HOW TO PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL

HOW TO PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL

If you want to play at the next level, here are several important points to consider. Deciding you want to play at the college level will require serious dedication. Most people underestimate the amount of time and intensity necessary to play at the D1 college level. This dream requires a life of discipline and sacrifice to make it a reality. Here is our advice.

Learn from Europe and Asia.
Most major coaches agree basketball fundamentals in the United States are on the decline. Though America’s athletes are getting more athletic, their skills, especially shooting, are getting worse. Just look at the shooting percentages and compare the statistics. One reason why the skills are declining is because American kids often hate repetition. Many view having to repeat a skill a punishment. However, if you want to play at the college level, you must change this mindset and begin to love repetition. One of the reasons Asian culture has so many people who excel at skill-based tasks is because repetition is extremely valued in that culture. A person who can repeat a skill thousands of times is revered. In America, many athletes want to learn something new, repeat the skill a few times and then move on to a new skill. The pursuit is forever seeking the new skill, the new experience, the new challenge. This thinking has its positive points but it needs to be merged with the discipline of repeating a skill thousands and thousands of times accurately.

10,000 hours to success.
Read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It explains very clearly the path to success is paved by hard work. There is no substitute. He even puts a number to it: 10,000 hours. Michael Jordan was not born a great player, he was made through being one of the hardest workers in the NBA. If you want to play at the highest level you can, you need 10,000 hours of intense, disciplined workouts – not only games, but mostly individual workout hours.

Summer time is crucial.
Make basketball your summer job. You need to be working out at least 5 hours a day in the summer. The three key areas to focus on are: ball handling, shooting and athleticism. DO NOT GET LOCKED INTO ONLY PLAYING GAMES. Get a work-out plan. Go to at least 2 or 3 camps- find camps which are focused and intense. You need intensive skill work during the summer.

Write down your goals.
The research is overwhelming about writing down goals but many of us don’t do this? WHY? Sit down today. Post the goals in your bathroom where you see it every day. Goals make your dreams concrete.

Sacrifice.
What are you willing to give up? Right now we live in a very busy time. We have so many choices and commitments. You can’t do it all. What are you willing to give up? No serious athlete in high school spends excessive time with a girlfriend or boyfriend. No serious athlete in high school can afford to slack in the classroom. Coaches want players who are hard workers on the court and in life. Limit TV and computer games. How bad do you want to achieve your dream?

We want to help you get there. If you have questions about what you need to do, we would love to help.