I was thought that the best way to learn something is to teach it. I had heard this saying over and over again. When I was in the fourth year in university I was taking a computer programming class in JAVA. For some reason coding just came to me, I was a natural and to this date this is something I pick up very easily.
The JAVA course was quite advanced, the majority of the class was struggling. I would say there were only three out of the twenty five students that understood the course material. As I was one of the three and being such an approachable person a fair few people in the class came to me for help.
Helping them out and teaching them the content with my unique twist I found that as a result I was getting so much better at coding. In fact I got so good I was able to do an assignment worth 75% in less than 30 minutes. We had over 6 weeks to do this assignment but I did it in 30 minutes. How? Well the saying is true. When you explain something in the simplest form or teach something the ability to comprehend increases.
As a result of finding this out I decided to apply this to basketball. I hated coaching, it really wasn’t for me. But in 2005 a kid that I met at the local basketball courts asked me to help him become a better player. I was happy to help him. He was passionate about the game and trained very hard; super committed. I taught him the mechanics of shooting, concept of footwork and wrote a plyometric program. His skill went through the roof and so did mine.
When the 2004 CBL season rolled in my vertical was huge. I was comfortably standing jumping on to a platform 1.5m high. I even have video evidence of this. Oh, by the way I’m only 5’9”. My footwork and shooting was sharp and I had one of the best seasons. As the starting point guard for Westernport I led the league in assists and steals and came 6th in scoring. How was this possible? The repetition of teaching someone drilled into my brain. The fact that I had to break every aspect of shooting and footwork down to the smallest thing enabled me to understand these movements a lot better.
My advice to all up and coming basketball players. TEACH! Teach your team mates, a friend or sign up for coaching. Every basketball player should give back to the game! This is why I started this blog. I want everyone to be able to do what I have done, even better play basketball as a career because it truly will be the greatest time in your life.
Ways to give back to the game of basketball
- Sign up to coach in a school holiday program. These usually go for a week or less, sometimes even a day.
- Get into a charity program. Currently I am working for a charity that uses basketball to give disadvantaged kids a release from their life. It is so rewarding to see kids not only improve their skill but also increase their engagement.
- Get people to join you when you train. Easiest way to show someone how to do something is for them to see you do it. I used to run ladders at the gym and one day a random guy (total non athlete) jumped in and did it with me. Now it has been well over a year and his footwork is as fast as a pro basketball player.
- Mentoring is junior players. Be the point of contact for junior players. Build a relationship where they will come to you for advice both on and off the court. Remember, a good teammate takes care of his/ her teammates at all times.
Have you in some way given back to the game? Or are you still in some way or form helping other basketball players grow? Please use the comment section below and tell me about it. At the very least it’s a shameless plug at your great deeds.
