Reading The Court - Mastering The Moment, Coach's Clipboard Basketball Coaching and Playbook
by Anthony B. Lanzillo
From the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook"Helping coaches coach better..."
Tone Lanzillo is a mental prep coach to athletes who want to be mentally prepared to play their best game. He has worked with student-athletes, from middle school through high school and into college, in such sports as basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse. Over the past several years, he has written for a number of sports blogs and websites, including FirstDown Playbook, Coaches Training Room, Ultimate Hockey Source, and Lax Playbook.
Contact: Anthony B. Lanzillo
This short article discusses the mental aspects of how players must learn to read the floor, the situation and the moment.
Reading The Court - Mastering The Moment
"The key is seeing and doing. If you're focusing on anything other than reading the court and doing what needs to be done, the moment will pass you by." - Phil Jackson
Making the best decisions as a basketball player on the court is all about learning how to assimilate, anticipate and act. It is the "Triple A" formula to building a sharper mind, and knowing how to cut through anything that is a distraction, and destroys your concentration, composure and confidence. It's training your mind to continuously ask - what do I see, what do I expect and what do I want? When you do this, you will be able to focus, put things in a positive frame of reference and be a pro active player. It's all about reading the court and mastering the moment.
You are learning how to take in, on a visual and cognitive level, what the moment is offering you and them translating that into identifying your options and opportunities. It's mentally conditioning yourself to be present and pro active. Positioning yourself to respond to what is happening right in front of you and playing a pivotal role to help your team. To set the screen, make the backdoor cut, block and rebound, initiate the fast break or go for the layup. It's being in the right place at the right time with the right move.
If you want to read the court, master the moment and become the best basketball player you can be, you want to practice thinking about the following:
- Think about your strengths.
- Think about your purpose.
- Think about what you control.
- Think about why you love the game.
- Think about how you can serve your teammates.
- Think about what you are learning.
- Think about what inspires you.
It simply involves being in the moment, seeing the opportunity in that moment, and believing that the moment belongs to you.
Related page: The Exceptional Player
