Times fly when...

Hello everybody,

Sorry that I haven't been very consistent with my blog but i have been very busy doing.... well probably the same thing you are all doing (school work).

These last couple of week I had the privilege to attend a basketball clinic at Delta Junior College hosted by legendary coach Brian Katz. The 1st speaker was coach Adam Jacobsen from the University of Pacific, he mostly talked about guard play and demonstrated an array of moves to improve guard skills. For those who might not know him he was an all conference player at the University of pacific and he holds the record there for most three pointers made. If you don't know and you are a basketball fan you might remember his brother Casey Jacobson the All-American from Standford. I learned that it was very important to pay attention to small details and that shooting is mostly a mental thing. Most people have the mechanics down but they just don't have the mental discipline to stay focused on it. He also added that its something that can be developed and that most young players are terrible at focusing. They are by nature streaky even the most talented one because they don't train themselves to play at very high level of concentration. It is always very interesting to watch and listen to someone who is very passionate about what he does and who his at the same time a very good communicator.

The last speaker was coach Ed Madec, very quickly he got the crowd attention when he asked them to all come close together instead of being spread around the gym. His style was very forceful and filled with humor. I don't even think that the majority of people got all the details and nuances that Madec was trying to teach but they all came away one thing. They now know why Madec has been very successful, it is his enthusiasm and energy that is absolutely contagious. If coach Madec taught everyone there one this thing is that you have to put you heart into what you are doing. He gave the audience 100% of himself and they responded by giving him a standing ovation. Being an effective communicator is such an important part of coaching, and to be genuine and being comfortable with who you are can definitely help in improving one's communication skills.

I hope that i can learn to become a good communicator not only to players but also to my peers and participate in fun clinics like the one at Delta College. If you get a chance check out coach Madec, Coach Katz and coach Jacobsen