One of the NBA’s most interesting relationships is between Dallas forward Dirk Nowitski and his long-time trainer and mentor Holger Geschwinder. Geschwinder interests me because of his unorthodox approach to trainin

g Nowitski, especially compared to the way that most U.S. basketball players train during their teenage years and in their early professional career. I have tried unsuccessfully to track down Geschwinder for an interview for the Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletters, but the video below offers some insight into Nowitski’s greatness and Geschwinder’s approach.

Some key points:

1. A systematic plan to develop his skills. I have heard interviews before where Geschwinder talks about adding tools to the toolbox every off-season so that Nowitski constantly develops and adds to his game.
2. Nowitski started late: “I didn’t get into basketball until I was 13, 14 really.” Yet, he was an NBA lottery pick when he was 18. He played multiple sports as a child and he saw others peak early (a characteristic on early specialization) while he continued to grow and improve his game.
3. Emphasize the game. Not about the money and it’s not work. It is a passion. Playing and practicing is play for Nowitski – the activity is enjoyable in and of itself, regardless of the reward. “Once basketball is a job, you’re on the wrong route.”

The season just ended. What are you going to do now? Are you going to improve? How?

Check out the short video below:

What are you going to do for the next 30 days to make yourself into a better player?

You can do anything for 30 days. Are you going to improve your skills? Change a habit? Eat better? Lift weights?

What’s your 30-day challenge?

ESPN’s Justin Verrier has a nice article about Kevin Durant and his mother’s influence.

cheap cialis tablets;”>”When I was younger I would have good games,” Durant said. “I would come home to my friends and brag and boast, but she always told me to be humble because all the stuff could be taken away from me.”

That advice led to his work ethic:

“After practice I just try to get in as much work as I can,” Durant said. “That’s why I think I’ve gotten so much better throughout the season: I always put in work after practice. My mom always told me to be like that.”

When practice ends, are you the first one out the door? Do you put in more time to master the skills learned in practice? Are you the first one in the weight room to work on your body and athleticism? Do you push yourself or do you wait for the coach to yell at you to work harder?

Practice in Proportion to your Aspirations.

The best players work the hardest. Often, we assume that means that a father, coach or trainer pushes the athlete. However, the best athletes are intrinsically motivated. They train or practice because they want to

work out, not because someone forces them.

“It wasn’t like I always wanted to be a pro basketball player,” Stephen Curry says. “I had to make that decision. Dad always told us that whatever we wanted to do, he’d support us. He wasn’t ever going to push us to the gym; sure, he’d go with us, but it’s not like he’d wake us up and force us to go. That helped me a lot, because my work ethic has always been my own and not someone else forcing it on me.“

Curry has had that type of work ethic from a young age, as his high school coach explains:

During Curry’s junior season, [Charlotte Christian head coach Shonn]Â Brown told the players that if they attended every mandatory practice, they’d receive a prize. Stephen made every practice except for one. “He came to me and said, ‘Coach, we missed one today, it was my fault, can we come early tomorrow and make it up?’” Brown remembers. “I said, ‘Absolutely;’ he and Seth came the next day at 6 a.m. and doubled their workouts … that just showed how, off the court, he’s very bright, very respectful and respected, which is proof that he was reared very well from a parenting standpoint.”

It also shows his worth ethic, to wake up at 6 A.M. and do a double workout, his self-responsibility (not blaming someone or something else) and his competitiveness, as he did not want to miss out on the prize. As his dad, former NBA player Dell Curry, says:

“Stephen is driven by wanting to be good,” Dell says.

As for his training, he trains his decision-making skills, not just his ball handling skills, unlike many wanna-be point guards:

Curry says he tries to emulate the play of Steve Nash and has become close with Chris Paul…

Curry says his best learning strategy isn’t necessarily mimicking others; instead, he watches video of himself, pausing the tape before each play, thinking about his best passing and shooting options, then pressing play to see if he made the right choice.

Bill Simmons’ latest mailbag featured this rhetorical question:

Q: Thought you would

buy viagra

enjoy this 10-minute stretch on Twitter today:

3:50 p.m.: Hasheem Thabeet says: “Late LUNCH before i go for a NAP!!! Mhmmmm Yummy.”

4:00 p.m.: Kevin Durant says: “Good workout..worked on ballhandling, finishing thru contact, pull up jumpers, pick n rolls, and making tough shots with a man on me!!!”

Can you tell which one of those No. 2 overall draft picks just spent time in the D League?
– Brian Seboly, Memphis, Tenn.

The tweets answer a lot of questions. What are you doing this afternoon to make yourself into a player?