More basics with Michael Jordan, Ray Allen, and Kobe Bryant: more simple and valuable than you think

May 5, 2015 by Joshua
in Education, Exercises, Fitness, Habits, Tips

Following up yesterday’s post, “The basics: more simple and valuable than you think” about how the masters tend to focus on basics, I found a series of videos made by a great basketball player, Michael Jordan.

He’s made few instructional videos. He could do things no one else could and made them look easy.

He can teach anything he wants. So what does he teach?

Simple basics. Things like getting rest, eating well, exercising, footwork, how to hold the basketball, listening to music before the game to focus on the game, where you look, and things like that.

That’s a few videos of a series. Click here for a list of with more of these videos.

Here’s another video by another superstar, Ray Allen, also about basics and simple drills to develop skills.

Here’s one with Kobe Bryant, talking about the same basics. Notice when he talks about the pull-up jump shot that he talks about balance and form, almost dismissively saying how you can do flashy crazy stuff after, like that’s not the point, or that doesn’t make plays.

He stresses stretching most, which anyone can do. You can do it now. He talks about emotion, emotional preparation, and emotional skills. And having fun.

When these masters who wow us on the court and in the record books teach how to become that way, they point to simple basics and simple exercises to develop basic skills. The rest comes with practice.

That practice probably looks and feels boring and repetitive, but I bet the greats who look flashy practice more basics than those who don’t.

The importance of the basics shows you can learn the most important parts of any practice from almost any other practice because it comes through disciplined practice of things so simple anyone can do them. Disciplined practice of basics makes mastery a matter of time.

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