The Two Most Important Traits of a Leader

List all of the characteristics of a leader that you can think of. Done? I bet you missed the 2 most important ones.

Humility and pain tolerance.

We all have ambitions to achieve great things. Some of us want to change the world. But for what purpose? It could be argued that most of our "leaders" are not working to benefit their cause, but rather to benefit their ego. They do their best to hold themselves higher than others.

However, great leaders must be willing to humble themselves and tolerate pain in order to achieve the best results for their team. A leader who wants to do the work by him/herself is arrogant, not selfless and not a good teammate. A leader who can not tolerate discomfort will crumble under pressure and find ways to blame other people for their mistakes rather than owning up to them.

It's important for a leader to build their teammates up and trust that they can perform at a high level. One person can not do a job better than a team built of members with many talents.

Highlights from The Stronger Team Huddle

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the Stronger Team Huddle this past weekend at the Nike World Headquarters. This was a clinic that taught the latest in basketball specific athleticism. The Stronger Team is headlined by Alan Stein, but also featured Blair O’Donovan, Matt Johnson, and Henry Barrera (who I have the privilege of working side by side with on a consistent basis). There was plenty of useful information during the 3-day event. Here are three key takeaways I wanted to share: Tests should not be used as a predictor of success

In basketball, we value things like vertical leap. If a player is in high school and can dunk, it is a common assumption among some people that he must be good at basketball. However, using tests such as the vertical leap, max bench press, or measured speed are not a great way to compare players and determine who will be successful. These tests are great to compare players with themselves and measure athleticism growth. Comparing players with each other should rely on categories such as attendance and effort.

What should be done everyday, is not done everyday

And by consequence, what shouldn’t be done every day, is done everyday. Players always want to play, lift and get in the gym to work on their skills. However, doing these things everyday can lead to physical and mental fatigue. Everyday activities should include mobility and flexibility work. This is easy to do and not time consuming, yet even easier to overlook. Be disciplined and take the time to perform corrective exercises and flexibility routines.

Focus on quality work and build up slow

Everybody is in a hurry. Players are constantly pushed into training programs they are not physically ready for. Stein uses the term “brick by brick approach.” A perfectly built brick building is not put together instantaneously. Somebody has taken the time to meticulously lay each brick with precision and detail. Focus on doing little things well, and they will add up to tremendous growth.

Salem Hoops Project

It has been a while since my last post. My summer has been filled with coaching for McKay HS, helping to run the Willamette Pro Hoop Camp, and training kids at Shoot 360. Most importantly, the start of my new organization took form. The Salem Hoops Project was initiated in July, and has provided nearly 50 kids in the Salem area with free basketball training. Basketball training should not be such a luxury that only a limited number of kids have the chance to participate. Camps can cost anywhere between $300-400 for one week. For some families, that is a month of rent. The Salem Hoops Project was formed with those kids in mind. Basketball is a game, and more importantly, can be an avenue for growth and development for youth. It does not always have to be a business.

I am excited for the future of this. My vision is constantly being updated. I will still be open for one-on-one training session at my normal rate of $30 per 30-minute workout. But I will first point people to the free group workouts. High school workouts will resume in September. The elementary and middle school programs will begin in November. Stay updated on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out this clip from one of our summer workout sessions! http://youtu.be/DO9jBMaJ350

Offseason Ballhandling Series - Episode 2

http://youtu.be/HIVNnp2kwcU

Offseason Ballhandling Series - Episode 1

http://youtu.be/NUs29mp3150

The 1st Annual Matt Espinoza Royal Scot Basketball Camp

I'm excited to be running a camp again! This camp will be for boys who are entering the 6th-8th grade next school year. It will be from June 17-20, 9 AM-Noon each day. We will only be accepting 60 participants total. The cost is $50 for the week, but scholarships are available. Click here for the brochure and registration form!

Play With Mental Toughness: Move Past Mistakes

I spend a lot of time thinking about developing mental toughness. The thought of a players mentality holding them back from playing up to their full potential bothers me, especially when that player does all of the right things to improve but simply cannot break through mental barriers. Players will miss shots. They will turn the ball over. Defensive responsibilities will be neglected. Careless fouls will be committed.

The important thing for players to think about is not that they made a mistake, but instead what they will do next time to be successful.

The players who struggle with mental toughness often dwell on their mistakes. One missed shot can start a chain reaction of multiple errors that spark a run for the other team.

