A vision is what fills the space between the present and your future. When we listen to interviews with great athletes such as Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, or Larry Bird, lots of times we hear them talk about how they always knew what needed to be done next in order to achieve greatness and fulfill their goals. Most athletes however, are like inexperienced mountaineers on an epic journey to summit the mountain. They can see the mountain, they can pictures themselves standing on the top, but they are unsure of the best route to get there. They wander up one path only to backtrack to where they began. Their progress is slow and somewhat daunting.
A great athlete not only sees the mountain, but already knows the best route to the top and is confident in their plan. For some athletes, this intuition is natural, but most great athletes are relentless at preparing to succeed and learning from people who have forged the path before them and gone ahead.
Ingrain Solid Fundamentals
Great fundamentals are your gateway to freedom and the opportunity to improve the mental part of your game. Great athletes have proper fundamentals dialed in to such an extreme that their minds are free to focus on other areas of the game. When a group of researchers measured brain activity of great athletes vs average athletes, they found a much quieter brain in the region of skill execution in great athletes. Their brains were quieter on shots they made than on shots they missed. What does this mean? It means that the brain could be more focused and spend more effort on more important factors. Average athletes have so much brain activity happening at once, making it extremely difficult to focus. With daily practice and by working on the drills we teach you at summer basketball camp, your fundamentals will improve so that your brain can be used more efficiently while on the court.
Practice Develops Permanence
Elite players anticipate a play and can see the outcome of a play before it even happens. Research has shown the same area of the brain that is engaged in prediction is the same area of the brain engaged during practice. Constant practice enhances your mind's ability to predict what's going to happen and increases your vision.
Take time to think about your vision on and off the court. How clear are your goals? How much time do you put aside each day to ponder your future and how you want to live? Are your daily habits putting you on the best road to achieve your dreams?
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