Student Athlete Advice for a Strong School Year

Coaches want great student-athletes. They want to know their players can get it done in the classroom. College coaches don't want to have to babysit you academically. Here are some important ways to get it done in the classroom so you can compete on the court.

Attitude is King- If you love math, you will find a way to do well at math. If you love your teacher, you will find a way to have a good relationship. If you love to learn, you will learn.

a. Love builds momentum. This is based on John Gottman Research (leading relational expert) that relationships need a 10 to 1 positive to negative ratio. This means if you have a teacher that you don’t like, they don’t like you and your relationship will move toward disintegration. If you have a teacher that you feel neutral about, this relationship will tend toward disintegration—neutrality tends toward the negative spectrum. On the other hand, if you have a teacher you love, your loving energy energizes you toward greater positive momentum and appreciation.

One family starts the year by writing encouraging notes to teachers and intentionally finding ways to appreciate and communicate gratitude to teachers. This creates a relationship that has a 10 to 1 positive to negative relationship. Then when conflict does occur there is a cache of goodwill to navigate difficulty.

Another important discipline is to speak gratitude. Our world loves to talk poorly about others. There can be negative energy from mocking or criticizing a teacher, coach, or fellow student but this energy damages all who speak it and listen to it. It is poison.

Find ways to improve the love. Have fun, laugh, play games, and at worst, buckle down and get it out of the way. If you hate spinach, eat it first and then move on to what you love. The more you can learn to love it, the better results you will have.

Procrastination is Fear of Pain
If you procrastinate, you are not necessarily lazy but fear discomfort. You don't want to feel uncomfortable, so you put off what you need to do. This creates exactly the opposite of what you want. Putting off your tasks, you live forgetting what you need to do. Then suddenly, it crashes in on you and you are more miserable than before because now the pressure has increased. You wait until the pain becomes too much and finally buckle down to finish your work. Once you finish you feel tremendous relief. This creates a habit of procrastination.

Next school assignment set a plan to get your project done sooner and have real consequences if you don't get it done. Make the consequences something you can't avoid. Make the stakes high so that you start to create a new life pattern.

Test Magic

There are certain skills in the classroom you must master. Test-taking is crucial. Here are a few quick ways to improve your test-taking.

a. Be clear on what is being tested. Too many times students enter a test with a gap in one or more sections of the test. This kills your ability to do well.

b. Read carefully. Many mistakes happen because a student is going fast and misses important instructions.

c. Don't cram. Your brain needs time to understand the material.

d. Don't cut short your sleep. Sleeplessness dramatically diminishes your brain's ability. It's like coming to practice wearing a full-body cast and trying to play your best.

e. Be positive. If you get stuck on a problem, give your best answer, circle it, and come back. Say what you are grateful for-- this has proven results to keep your brain problem solving and working well. When you get discouraged and negative, your brain obeys and does much worse.

f. Meet with teachers. Good teachers want you to understand and master the concepts. Tell them your dreams and follow the steps they recommend.

About NBC Basketball is the total camp for the total athlete. Athletes who love this game and aspire to play it well come to training programs in fall, winter, spring, and summer camps. Find a program that works for you.