their own circumstance. The assistant coaches will give  you the good cop, bad cop (head coach) routine. Uggh! (Remain pleasant).

However, the only real way to change your circumstance is to continue to demonstrate (every second) what you’re capable of and by maintaining a positive and supremely joyous attitude.  If you truly deserve to play, everyone knows it- including the head coach.

There’s usually some block (rational or irrational) in the mind of a coach who doesn’t play a person who deserves to play.  Remaining positive and gracious will eventually allow him or her to save face when your play demands that you be included- if only to preserve the integrity of the group. If you keep performing, something will give and sooner than it seems while your caught up in it (not playing).

Once the paradigm shift happens  and the coaches’ perception of you changes, he’ll (if only privately)  have a greater amount of respect for you and will typically be better able to evaluate you at face value. Equally important, he will eventually allow you to flourish according to your capabilities… and deservedly so!

So let’s clear the air.  No one cares if it ain’t fair. So in order to fare well, you’ll have to handle your circumstance well.  Don’t dwell on the negative.  Give all that you’ve got to get it done and cold-filter the rest (of the BS).  Trust me… I’ve been there!

“By the Time You Get To Where You’re Going”, seemed to have struck an emotional chord deep in the basketball souls of many readers. Its  message resonated  and motivated those players with “time” and wrenched the hearts of those without. The good news is basketball was never intended to be the end all in our lives, but rather an important part of our personal development as individuals.

There will come a crossroad in every player’s journey between basketball life and life itself. For many basketball isn’t just a way of life, but rather, larger than life and  inextricably linked to their identity and sense of self.  As a result, far too many players get lost in the quagmire of unfulfilled dreams  when basketball is no longer a realistic priority.   As painful as the transition may be, don’t despair, I declare… if you can hoop there’s hope.

If you can hoop (especially if you’re a star), it  means you’ve put  an inordinate amount of energy into developing your skill sets.  All those long hours on the playground and in the gym were not in vain. It’s time for the payoff.  Maybe it’s not how you imagined  it would be with a college scholarship or pro contract in hand, but, what you did get is a lifetime of benefit package and it’s ready to be activated.

The adage sports can teach you a life ‘s lesson if you let it is definitely true.  So now ask yourself the question … what have been the lessons learned inside your time in basketball.  Basketball gloriously is just  a model of life.  The same keys to success in the sports realm are transferable to life situations. So again, as daunting as a direction change seems at the moment; have no fear, sports has taught you tremendous things.

You have hands on experience with quick analysis and decision-making.  You are schooled in  group dynamics and goal setting.  You know what it’s like to be disciplined and dedicated.  You’ve walked the walk  because you understand the correlation between inputs for outputs and how each component impacts the whole unit.  You know how to execute and  persevere under pressure because you’ve been pushed to the limit and found a way to survive and enjoyed success.  You’ve beat the odds before and it was  your passion and refuse to lose attitude the carried you through.

Passion is the fuel that helps you motor through the tedium of all that is required of you on your journey to where you want to go.

Trust me. Developing yourself inside any sport may be the toughest challenge you face in life.  With the right approach (bring your “A” game), any other endeavor is just as doable- at least.

You must believe to achieve success. Without belief performance shifts into the realm of should’ves and could’ves. Without belief even the most talented can fall by the wayside in the moment of truth;  lost in the quagmire of external factors and other superlatives reeking havoc on internal features (skills and mindsets).

When an individual’s skill level is greater  than  his or her self concept, performance is compromised.

To stay balanced (in any field):

KYC (know Your Capacity), KYL (Know Your Limitations), KYE (Know Your Environment)  and of course, KYP (know Your Personnel) 

Understand your strengths to operate inside them–  constantly

There should also be some type of analysis to identify   weaknesses (which is a major strength in itself). After that it’s a matter of  impetus and resolve  to follow through on those improvements. Otherwise– inside the spirit of resistance to change,  delusion( about prowess) sets in (quickly). We all know far too many of these cases.

The ability  to  operate constantly inside your strengths creates expectation (to have success) and develops extra confidence of application (swag). Confidence is the key that opens the door to  skill sets.  It helps you operate in stressful environments and in the face of other detractors/distractions ( negative opinions/feedback, doubters/haters, whatever it looks like).  

You’ve seen performers (maybe you’re one of them) that  seem to be on a mission to conquer the task at hand–period.  These types not only can see themselves perform (in a certain way), they actually saw it done before it started.

This understanding is the product of visualizing or seeing the action in your mind’s eye; which after all, is the precursor to actualizing  or producing performance.

That’s what it’s about … seeing, believing and receiving the fruits of  your labor and talents.

Brain and will power squared

This era of the physical freak has morphed the game of basketball beyond physical recognition. It is becoming more and more difficult to compete on today’s athletic plane. The odds of being the most physically gifted player on the court are quite slim…

Fortunately, in the world of Virtual Play, the measure of performance is determined by the net results of technical actions and not necessarily the physical prowess of the performer…

Related: Sci-Fi or Hi-Sci (Highly Scientific)

This application bridges the gap between the super-freak and the average athlete. Physics, in one form or another is one of the oldest academic disciplines. It seeks to understand very basic concepts such as force, mass, energy and momentum. Through the use of precise movement… you will be able to execute in ways that will produce matrix-like outcomes during play…

Martial art has shown for centuries that there are no mathematical or physical limits to optimizing technique or execution…

The power lies in ultimate focus on applying the basics as an art form. It makes athleticism less of a factor. It allows you to transcend physical deficiencies – if there are any – and negate the physicality of your opponents…

Virtual Play, as you will discover, is the technical and physical model for optimum efficiency in basketball. The more precise you are in applying these principles the more effective you are in your play…

Basketball is one of the few sports in which the offense has the advantage. Unfortunately, many players and teams give theirs away with poor technique and a flawed offensive approach. If all of our movements are in frames – as in motion pictures – and we can learn to control our movement in each frame, then we should then be able to mislead and manipulate opponents with our intentions in early frames of movement…

Therefore, we can control our opponents (regardless of how athletic they are) by proposing an action and being continuously contrary to their responses…

It becomes easy to make necessary changes to exploit and maintain advantage…

Uncovering these truths and absolutes… is the portal to peak performance… for anyone.