Anticipating others' moves.
Playing defense requires you to anticipate the moves of the
offensive player so you can effectively stop him. And you can’t play the ball---you’ll be
tricked. Every time. Nor can you follow
the player’s feet. You have to watch the
player’s hips. Being aware of the other
offensive players helps, but the goal is to defend the forward away from the
goal towards the sidelines. It’s being
aware of their body language and anticipating their moves. This is what helped me be a better driver. You need
to anticipate other drivers, especially when merging onto the Kennedy Expressway. Are they accelerating, is there another car in
front of them, does it seem like they might want to pass or switch lanes to get
around, are they trying to exit the highway? Then once you become familiar with the traffic patterns, you can
anticipate the most frequented exits and moves other drivers will make.
Creating space.
This
is important during the game to allow movement of the ball. You can’t be standing still during the game. Nor next to your
teammate. You have to get open—get square so they can pass the ball to you. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses as well as those
of your teammates so that you can play synergistically. And ultimately, by creating space and passing, the balance of the power in the game changes. I find this to be true in life with any kind
of relationship. You have to create
space around yourself, to know yourself, to be able to handle yourself and, in
turn, give space to those people so they can know themselves. But at the same
time, you move together be open with the goal of working synergistically. There is no movement without space. When someone is in your space, it stops your
own personal movement and the movement of the team.
Dirty Dancing.
Remember the scene in Dirty Dancing where Patrick
Swayze is teaching Jennifer Gray how to dance? He corrects her, maintain
your space. "Look spaghetti arms. This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours. You don't go into mine. You gotta hold the frame." Creating space and
maintaining it is important in this game and dance of life. It’s counter-intuitive—you think you want
somebody in your life, that you have to go to them. Don’t get me wrong; there are times you will
have to go to that person, but there needs to be a balance. The ebb and flow of life. And by creating space, you are allowing
things to enter your life. Whether it’s
getting rid of the clutter and maintaining a simpler and structured living environment,
or eliminating draining relationships—a negative friend or a man who doesn’t
want what you want. How can you possibly
grow, develop new interests, or meet new people if there isn’t any space for
it?
