Do the Small Things, Taking Good At Bats

Watching the World Baseball Classic, Kevin Youkilis marveled at great players having "good at bats" instead of constantly worrying about "driving the ball." "The little things" impact winning. Doing the right things may not show up in the scorebook.

On the Court: 

• Fully engage at all times (e.g. communication).
• Be tough - block aggressively, hit the floor.
• Make smart decisions in distributing passes. 
• Energize teammates (Elena Soukos and Victoria Crovo were especially noteworthy).
• Be aggressive when situationally appropriate.

Intervention: 'players' impact winning in a variety of ways

On the Bench:

• Be mentally "in the game." 
• Support teammates.
• Study opponents, be ready to come in.

Intervention: film the bench 

In Practice

• Compete, "never cheat the drill."
• Challenge teammates to be better.
• Listen and take coaching.
• Work to expand your role.
• Never be a distraction with attitude or behavior.

Intervention: work with team leaders to promote team culture

Off the Court 

• Take care of business at home.
• Compete in the classroom.
• Keep outside voices out of your head. 
• Invest your time don't spend it.
• Keep high standards (chemical health, character, social media).

Intervention: Model excellence and commitment

Bottom line: bring your best version to the court, the bench, practice, and the community. 

Lagniappe. 

"If you want to be a great player nobody should have to coach you playing hard. They should never have to coach effort."
Genuine effort and unwavering enthusiasm are not optional if you want to succeed. Both are requirements NOT something to be requested. pic.twitter.com/oxr09jyISt

Lagniappe 2. Play a predatory game. 

 

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) March 19, 2023

Lagniappe 3. Via Charlie Munger, Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts.... Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day - if you live long enough - most people get what they deserve.

Lagniappe 4. A slower middle attack?