BRING BACK THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Some Things About Basketball Can Only Be Learned by Playing Basketball

Drive past enough outdoor basketball courts today and eventually you'll see something that still doesn't look right to an old head like me.

An empty court.

Being born and raised in Chicago, I remember when that wasn't normal. If the weather was halfway decent and there was a basketball court nearby, somebody was playing. Sometimes you knew everybody there. Sometimes you didn't. Sometimes you showed up with your friends. Sometimes you showed up alone.

Either way, if you wanted to play, you had to figure it out.

That's where a lot of us learned the game.

Today's young basketball player has opportunities we couldn't have imagined. AAU basketball, year-round leagues, personal trainers, shooting coaches, strength programs, camps, showcases and social media have completely changed player development. A lot of that is good. Today's players have access to training, information and resources that my generation simply didn't have.

But somewhere along the way, I wonder if we lost something, too.

We stopped letting the game teach the game.

On the playground, there wasn't always a coach telling you where to stand. Nobody stopped the game because you made the wrong read. Nobody designed a drill specifically for you.

You figured it out.

If you couldn't defend, somebody scored on you. If you couldn't handle pressure, somebody took the ball. If you kept taking bad shots, eventually your teammates stopped giving it to you. And if you lost? You might be sitting on the sideline for the next hour waiting to get back on.

Winning mattered because winning meant you stayed on the court.

You also learned how to compete against everybody. Bigger players. Smaller players. Older players. Faster players. Sometimes grown men who weren't impressed by how many points you scored in your tournament last weekend.

Nobody cared about your ranking.

Could you play?

The playground taught basketball instincts that are difficult to recreate in a workout. You learned when to pass because the game taught you. You learned how to compete when you were tired. You learned how to communicate, solve problems, handle disagreements and earn respect.

Most importantly, you learned how to play without an adult controlling everything.

I'm not suggesting we turn back the clock. Keep the trainers. Keep AAU basketball. Keep the camps, organized leagues and good coaching. Take advantage of every resource available to become a better player.

But maybe today's player needs both.

Get your training. Work on your body. Study the game. Learn from good coaches.

Then every once in a while, grab a basketball. Call some friends. Find an outdoor court.

Pick teams.

Check the ball.

And play.

No trainer. No referee. No rankings. No highlight video.

Just basketball.

Maybe that's part of our responsibility at Play 4 Rings, too. We shouldn't only create more organized basketball programs. We should also help create environments where young people can rediscover something generations before them took for granted:

The freedom to play.

Those empty courts don't have to stay empty.

Maybe it's time we put some life back into them.

Play 4 Rings | Building Triple Threats For LifeTraining the Body, Mind & Will Power for excellence in any arena.