Thank you Prairie View A&M!

We would like to send a sincere thank you to the Prairie View A&M women's basketball team. First class staff with your hospitality and we enjoyed working with your team! Praying for all the success you can imagine as you start a new season! Keep working together to build your EMPIRE!

Thank you Cisco College!

We would like to thank the Cisco College women's basketball and volleyball teams for inviting KBJ Academy to motivate your teams! The team building games were so much fun and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you all! The volleyball team has been undefeated since we came out! Keep wortking together as a team and remember to play with passion!!! #KBJAcademy

Teaching a TEAM Mentality

Does your team have a "Team" Mentality or are they just called a team because they all sit in the same locker room and wear the same color uniform?  Sometimes we can get caught up on the outward appearance of our team and forget to address the inner appearance and mental health of our team.  Most coaches are pretty much on one accord that their team would benefit from mental training for their team to make them tougher, stronger or more competitive.  What if you accomplished this but they did not grow stronger together?  You can have strong individuals and no chemistry.

Below is a video published by KBJ Academy to help teams get started on defining their TEAM for the upcoming season.  A team will take on whatever identity you prepare for so be sure to start with giving your vision and then follow that up with defining goals.  Watch the video with your team to start the conversation on what this TEAM's expectations will be for the season:

Below are some key ways to begin the process of building a TEAM mentality:

1. People have to be taught how to work with others.  If you look at children in general, they are born naturally selfish and thinking about themselves.  We all are naturally selfish! If you are ever around a group of children, you hear them say "mine" or "I don't want to" a lot.  Trying to get them to share their toy is another story!  Children have to be taught to share and use their words to be nice to their friends or to think about someone else's feelings.  If you watch them initially, they do it grudgingly.  So start with activities, drills or projects that require a partner, then a group of 3 and build from their.  

2. Teach awareness. Watch film and teach in practices from the overall view point as much as possible.  It is the same on any job - coworkers must be taught to work together as well.  In fact - people in general would benefit from consistent and daily reminders of becoming more aware of others needs and how your actions can hurt or help someone else.  If one person is not doing their job, it could slow down progress for someone else or hurt the team from growing.

3. Define roles and expectations.  Make sure this is established before they accept the job or offer to be apart of your TEAM.  Put it in their contract if you can - what the expectations are so they know what they are getting themselves into.  This speeds up the process of BUY-IN and eliminates confusion.  Begin to speak words of success to penetrate their minds with positive expectations of each person and what a successful TEAM looks like to you.  Constructive criticism and correction is absolutely necessary but make sure to tell what you expect and how it should be.  Too many times, people spend so much time on WHAT NOT TO DO that they forget to say WHAT TO DO.  

In essence, teaching a "TEAM" mentality takes time and depending on your group's maturity level it could take a week, a month or a whole season to understand.  Some people learn by seeing, some by hearing, some by doing and some by failing.  If you can teach players to have a TEAM mentality then this will compensate for mistakes during games.  Start the conversation early and make sure it is often.  Make sure they get a vivid picture of what they are doing when they think no one is looking and hold them accountable.  

All of these concepts are easier said than done and we get that.  So if you are looking for professionals to come in and teach your staff or team how to have a TEAM mentality then e-mail kbjacademy@gmail.com to inquire about our available dates.  Our team workshops are currently only $250 which includes 2-4 hours of training, strategies and activities to teach leadership, effective communication, team building and accountability!  If you live in the Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex, travel fees are waived but outside of Dallas, travel fees are separate.  

We would like to thank the Westminster Christian Academy Football coaches and players for their invitation to Kevin Jackson as a guest speaker this weekend.  What a phenomenal experience for KBJ Academy to speak life into our youth and we couldn't be more appreciative.  This video is just a snapshot of what KBJ motivational speaking and team bonding is all about!

What Are Your Obstacles?

Let's start with the definition of an obstacle.  An obstacle is a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.  As a coach or player, as yourself; what are your obstacles you face as you try and reach your goals?  Your second question should be; how are you going to win the victory over those obstacles?   Once you identify the answer to those two questions, you have already started to win the battle over the obstacles you face. I want to share a few tips that can help you over come obstacles you face on your quest to become the best coach or player you can be.

1.) Be Persistent - Don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve something.  Stay in the race until you cross the finishline.

2.) Have A Balanced Perception - Don't just have only one perception of the way things should be.  Be open-minded to your approach to different ways your are going to reach your goals and know that there will be obstacles and not always "sunny days!"

3.) Time Management - You don't have to be in a rush! Some success will come faster then others.  Sometimes the bigger the goal is the longer it will take and sometimes, things come together quickly.  Either way, if doors shut in the mist of which ever way time goes doesn't always mean that what you are seeking is not meant to be.

4.) Stay Hungry - A lot of times we need something to fuel on going success in our lives, so we "eat."  We feed off of little wins over obstacles.  The more we eat the more obstacles will not be a bother.

