"The Bench"

     What does Bench mean in terms of basketball? According to Sports Charts and the NBA, the definition of bench is (1) The group of players on a basketball team who do not start the game but may come into the game as a substitution.  (2) The physical location players occupy when they are not on the basketball court (i.e. chairs).

     Coaches, what are the mindsets of your players on the bench during the course of a game?  Most coaches out there all have rules for their bench or bench protocol during games but do your players really understand the bench and what great insight they can learn about themselves and the game on the bench?  Some players who either start the game on the bench or come out the game to the bench by the coach sometimes get down on themselves or get mad about being on the bench.  If players thought of the bench during a basketball game as a front row seat up close and personal to the action on the floor and they could analyze what their teammates and opponents are doing during the game to help them be productive for the team according to their coaches game plan then they would feel different about the Bench. 

     Here are a few tips you can give your players to grab ahold to while they are on the bench to get a new perspective about the bench:
1. You get to see the mistakes that are going on in the game so you will know not to make the same mistake when you get in the game.
2. You get to see all the positive things going on during the game to build on for your team when you get into the game.
3. You get to see everything different your opponent is doing on the floor that maybe your team didn't see during film session and get the inside adjustments that are going to be made against them to help the team when you get in the game.

     Keep in mind coaches, players need to understand that the Bench is a vital part to the game of basketball and their team's success.  The bench can be a momentum changer and the ultimate real life action packed classroom to better players IQ in the game and it's our job to make our teams complete and the Bench is part of it.

Motivation

How to stay MOTIVATED?

It's hardly a secret that a key to successfully accomplishing one goal after another is staying motivated. There are task that you may not like at all, yet you find motivation to complete them because you recognize how each particular task serves a greater goal. How  exactly do some of us manage to stay motivated to finish the task we start? Here is just a few ideas you can try:

1) Find the good reason 

    Any goals you have no matter how simple some may be has good reason behind it. Find what that is and think of it everytime you are doing tasks to reach your goals.

2) Make it fun

   When it comes to motivation, attitude is everything. Some tasks are more fun than others as we all know. The tasks you have to complete to reach your goals that are not as fun, you have to make them fun. Think of how you can enjoy the tasks you are doing. Also, think, how you can make the tasks the best part of your day. 

3) Take a different approach

    You always want to have different approaches to how you are going to reach your goals. You want to have backup plans because if one plan does not work out, you have a different route to pursue your goal and you stay motivated rather than letting a down fall still your motivation.

4) Recognize your progress 

     Put your goals in stages so when you reach a certain stage you see progression and that will help you stay motivated. 

5) Reward yourself

    Get yourself a gift of achievement! Nothing feels better than when you reach your goals and then receive a reward. That will for sure motivate anyone to go for another one.