When doing basketball clinics or conducting practices, one
of the drills I love to use I call “Faceoff.” It is designed to teach players
to make passes under pressure… highlighting the “hotspots” on the opponent that
make it easier to get a pass past…
To demonstrate the drill, I will get on my knees and have
someone try to keep me from making a pass; and in 20+ years of using the drill,
have only had a player get a hand on a pass a few times. The object is simply
to stay calm, realizing that possession of the ball equals control; I then show
how to use the scalp, ears, and ankles as the spots to make a successful pass.
This mentality of control and stability would be of great
benefits when facing strong pressing teams that tried to disrupt calm and
control. My mind immediately thinks of the Arkansas Razorbacks back in the day…
and their famed “40 Minutes of Hell” defense…
Sometimes life feels like that “40 Minutes”! It can be
incredibly stressful, and we are left with choices of calm/control or
panic/chaos… Obviously I am writing this week in the midst of mass chaos in our
world. The Corona virus has gripped our nation/world and panic/chaos seems to
be setting in.
So not jumping behind my internet “pulpit” here… just
coming along beside as a coach to remind you of one of my coaching philosophies:
Fundamentals are the anchor that will hold in the storm!
I thought about listing some “hotspots” for us but
settled on just the most basic reminder possible in times like this: God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not
fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with its swelling. Selah
(Psalm 46:1-3)
I love how Eugene Peterson starts this passage in The
Message: God is a safe place to hide…
Remember team, God is on your side!!!
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