Create A Compelling Story

basketball

“It’s not about the performance – it’s about the story behind the performance.”
Rasmus Ankersen

“It’s about revealing authentically positive and confidence-building storylines that exist but might not be at the front of your mind.”
Jonathan Fader

“…storytelling is so essential to resilience.”
Eric Greitens

In coaching basketball players, including those in college who want to play professionally but may not be ready for the NBA as well as others who are playing in Europe and find themselves changing teams on a regular basis, you want to do whatever you can to show your players how to inspire and motivate themselves. These players need to learn how they can fuel their desire to play, give their best effort on a daily basis and keep driving themselves to develop and improve their game.

Too often, basketball players – especially those who face ongoing challenges to climb the ladder of success – will begin reflecting on their mistakes in games, replaying failures to make certain teams in their careers, worrying about keeping up with other players who they perceive are better, and start wondering if they have the skills and abilities to continue playing the game. These players will forget about why they began playing the game in their youth and what they love about playing the game now. They have created stories in their heads that will only lead to frustration, doubt and thoughts of giving up.

You want to talk to every one of your players about the importance and power of creating their own personal compelling stories about their lives as basketball players. Each story begins with when they first began playing the game and what they loved about basketball. The story continues by highlighting different moments and events in the past that increased their confidence and belief in themselves. A story that also includes the various challenges and obstacles that they may have faced and successfully overcome. This story includes their personal strengths that they have brought to the game, and how they have used those strengths to support their teammates and contribute to the overall success of the various teams that they had played on. And every story reminds the players what they are playing for.

By Anthony Lanzillo