You may be a coach that is wondering how to get your team to buy in to what you are doing or you may be a player who is trying to find your role on the team.  Being persistent, having a balanced perception, having great time management, and staying hungry in your quest to reach your goals can get you there.  You can win the battle over obstacles as long as you know that they are just walls that have been put in your path.  Michael Jordan once said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you..If you run into a wall..Don't turn around and give up..Figure out how to climb it, go through it, work around it."  I encourage you to stay in the race and win first place!

#Be Blessed #Be Encouraged 

Motivational Speaking

KBJ Academy is now booking motivational speaking for teams, youth groups or businesses looking to bring in professionals to prepare your team to win.  We will create engaging activities for your team and teach practical lessons that are going to make your group be more committed.  Some topics that we cover are teaching how to unite, buying in, developing team goals, effective communication, building team chemistry, conflict resolution and learning through wins and losses.

If you would like a quote please e-mail kbjacademy@gmail.com with your ideas on what areas you would like your team to improve on and we will send you a quote with no obligation.

Working Relationships

Are you struggling with a current working relationship or maybe struggling with ending a relationship? I am here to let you know that there are plenty of ways to maintain a great working relationship with others and also there are ways to end a relationship with others. In this post I want to share with you a breakdown of ways to maintain a great working relationship from the leaders to the ones working with them.

Maintaining A Relationship
Great working relationships are very vital to the success of an organization and also can be very nurturing for the individuals involved. Now, some of you may have heard these elements before but some elements that I have always attempted to implement in my working relationships are: Trust, Respect, Empowerment, Sincerity, and Love. Let's look at each element here in a little detail.

 1. Trust - Any kind of relationship will struggle without trusting the person you are working with. Trust works both ways, the leader has to have trust with those who are working under them and the ones that are working under them need to trust the leader as well. So many times trust is slighted in only one direction which is usually in the direction of the leader. There is nothing wrong with this because everyone wants to be around people they can trust but you as a leader need to be trusted as well. Trust both ways will produce balance in the relationship but just remember that trust is earned both ways.

2. Respect - What a great word Respect is! Without respect there is no relationship. It's easy for a leader to be respected by the ones under them but it's not as easy sometimes as a leader to respect the ones that are under them. Respect has to go both ways. "I respect what you do, you respect what I do." Mutual respect in a relationship can limit jealousy which is something that tends to just ware down a lot of working relationships. Mutual respect can also keep both individual's confidence levels high which can lead to massive productivity.

3. Empowerment - I have always been a firm believer in empowering the ones I work with or ones working under me. A leader already has the "power" in a sense, but the ones who work under them have to be empowered. I like to think of it this way, I empower my leader to lead me in a positive way that I am growing and confident that I am doing my part to achieve our goals. As a leader, I empower others ideas, gifts, and their specialties which are going to be used to blossom our overall task or goal.  I know that will help them grow and be confident as well. Empowerment can link so many positive elements in a working relationship. To Empower is to give ownership.

4. Sincerity - Be sincere about about your relationship. This element is important because this will block hidden agendas with people. Leaders be sincere to those under you and those who are being lead should be sincere about your leader. A sincere person does not want to see anyone fall but only to rise. If both parties thought this way, rising together and the overall success of the organization can surly be attained. Sincerity is a true strength in a working relationship and will allow you to fight for each other instead of against one another.

5. Love - Oh the glorious word of Love! The type of love I am mentioning is Agape Love. As a leader, my love is: I love to see those under me be successful. I love to see others blessed in their families. I love to see others accomplish things beyond their wildest dreams, and I will go the extra mile to help them rise. Towards my leader, I love to see them rise. I love to see them be blessed. I love to see their vision be brought together, and I don't mind giving them my best effort to help them. This kind of love can only make a working relationship grow and be successful. If it's not for love, why do you do what you do? Love both ways in a relationship can set the tone for your environment and system.

I hope this post was some help to those of you that needed some direction on maintaining a great working relationship with others. Even if the working relationship is coming to an end, I am a firm believer that the relationship does not have to end on bad terms but can still end with the five elements mentioned in this post on how to maintain a relationship. I am a believer that if you are the type who always have to end a relationship on bad terms that you may have never had any of these elements involved in your relationship and should try some of them to come to better solutions. All in all, relationships matter and great relationships can make things thrive and I encourage you to evaluate your relationships and set them up to thrive.

#BeBlessed

KBJ Academy 2016

Focus

As team members and leaders of a team, we need to engage in all meetings, practices, work outs and games with a focus.  Even the 30 second time out needs to have a focus.  Without focus - there will be a ton of discussions but no direction.  Here are some ideas to evaluate your own focus and begin to have more clear communication within your team or organization:

Define the purpose of the meeting, practice, game, etc. which could include:

• Feedback from an evaluation, practice or game
• Communicating goals for the upcoming week
• Resolving conflict
• Giving praise for an outstanding performance

Once you as the leader have defined a purpose - be sure to communicate this purpose to your team members effectively.  Take into account that there might be different learning styles and you want to present information in a way that engages the diversity that you have.  

