Passing on a Fast Break!

The Pass

Being able to make crisp accurate passes is a fundamental skill in the game of basketball. Pinpoint passes allow the ball to move up the floor quicker and puts your team into better scoring situations.



The most effective players are the ones that have clear idea of who the intended recipient is before allowing the ball to leave their hands.

They recognize the importance of understanding who to pass to and when to make it.

The conversations we have with one another work on a very similar premise.

What Do You Mean?

The message represents the ball, the sender is equivalent to the point guard and the recipient is the receiver of the message.

For the most part, the responsibility of initiating dialogue falls squarely on the shoulders of the sender. If it's unclear, confusing or incoherent then the sender risks dropping the ball and may need to either repeat the message or rephrase it.

How many times have you been in a conversation with someone and not understood what they just told you?

Was it what they said or how they said it?

Or both?

In those instances, how many times did you blame yourself for not understanding?

Essentially, the passer is 100% accountable in making sure the ball gets to where it has to go.

Good Hands

Former Utah Jazz, John Stockton is regarded by many as one of the greatest point guards to play the game. He leads the NBA with over 15,000 career assists. Part of his success came from the fact that his favourite target, Karl Malone always had his hands up ready to receive the ball.

You risk getting a face full of Spalding if you're not paying attention and ready for the pass.

There are all sorts of elements that can come into play and cause us not to be open minded and ready.

Our own personal bianess, moods and past experiences act as a reference point and can filter and potentially distort how a message is heard or comes across.

Our frames of reference are determined by our attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences. We won't all necessarily receive the same message the exact same way because our reference points are different.

Even messages that are crystal clear can still be misconstrued.

While we may never have 100% understanding of others and their situations. Taking the time to try and figure it out puts us one step closer to choosing the right language, tone and terminology in helping get your point across.




THE MAIN PO!NT
Communication is definitely a two way street. The sender has the responsibility of delivering clear understandable messages and it's the receivers job to be ready to throw down a two-handed jam when they get it!

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball. ~ Phil Jackson

Thanks for reading!

Audley