Magical Game Day Fun

Hey there basketballers! It’s Coach Jim with some words of wisdom — or at least some words — before our first game! But first…

Remember, I would like you to be there at 9:00AM in the JMUES APR this Saturday Morning! If anyone can’t make it, or needs a ride, call 603 913 3824, and let me know!

FUN

I just wanted to go over a few quick points. Some of you might be nervous or excited, or psyched up or psyched out. And my main piece of advice to you all is (drum roll, please..)

Have FUN!

Don’t make me sing the fun song. I mean it. My follow-up piece of advice, which will aid you in having fun is: trust yourself. You’ve all been working hard, and you’ll all do great.

I don’t care about the score — in fact, we’ll be keeping our own Tic Tac Points for each quarter as we try to achieve “mini goals” in the game. I don’t care if you get instamatic amnesia and suddenly forget everything we’ve been working on. You know what a basketball is and you know what to do with it. If not, here’s a hint: Put it in the hoop. Well, I guess that was more than a hint. That was pretty much it.

Oh sure, you can dribble it and pass it, too. In fact, I would highly recommend it. Aren’t I full of great pre-game advice? But my main goal for all of you is to have a great time out there. Practice is where the hard work happens; Games are where the magic happens. And isn’t magic fun? Sure it is.

What’s All This About Magic?

So what do I mean by magic? Magic means that, as far as I’m concerned, games are about one thing: “playing“. Playing is fun, right? Yep. Last time I checked. The “magic” is when you find out as you’re playing, that you’re magically using these little skills that we’ve been working on. You’re magically getting better and better, because of the hard work you’ve already put in at practice! You’re really going to surprise yourself — I’m sure of it!

Oh. Just so you know, the magic won’t all appear in the very first game. We wizards have to keep honing our skills, you understand. In fact, the very first game (in addition to being a fun time) is something we Tic Tac Basketball Wizards refer to as “A Big Learning Experience.”

I don’t know about you, but my Wizardly Skills don’t extend to seeing the future. That’s why I read my horoscope. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. Do you? (If so, please don’t tell me — I want to be surprised.) I am excited to see what we do awesome and what we need to improve on. And there will be both of those things. Awesome things, and things that need improvement.

The important thing is that you don’t worry about the improvements during the game. Just play. I’m not going to yell or scream or bellow or any other synonym of shout. That’s not my coaching style. If I have something to say, I’ll save it for between quarters, or I’ll call a time out.

Two Things…

I know you guys want to play. And I know you guys want to win. Who doesn’t? Playing and winning. Two of the best things ever. What’s more, I’ve seen how hard you can practice, and I know you can win. All you need to do is two things: Relax and Play Hard.

That sounds a little contradictory, but it’s really not. You can be relaxed when you pass and shoot–as in not being nervous or worried. And you can still play really hard at the same time. Sprinting after the ball. Grabbing the ball. Passing to the open teammate. Making a great smooth shot — all while you’re pumped up and yet relaxed.

There are only two things that would disappoint me (I seem to like the number 2). Thing 1 is if you didn’t have any fun. Thing 2 is if you didn’t make any mistakes.

What? What did I just say? I said I’d be disappointed if you didn‘t make any mistakes! Am I crazy? I don’t think so. Then why would I say such a thing? Two reasons (You knew there’d be two, didn’t you, you Smartie — oh wait no, you’re a Tic Tac…) Yes! I want you to make mistakes, because if you’re not making mistakes it means you’re “playing it safe” And why would you play it safe? Because you’re nervous and worried about messing up. After I told you not to be! How dare you?!

So the first reason, to recap, that I want you to make mistakes, is that it shows you’re playing your hardest and not worried about playing perfectly. If you’re playing safe (ie. not making mistakes), you’re not playing your hardest. You just can’t do both at the same time. You can’t worry about playing perfectly and “safely” and go all out. Period. Remember, you’re having fun! That’s the primary goal. So, what’s the second reason I expect you to make mistakes?

The second reason I expect you to make mistakes is this: If you’re playing safe, you won’t make as much “magic” happen on the court. And believe me: I want to see a lot of magic. A bunch of Houdinis is what I want to see out there on the court. Lots of Prestos and Alakazams and Abra Kadabras and Bunnies Appearing Out of Nowhere….OK. Maybe not that last one. But Swishes Appearing Out of Nowhere and Incredibly Unbelievable Passing, and Super Spectacular Fast Breaks, and Death-Defying Defense. Those are all magical things. And I want to see ‘em on Saturday!

That. And sprinting. Let’s not forget about the sprinting.

One Video, To Go

Now. To further the idea of magical fun on game day, I’ve included this little video for you. Hope you guys like it:

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