Fundamentals & Hoops Before Breakfast

(This is probably a a more “guy-centric” post, but some ladies might appreciate it.)

I was in the kitchen this morning and heard a familiar sound. The thump, thump, thump of a basketball on concrete. I went outside to find the source, and found my youngest outside practicing.

This was odd for a couple of reasons:

1) It was 7:00am. (No complaints so far.)

2) This particular FOMLs has never shown much interest in hoops. Soccer, yes, basketball, not so much. His older sibling were much more into the game, played in leagues, etc.

I asked him what was up, and he told me he “needs to practice.” I drilled a little deeper to find out what was going on. Apparently, basketball has become the go-to sport at recess, and all his friends were playing it. He learned that basketball is the sport of kings, and that he really isn’t very good at it. Ergo, the early-morning practicing.

Having played b-ball most of my life, and having coached years and years of youth b-ball, I decided to see if I could help. We shot around for a few minutes, and then I asked him if he would like me to teach him some stuff. He quickly agreed, which let me know he was serious about getting better.

While we were playing, I noticed that his game has some real problems: He was watching his dribble, didn’t know how to work his pivot, and was shooting from the chest. (For starters.) We are talking major issues with fundamental basketball skills.

Part of the problem is that his dad hadn’t taught him better, but I could see that he had been learning by playing with his friends. I’ll be you a cold beverage that most of his friends have those same fundamental flaws embedded in their games. (Part of my opinion that your NOT start kids in sports until 7+ years old – fodder for another post, another time.)

So we spent 30 minutes in the driveway this morning, working on fundamentals. I taught him about the magic of the pivot foot, dribbling with your eyes closed, the glory of back-spin, and the safety of shooting above your head.

Then I showed him a few drills he could do to improve those things. He was excited.

He had three questions for me:

1) How many times do I need to practice this stuff?

Answer: About a million. And it never stops, even in the Pros.

2) After I get good at these things, is that it?

Answer: No. Once you get good at this stuff, you can get started on the next stuff. There is always next stuff.

3) Do you think I can get better than some of my friends?

Answer: Sure, if you work hard. But remember, no matter how good you get, there will be people out there who are going to be way better than you – so that had better not be the reason to play.

I finally had to chase him indoors to get ready for school, and wash the filth of his hands that only comes from outdoor basketball.

As I was standing at the kitchen sink, washing my hands, a few gospel parallels popped into my mind. (If you find them rather obvious, then good on ya’.)

1) How many times do I need to practice this stuff?

Answer: Every single day of your mortal existence. And you will mess up. Repeatedly. That is expected, and that is why we have the gift of the Atonement and repentance. Just like any sport, if you back-off you lose ability.

2) After I get good at these things, is that it?

Answer: No. Once you get good at this stuff, you can get started on the next stuff. There is always more to learn. Much more. We should always be learning and growing in the gospel. My personal view is that if we are living the gospel the same way today that we were a year ago, then we are missing the point.

Unless we understand the gospel “fundamentals,” we can never grasp the “mysteries.” That is one area where so many people fall by the wayside – they wrestle with the finer points, without firmly holding onto the iron rod of the fundamentals. Is it any wonder why the topics taught at General Conference are the same, year after year?

3) Do you think I can get better than some of my friends?

Answer: Who cares? This isn’t about anyone else. If we compare our happiness/righteousness/spirituality/knowledge to other people, we will always find someone who is bringing a better game. We are not graded on a curve. It is about how we are learning and growing individually – so quit looking around for comparison.

• One other thought (for us Sunday School and Youth teachers) as I was showing my son some of these fundamentals: Sometimes you just need to be taught. You can’t learn everything from your peers. Group discussions are great, but sometimes we need to be taught by people who know more, have experienced more, or have a specific stewardship to teach us. I like the concept of the “Come Follow Me” curriculum – but only if we remember that if the collective youth don’t have all the answers – so we can’t get lazy as teachers.

General Conference is a great example of the distinction. Those talks are not “dialogues,” they are meant to be listened to, studied, and understood. Then, we take these teachings, and begin the process of application.

I don’t know how long my son’s new interest in basketball will last, but the lessons involved will help him in other areas of his life that are far more important than a sport.

How do we get good at it?

Practice. About a million times.