The following words and phrases appear in the VIDEO BOOK: “IN-GAME Individual Offensive Basketball” by Sweet Lou Bramante. Some may be familiar. Some were created by the author and are further explained in the book.
All are intended to enhance your in-game individual offensive basketball skills and your life.
Learn all the terms beginning on page 267.
Also, for the easiest and fastest learning method to master these moves, see the 46 one-minute training VIDEOS embedded in the book.
Active watching – actively watching a basketball game is different than watching basketball purely for entertainment; actively watching means working on your vision skills; for example, by focusing your attention on the ball carrier “plus” one other player at the same time you can learn what players do without the ball; active watching also can be paying highly focused attention to one specific element of the game such as footwork or how players get open, regardless of team or player; active watching includes “active listening” where you are prepared at all times during a hoops telecast to make a note of a spoken gem of hoops wisdom on a notepad or 3×5 card for your ongoing in-game hoops development.
Anxiety – a condition of feeling worried or uneasy about current or future events (often linked with stress and pressure); in basketball games, anxiety causes rushed shots, tunnel vision, panic passes and numerous other success-destroying actions; countermeasures for hoops anxiety include mindfulness, targeted self-talk, substantial game-conditions preparation and adequate, regular sleep.
Attention Failure – sometimes called “daydreaming” or loss of “focus”, it occurs while engaged in a meaningful life experience when suddenly a person is distracted by an unrelated thought usually connected to one’s past or future; it can last a few seconds to many minutes, it is a lapse in focus and concentration, a distraction from your current goal or the event you are attempting to attend to; it shuts off growth-generating and information-acquiring brain activity; it stops active engagement in any and all life activities; it creates a segment of time that is totally useless and a complete waste of precious life moments; excessive attention failures represent an impaired mindset and should be addressed and resolved. Someone once said that the main reason why Michael Jordan so dramatically excelled in life was that he always lived in the “present”.
BP1 (Ball-Protect 1): Your first “look” to one side upon acquiring a defensive rebound or stolen ball after securing the ball with your hands and arms.
BP2 (Ball-Protect 2): Your second “look” to the other side upon acquiring a defensive rebound or stolen ball after securing the ball with your hands and arms.
Business decision: there are times in games when total commitment to a given action (such as taking a charge, diving for a loose ball, jumping into a heavily contested rebound, and playing hurt) is necessary to in-game success and there are times when such actions cross a line into the category of “unwise”. Sometimes, taking a calculated risk creates a win and there are other times when such an action is not helpful to you or the team in the bigger picture. Factors such as age, size, experience, general health, and the competition level of the game should be considered before taking action. Every player must make a personal decision in each situation regarding how much risk is too much. Note: in the most intense organized super-competitive games, taking the risk is almost always the right choice, however in more recreational games or when the risk of serious injury is high, choosing to not take the risk may be the better option. Second note: almost no college or NBA player ever took a charge when the driver was Charles Barkley (also known as “the Round Mound of Rebound”). When the option to step into Charles’ charging path arrived, even in the highest levels of competition, many players opted to make a “business decision”.
CD – Collapsing Defender(s) – all the opposing players that are not currently guarding you directly.
Character – (ker’ ek ter) n. all the things that a person does, feels, and thinks by which that person is judged as being good or bad, strong or weak, etc.; all those things that make one person different than others. A person’s true character is often revealed in the heat of competition including on a basketball court. Expect to be judged on the content of your character.
D1 – Decision 1 – when in possession of the ball in the offensive zone, your decision to attack your PD for a score or pass to an open or mismatched T.
D2 – Decision 2 – when you’ve begun your scoring move and checked your Primary Defender (PD) for their reaction (PDR), your decision to continue your attack or select another option (Plan B) such as step-back and restart or pass to an open teammate (T).
D3 – Decision 3 – after confirming that you’ve beaten your PD (V6), a check of the lane (the area in front of the basket) (V7) for other players (especially CDs) who may be clogging the lane or could disrupt your finish.
D4 – Decision 4 – as you approach the basket on your drive to a score, your decision to launch to a score or make a last-moment change to a Plan B.
Development – to become larger, fuller or better; to grow or expand; to evolve; to improve; to mature; to progress; to advance. It is the act or process of causing to grow, expand, or improve in some way. It is the purpose of this book.
