Interspersed throughout are Chalk Talks, in which I share some insights that I've gained during four decades of analyzing basketball, first as a player, and more recently as a trainer of middle school, junior high, high school, college, and professional players. You will always have an opponent who can run faster or jump higher than you. If you master these mental aspects of the game, you will always hold a critical advantage. When I work with players, I use progressions: first, develop a single skill (a crossover dribble, for example), then, implement a combination of skills (a crossover dribble, leading into a jump shot), then, test the skill in modified games (one-on-one, two-on-two, practice scrimmages), and then use it in regulation games.
With HoopLife: The Basketball Player`s Max-Potential Handbook, you will learn to apply a similar discipline to your own self-improvement plan. You will learn that practicing alone is essential to your improvement, but that it's just as important to play pick-up games, away from the judging eyes of parents and coaches, to try out those skills you have developed in isolation. Above all else, you will learn that in order to achieve your maximum potential as a player, you have to think like a point guard no matter where your coach tells you to play. You must strive to become what I call a TruePoint player, who leads your team and controls the game from wherever you're positioned on the court. Though the destinations of every player are different, the journey is the same.
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