“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.

As kids we are taught to dream big and work like hell to make them come true.   Well, don’t believe the hype — at least not entirely.  Dreams do come true (it COULD happen to you)- perhaps you’ve heard the jingle?  Yes, they may come true , but only if you do what must be done to embody who you want to be.  

“What are the chances of randomly acquiring the necessary skill sets to become a top player? As a result, “stars” are rare.  That means most players are in desperate need of the right information or materials to become the diamond of their dreams…” 

In basketball, like many endeavors,  there’s such a narrow window in which to actualize as a  top performer- particularly if you have aspirations of playing collegiately or professionally. Often times, hoop dreams turn to hoop hopes, which  turn to unanswered prayers. Those that continue to live the dream are but  hopeless dreamers, desperately trying to get through a window that will never re-open. This is the case in all sports, but painfully true  in basketball.

Truthfully, the window was never really open. Of  the  myriad of  challenges  on the road to a college scholarship or NBA opportunity – being skilled enough is certainly one of them. It seems that  so many skilled individuals  never quite make it to the big-time. On closer look, these players typically have “little things” missing from their games.  Those trace elements of successful play that typically go unnoticed by most (players),  because they’re unknown by most – and that includes far too many modern coaches. 

 As a result,  individuals never quite get what they really need to make it happen – unless they somehow randomly acquire the skill sets. This makes many so close… yet so far away from their goals.

The key is preparing yourself  properly as quickly as possible to fit inside the limited time frame available to capitalize.

Think of how many people would be high school stars,  if they were allowed to participate years after their eligibility.   This holds true for every level.  There are former college players  playing in Men’s and Women’s leagues across the country who would kill in college.  However, with their eligibility gone… so is their opportunity.

What is needed is some sort of guide to help you down the path. The guide could be an individual, reference material or both.

This way, there’s a greater opportunity to make it to the Big-time ….in Real-time!

I am a “hover ” lover. Discovering the advantages of hovering is where being first and creating space happens.

Watch the NBA playoff games and check who’s hovering. PG’s — in particular, Nash , Rondo and Jameer Nelson. Amongst to 2’s Dragic hovers… Ray Allen hovers… JJ Reddick hovers and of course, Kobe hovers.

Rashard and Vince hover, J Rich and Grant Hill hover. Indeed Paul Pierce does as well. KG hovers, Rasheed, Artest; so does Matt Barnes. Damn … it really must be something to the hover.

The hover gives you time to make contrary decisions against your opponent and dictate offensively.

So please… take it from the pros still in the playoff hunt. Every scorer is an adorer of the hover. Whether they know it or not, it just may be the best friend they’ve got.

Watch Goran hover and spin on Derek Fisher 2010 Playoffs

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Just being bigger, faster, quicker or jumping higher… won’t get you these guy’s jobs anytime soon

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. Even if you are today, you may not be tomorrow.

For sustained success you must continue to grow in your knowledge (Know-How) of the game and continue to sharpen your application of technique “virtually.”Moreover, the ability to manipulate time, space and opponents beyond the use of just basketball fundamentals is the trademark of a Virtual Player (VP).  VP’s understand the math and science of the game. This application bridges the gap between the super-freak and the average athlete.

Of course, there will always be guys who have success off of what they can do physically or by way of trickery. These players operate on Do-How as opposed to Know-How. They are highly capable and often physical freaks of some sort. Too often however, their inadequate comprehension or application of fundamentals limits their chance for consistent success at high levels of play. Know-How will win the series against Do-How almost always.

This  discovery of optimization in Virtual Play has been absolutely fascinating and it never stops. Uncovering these truths and absolutes is the portal to peak performance … Technology will forever change. You must adapt to these changes, or be prepared to fall short of your basketball objectives.

On the way to NBA Success…

There’s no denying environmental factors play a role, but all things equal (physically , technically and environmentally), why does player A find consistent NBA success, while player B struggles?

I’ve been bombarded recently with questions on the distinguishing factors of top players in the NBA.  Of course, top players are able to focus on what’s necessary for success in the moment of exchange. Looking around the league, there are so many players with physical and technical gifts. Why is it that some players – regardless of their talent, find it difficult to have consistent success.

So many  mega-stars lose their luster once they hit the league.   There’s no denying environmental factors play a role, but all things equal  (physically , technically and environmentally), why does player A find consistent NBA success, while player B struggles?

It all comes down to application or execution of skill sets… the A in PTAG (Physical skills, Technical Skills, Application of both, Grit-focus factor).  Physical and technical skills are great if properly applied… period.

Related: PTAG –The Virtual Game of Basketball of Basketball

I’ve said before that many of the top players in the NBA ( and all levels for that matter) do the same things.  I’m going to list the Top 6 defaults most consistently successful players incorporate into their play.

1) Successful  players are “Stay-first” artists, which means they understand the A-B-C’s of play.  The Law of Leadership grants the offensive player the right the be A or first and thus force the defender  to respond to an action as B; then the offensive player gets to “C” what to do and be continuously contrary to manipulate.

2) Top players typically have outstanding ROM (Range-of-motion), with the body and extended ball-side arm. ROM (body) is the range of movement forward with the head and shoulders without committing to actual movement with the feet. This mechanism  slurs the motion of offensives players forward and gives them more time to process the “B” movement of the defenders. ROM (ball) is the range of movement with the arm towards the lane , without committing to the dribble.

3) Top players use “hover” and  “false-leg” maneuvers (off-the-dribble) and quick-sticks and up-fakes (off-the-catch) to stay first and contrary.

4) Top players represent themselves with their shoulders or “Blades” during play and flex on contact.

5) Top players use “fractions-of-steps” to manipulate and play at a moderate to slow pace.  These players are rarely out of control and exploit defensive foibles with explosive and decisive action.

6) Top players have a broad “Scope-of-vision”. This is the ability to see up from the floor and the rim at the same time.  This provides early  vision of the environment and slows the action of the game down (perceptively) making processing and decision-making much easier.

There are optimum defaults for every facet of the game. Make a point to start identifying how certain player “go” (are having success) and how certain situations are handled in the flow. The more you watch, the more you’ll realize what I already know:

OMG (bling, bling)... “they’re all doing the same things”.