Executive Functions – a cluster of thinking skills located in the prefrontal cortex of the frontal lobes of the brain that include the ability to begin a project, anticipate consequences, generate solutions, stay focused, inhibit impulsive behavior, initiate appropriate actions, retain recent information while performing current activities (working memory), monitor ongoing actions/track progress, the flexibility to switch to Plan B if Plan A is not working, and finish successfully; all essential thinking skills for successful in-game performance and success in life.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( fMRI) – one of many amazing new technologies for measuring and mapping brain activity. It is being used in many studies to better understand how the brain works. It works by detecting the changes in blood flow and oxygenation in the brain that occur in response to neural stimuli. Vision, hearing, touch, language, memory and other tasks you ask your brain to perform are done by its many specialized parts. fMRI detects the activity in each of the different parts of the brain as people perform different physical or mental activities, enabling doctors and scientists to increase their knowledge of how the brain works.
Focus – also called concentration; the center of a person’s attention, the ability of an individual to pay attention to a specific valued thing/goal in order to take action on that goal as well as the person’s ability to sustain that attention through to completion without allowing distractions to alter their continued pursuit of the goal; the most common in-game challenge to a player’s focus and concentration occurs during the shooting process when sights and sounds from defensive players seek to interfere with the shooter’s focus; tenaciously adhering to the shooter’s target is a requirement for a successful shot; the more susceptible a player is to being distracted while shooting, the poorer that player’s results are likely to be.
Goal – an end place or achievement established by a player toward which they strive to meet; one of the best “tools” a person or player can use to elevate their performance.
Home-Run view: Your third look upon acquiring a defensive rebound or steal – after securing the ball with your hands and arms and vision (Ball-protect 1 and Ball-protect 2) attempting to score quickly via passing to an open, streaking teammate in position to score.
Instant Actionable Connection (IAC) – the ability of a player to instantly translate a new visual image into a controlled physical movement; this may be natural for some athletes and may require specific training and preparation for others; the operative word in this phrase is “Actionable” meaning that the moment the player sees an image, that player is able to respond/move in a controlled physical way. This is an information processing function of the brain.
Instant thoughtfulness (IT) – a hoops “oxymoron” – a self-contradiction; the immediate processing of information in the midst of in-game chaos made possible by highly efficient cognitive processing and preparation via repetitions before the in-game moment ; often referring to the brief thoughtful moment between the moment when you decide to pass the basketball to a T and the moment you release the pass; it is synonymous with “Slow .3-seconds”.
Intrepid – (Sweet Lou’s favorite word) bold, brave, fearless, courageous, stalwart, stout, lionhearted, the act of sensing danger and challenge and risk and choosing to move toward it; the act of performing with excellence with full knowledge of difficulty, opportunity and consequences (mental toughness).
Lane – the painted area in front of the basket in a team’s offensive zone; also called the Key or the Paint; offensive players who remain in this area too long get called for a “Three-second-violation” and loss of the ball.
Magic – the “magic” as discussed in this book is a brief moment taken while rising to your shot to calm your mind, increase your focus, and improve your successful shooting percentage.
Mental Toughness – I didn’t create the phrase but though you’ve probably heard it many times in relation to sports in general and basketball specifically you may have never heard a clear and precise definition of the phrase; so in the tradition of Sweet Lou’s commitment to VIVID DETAIL, here is the definition of mental toughness: the ability to successfully perform an action without regard to difficulty, opportunities or consequences. So, yes, when you drive to the basket and the defender is a foot taller than you, you perform what you’ve prepared to do perfectly – and – when you’ve got the ball and the game is on the line and your team really, really needs this basket, you launch your most perfect, most thoroughly prepared shot. Regardless of outcome, you’ve controlled what you can, you’ve delivered an intrepid performance, and you’ve given yourself and your team the very best chance to win.
Muscle Memory – Does not exist; I assure you, not one of your muscles can remember anything; muscles don’t have brains; but you do; what happens with your muscles is they develop the skill to repeat an action – directed to them by the neurons in your brain.
NASTI – Neglect, abuse, stress, trauma and injury are the five life experiences that are most responsible for damage to brain health; if NASTI is part of your life story, you may need to take action to fight for your health, especially your brain health.
Neighborhood Shot – a shot launched toward the basket where the shooter failed to focus precisely on a specific target (V9). Neighborhood shots always successfully get to the neighborhood of the basket but seldom go in the basket. Never shoot a neighborhood shot.
OA T – Opportunities and Threats – the things you are looking for when you first possess a defensive rebound and have a wide-open focus of your options.
OO T – Opportunity or Threat – the things you are looking for when you possess the ball and are driving to the basket for a score and have a narrow focus of your options.
Oxymoron – a self-contradiction, a phrase that though it may not be logical or purely truthful, is intended to inform or enlighten about something truthful; “Instant Thoughtfulness” (IT) and a “Slow point-three-seconds” (“Slow .3 Seconds”) are oxymorons; they are intended to inform the reader about patterns of thinking that can improve a player’s in-game performances.
