Getting Better Vs. Getting Done
Improving the time you spend on your own
When you’re not in the gym working or getting better, someone else, somewhere else is. You don’t want to let that happen, so you’re always in the gym. But are you getting done with your workout? Or getting better? Just because you’re in the gym, doesn’t mean you’re outworking that someone else, somewhere else. There’s almost nothing that beats the satisfaction of when you finish a good workout, one where you really feel like you accomplished something, so why not have that feeling every time you walk out of the gym? You don’t become great by going through the motions, so getting in the gym to shoot a couple 3’s, and throw up some half-courters when the ball rolls to the other side isn’t going to cut it. Ever been in a gym alone picturing yourself in a real game? The crowd going wild when you score? Here are some tips to improve your time on your own to actually make it happen, instead of just pretending…
Don’t Skip the Basics
You don’t become a great shooter by starting behind the arc. You don’t become a great ball-handler by starting with cross/cross/between/behind. Don’t forget your form shooting, don’t forget your weak hand ball pounds. I’ll be the first to admit, these are hard things to do, they’re “boring”. You don’t need to torture yourself with 2 hours, but challenge yourself to 10 minutes each when you get started with your workout. When you start shooting don’t immediately head to the 3-point line, get your mid range in first. It’s a good warm-up and you’ll be amazed how much a little bit each day will help you with your progression.
Shots Vs. Makes
Did you shoot 200 shots today, or make 200 shots today. There are plenty of stories, legends really, of Kobe Bryant’s work ethic. I’d challenge you to find one-single story about how many shots Kobe took one summer, or how many shots he would take the day of a game. It’s one thing to go to the gym and take 100 shots, you’ll get out of there in about 20 minutes. It’s another to get 100 makes, and do it the right way. Don’t accept just learning a new move, progressing to a step-back, working on your floater for a certain amount of reps, but work on doing them so correctly that you’re making them every time.
Challenging Yourself
Once you start working on getting makes. Challenge yourself. The next step from getting 10 makes from one spot, is getting them consistently. Maybe you made your 10, but you were 10/18, not so good. There’s a few ways I challenge myself with makes. Depending on what you’re doing, challenge yourself to get 3 in a row, 4 in a row, 5 in a row…Mix it up, challenge yourself to make 80% of your shots, go 10/12 from a spot. This is great to because you can increase the level of difficulty as you go along.
Work on Things You Do in the Game
I feel like a lot of player’s philosophies, especially young ones, are looking back on the season and seeing what they need to improve on and hammering it during the offseason. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, you definitely have to improve the weaker aspects of your game, but I’ve always found it to be more beneficial to still put more emphasis on what you’re good at. At first glance, it seems odd to focus your time and effort on an aspect of your game that usually gives you success, but there’s always room for improvement. The goal here is to become so good at it that it’s second nature, when it’s presented in the game, that you don’t think back to how much time you worked on it, but you naturally take advantage of it. Besides, you’re never going to be perfect at any one aspect, so it’s not like you’re wasting your time, and it will contribute to you standing out for your strongest talents.
Example:
If you’ve read any of my other posts, I’m known for my pull-up jumper. I have a lot of room for improvement on catch and shoot 3-pointers. No matter what aspect of my game I’m working on, even if I’m focusing on 3-pointers that day, I’m going to incorporate some type of cluster of sharpening my pull-up. Why? Because it’s something I rely on in the game…
What do you notice yourself doing a lot of in actual game play? Get creative and try and come up with ways to drill yourself with it. One thing I notice for myself, and probably others, (well we can say mostly guards) I don’t find myself shooting a lot of mid-range shots from the baseline, but yet it is like the #1 spot people take 5 warm up shots from? Why? I find it much more beneficial to take 15 from the elbows and top of the key because I find that to be a much more common area.
Now, there’s no exact science but during your summer I would probably recommend a 60/40 time split. Working on things you find yourself doing a lot in games/things you want to improve doing in games.
Moral of the story? Why work on things you never find yourself doing, just for the heck of it?
Find A Way.
This one’s simple. Gym closed? Find another one. Shoot outside. Need a rebounder? Call anyone. Make a new friend. Too busy? Do form shooting while you’re laying in bed at night. If you really want to get better, you’ll lose the excuses. I’m 26 years old, I’ve been back to my high school gym every summer since I’ve graduated no matter where I’m living. That’s home. That’s where it gets done. I’ve been alone, recruited high school guys, brought other pro’s, high major Division I guys, plenty of D2 guys, been accompanied by coaches, my dad, shot with total strangers, made good friends with janitors who will put the hoops down for me…If you want to get better, make it pro, prove something, whatever you’re looking for, whatever level of improvement, you’re not going to find it by thinking about it or hoping, you’re going to find it when you have the right mindset, and the right set of drills (Hustle here to help with that), so whatever it takes, find a way.
If you’re looking for guidance on specific drills to improve any aspect of your game, from shooting, passing and dribbling to rebounding, defending and conditioning, try out the Hustle app — it’s free!
Like this post? Click the little heart below. It helps others see the post. Thanks!
