Basketball Tip
Results on and off the Basketball Court
“Don’t be upset by the results you did not get, from the work you did not do.”
NBC Basketball Camps are committed to building athletes to be successful on and off the court. Consider how your focus on results influences you positively and negatively.
We as a society are obsessed with results--- actually, quick and immediate results. We want to see an instant change. We want to see what we do pay off—NOW. We watch comeback sports movies and the workout transformation is always on fast forward--months and years of training condensed into a 15-minute time lapse of inspiration. Psychologically, though, we pay the price for this obsession with immediate results.
Result is an old medieval word coming from the Latin meaning to spring back. It shares its origin with the word resilience and literally means "consequence." Results are the consequence of previous actions.
Research has found businesses, schools, teams, people are really interested in “results” but are adverse to the idea of “consequences.” Why do you think this is? Consider your own life. How does the desire for immediate positive results influence your decision making? We hope you spend this month considering this important concept.
The Dangers of Exaggerated Expectations
One of the biggest ways we sabotage getting the results we want in life happens because our expectations supersede our patience and endurance. Expectations turn to disappointment and anger when they are higher than the outcome. When we have high expectations but only have a short amount of time or limited amount of work, the results will most likely come in far below the expectations.
Consider the math:
An athlete enters the basketball season with hundreds of hours of shooting incorrectly. The consequence of these poor repetitions when shooting has created a very poor shooting technique. This athlete will have to buy into the long road of reprogramming and changing a poor shooting technique. It will take time. What makes matters worse is that when performing a new skill you actually are worse than when doing a skill badly. An impatient player will give up the new skill work in favor of easier habits because they are more immediately successful. A great player will push through the struggle and pain of the new skill with the endurance and patience, knowing their shot will become better and better.
How Disappointment is Necessary To Get Better Results
If you want to be successful you are going to experience failure and disappointment. People are going to let you down, you can work super hard and still not make the team, you can do everything you can but still come up short. Disappointment is part of the road to success.
FIve Ways to Navigate Disappointment Well
1. Stay positive about disappointment. View it as a wise teacher in this road of life. When you find yourself feeling disappointed, begin to say thank you. As you elevate your gratitude, your brain will begin to find ways to learn from the disappointment and use it for future success.
2. Make your daily habits more of a focus than the end result. Spend time with valued mentors and have them help you really evaluate what you do every day. Are these daily activities and habits on track to bring you into the future results you desire?
3. Pay the consequence. If you are in a tough situation, realize there are real consequences that will take the time to push through. Don’t search for an easy out. Go through the consequences with courage and dignity. Three years of bad habits will take the time to correct.
4. Red flag high expectations which are outside your control. An expectation outside of your control is playing time. Be very careful when expecting playing time because it is something that is outside your control. Instead set an expectation to having a great attitude every game. This is something that you can control.
5. Own your results. People who really struggle with disappointment or results place their high hopes in externals. For example, they place their hopes in a diet pill, or a strength training program, or an extra aftermath program that will give them “quick” results. Instead, great athletes and successful people place high expectations on themselves. They expect school or programs to help them but realize the real results will be because of their motivation and work ethic to learn and achieve.
Timeout for Parents
Parents can become victims of high expectations and quick fixes. We want our children to be successful and happy. However, research has found parents who put high expectations on their children to achieve extrinsic success (straight A’s, college scholarships, awards) caused greater relational stress and emotional pressure in the home than parents who put high expectations on their children to achieve intrinsic success (strong work ethic, kindness, self-discipline, gratitude, and follow-through). Furthermore, children with stronger intrinsic success end up having greater extrinsic success in the long run. This month notice your expectations with your children and especially how this impacts them.
Thanks for allowing us to partner with you to help your son or daughter live with joy and purpose. We hope we have the privilege of working with them at camp this summer. We feel the atmosphere and teaching your campers experience at camp will be something they return to in their memory over and over again all year long and even for a lifetime.
About NBC Basketball Camps
NBC Basketball Camps are a unique basketball training program focused on the mission of building better players and better people. Located in six countries, NBC Camps focuses on building strong skill foundation, leadership, mental toughness and joy for life. For more information about NBC Basketball Camps, check out their website at www.nbccamps.com