Passion – great enthusiasm, any very strong feeling; passion is an essential ingredient in success in any endeavor, including basketball; negative emotional conditions such as clinical depression rob individuals of the passion necessary to achieve their highest performance level; players sensing a lack of enthusiasm and passion in their life and in their game need to fix this; do not accept a diminished range of healthy emotions; solutions are available; find them; get the help and support you need.
PBS – Poise, Breathe, See – whenever you control the basketball in the offensive zone, perform with poise, breathe to relax and see the court, your PD, the CDs, your Ts, and the basket; be intrepid, act boldly, because you know you are thoroughly prepared.
PD – Primary defender – the defender currently guarding you directly, one-on-one.
PDR – Primary Defender Reaction – the location of a player’s primary defender after the legs cross as perceived by the V6 visual image and which drives the second attack decision (D2 ).
Pick – setting a pick is an action by an offensive player without the ball. It is the reverse of “spacing”. In setting a pick, the player moves to a spot next to the Primary Defender (PD) of your Teammate (T) with the ball; the player setting the pick becomes a barrier to that defender; enabling your T to move toward or past you for an open shot or a drive to the basket; to be successful, the person setting the pick must firmly establish position and hold that position without moving through possible contact with your T’s PD.
Pick and V7 – as a player sets a pick for a T, the glance toward the basket to determine if the lane is clear or clogged which then determines if the player should pick and roll or pick and pop.
Pivot foot – a common basketball term, usually either the first foot to touch the floor after a player acquires the ball or, if a player lands on two feet at the exact same time, the player can choose which foot will be the pivot foot. Upon establishing a pivot foot, the player must keep the ball of that foot in one spot while being able to legally rotate forward and backward around that anchored foot. Dragging that pivot foot off the original spot or lifting the pivot foot and touching it back down on the floor are traveling violations and a turnover / loss of possession.
Plan B – the essence of mental flexibility / task switching; your ability to end your first plan (Plan A) when you sense it will not succeed, and switch to a second plan (Plan B) for which you are fully prepared to perform (it’s good for your game and good for your brain); a mid-move change-of-plan based on the ever-changing chaos of in-game basketball which demonstrates that your brain’s Executive Function skill of Task Shifting is working fine. Plan Bs are always part of a scoring strategy. A common Plan B move is to Retreat Dribble leading to a pass or attack as your PD closes out. Failure to switch to Plan B has caused millions of offensive charging fouls over the years.
Pocket Dribble – used in a spin move, it is angling the dribble slightly toward the backcourt in order to keep the ball away from your PD and your PD from poking the ball away from you. By keeping your body between your PD and the ball, your body blocks your PD’s access to the ball.
Push-pull dribble – a dribbling move of faking aggressive forward movement with a pushed-out dribble, then before the ball leaves your hand, pulling the ball back toward you, in control and ready for an immediate offensive move.
Reaction Time – the brief time frame between when a player experiences any external stimulation (sights or sounds) and engages deliberate, controlled physical movement; a“Reaction Ball” is a great tool for improving a player’s ability to move quickly upon experiencing an external stimulation.
Reactive Preparation – after in-game errors, prepare for future games by re-enacting that moment in practices beginning with slow-motion walk throughs, Instant Thoughtfulness (IT), hyper-vision, exploration of options, documentation of the corrective process, and repetitions of that situation handled correctly: physically, visually and mentally.
R&D – Read and Decide – see your PD and choose the best individual offensive move (also known as “read and react” and “taking what the defense gives you”).
Resonate – words, phrases and concepts that strike us as truth; the words of this book resonated with the author as truths; they are the author’s truth, the author’s story. What is your truth? What is your story? Write your story.
Respect – you know what it means. It is one of the two things that must exist in order for a person to have successful human relationships on the court and off the court; (the other is trust).
RVC – Rebound Vision Check – (Ball-protect look left, ball-protect look right, “home-run” check for break-away teammate).
S&H – Safety and Health (body health especially brain health); the absolute most important factor in any physical activity or in any aspect of life; never choose to – or allow yourself to be placed in a situation where your safety and/or health is threatened; speak up if necessary to ensure your safety and health are being respected.
Self-advocate – the ability to clearly, accurately, thoughtfully and respectfully inform others of your wants and needs; this is a major life skill.
Slow .3-seconds – an oxymoron / a self-contradiction, the magical mental moment as you raise the basketball past your chest to briefly pause to engage your brain as you V9 the precise target specifically for the purpose of improving your scoring percentage; it is synonymous with IT (Instant Thoughtfulness – also an oxymoron).
SNAP – Any action done with instant speed – instant informed action – includes movement of eyes, legs, hips, hands, etc. Typical uses include: SNAP eyes to the precise scoring target(V9), SNAP body to the triple-threat position upon receipt of a pass, and SNAP hips and legs to a different direction during a Legs Cross.
