Don’t Get Bored of the Little Things
What does Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki have in common with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice? Both sets of these fantastic complimentary teammates developed great chemistry with each other through practice.
Nash and Nowitzki would always be going back to the gym, late at night after practice, days off or even touching down in a new city. They worked on their games, even through a gruelling 82 game NBA season. They put in the work to push the Mavericks into a repeat playoff team in the early 2000’s and each of themselves in future Hall of Famers.
Joe Montana and Jerry Rice are said to have been quoted “We never get tired of the 5 and out”. They worked on their chemistry, they worked on their timing, crisp running routes, and footwork in the pocket. They became totally in sync. They never got tired of the little things that made them successful, they only tweaked it and worked harder.
Neither Hall of Fame pair needed coaches analyzing them on each repetition, they didn’t work on things that had no use in games or moves that had no purpose. Hall of Fame players, regardless of sport, are in the Hall of Fame because they don’t get tired of the simple, mundane tasks that they repeat over and over again. For basketball players this might be a simple catch and shoot, a pull up jumper, or a jump hook. Be relentless in your pursuit of mastery in these skills.
Too often youth players work on things that they will never use in games because they are bored of a skill they have not even mastered. This becomes wasted effort. To be great, don’t get bored of the little things and the skills that all players need to master.
Below are 3 sources. An article of the New York Knicks and how late night, after hours shooting reps has helped them become a playoff team this year. A video from Steph Curry that shows him in a few shooting workouts. Almost all of these reps he shoots are direct shots he shoots in the game, mostly 3’s off different cuts or off of 1 or 2 dribbles. And the third source is a video of Kevin Durant and Quinn Cook working on their ball-foot rhythm and pull up jumper footwork.
All of these sources are intended to show how the very best work on their craft. Much of it is mundane, repetitive shooting and ball handling working on trying to get a little bit better.
New York Knicks Late Night Shooting Workouts