Analogies to Think Across Domains*

*Adapted from my hoop blog. 

Learn across domains. Analogies help us relate unrelated domains. Analogies help you to think better, think again. The great inventor Thomas Edison said the keys to inventing were imagination, persistence, and analogies. 

1. Work ethic...the iceberg. What we see in a player is the part of the iceberg above the water. Player development, unseen actions comprise the bulk of the stuffing inside.

2. The court is a laboratory. Develop a hypothesis, conduct experiments, and define results. I thought that run-and-jump defense (I like to call it trap and switch) would work well with our small, athletic soccer-playing guards. It didn't. 6-2 didn't work in the opening game last season. So you move on. 

3. Learn to fly. "Basketball is a game meant to be played fast." Developing transition offense or playing "The System" requires both mindset and practice.  

4. Get more arrows in your quiver. Empire of the Summer Moon informs the rise and fall of the Comanches. Their horsemanship was unparalleled. Comanche warriors, as early as teens, could wheel their horse around and deliver a dozen arrows with deadly accuracy in a minute. Aspire to add more and better arrows in your playing or coaching quiver. 

5. Put your program under a microscope. Examine both the big picture (the bird's-eye view - another analogy) and the granular detail. 

6. Help fix your program with a fine-toothed comb. The closely set 'teeth' on a comb have special value in removing parasites. Turnovers are parasites, flies in the ointment, a clog in the machine (more analogies). 

7. Season on the roller coaster or the merry-go-round? Coaching helps elevate both level of play and consistency. The roller coaster season speaks for itself. 

8. Sports leave scars. It's not war, but it leaves scars. Who among us has no leftovers from dislocated fingers, arthroscopic or open surgery, and more? It comes with the territory (another analogy). 

9. Volleyball is "Darwinian." Competition is 'survival of the fittest'. Darwin's quote is about adaptability and flexibility. Players adapt to the opponents, different styles of coaching, and also to the officiating. 

10."Junkie" equals addict. Are you a volleyball junkie, competition junkie, adrenaline junkie? "I can quit anytime." 

11.Most seasons end with disappointment. Either the Heat or the Nuggets emerges as the NBA champion. Most end with a postmortem examination, an autopsy. Nobody died except a team's dreams. 

"What never lies? The evidence." - CSI

12.Words have multiple meanings. A reporter asked football coach John McKay about his season, "how do you feel about your team's execution?" Coach McKay quipped, "I'm in favor of it." 

Lagniappe. Movements work across sports. "Turn and run" with a crossover step is used at cornerback, to steal bases, and on basketball defense. Many call this athletic movement "hip turn."

 

Lagniappe 2. Homework. Come up with one analogy to apply either positively or negatively. Imagine the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun. If our ego becomes untethered, it can lead us into dangerous territory. It's tricky.