Dear Stephen Curry,
"History is important, but legacies are the stories, we remember". Stephen, we know you’re near the top, of your sport right now. When your basketball career is over, you could be the most influential player in a generation, (on and off the court) helping lead one of, the most influential organizations ever built. You and your contemporaries are crafting the experiences, that future generations will study.
- Stop Rim watching: After you shoot the ball and before you rebound. "Play with passion, yet remain prudent". Don’t keep staring at rim after layups (to see if the ball, goes in the basket). You have already shot, refocus on landing. Look down at the court, and pay more attention to how and where you land. When rebounding, "Block Out" first, then glance at the rim. With your head on a swivel, lower your center of gravity with your feet shoulder width apart. Your arms should be out wide - use them to feel the spacing around you. Be springy, rebound with the balls of your feet. Become more aware of wet spots on the floor and people falling near you.
- Stop trying to drive all the way to the basket, in crowded lanes: "Be quick, but not in a hurry" Use your pull-up jumper to prevent drawing a charge, or stepping on another player’s foot. Use a "Euro-Step" to finish around the crowd more often. Use your hesitation dribble, then a (low to the ground) front-side-crossover; as a more efficient way to circumnavigate the defense.
- Stop landing on the your toes, and not rolling if you fall on the court: Land on the balls of your feet and bend, 60-40 degrees at your knees. Don’t land on one foot; it compresses all of your body weight, onto a single joint. "If you take flight on one foot, land on two feet". Be like a gymnast... no matter how you twist and turn in the air, learn to look for the ground and land on two feet. When you happen to fall on the court, roll to lessen the impact on your body. (See Aikido) Create an every day "Total Body Stretching" routine. Always stretch, before and after workouts. Focus on plyometrics and kinesiology, as you train and go through your drills. Becoming more and more flexible, is a major component, to lessen and recovery from injuries.
- Stop trying to cover too much ground: While trying to steal, deflect, or deny the basketball; shorten your strides and take (equal to your shoulder width) quicker steps. Stop trying to dead stop, chop your feet to slow down.
- Stop running with your arms flailing too wide, not bent, and hands clenched: "Every action, has an equal and opposite reaction". When you move, both sides of your body will attempt to compensate for what is happening to its opposite side. Your current start of your running form (without the basketball), creates less controllable changes of direction, lessens your quickness, and drops your court speed. Use a more efficient start to your sprinting technique, such as this:
- Start with your chin tucked in (your chin should be slightly, touching your chest). Then, lean and fall forward at a 45 degree angle.
- Extend your left leg, stepping down on the ball of your left foot to stop your fall. (Can practice with your right-leg stopping your fall, as well.)
- Raise your head and try to keep your chin horizontally parallel to the ground.
- Swiftly, thrust your right knee up and forward. Spring step your right leg to the ground, and propel yourself into a run.
- Create a locomotive timing and mirrored form, between your arms and your legs. When your right leg is forward, with your right knee bent at 45 degrees… your left arm shoulder back, and left elbow should be bent at 90 degrees.
- Bring your arms in, and angle them 3-7 degrees from your ribs. Your hands should stay relaxed and closed 50%. Swing your shoulders back and forth (not your arms, don’t extend and flex at your elbow). As your arms pump, don’t let your hands rise higher than your nose, or drop lower than your waist.
- Always keep your eyes open, and alert when you run.
- Stop shaking your head, in a "no" movement when you run. Keep your head straight and still, with your neck relaxed.
- When you need to change directions, slightly lean your head and shoulders to the appropriate side; while you make controlled turns and court-cuts. (Note: Stay aware... your head and shoulder movements could tip off opponents… be deceptive)
- Stop poking at the basketball, and swiping / ripping at the top of the ball: Poking could sprain, or break your fingers. Keep your composure when you see opportunities, to expose your opponents. Start swiping and ripping the ball from the bottom, with your palm(s) facing up. Your fingers should be held together, while your hand is in a cupped shape. Utilize underneath rips from behind a shot, (especially against taller players) and double handed rips, as energy efficient power moves.
- Stop running directly at defenders: While off the ball and running the baselines. "Play with joy, but think like a jackal" (Find the dog in yourself) Treat the basketball... as "the bone". Hunt it and hide it… defend and protect the ball against all that try to steal "the bone"; while only sharing the ball with your teammates. Develop a more cunning philosophy, to defend and attack your competition. Use inside-out and outside-in moves, reverses, and a more deceptive route tree to avoid unwanted contact. Sometimes, you should run through an opponent’s… outreached arms. (Play "Red Rover", a game… within the basketball game) You must began to, determine and gain contact control; while staying calm and poised.
- Stop letting opponents dictate motion: It increases your risk of uncontrolled contact. "Objects in motion, stay in motion" If you allow opponents to stop, or start your motions, you will have to apply greater force; to regain your motion control. Applying greater force, requires more energy; therefore, not dictating your motions, increases your fatigue. (Displayed in, your game time declines… in your range/rate of made shoots, stops in you talking to teammates, and dips in court speed) As you know, fatigue increases the odds of injury. You must talk more to your teammates, to direct their and your opponents motions. Use "Broken Rhythm" defensive techniques. Use counter jabs steps, head feints, give cushion and take cushion away, to control spacing. Use deceptive hands in and out of ball handlers faces, fake and real ball swipes/rips, to disrupt their rhythms. Be more patient and timely, with foul seeking opponents. Deceptively place your forearm (bent at 90 degrees), on your opponent’s hip. Feel and anticipate your opponent's movements (without fouling, or hand checking). Do not chase your opponents around the court. If a player gets by you, use angles to go, where they are trying to go. Do not hop around the court. Use precision raising and lowering of your arms, to increase your defensive hight. Use every distraction, pause, confusion of your opponent, as an opportunity to dictate motion. There by, controlling the "Flow" (player communication/spacing and movement) and the “Pace” (drawn plays/ technique timing and clock management) of the game.
