Quote of the Day:

"When you make a choice,
you change the future."

— Deepak Chopra

Nutrition Tips for Basketball Players

Some Quick Nutrition Guidelines for Basketball Players:

• Eat something every two to three hours (many small meals instead of several big meals)
• Include a lean protein and vegetable in every meal. Remember the "Leg Rule"...the less legs the better. Vegetables (one leg) are better than chickens (two legs) which are better than cows/pigs (4 legs).
• Focus on your three most important meals: breakfast, pre-activity meal, post-activity meal
• Drink water steadily throughout the day
• Avoid trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars and “man-made” fats like fried foods (read the ingredients in food! Eat from the earth, not the science lab)
• Plan out your meals to avoid making unwise choices when hunger strikes
• Seek out complex carbohydrates (Google it!)
• Don’t use supplements as a crutch to make up for a poor diet
• Instead of relying on pre-made drinks, blend your own with a protein powder base, and add healthy fats like nut butters and fresh fruits
• Consider protein shakes if you’re trying to increase body weight but have difficulty eating sufficient calories or are constantly traveling
• Get calories from real food as often as possible, and only use shakes and bars when you’re away from the kitchen

Q: What should I eat before or after a workout or game?
A: Although there is no “right” answer since everyone is different, the most important part of pre-game nutrition is that you eat something light to avoid performing on a full stomach. Try to eat your pre-activity meal two to four hours before your workout or game to allow plenty of time for digestion. The closer it gets to “go time,” the smaller the meal. Combine good carbohydrate choices for energy with adequate protein to ward off hunger.

Once your workout or game is over, consume carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages as well as lean sources of protein as soon as possible to replenish your muscles' energy stores (critical 15 minute window!).
If you are playing multiple games in one day at an AAU tournament, eat a hearty breakfast, light snacks between games and a substantial dinner after all games are done.
Whatever diet you choose, remember that moderation is the key. A little splurge here and there won’t ruin you, but aim to include plenty of fruit, vegetables and lean protein sources in your diet. Oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, almonds, avocados and beans are all excellent choices.

Courtesy of Stack.com

Quote of the Day:

"You don't get paid for the hour. 

You get paid for the value you bring to the hour." 

— Jim Rohn

Quote of the Day:

"Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness." — Napoleon Hill

Here's how to come off the bench COLD and SCORE...

The Yugoslavian philosophy for teaching players how to shoot coming off the bench (think Vlade Divac, Sasha Pavlovic, Vladimir Radmonovic, Peja Stojakovic) involves beginning practice with a shooting drill. This teaches players how to feel comfortable shooting when cold. At the end of practice, players would be required to compete in timed shooting and reach a particular goal....players were NOT allowed to leave the court before the goal was reached!

Shoot when cold to start practice + pressure shooting after practice = shooter's mentality

Quote of the Day:

"Even if you fall flat on your face, you're still moving forward" -Anonymous

The Fear of Working Too Hard

Gladwell: This is actually a question I am obsessed with: Why don't people work hard when it's in their best interest to do so?  Why does Eddy Curry come to camp every year overweight?



The short answer is that it's really risky to work hard, because then if you fail you can no longer say that you failed because you didn't work hard.  It's a form of self-protection.  I swear that's why Phil Mickelson has that almost absurdly calm demeanor.  If he loses, he can always say: Well, I could have practiced more, and maybe next year I will and I'll win then.  When Tiger loses, what does he tell himself?  He worked as hard as he possibly could.  He prepared like no one else in the game and he still lost.  That has to be devastating, and dealing with that kind of conclusion takes a very special and rare kind of resilience.  

Most of the psychological research on this is focused on why some kids don't study for tests - which is a much more serious version of the same problem.  If you get drunk the night before an exam and you fail, then the problem is that you got drunk.  If you do study and you fail, the problem is that you're stupid - and stupid, for a student, is a death sentence.  The point is that it is far more psychologically dangerous and difficult to prepare for a task than not to prepare.  People think Tiger is tougher than Mickelson because he works harder.  Wrong.  Tiger is tougher than Mickelson and because of that he works harder.