Bully Basketball
Bully Ball… how to beat those bullies on the court and in life.
Bully Basketball is playing physical, too physical. Bullying in general is being aggressive towards someone else and trying to dominate them.
“No one likes bullies. Most of the time they don’t even like themselves.”
Over the years I’ve faced my fair share of bullies on the court. People who could not match my skill and turned toward fouling or hard, physical contact. Some people know this as “prison ball”. I call it Bully Ball. I’ve experienced Bully Ball enough times to learn how to deal with it successfully. I’ve also learned those same tactics can apply to bullies in any given situation. In this article ima break down the 3 ways to overcome Bully Ball and one way that may seem like a good idea but can actually backfire.
In a previous article i went in on LeBron James and his style of play, Bully Ball. To me LBJ is like that one big kid that can’t shoot to well, can’t dribble all that great, but he can pass and he’s big. And, that’s the way LeBron used to be. He’s come a long way and now he can do all of those things plus, he’s still big.
What LeBron used to do was lower his head and plow to the rim. The bully-my-way-to-the-rim style worked for him, but it didn’t win him a championship. It wasn’t until he gained more grace, a better shot and used more than just his size that he started to actually win championships. Looking back at LeBron’s career and at the NBA as it is today, i believe that LBJ is the last of a dying breed. The NBA has found the secret to beating Bully Ball (or Big Man Basketball) and I don’t think it’s gonna be changing back any time soon. So with that in mind, let’s get to the 3 ways players in the NBA, kids on courts all over the world and you too can beat those bullies…
1. Tire them out / Kill them with kindness
First let’s look at it in basketball terms, then we’ll get to everyday life.
When you play against a Bully Ball player, usually they aren’t as quick, they are bigger and chances are they wont have as much stamina as you. So…just dribble all around the court. Make them chase you. Point after point. Rebound after rebound. Soon enough they will get tired and you can blow right past them.
If you can shoot pretty well but you can’t dribble… just shoot long shots and make them chase the rebound. Whatever way you can, keep them moving more than you. It works. Trust me. I’ve won more than a couple games this way.
So how does that work in real life. Well, it starts with a smile. Ever heard the phrase… “kill them with kindness”? This principle works because it’s much easier to smile and try to keep moving than it is to invest the time and energy it takes trying to ruin someones day or life.
Like the Bully Ball player a bully in everyday life is lacking in an area of their life and taking it out on you. Being kind to someone allows you to maintain a positive attitude, not let it ruin your day and maybe even give that bully something they desperately need… positive attention and love.
When your kind instead of “feeding the troll” it puts the pressure on the bully to try to keep going with nothing to feed off of. Don’t feed the troll… smile and keep moving. Let them do all the work and get tired while you focus on something more important.
On the Basketball court and in everyday life it can be hard sometimes to not feed into the trap set by the bully (troll). If you take a moment to think (dribble around a bit) before you shoot (speak or act), you’ll have a better chance of scoring (getting on with your day and achieving what you set out to do).
2. Shoot 3’s / rise above it
What i learned to do was become a shooter.
I shoot primarily from the outside (3's). If your playing a game of one on one to let’s say 11 (1’s and 2's)… all you need is 6 shots to go in. Game Over.
I’ve done this many times. It’s a simple matter of numbers. Not only will you have a better chance but the rebounds they have to chase will tired them out, helping to sync with the first way to beat those bullies. If your not already a shooter it may require some extra practice but it’ll be worth it.
Just look at the NBA and how it has changed. Look at how Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors beat Big Man Basketball (Bully Ball). They overcame lack of size with skill.
So what’s this look like in everyday life. Shooting 3’s (a place that’s the farthest away from the basket) is like rising above it all. When your getting bullied or pushed around it’s better to stay focused on your goals in life than it is to feed into the situation.
Rising above the taunts and shoves and glares is one of the best ways to leave the bully behind and keep moving forward. Have I mentioned … don’t feed the trolls? It’s worth mentioning again and here, it’s the same principle but with more emphasis on what your focus is on.
If your so focused on getting your work done and moving on, it’s hard to get your G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). Don’t let ’em steal what could be the greatest moment, play, day, victory of your life by focusing on what they have going on.
Don’t let ’em steal your G.O.A.T. moment.
In basketball, we can complain to the ref and feed into the Bullies Game or we can get on with it and keep scoring, keep racking up points. Stay focused on scoring points, not the bully.
3. Walk Away… yep, just walk away
Sometimes, it just won’t stop. Sometimes the more you shoot 3’s, tire them out and try to rise above it, it just makes that bully get more frustrated. That’s when you gotta walk away.
What’s the worst thing that can happen on a basketball court? Injury. One of the worst feelings in the world is waking up the next day injured because of something you did playing basketball the day before. It’s even worse when you injure yourself or get injured and have to work that day or the next.
Basketball is already a somewhat dangerous sport. Adding fights, hard fouls and unnecessary physical play makes it 10x worse. No bully is worth missing your basketball season in school. No tough guy at some gym or court in a park is worth losing money because you can’t go to work. There comes a point where you say…
“Hey man. Chill out. We aint tryin out for the NBA here.”
Call me a quitter if you want but there are plenty of times i’ve refused to play basketball with idiots that are getting physical.
I’ve been injured enough times just playing basketball or skateboarding or just living life to know… If I get injured i can’t work… If i can’t work, i don’t eat.
Is this clown that thinks we are playing in the NBA Finals worth not having food on my table or gas in my car….. Nope. No way.
*Bonus Tip*
Stand Up For Yourself…. But Worry About The Consequences…
We’ve all seen it in movie after movie. The person that’s getting bullied stands up for themselves, gets in a lucky hay-maker and knocks out the bully. Movie over. What a happy ending. That’s great and all, but it’s not real life.
Just because you got in a lucky punch doesn’t mean it’s going to stop that bully the next day. Or the next day. Or the day after that. If you choose to stand up for yourself (which is necessary sometimes) be aware of the consequences.
In this day an age the consequences can be much more than getting beaten up. It can mean life or death. I’m not saying you shouldn’t stand up for yourself, I’m saying, you still gotta play the game.
Looking at it with our basketball analogy… If I’m getting Bully-Balled and I stand up for myself by getting physical too, it just keeps escalating.
They throw an elbow, i accidentally stick out my foot. It just keeps getting rougher until it’s FORCED to into a full blown fight. In this case, the best way to stand up for your self is to call a foul. If that’s not working sometimes you just have to walk away.
That IS the way to stand up for yourself. Your saying, “I value myself above this person and their style of play. I’ve said I don’t want to play this way and if you can’t respect that then… I’m out. Peace.”
To sum things up here…
- Tire them out / with kindness
- Become a sharp shooter / step back and rise above it
- Be willing to walk away if you have to
- Stand up for yourself in a respectable way while recognizing your actions have lasting consequences (this isn’t the movies, one punch and happy ending)
I’ve found these tactics to work both on and off the court.
May favorite one is draining 3’s and tiring them out. Nothing like the look on a helpless bullies face when that game winning shot goes in.
That’s GAME… seeeee ya… wouldn’t wanna be yaaaaa
I hope you learned somethings here you can apply in basketball and in life. Thanks for reading and as always, May God Bless You.