Rather than thinking about missing a shot, coach yourself on what will make it a successful shot next time. (Maybe you were off balance, and if you get your feet set next time, it will go in)

Instead of trying to find an excuse as to why you missed a defensive rotation, produce a solution to help you be in the right position on the next defensive possession.

The key to playing with mental toughness is doing the right things on the next play instead thinking about the wrong things on the last play.

The Secret to Becoming a Great Shooter

If you watch Steph Curry play, you quickly realize that he gets a good amount of shots up throughout the game. You also realize that Coach Mark Jackson encourages that. And there is a definite reason for that. The guy is a great shooter. He has the green light. Want to know the secret to becoming a great shooter? Click here.

How Do You Watch Games - - Be a Student of the Game!

The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, meaning there is no shortage of games on TV. For basketball fans, this is the best time of the year. From the cinderella stories to the friendly competition of bracket pools, we can easily become consumed during this tournament. It is easy for even those who usually don’t follow basketball to become fans for a few weeks. But what if you are striving to become a great player? Part of maturing as an athlete is becoming a student of your sport. The older and more serious you get about basketball, the more important it becomes to be a student of the game. This involves placing value on more important things than dunks, blocks, and crossovers. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the highlights, but it is beneficial to your growth as a player to look for the details of the game.

Here are some things you can do when you watch to become a student of the game.

Get your eyes off the ball

Watch how players move without the ball. How do they set screens? How do they read screens? What do they do after they screen? It is great to watch the really good teams to see what efficient movement is. But it can also be helpful to watch bad teams to see what things shouldn’t look like. Think back to your game film during the season and compare to the good teams and the bad teams.

Follow your position

Find a good player who plays the same position as you and watch how they play the position. Not just when they have the ball, but also when they are away from the ball. How do they transition from defense to offense? Or offense to defense? How are they being successful at their position?

Watch defense

Especially a good defensive team. Where are they positioned away from the ball? What is their footwork like on and off the ball? Where are their hands? Great defensive teams are easy to point out: they win.

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Maybe the most important aspect of becoming a student of the game to actually watch basketball games. Don’t settle for 2k or Sportscenter. Watch whole games. There’s nothing wrong with watching NBA games, but make sure you watch some college games as well. The high-achieving mid-major teams are often the most fundamental. The reason for this is because NBA players are a different type of athlete. The things that NBA players are doing are not realistic for high school players to emulate. Make sure you mix in some high level college basketball and study what being great at the fundamentals entails.

What Your Spring Should Look Like

Spring break is only a week away. And next season is only 8 months away. It’s time to start formulating a plan to improve as player and help your team improve. Getting in the gym is a good start, there is much more to it then being in the gym for crazy amounts of time. The spring is also a great time to rest your body after 4 grueling months. As you move into your spring training program, here are some things that can help you prepare for next season right now.

* * *

Gain muscle

Most likely you have lost muscle and strength during the season. Even if you maintained an in-season training program, the amount of stress your body was under probably deteriorated some of your strength. The spring is a great time to put on muscle. The goal shouldn’t be to gain a specific amount of muscle weight, but rather to increase strength. As a basketball player, it isn’t extremely important to be bulky. It’s more important to be strong. Building strength now will set the foundation for speed, quickness, and explosion.

Get rest

In order to develop strength, your body has to rest. Part of rest is sufficient recovery. Doing mobility exercises, corrective exercises, and foam rolling are great things to do instead of steady-state aerobic activities like jogging or biking. Another aspect of rest is mental rest. Find time to do leisure activities that you don’t have time for during the season. And, of course, sleep! Develop a regular sleep schedule. For example, in bed every night by 10 pm and awake every morning by 6:30 am. This helps your body and mind much more than staying up til 2 am and sleeping until noon.

Grow your skill set

Every player has weaknesses. LeBron is arguably the best player in the world and is still hounded about certain aspects of his game. You can, and need to, get better. Talk with your coach and figure out what you can improve on to help your team succeed. Regardless of what your personal limitations are as a player, everybody should be looking, at the least, to improve their ability to shoot and handle the ball. Rather than just getting mass amount of shots up, try to improve your shooting mechanics first.

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If you play a spring sport, you are still doing something productive. Developing as an overall athlete is something that is overlooked nowadays (and something I overlooked as a young athlete). But if you plan on spending your spring time playing 2k and tweeting with plans of killing it on the court next season, you need to figure it out!

I noticed recently a college player had tweeted 20K times. Assuming 30 secs per tweet, that could have been 167 hrs in the gym. Just saying!

— Ron Bradley (@DrRonBradley) February 20, 2013