Players of the NBA Los Angeles Summer Pro league called me Coach Art.
We had a good run there in LA before the NBA moved the Summer Pro League to Las Vegas.
Oh well, life goes on...
I am a protagonist of SIMPLICITY. One of the key elements in my game-time philosophy: INDIVIDUAL preparation for each game, 2-3 hours before. Trust me, it makes a huge difference. Team prep is additional.
What did it consist of in my playing years? Our small high school won the Vilnius, LT basketball championship with those priorities!:
Taking a nap, 30-40 min (aka 'clearing all the thoughts of the day'...)
going through my individual (IFs, Then) for the coming game...
Repeating my one-word mantras/keywords I'll use in the game real-time: like BALL, CAT, RE-LAX, convert to 1 syllable LAX.
That's it!
My one-word mantras helped me focus in real time on the thoughts I prepared for the game & block all other incoming thoughts.
You put all thoughts aside and focus only on the 3 above in real-time: BALL, CAT, (RE-)LAX.Â
Less content on your mind, more freedom on execution. Thoughts like "depressed, afraid, turnover, etc." don't have space or time in my mindset.
Only:Â
Ball, Ball, Ball - focus on where the ball is & go to MEET it.
Cat, Cat, Cat - move as smoothly as a cat at speed
Lax, Lax, Lax - get into a relaxed state for a shot, or defence. Don't put any pressure on yourself. PLAY comes first, Hard Work 2nd.
After 20+ years, I've learned more about basketball and meditation—read and watched Phil Jackson, Taylor Allen, and other authors.
But all that info would be a challenge to me w/o my own system, which I developed in high school.