WARNING!!! this is a long post about life, basketball and Practice... When serving as a coach at Fayetteville Central Christian Academy we ran drills in practice. I would try to make the drills interesting, fun and challenging at the same time. These drills focused on three basic elements 1- dribbling the ball, 2- passing the ball, 3- shooting the ball! The purpose of these drills was to get the player accustomed to handling the ball and working as a team. Rote activity gets the body use to doing something without thinking about it. Patterns and habits are a part of our life. We do things without even thinking about it because we have done it over and over. (how often to you think about clicking the seat belt in your car?) These drills were designed to put into the players mind a sense of reacting to what was taking place on the court, rather than thinking then reacting. The player that has to think before acting is a step behind! Julie Bright hit a key 3 pointer from the corner to help us win a conference championship her Junior year. That was not the first time she had shot from that corner, she had practiced it over and over.... and during the game when the refs were out there, the clock was running with less than a minute in the game, her team with just a one point lead, a teammate threw her the ball and she took two dribbles, squared her shoulders to the basket and shot the ball. It took me longer to type that story than the two or three seconds the sequence of events took place. Yet, that two to three seconds were key in winning the game. Practice, she had worked on the shot, the girl passing the ball had worked on passing, the girls under the basket (the place were Vanessa Gore like to hang out) were in position for rebounding the ball if the shot was missed, everybody had worked on that one play and had practiced it over and over and over again. In our SPIRITUAL life there are three basic, fundamental elements we must follow; 1- prayer, 2- reading the Bible 3- fellowship with your team (Christian Friends and Church attendance). When you do these things over, and over, and over they become such an ingrained part of your life you do it automatically. We never pictured a Sunday morning not being at church. Our Bibles are used over and over till they get worn and tattered. Conversation with the Lord is not just a one time a day event, it is ongoing all day long! I talk to Jesus in the truck, in the office, on the front porch! He is always with me. SPIRITUAL TRUTH! by making these elements a daily habit it becomes a part of who we are. Why is this important - glad you asked. Just like in a game when the refs are on the court, the crowd is screaming, the clock is running, the coach is yelling... the one who has practiced over and over can block out all the distractions and their mind and body will react without thinking. When your spiritual nature has practiced these elements over and over you will react in a positive way when the Devil throws a temptation at you, when someones challenges your faith, when someone pushes you to the edge of your ability to remain calm. In other words, when the world is screaming at you - you will remain calm and collected and do what those drills taught you... you will pray, read and find a good Christian friend for support! Keep practicing my friend, some day you may need to take that three point shot!
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 10:08:44 +0000
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