The Three Pillars of Basketball Success: Mind, Skills, and Body.

You’re desperate to improve at basketball.

But the results aren’t showing.

You continue to miss shots.

You continue to sit on the bench.

You continue to hate playing the game that once brought you such joy.

So you go to the internet for help.

You find weight coaches telling you that you’re failing because you aren’t strong enough.

You find skills trainers telling you that you’re failing because your ball handling isn’t good enough.

You find sports psychologists telling you that you’re failing because you don’t have the mental skills.

In this sea of answers, the way forward is muddy.

You're swimming deep in information overload.

It paralyzes you.

You don’t do anything.

Nothing changes.

No improvement.

But don’t worry.

I’ve been there.

Making the same mistakes over and over again.

It’s painful. (Almost ended my career with back pain.)

It’s lonely.

I had days I was unable to get out of bed due to homesickness.

It’s heartbreaking.

I cried in the shower after my tenth straight college game where I didn’t hit the court.

However, these experiences taught me valuable lessons that I needed.

These lessons made me a professional basketball player.

You can learn from these lessons and then apply them to skyrocket your development.

Anyone can become a pro.

You can.

But.

You must know how to improve at basketball.

I consider myself a professional improver.

You too can become a professional improver.

Below is your first step on that journey.

I’m going to give you a clear path to help you improve as quickly as you can as a basketball player.

First, a quick overview.

There are 3 buckets of development you need to fill to maximize your basketball potential:

• Your mind.

• Your skills.

• Your body.

Filling each bucket is necessary to become the best basketball player you can.

Let's break down each area of development.

Your Mind

Kobe Bryant: “The mind is everything. Mentally, you have to be in the right place. If your mind’s not in the right place, your body will follow.”

Chasing improvement is not easy.

You will fail.

That's part of developing.

Kobe Bryant in his rookie season failed.

Game 5 against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers trailed by 3.

Kobe had been preparing his whole life for this moment.

He caught the ball and took it upon himself.

He airballed 3 straight 3-point attempts.

The Lakers lost and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Kobe often notes this experience as a pivotal moment in helping shape his resilience and determination throughout his career.

This moment forced him to improve his mind.

Kobe Bryant dedicated himself to improving his mental game.

That’s what made him unstoppable.

His mind.

You can do the same.

The Mind bucket consists of:

• Growth mindset

• Self-belief

• Resilience

• Discipline

• Basketball IQ

• Mental health

• Leadership

Your Skills

Steve Kerr: “In basketball, skill is the great equalizer. You may not be the tallest or the fastest, but with relentless skill development, you can compete at any level.”

It doesn’t matter how small you are.

Someone smaller has made it.

It doesn’t matter how slow you are.

Someone slower has made it.

It doesn’t matter how weak you are.

Someone weaker has made it.

No doubt being physically gifted helps in basketball.

And it is something you have to continue to work on.

But basketball skills are mandatory.

You need skills to be a pro.

These skills consist of:

1. Shooting

2. Dribbling

3. Passing

4. Rebounding

5. Defense

6. Post moves

7. Layups

8. Free throws

9. Footwork

10. Screening

11. Basketball IQ

The list can go on.

Anyone can develop incredible skills.

It takes time.

Knowledge.

Focus and dedication.

Steph Curry changed the game of basketball forever with skills alone.

You can do the same.

The Body

Tim Duncan: “You can’t excel on the court if your body isn’t in peak condition. Conditioning, strength, and flexibility are essential for success in basketball.”

My professional basketball career took a turn for the better in the same way as everyone else’s.

I was sitting on the bench waiting my turn.

The man in front of me went down with an injury.

I was fit and healthy.

Ready to play.

The realization of the situation hit me.

This was the chance I had been waiting for.

In my 3rd year as a professional, after sitting on the bench for the last 5 years.

Finally, I would find a way to get consistent minutes.

The care that I had been taking of my body paid dividends.

I played because I was healthy, and my teammate was not.

Good players don’t miss games.

Great players don’t miss training.

This comes down to your body.

There is also a set baseline of physical attributes that help to compete at the pro level:

• Speed

• Quickness

• Strength

• Deceleration

• Balance

• Fitness

• Health

All of these can be worked on and improved.

All of these must be worked on and improved.

Your mind.

Your skills.

Your body.

The 3 key ingredients to becoming a pro.

But in which order do you start?

Where do you start?

That's what I will be laying out for you over the rest of these articles.

A complete guide to becoming a professional basketball player.

The first step you will read about is the most powerful of them all.

Once you understand it and apply it to your life, the possibilities become endless.

Growth mindset.

Let’s get to work.