Set a time limit for the meeting, practice, work out etc.  For coaches, I believe this is a huge key to success!  If you constantly say practice will be 1 hour but you always go over using an hour and a half or maybe even 2 hours - this is a clear sign that there is not focus or goal to what you have outlined in your practice plan.  When game time comes, do not be surprised when players struggle to reach goals or perform within the game time because you have not prepared them to do so. 

As simple as that may sound - setting a time limit not only prepares team members to execute goals within the limit, it also gives everyone involved a sense of urgency.  As a coach, I can remember running practices for 2-3 hours then watching film for another hour and could not figure out why my players would look sleepy or tired.  I used to always say - they don't love basketball the way I do.  During the off season, I attended some clinics and other coaches practices and realized how much more efficient they were because they had a FOCUS and goals for each drill which allowed the team to complete goals and move on instead of just shooting for 10 minutes straight and having no concept of the percentages made or missed.

Going into the next season - every drill had goals and a focus was outlined for every practice.  We even had weekly goals that we wanted to complete by the end of our pre-season.  Our main goals were to be great man to man defenders, aggressive rebounders and able to score the ball in high volumes by forcing turn overs.  We wanted to advance the ball on the pass - not the bounce unless necessary.  We wanted to teach players to cut and screen away from the ball and work together to score high percentage shots which would open up long range shots.  So with these goals in mind - each week would build upon these foundations.  Here is an example of how we would break down our preseason work outs:

Week 1 = Basic Man to Man Defense 

 1 on 1, build up to 2 on 2, build up to 3 on 3, 4 on 4 then 5 on 5.  Help Defense.

 Then we would practice defending 6 or 7 players - disadvantage situations. 

 Communication, stance, timing and active hands are key contributors to our pressure defense.

Week 2 = Relentless Rebounding

 Teaching players how to keep their eyes on the ball and their man

 We always say "Pursue with Two" = box out with your butt then use two hands to get the ball.

 We drill rebounding all the way through the outlet to half court.  This eliminate turnovers. 

*See Relentless Rebounding blog post 8/7/15.

Week 3 = Conversion

 From our defensive drills we focus on getting stops = forced turnover or rebounding a missed shot.

 All week we would practice converting on all stops pushing the ball up the floor for a lay-up first.  

 Once the defense slows down our transition to the hole, then we will spot up for a shot.

 At the same time, we are working on transition defense too --> its a 2 for 1 special!

Week 4 = Transition

 This focus would be on full court passing and running lanes.

 Teaching players how to run their lanes needs to be a daily emphasis - spacing is crucial.

Week 5 = Half Court Sets

 Now we are getting more game like and teaching our secondary break - if transition is not open.

 We teach how to cut effectively using angles to create space to catch the ball.

 Then we teach setting and using screens effectively.

 Drill the details of ball movement, ball reversal, seeing the floor, reading defenders, etc.

Don't be a slave to your practice plans - if your team is learning something by the middle of the week, make an executive decision to move on and begin teaching the next concept.  

Repetition will give you a chance to sharpen up each skill and create the habits for competition.  Repetition also yields more confidence and cohesion.  I read in an article that Geno Auriemma said "most teams practice until they get it right, we practice until we can't get it wrong."  That speaks volumes of how valuable repetition is. 

We do the same thing with weight work outs and conditioning - everything has a focus and goals. Everything is competitive and they are learning how to see opposition, but trust the process of defeating it.  This comes in handy when its game time so when we call a time out to bring them back into focus, they are used to trusting our processes and trained to execute. 

Hope this helps with your upcoming season and if you have any questions or maybe want to see a sample practice plan from us, just e-mail us at kbjacademy@gmail.com and we will be sure to get back to you.  

#BeBlessed

Giving Back!

One of the most beneficial gifts we can attain on this earth is wisdom.  The actual pursuit of knowledge is a life long process but as we grow and learn, we should not forget to give back to others.  So to continue growing our business - KBJ Academy and giving back to other coaches or players that might be seeking answers we are in the process of building on our services to offer.

We offer consultations to coaches, players and player's parents that can include information about: recruiting, motivation, career advancement, deciding to pick to right school, developing skills and playing professionally.  Your time is valuable to us so if you can e-mail us the best time to reach you along with some brief information about your situation, we will be sure to connect with you within 36 hours.

We are also booking motivational speaking engagements through 2016.  If you have a team retreat, camp, clinic, practice, workshop, banquet or a big game that you want to bring us in for, please e-mail us your dates and time needed so we can send you the application form.  We will make sure your event will be one to remember for years to come!

We are offering marketing services for players and coaches looking to "build your brand" to be recruiting or to attain a specific job.  We will work with you to discover your niche and how to elevate yourself above the rest and how to effectively use social media to your advantage.

Our company will soon be expanding to hosting team retreats and workshops for you on site.  Your response back to us has been heard and we are looking forward to your support and ideas as we grow.  Feel free to leave a comment below with suggestions of what else you would like to see from KBJ Academy.

#BeBlessed