Speed Bump – any moment in a game where the game moves so fast that you lose command of the situation, often leading to errors or turnovers.
Spherical Miracle – the global medicine ball, a.k.a. a basketball, jam packed with physical development, social development, emotional development, brain cell development, and character development – plus fun, joy, maturity, achievement, and a door to your very best self.
Stamina – endurance, the ability to continue in the presence of significant physical effort and fatigue; basketball players achieve their highest levels of stamina and thus in-game sustained performance through substantial physical training and a fully healthy brain; brain health being supported by diet, adequate regular sleep, mindfulness, optimal blood circulation, reduced brain and body inflammation, specific goals, and a personal commitment to their highest in-game performance.
T – Teammate.
T1 – Hypothetical Teammate to your immediate left, often a player in the left point position.
T2 – Hypothetical Teammate to your immediate right, often a player in the right point position.
T3 – Hypothetical Teammate in the corner to your left.
T4 – Hypothetical Teammate in the corner to your right.
T5 – Hypothetical Teammate in the center/post position (recognizing that you can only have four teammates, this hypothetical group of teammates is for learning purposes only).
Three-quarters position/posture – a player implements the ¾ posture by placing their non-dribbling hand/forearm and leg closer to an aggressive PD with their core turned toward the side as a ball-protection posture, using their legs, core, forearm and shoulders in a power blocking position, expecting physical contact with the aggressive PD;
TJM – the Sweet Lou “Three Job Method” of giving your eyes a job to do (Job 1), giving your brain a job to do (Job 2) and knowing the job your body needs to do (Job 3) for each complex individual offensive move.
Trust – you know what this means, too. It is also one of the two things that must exist in order for a person to have successful human relationships on the court and off the court. It takes time to create, seconds to destroy, and often painful time to rebuild.
Trusted Intrepid Aim (TIA) – amid in-game chaos and a contested shot (sights and sounds), the mastery of choosing to rise to your shot, instantly locating your specific target, courageously ignoring the distractions, and tenaciously adhering to that specific spot through the entire shot knowing the full range of consequences (mental toughness).
Universal Athletic Position – UAP – this position is used in almost every sport for balance, readiness, agility and more; the position includes heels up, weight on the balls of your feet, knees bent, back straight, shoulders square and eyes up.
V1 – The complex visual image that includes (front-to-back) your PD (primary/clear), your T5, T5’s defender (peripheral/vague), and the basket/target (peripheral/vague); you are looking at your PD and seeing T5 and the basket in your peripheral vision.
V2 – The complex visual image that includes (left-to-right) your T1, T1’s defender (peripheral/vague), T3, T3’s defender (primary/clear) and your PD (peripheral/vague); you are looking at T3 and seeing T1 and your PD in your peripheral vision.
V3 – The complex visual image that includes (left-to-right) your PD (peripheral/vague), T4, T4’s defender (primary/clear) and T2, T2’s defender (peripheral/vague); you are looking at T4 and seeing your PD and T2 in your peripheral vision.
V4 – The SET UP VIEW; the visual act used to set up your PD for a move by staring directly at him/her just before a move or a fake.
V5 – The FAKE VIEW: an aggressive turn of your gaze from your PD to an icon in the path you are faking to drive, to coincide with a cross and drive in the opposite direction.
V6 – The PD R VIEW (PDR1, PDR2, PDR3 OR PDR4): a hard (sometimes peripheral) view of the location of your PD after the crossing move to make the next-level decision (D2) regarding which options are available to you and to execute the planned option, usually lunge-step, no-lunge-step, or pause-and-decide (IT).
V7 – The view as you are executing your planned move / drive to see the lane you are driving down, the court and possible open teammates and to confirm your finish move or switch to Plan B (D3).
V8 – The second view, a look over your shoulder, as you are executing your planned move / drive to see your PD and determine if your PD has recovered from your fake and cross and is now beaten or in position to block your finish.
V9 – The SNAP vision as you aggressively pick up your dribble and raise the basketball past your chest to quickly (SNAP) focus on the appropriate PRECISE TARGET – followed by a successful FINISH and SCORE!!!!!!!
Visual Information Processing – the system or cycle of light images reaching a person’s eyes, followed by the nervous system signals processed through the eyes and into the brain, then processed through multiple lobes of the brain and translating into a controlled physical reaction; the in-game speed of basketball requires that this process be at its most efficient; if this process is slowed by a history of neglect, abuse, stress, trauma, or injury, (NASTI) players may be unable to achieve their highest performance in games and in life; if for any reason, a player is concerned about possible issues with visual information processing, they should include visual drills in their preparation and seek professional intervention to ensure brain health issues are fully addressed.
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