- Stop jumping into your opponents: While trying to draw fouls and block shots. On earth, "What goes up, must come down". On defense, when you jump in the air, it gives your opponents more, spacetime to respond to you. As a defender, being in the air makes it more difficult, for you to counter balance and shift your body weight. When trying to block shots, run past your opponents on their shooting side; aim and flick at the bottom-outside of the basketball. Don’t be desperate and inpatient, gather yourself, prepare your hesitations and control the contact. Master the pump fake… while trying to draw a foul. Use more deceptive head/shoulder feints, and lure your opponents to you.
- Stop letting opponents dictate contact: "Meet force, with force". Use leverage and get lower than your opponents. When you are on offense off the ball, play a professional game of "Tag". (A game within the game of basketball ball) Don’t let defenders touch you, or grab your uniform, after time outs and pauses in the game. Walk away from defenders. If you need to stay in an area, walk/run in circles. If an a opponent gets hold of you, stop trying to pull away immediately. (don’t push off opponents, "Angle Away" from them) Firstly, move towards their body. Secondly, dart away at fake angle... that causes them, to shuffle their feet. Thirdly, change your direction swiftly... and take a real angle, towards your desired spot on the court. If they still have hold of you, keep repeating the maneuver. Change your speed, directions, and angles every time. Make defenders chase you and your teammates; to tire themselves out. Run defenders into their teammates. When you’re on offense (on the ball); play a pro style of "Keep Away" (another game within basketball )
- Stop mishandling screens and picks: Keep your arms up and wide. Feel the air around you, with your arms flexing at 45-90 degrees. Start focusing on using your leg and arm, closest to the defender, to step clear of making undesired contact; with their hands, elbows, knees and feet. If the pick/screen is coming from the right side, use your right leg to step, and right arm to slip the pick, and fight over the defense. When a pick/screen is coming from the left side, use your left arm and left leg. Stay low to the ground, don’t let screeners lift you off your feet. Be more deceptive, fake going over the screen, then go under it; or fake under it and go over. If you misread the pick, pivot and spin away from unwanted contact. (Practice "Pivoting and Rolling" from contact. Take account, other players a referees). Sometimes make controlled contact first with the pick-setters, before they make contact with you. Dictate the terms of your guarding positions / motions; while staying focused and without fouling.
- Stop over playing the game, and not giving yourself enough recovery time: "Make the simple play". Professional basketball played at the highest level, is a game of precision, not a game of perfection. In an eighty-two game season (plus playoffs), accidents/mistakes can create victories. Incidences like, a referee missing a call, a sweaty basketball slipping from a hand, and a dominant player getting injured, can affect the outcome of a game. Stop getting emotionally caught up in the perfection of "if the ball hits the rim" or not; when you shoot free throws. Spending emotional energy, fatigues the body. Save your emotions, to help motivate your teammates. Don’t turn fast breaks, into a foot race. Trying to score fast, only works as a strategy, if your team actually scores. A foot race becomes about, beating your opponents to the basket, instead of your team quickly making a basket. While keeping your decisions simple and precise, (you have the ball, your opponents want the ball) don’t be predictable, and rush straight to the basket. Use your ball handling, (passing is faster than running and dribbling) to create advantageous angles, and high percentage shot selections. Don’t chase the basketball into bleachers/fans, just for the sake of it. Use a "Smart Hustle" mindset. Don’t try to make blind passes; while you are falling out of bounds. Only try to save a basketball, going out of bounds, by grabbing the ball with both hands. After your flurries of shooting, or an aggressive defensive position, find time to breathe and compose yourself. If need be, ask to be taken out of the game. Sitting a few seconds /minutes in games, is more effective than, missing a game(s) because of injury; caused by fatigue. "Availability is the greatest ability".
In summary- Be a new kind of, “creative thinking” athlete. Embrace data and find new ways, to improve your analytical tools. Don’t talk down your defense… talk your defense up. Set a private/public tone and narrative. Let the world know, of your "Two Way Player" mindset. Make your opponents wonder and be concerned about, how you will defend them. Create a mental edge, by making opponents question, their defensive and offensive approaches. Be the vanguard, become a more durable, endearing, guiding player, the league needs.
Your teammates and you will be victorious… because you all, will dictate the tone, and play with appropriate force. Create the legacy, you want the world to remember.
Sincerely students of basketball,
André White Fenton
Jackie Y. Wang
PS: We're just analysts... we are not writing this to offend or provoke. On the contrary, we hope you and your trusted advisors, family, friends, coaches, and trainers use this information to your best abilities. Hopefully it will help your team create new plays, drills, schedules, and strategies... that will make you the best player in the world.
