MIND-SET
#Defense IS A #mindset. WHEN YOUR GOAL IS TO LOCK UP YOUR #opponent, YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THEIR #tendencies. NOT 1 OR 2, BUT ALL OF THEM. WHAT ARE THE THINGS ON & OFF THE COURT THAT THEY LIKE TO DO, OR ARE ACCUSTOMED TO DOING? THEIR #habits. HABITS ON THE COURT TAKE TIME TO MASTER, (10,000 HOURS) BUT ONCE YOU MASTER THEM-THEY BECOME A PART OF YOUR DNA. YOU PERFORM THESE ACTIONS AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK ABOUT DOING THEM. BY STUDYING THESE TENDENCIES OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU GIVE YOURSELF A BETTER CHANCE AT GUESSING RIGHT. WHEN IT COMES TO THE GREATS, (JORDAN, MAGIC, BIRD, HAKEEM, KOBE & LEBRON) IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU GUESS RIGHT-YOU WILL STILL GET COOKED. THROUGH PHYSICAL #dominance AND A #will THAT IS UNMATCHED, THEY WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERCOME THAT OBSTACLE. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF A #defensivespecialist.
YOU WILL GET TORCHED!!!
BEING A DEFENSIVE STOPPER DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU SHUT YOUR ASSIGNMENT DOWN 100% OF THE TIME. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU GET SCORED ON MORE THAN YOU GET STOPS. BEING A DEFENSIVE STOPPER MEANS THAT YOU HAVE A HUGE #responsibility. YOU HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF PROTECTING YOUR TEAM FROM THE #assault THAT THE OPPOSING OFFENSIVE PLAYER IS CAPABLE OF. CONVERSELY, THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU WILL STOP MICHAEL JORDAN FROM SCORING THE BALL. MJ WAS CAPABLE OF SCORING 60 TO 70 POINTS EVERY TIME HE STEPPED ON THE COURT. HIS #skillset WAS THAT GOOD. HIS #workethic WAS UNMATCHED, AND HE EARNED THE RIGHT TO HAVE THE ULTIMATE GREEN LIGHT TO SHOOT THE BALL. WHICH MEANS THAT HE WOULD SHOOT THE BALL 25 TO 30 TIMES ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT. THEN ADD THE FACT THAT HIS HIGH #iq GIVES HIM THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND #how, #when AND #where THE BEST AREAS OF THE FLOOR ARE TO #attack AND #score. (Career 50% FG percentage.) I BELIEVE THAT WHAT ULTIMATELY SET MJ APART WAS HIS UNBELIEVABLE #competitive DRIVE! HOW DO YOU #compete AGAINST A #machine LIKE THAT? IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU HAVE TO STAY ENGAGED FOR 48 MINUTES AND CONCENTRATE ON 3 #veryimportant JOBS.
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
YOU HAVE TO BECOME #consumed WITH MICHAEL JORDAN. ALMOST TO THE POINT WHERE IT BECOMES #maniacal . YOU EAT, BREATH & SLEEP HOW TO SLOW HIM DOWN. YOU NEVER FEAR ANYONE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BASKETBALL COURT, BUT YOU RESPECT THEM. DOING YOUR RESEARCH WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF KNOWING WHAT A GREAT OFFENSIVE PLAYER WILL DO IN ANY GIVEN MOMENT. YOU MAY GUESS RIGHT 2 OUT OF TEN TIMES AGAINST A PLAYER THAT HAS NO FLAWS IN THEIR GAME. WHEN A GREAT PLAYER GETS IN THAT '#zone', THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO. THEY WILL SCORE OR CREATE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A TEAMMATE 10 OUT OF 10 TIMES.
YOU HAVE TO STUDY #mannerisms, #bodylanguage, and #idiosyncrasies. GUARDING A GREAT SCORER IS THE ULTIMATE TEST FOR A DEFENDER AND A TEAM. THE #jordanrules WERE A DESIGNED PLAN THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE TO STOP ONE INDIVIDUAL-MICHAEL JORDAN. THIS WAS IN THE #eighties, WAY BEFORE #analytics CAME INTO PLAY. THE DETROIT PISTONS HAD A STRATEGY FOR EVERY SITUATION THAT MJ WOULD PUT THEM IN. THE #Pistons MADE UP THEIR MIND THAT #23 WASN'T GOING TO BEAT THEM BY HIMSELF ANYMORE. JOE DUMARS WAS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE ON THOSE PISTON TEAMS. HE ALWAYS DID HIS HOMEWORK. THE JORDAN RULES WERE SUCCESSFUL FOR A FEW YEARS UNTIL JORDAN AND HIS BULLS TEAMMATES FIGURED IT OUT.
2. THE MENTAL & PHYSICAL
BEING PREPARED FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY BEFORE IT PRESENTS ITSELF IS HUGE! I DON'T BELIEVE IN LUCK. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE THAT PREPARATION AND HARD WORK WILL PUT YOU IN POSITION TO BE SUCCESSFUL. WHEN YOU'RE COMPETING AGAINST A MACHINE, YOU HAVE TO BE AT YOUR FULL CAPACITY MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY. THE MENTAL ASPECT IS THE HARDEST PART TO COME TO GRIPS WITH. IT'S HARD BECAUSE IT'S #frustrating and #embarrassing TO TAKE ON A #challenge THAT'S DAMN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME. YOU FEEL DEFEATED AND YOU LOSE #confidence IN YOURSELF. THAT'S THE WORSE THING THAT YOU CAN DO. ONCE A #predator LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN SENSES THIS, HE WILL FINISH YOU OFF.
THE PHYSICAL PART IS EASY. YOU HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING IN YOU POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE IN THE BEST SHAPE FROM A #strength & #conditioning STANDPOINT. THERE ARE CERTAIN PLAYERS IN THE #nba THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO REST PROPERLY FOR THE NIGHT BEFORE A GAME. MJ WAS AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER. SO GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF REST IS VITAL. YOU ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE EATING RIGHT AND PUTTING THE BEST NUTRIENTS POSSIBLE INTO YOUR BODY.
3. WORK ON BOTH ENDS
NOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR RESEARCH ON MJ, AND HAVE DONE EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY-IT'S TIME FOR THE CHALLENGE. THE SITUATION IS REAL NOW. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT DEFENSIVE PLAYERS MAKE IS NOT BEING AGGRESSIVE ON THE OFFENSIVE END. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO MAKE A GREAT SCORER WORK. YOUR GOAL ON DEFENSE IS TO MAKE HIM WORK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE WHEN ATTEMPTING THOSE 25 TO 30 SHOTS. YOU CAN'T GIVE UP DUNKS AND EASY #layups. NO WIDE OPEN #jumpers. LASTLY, YOU CAN'T PUT HIM ON THE #freethrow LINE 10 PLUS TIMES.
OFFENSIVELY, IT GOES BACK TO BEING PREPARED PHYSICALLY. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SKILLS ARE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. NO, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SHOOT 25 TO 30 TIMES. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE TO BE #effective WITH THE SHOT ATTEMPTS THAT YOU DO GET. YOU MUST MAKE AN OFFENSIVE #genius TIRED. YOU GET THEM TIRED FROM CHASING YOU AROUND AND WORKING HARD. HOPEFULLY, THEY WON'T HAVE THE #stamina TO BE THEMSELVES IN THE #4thquarter WHEN IT'S #moneytime!
PRAY!!!
1-855-TRAIN-00
INSTAGRAM: defensivespecialist
FACEBOOK: ericharris
TWITTER: ericrharrisjr
