"Great." Really?

“I want to practice to the point where it’s almost uncomfortable how fast you shoot, so that in the game things kind of slow down.”
– Stephen Curry

Hey Reader!

Parent: “How was practice today?”

You: “Great.”

Was it really?

Your parents weren’t there, so they take your word for it. If you say “great” every time they ask, they'll assume you should be starting, getting more minutes, playing varsity, averaging 20.

But should you… based on how you actually practice?

Here’s a simple test.

If a college coach watched you practice, would anything change? Would you lock in more, play more intense defense, cut harder?

If the answer is yes, meaning you’d change how you practiced, then maybe “great” isn't the right word.

You shouldn’t need a college coach in the bleachers to have a great practice. A coach is already there. And they're the one making the decisions that might get a college coach to eventually come: minutes, starters, varsity roster, and who they’ll actually help with recruiting.

If you’re not getting enough minutes in games or riding the bench, you have no choice. You have to show what you can do in practice.

So here are the tougher after-practice questions I’d ask you:

Were you aggressive, or were you just out there? There’s a big difference between being at practice and competing in practice. Did you attack, make good reads, take shots you’d take in a game?
Did you do anything that made your coach notice you? Not some crazy highlight. Just consistent, reliable basketball. The stuff that earns trust.
If you got corrected, did you try to fix it? Coaches see everything. They know if you’re coachable and if you can handle constructive feedback.
After you made a mistake, what happened next? Did you hang your head, complain, or check out? Overreacting and a bad attitude can definitely affect your minutes.

And, my last question, if your coach filmed your last practice and sent it to a college coach, would you get on their radar or get deleted? Could the college coach tell how you play in games based on how you practice? And, is that a good thing?

Next practice, try this. Imagine your high school or AAU coach is a college coach.

How did you practice?

KTP Kotka Pro League, Finland

P.S. Working on my next video series to help you become a more aggressive player. Click here to be notified. Respond to this email with topics you'd like to see me cover!

3 Hacks From Me

Hack 1: Practice like you're being filmed.

College practices are filmed. Coaches watch the film and make decisions from it. So before your next practice, tell yourself someone’s recording it, zooming in on you. It sounds simple, but it'll change how you move, how you compete, and how you respond when something goes wrong.

Hack 2: Pick one thing to correct and actually fix it.

Before practice starts, think about one thing your coach has been on you about. Make that your focus for the day. Not ten things. One. If you can show your coach you fixed something they told you to fix, that's the kind of thing that gets you moved up.

Hack 3: After practice, answer the questions in my letter.

Journal about them or just think through them on the way home. If you can't honestly answer yes to most of them, you didn't have a great practice. Now you know what tomorrow is for.

*View all of our past emails at hackinghoops.kit.com/posts

2 Questions for Growth

Think about the last time you had what you’d call a great practice. What was different about that day, and why isn’t every practice like that?
Be honest. Are you practicing at the level you’re currently at or the level you’re trying to get to? What would have to change tomorrow for the answer to be the second one?

Reply to this email and let me know!

1 Video to Watch

Kobe Bryant - Start Earlier

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