Day 3 - The Heart of The Lion

It's day # 3 already. You're almost halfway through this course. Are you benefiting from my it? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Ahem, okay. Today's issue...What is the king of the jungle?

It's the lion of course. The lion is often used to metaphorically connect great men with the attributes of leadership, will, strength, and power.

Every man wants to be a lion, but unfortunately we all sometimes are reduced to the prey that a lion devours.

That's okay because that is part of life.

The greatest aspect of humankind is we are never reduced to something and held to a certain limit. For example, in the jungle certain types of meadow feeders must constantly eat while keeping a weary eye.

Predators could strike at any moment and the rest is history. In the jungle, survival is all animals have.

Thankfully, we humans are not held to the same standards and tactics. We are all created equal and know no limits!

Everybody can be a lion if they want!

In basketball, I always refer to the lion as the defense. Lions create a presence in the wilderness that is UNPARALLEL to anything else. The rest of the jungle bows in fear to the lion and constantly are concerned about its presence. The lion's intimidating aura is what any great defense in basketball creates.

For a great defender can only become great after you learn the ways of the lion...

Ways of the Lion:

- Relentless

- Powerful

- Greedy

- Aggressive

- Intimidating

Being a great defender may sound a lot like acting like a beast and in retrospect, that's very true.

I'm not telling you to dart around and attack anything at will, but I am telling you that you need the mentality of a lion on defense.

Let's zoom in little more here...

Relentless:

Have you ever seen an offensive player become so irritated and frustrated by the play of the opposing, aggressive defender that he swung an elbow or cheap shot at the defender? Great offensive players hate great defenders because they are relentless.

Offensive players want to move like poetry. They're graceful and smooth. Outstanding defenders are nasty, aggressive, and not poetic. They're a beast. They're the lion.

I cannot teach you how to be relentless {!name}. You must find that in your own heart and find out how to use the most of it. Defenders are relentless for their prey like the lion. They do not let them stray far away and always out work their meal (I forgive all the great offensive players out there whom I compare to a meal).

Powerful:

Great defenders are strong and powerful not only physically, but also mentally. Great defenders will not back down from anything.They have a powerful mind no matter how daunting the match up. A powerful mind begins with telling you, "he will not score on me,nothing easy. I will give him nothing easy."

Greed:

It's never an admirable trait to be greedy, but in basketball a little greed IS necessary. It's good greed though. Greed that will help your team win ball games. Greedy defenders constantly want the ball and hold that MENTALITY. No you're not going to steal the ball every possession down the court, but with that attitude scoring will be much harder for the opponent.

Aggression:

Great defenders are aggressive to the point that the opponent almost wants to file a restraining order. If you want to be a great defender, hound the opponent like a stalker. Never back down physically or mentally no matter what the odds. Aggression also must be controlled as too much results in foul trouble.

Intimidation:

Defenders are equivalent to defensive linemen in football. They're big, they're mean, and they're down right nasty. Hold that same mentality when playing defender. Remember the lion is king of the jungle because nobody wants to challenge him for top reign. Hold the same for defense. If you can mentally intimidate a more talented offensive player, then you have already won over half the battle.

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See you for Day # 4

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