The Antidote to Shortcuts is on YouTube

Do you know who the time lady is? You know. She’s the one that you could call, once upon a time, to find out that, “At the tone the time will be…”. Before there were online, cosmic and cell phone clocks, there was a number you could call to find out what time it was. Or what about 411? Who calls information anymore when you can stop at a library and get online to find out what time the movie is playing. Better yet, take what I’ve been doing of late. I believe in sharing just like they taught me in kindergarten and as much as possible, I share YouTube videos on how to do workouts, practice basketball skills or just get inspired for the fuel to compete. We are in the Age of Resource.

By definition a Resource is a source of supply, support or aid, especially one that can be readily drawn upon when needed. (Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.) The advent of the Internet or at least its mainstream use eliminated much of the labor associated with researching answers to questions about how to improve in sports. Since I cater to those of you striving to become better prepared athletes, you couldn’t have been born during a more exciting era. You can go to YouTube to: Increase your vertical leap by 7 inches, get shooting tips from Ray Allen as if he’s your big brother, see a visual example of how to properly stretch the hamstring and gluteal muscles and even watch an inspiring video of a man who swam (wearing a Speedo) in the freezing waters of the North Pole.

Basketball is as popular as it is today because of the spread of information and if you’re a competitor there is no excuse in 2009 for you not to acquire skill that you can practice on your own. The most common reason for not participating in technology is, “I don’t have a computer at home.” When I started college there were computers but I didn’t own my own. In fact I still don’t. I’m typing on a work computer right now. In college I lived in the computer lab, emailed from the library and finished those all-nighter papers in the Chapman University Newspaper offices. The supply you need is at your disposal now and the only warning is that you learn to access the resources that will move your game and your character toward maturity. For the athlete, you probably want to YouTube, Google, or Yahoo the following practical elements of your respective sport:

• Injury Prevention
• How to defend the ball one-on-one
• How to move without the basketball
• How to defend a corner kick
• How to lengthen my stride for sprinting

In the Age of Resource many have justified shortcuts that were more defensible before 1996 when learning “how-to” depended on the coach who lived across the street from you. Make no mistake about my feelings concerning cheating. But if it was frowned upon before, which for the record it was not, there’s simply no viable justification for shortcuts. Why would you cheat now when there’s a 3 minute video that teaches you how to recognize the angles and spacing between defenders that allow you to run a seamless passing route for a 10-yard gain? I know why. Many of us are immune to working hard and doing over a 10-week period what illegal substances could in 6. But I’ve digressed into a tirade. What’s important today is that you wake up and hire the trainer you’ve always wanted without the start-up fee. It’s 2009. Increase your technological capacity and get in the game.