High School Basketball: Create a Countdown Calendar

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So you want to be a high school basketball player? We have a few questions for you.:

  1. How serious are you?
  2. How good do you want to be?
  3. What are you willing to sacrifice and do to reach your goals?
  4. What are you working for?

If you want to be a good high school basketball, the most important date on your 365 day calendar is the 1st day of tryouts. This is the day you should focus your entire year on, except when playing another high school sports, which we highly encourage. (Eight Great Benefits of Playing a Fall Sport)

When you finish your high school season, after taking a few days or weeks off, you should know when the 1st day upcoming season is. Reflect on the highs and lows of the past season, then develop a plan with an individual workout that will help you be as ready as you can be for day #1.

Fall Preseason: Each state will have a different calendar. Adjust the timetable to fit your state. In this case, we are using the 1st Monday after Thanksgiving as the starting date, November 28th, 2022.

How to Create A Countdown Calendar
  1. Print up a calendar for 1 – 3 months. The basketball off-season is very long. It can be up to 9 months, 36 weeks, and possibly 270 days. This can be OVERWHELMING! We feel that short-term goals are the most effective to pursue and that the year should be broken down into shorter segments. 3 months is the absolute longest period we recommend. Some can be as short as one week.
  2. Circle “THE DATE.” This is the date that YOU have determined to be most important to YOU. Keep it a priority.
  3. Number the Days. The date you circled is day zero. The day before is day 1, number the days all the way back to today. That is the number of days you have left until your special day.
  4. Tape it to a refrigerator, door, or ceiling. It is CRITICAL that you have a visual of the calendar. Rope up and include family members, teammates, and friends in your countdown. Everyone can get excited and support you as you edge closer to the day.
  5. Look at and interact with the calendar each day. Now that the calendar is up. Make it a part of your day. Cross off the days you have completed and see how many days are left. Before you know it, you will be there. BLINK and you will be there. Make your countdown calendar a BIG part of your day.
  6. Win the Day. You are a basketball player. You are a competitor. You will be competing against coaches, players, and teams who will not back down. Know there are players who are working TODAY! You cannot control that, but you can control if you are working. Make the days count!
  7. Win the Week. If you are like most high school basketball players, you will not workout every day. Try to win the week. Try to get 4 work days and 3 off days. If you do this you will be all-league. But on your work days you have to REALLY WORK! We challenge you to win the week EVERY week!
  8. Enjoy the Process. If you commit to the countdown calendar, basketball will be a big part of your live. EMBRACE IT! If it is not fun, don’t do it. You need be passionate and know that your hard work will pay off on the 1st day of the season and all the days that follow.
  9. No regrets. “The hay is in the barn.” Let your head hit the pillow on the night before your goal, and have confidence you do all that you possibly could do to be prepared. Sure you have missed workouts Sure your did not get enough sleep every night or eat completely healthy every day, but you did pay the price most of the time. And if you did not… tomorrow is the 1st day of the rest of you season (and life). Get up with a great attitude and do the best you can.
  10. Have a GREAT day. You earned the moment. Have confidence in yourself and give your best effort.

Good Luck!