Slow down to become fast was something I found comical when I was playing ABA for the Waverly Falcons. It was something my coach used to say to me. It was because in my youth I used to go a million miles and hour in every training session and every game. My mentality was to try and beat everyone with my speed, after all the only skill I had that was at a NBA level was my speed. At the age of 40 I now fully understand what my coach meant when he said “slow down to become fast” and it is something I am teaching younger basketball players.
Playing at a million miles per hour
I see young kids these days playing at full pace all the time. Sprinting down the court on offence and jacking up shots instead of rotating the ball. In the half court set it’s head down and penetrating into traffic. Hey, I did this in my early 20s too. But slowing down will enable you to see the game in full and make better decisions. Like when to penetrate and when to make the pass.
Becoming slower with my old age actually has made me a better basketball player. Instead of making rushed decisions going full speed I have the time to see and predict what the defence will do. Instead of setting the pace, I see what’s going on around me on the court and react to those circumstances accordingly. As a result my passing game has become better.
You are probably wanting specific right? Ok, here’s one particular aspect which has improved as a result of slowing down. When an on ball screen comes to me, I am not penetrating quickly around the screen to drive to the basket or pull up for a shot. Instead, I read how the defence is playing me. I get around the screen mid pace at best and if the defence decides to trail me, then I switch to full speed and attack the hoop. In my younger days, I wouldn’t read what the defence is doing. For example, going over or under the screen. Going at a moderate pace will enable you to see what’s going on and react accordingly.
Slow down and read the game. You do not need to play at full speed.
Changing your speed
Playing at one speed makes you easier to guard. Think about this, if you are playing at the one speed it is easy for a defender to get used to it and give enough space to stay in front of you. The hardest players to guard are the ones that vary their speed. Go from slow to fast then quickly pull up on a dime.
Varying speeds keeps the defenders guessing. This also enables you to create space and reliving on ball pressure. Let’s look at an example of this. If there’s full court pressure and you are bringing the ball up the floor. A full sprint with the ball for a few steps, followed by a quick stop will have the defender going in the same speed and direction. However, you have stopped, creating enough space to see the floor and react to a trap situation on a full court press.
Changing speeds will have the defender guessing and the extra space you create as a result will relieve on ball pressure.
While we are on the topic of defence. I should take this moment to suggest to all those that are keen on being a better defender to read an article I published mentality of a good defensive basketball player.
Reading the game
As I mentioned before about reading on ball screens, slowing down has a lot of benefits to your game. Reading the game will enable you to make the right decisions more often. Playing full speed you are prone to making rushed decisions which in turn impacts your turn over count. When I was a young point guard I was an expensive player. In that I mean, I used to turn the ball over a lot. But as I got older my turn overs greatly reduced and my productivity in the small amount of minutes that I played was very good.
Lets put this in perspective. Going full paced you are burning valuable energy and your legs get tired. How are you mentally operating when you are physically tired? Physically tired also means mentally tired. If you are exhausted you are not going to be able to make the same decisions as you would when you are fresh. Conserve that energy so that you are reading the game better.
It’s amazing all those years ago I thought my coach was mad but there’s so much truth to slowing down and reading the game. The key takeaway here is to play at multiple speeds and read what is happening on court. Dictating terms using full speed is often not the answer but the problem.
I hope you learn this lesson and take the advice I am giving you. You don’t want to be me and have this light bulb moment at the end of your career.
Happy ballin!