I’ve been working with Ryan for about a month now and I had another session with him today. I had to share this with you all because I’m so excited about it. Ryan is a pretty reserved, laid back, and good kid. His skills have been steadily improving each week that we have been working, much to my pleasure. Well today we were doing some form shooting and I told him at each spot we are just going to shoot until you miss. So the first spot he makes 11 in a row. Pretty good. He takes a step back to the next spot and makes… 22 in a row! It was awesome because I could see his confidence grow as he got his form down in his head and began to build some momentum. He began to amaze himself (I could see by the smirk he tried to hide) as the shots kept going in. I’ve tweeked his shot just a tiny bit, and it’s taken him a few sessions to get used to. But to his credit, he’s stuck with it and trusted me. And now it’s paying off. We shot jumpers the rest of the time, and he shot better than I’ve ever seen him, including finishing strong on the final set. He trusted his form, and continued to progress. And that’s what I’m most excited about. Progression. As long as you’re moving forward in your game, in school, in your life, you are on the right track. Don’t compare yourself to other people. I wouldn’t expect Ryan to compare himself to a Matt Tobin (best player in north Jersey) because that’s simply unfair. But you can always compare yourself to yourself. Are you progressing or moving backwards? Are you better this week than you were the last? I could tell by the smile on Ryan’s face, and by the extra hop in his step, that today, progression was our’s.
bt