Alright hoops people, tell me you didn’t laugh watching that video. The now infamous Allen Iverson “practice” press conference. Hysterical. Classic AI. He may not need to practice, but you and I do!!!

The concept of muscle memory is not always related to the game of basketball. It is more often talked about in terms of hitting a baseball, or lifting weights, or other activities. However, muscle memory is VITAL in basketball.

To me, muscle memory is just another term for “practice”. Muscle memory is simply doing a movement over and over, enough to the point where your brain no longer needs to think about doing it. Your body simply does it because you’ve done it enough in order to remember the movement. Think about how important this is on the court.

Ok look at it this way… you have to think a lot on the court right? You have to think where to go on that play, who to pass to, when to shoot, where to go on the press, in the zone, how much time is on the clock. You are ALWAYS thinking on the court. Now, if you have to think about the basics, and I mean really think, about things such as dribbling, how to pass, how to crossover, how to shoot, on and on… your brain might literally cramp up and you will be there in a pool of mush on the floor! There’s only so much thinking one can do in order to be effective.

So what do you do? Simple. You practice the fundamentals and the basics so much that they become natural to you. The ball becomes part of your hand. Your shot feels as normal as breathing. Your defensive stance feels like home.

Once you practice all of these things enough, you don’t think about the action of doing them. You just do them because it’s what you’ve been trained to do. That way, you free your mind up to think about your teammate cutting backdoor for a layup. You don’t think about the act of passing, you just pass. And now your team has 2 more points than it previously had. Simple.

You have to work on your skills ferociously. Your ball circles, your ballhandling moves, your shooting form, your EVERYTHING! It’s the ONLY way to get better. Don’t let anyone fool you, not your friends, not your family, not Sportscenter. The only way to get your game truly to the next level is to work your butt off in the gym, and get your muscle memory to the point of no return. The best part? Once you learn how to do a nasty inside out move, you will never have to learn it again. All you will do is continue to add to it and snap ankles. But if you never learn it properly, you will never have it as an effective move.

Muscle memory is HUUUUUGGGGEEE in basketball. Teach your muscles what to do, and they will do it. Just listen to AI… Practice?????? Yes siiiiiirr…. PRACTICE!!!!!!

bt