Category: Life Lessons

Posted on

Dribbling Towards Life: A Game Beyond the Court

William Jenkins

Young Men and Ladies,

You’re not just a team, you’re a family. Out there on that court, you’re writing a story. It’s a story about teamwork, passion, and resilience. It’s about dribbling past obstacles, shooting for your dreams, and rebounding from failures. Remember, every game is not just about winning or losing, it’s about learning, growing, and evolving.

Basketball isn’t just a sport; it’s a metaphor for life. Each pass, each shot, each strategic move echoes the decisions we make in life. Every time you get back up after a fall, every time you face a stronger opponent, every time you pass the ball to a teammate, you are learning about resilience, courage, and collaboration.

Read more: Dribbling Towards Life: A Game Beyond the Court

Don’t be afraid to miss a shot. Just as in life, not all attempts will lead to immediate success, and that’s okay. Every missed shot, every loss, every mistake is a step towards growth. It’s an opportunity to learn, to improve, and to become better.

Look around you; see your teammates. Each of you brings something unique to this team, an essential piece to this puzzle. This game thrives on unity, it thrives on teamwork. When one of you wins, all of you win. When one of you stumbles, all of you rise together. You’re not just players on a team, you are a family.

So, go out there, play your hearts out. Play for the joy of the game, play for the roar of the crowd, play for the thrill of the basket, but most importantly, play for each other. Play with integrity, with passion, with resilience. Remember, champions are not just made in gyms or on courts, they are made in the hearts and minds of each one of you.

As you lace up your shoes and step on that court, remember this – It’s not about the scoreboard, it’s about the journey. It’s about the hard work, the sweat, the tears, the laughter, the camaraderie. It’s about leaving everything on that court, knowing you gave it your all.

So, let’s make every dribble count, every pass meaningful, every shot a step towards our dreams. Let’s be more than just basketball players, let’s be champions in life. Because each of you has a champion within you, waiting to come alive, waiting to take that winning shot.

Go out there and make every moment count, and no matter what the outcome, remember to hold your heads high, for you are not defined by a game’s result but by the heart and soul you put into it. Here’s to you, here’s to your journey, here’s to the champions that you are!

See You All at the Courts!

Coach William

William Jenkins
Posted on

Two Words That Will Stop You From Realizing Your True Potential

Team Jenkins
Team Jenkins working out

Full-disclosure: I. Am. A Dad-Coach.

Which means if I’m not at my desk clickety-clacking on a keyboard or fixing my hair (im bald by choice) for a client video call – you will find me at the nearest (or farthest) gym, field, garage or driveway working with my kids (aka Team Jenkins) helping them to become the best athletes and (pick a sport) and humans they can be. As I’ve shared in numerous prior blogs…. the power and benefit of youth sports is taking lessons learned on the court/field and translating them to life off the court/field.

Now that we have the foundation set… Let’s get started because like my Nana used to say ‘You gone learn today.’

Double Cross-over; between the legs with your eyes up

Last week during our Team Jenkins ball handling workout, I decided to introduce a new ball-handling skill… double cross-over, between the legs with eyes up. Now for those of you who don’t follow/practice/play basketball- just know that this ball-handling drill is not easy to do…. especially, when you are 6 and 9 years old. Guess what? It’s not supposed to be.

After demonstrating the proper technique it was my kiddos turn. After about 5-minutes of attempting the move my son – clearly frustrated- stopped abruptly shouting two words that I never ever thought I would hear as a dad-coach. Clearly, the look on my face after hearing these two-word triggered my daughters fight or flight senses. My daughter, looked at me- looked at her brother- grabbed her ball and headed into the house.

Foul language is a no-no our house.

That moment, I would have preferred to hear any other ‘no-no’ words come from my son’s mouth (take your pick) than ‘I CAN’T (do this)’.

I now realize that those two words presented an opportunity to teach and to learn. Allow me to share with you what I explained to my son and daughter that day- hopefully it helps you other dad/mom-coaches out there. Here’s what I told them:

Don’t ever say ‘I can’t’

The moment you ‘I Can’t’, you are focusing on something you can’t do in that particular moment.

The moment you say ‘I can’t do something’, your focus is on convincing yourself that you cant do something and guess what? YOU are the best person to convince yourself of anything, so if you say you cant do this you are convincing yourself you can’t.

You have so much power and weight on your emotions and your potential……..

instead…ask yourself ‘HOW am I going to ….?’

When ask yourself ‘How?’ you are focusing on HOW you are going to get something done and strategizing ways to get it done…you are already convincing yourself that you can do it.

How am I going to get better at the double cross-over between the legs with eyes up? How am I going to become a better husband or wife? How am I going to make $1M this year?How am I going to become the #1 sales rep in my company?

We have so much power over ourselves and weight on our emotions and potential. So instead of putting ourselves down, let’s convince ourselves that we can accomplish anything by strategizing on what it takes to get us to our goal. Let’s decide to recognize and realize our true potential.