Accidental Victories

Accidental wins

A couple of weeks ago, I came across an interview with the late Kobe Bryant, and what he said got to me. He said that the accidental type of basketball that is being played in the current era of the NBA bugs the living crap out of him. The play style doesn’t necessarily have a plan but is accidental in that players will drive in, then kick it out, and hopefully, someone will be able to make the shot. Plays and purposeful execution of those plays are few and are in between. It is a purely hopeful way to play the game. Now obviously, he wasn’t insinuating that plays never happen, he was just saying that there is a way the game ought to be played and within those confines, spontaneity should be developed. Does that mean that the way Kobe thinks they should play the game is the best way or the only way? Of course not. BUT.. the way he describes how to play the game is structured, and organized, but at the same time, chaotic for those who are on the opposing end. What may seem crazy to the opponent, is calculated to the opposer. 

This can be an archaic way of thinking about the game. Now, Ascent isn’t a “basketball” school. If there is a sport that defines us, it is undeniably, Judo. And a couple of days ago, I addressed this with the team. I saw that there were players on our team who were playing accidental Judo, hopeful Judo. Even none Judokas will know what this means. Judo, that looks like someone made a mistake and then the opponent was exploiting the mistake. To throw in an olive branch, I do believe that exploiting an opponent’s mistake takes skill but more times than not, at the beginning stages of a skill, it’s a fluke. Make no mistake: PURPOSEFUL LOSS IS MORE ADVANTAGEOUS THAN AN ACCIDENTAL WIN. 

We can take this further, to life. I do not want any of the students to thrive off of an accident. I want each and every win to be calculated. Victories ought to be repeated but how can an anomaly and a fluke be repeated? It takes outside factors for anomalies to be repeated; factors outside of our control. This puts us in a defensive position, at the will of those against us. This isn’t a good place to be. 

Be purposeful, not hopeful, in everything: studies, judo, training, relationships, and the future. Only when a proper plan and tactic is in place, can hope do its job.