PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Developing Better Handles
I wasn’t born with very good handles. I played small forward most of my life and had to run the point from time to time, so I worked on my ball handling, but I’ve never felt terribly comfortable bringing the ball up the court against tough one-on-one defense.
I did however get better throughout my career from practice, lots of practice. And I learned after my career was over, how much the body can learn and adjust if you push it. After being in an accident and shattering my right arm (my shooting arm and favorite hand to dribble with) I had to do most everything with my left hand. And you know what? My left hand got better at everything. Way better. My body retrained itself to use my left hand. Of course once I regained use of my right I lost some of the agility because I didn’t work to keep it, but it did show me how much my body is capable of.
Sonya Elliott getting out of hospital bed to work on PT – 1991
Work on your ball handling, and even better yet, do things around the house with your off-hand. If you’re right handed, brush your teeth with your left, brush your hair, eat your cereal, drink your milk. Even do your chores, if you have them (hopefully you have them), dust, vacuum, weed. If it’s important to you, even doing these small things on a regular basis, can help your game.
So give it a try, push yourself to use your off-hand and add some new ball handling drills to your regimen while you’re at it!
For ball handling drill check out my blog, Hope for Better Ball Handling…
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Taming the Beast
I miss paper!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving trees. But I miss my printed documents and card stock. My paperback novels. My non-fiction books and lifestyle magazines. And of course my newspaper and the feel of its pages between my fingers when I read my daily dose, not to mention the quanitative measure of it.
When I have the sports section in hand, I have a finite amount to read. I can sit down at my kitchen table, drink my coffee and know that in half an hour (give or take a few minutes) I will get basic local, regional and worldwide sports news. When on to the next section I know I will learn what’s happening in my community, then another section and I travel around the world. All over a nice hot drink, emphasis on hot.
News in the digital era runs my coffee cold, then empty. The amount of stories is infinite. A person can read about a subject, then link and read more, and link, and link and link and link. It has become a never-ending time suck.
And can I trust the news is real? I am never quite sure anymore (That is another blog in and of itself).
It wasn’t that long ago that I lived without it all. No internet. No Facebook. No Instagram. No Twitter. Just a lame excuse for an email. Ten years ago when my kids were in elementary school I was at a PTA meeting when the president suggested that the school no longer offer paper newsletters.
“What if a parent doesn’t have or use email?” I asked.
“Then they need to move into this century.” She replied.
I was one of those parents. I didn’t want to receive my kid’s newsletters via email because I knew […]
PLB Friday: The Fun/Work-Work/Fun Factor
One thing I say to my kids when they are headed out the door to a game is, “play hard and have fun!” It probably falls on numb ears after so many years of hearing it, but I mean it. I have no great coaching advice at that last-minute that will make a huge difference (they should have been paying attention and working hard in practice) and I’m not going to go ad nauseam about what they should do because that too will bore them and be lost to them, but what I can do is reach out and suggest they do two things that can make a difference in their performance. Make their best effort and find joy in the game.
What could be better for them (and their team)?
But this is not an easy task. Working hard in itself is not super fun. And often you’ll work hard and have a bad practice or a bad game and think, “What the hell am I doing out here? Why am I playing basketball?” But it’s the hard work that allows you to be the very best you can be, and ultimately gives you the ability to do what you want to do on the court, which translates to more fun.
To this day there are times I need to remind myself of why I play the game. Even when I was in college I would be burned out at the end of every season. So as you can imagine there were times during the season that I was tired of giving my best effort. Giving your all during games and practices may seem like a given, but how often does it really happen? Many kids today play one sport year-round, which means tons of […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Finding Fuel
What fuels you to write? For me it’s open space, quiet and stillness.
Unfortunately, that is not the life I live so it is a constant challenge to keep up with my writing so I go in search of other ways to stay on task, such as meeting my friend, and writing partner, Jenny once a week, another is making dates with myself, writing them down on paper and sticking to them, another is taking long drives. Every time I go for a long drive, I spend some time with the radio off and this is when my mind goes to work, and fires up about thoughts and ideas and writing projects that sometimes loose momentum in my busy life.
I can find inspiration with a good hike or walk. Recently, I started working toward a new way to clear my mind, one that I have pondered on and dabbled in from time to time over the years. It’s an old way, a proven way to find clarity, but a method that as much as I want to follow it, has always been difficult for me, and that is through meditation.
Jenny and I, after a couple of minutes of hello, have been starting each writing session with meditation. We are both loving it. And I plan to add it to my daily routine to help relax, clear my mind and if I’m luck find more fuel for my writing.
Where do you find fuel to write?
WRITING PROMPT: Close your eyes and breathe for three minutes. (It’s easier if you set a timer) Focus on your breath. If your mind wanders, it’s ok, just come back to your breath. When the time goes off, grab your pen or your computer and write.
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