Brian Johnson shares Alan Stein's story about Kobe Bryant waking up at 4am to practice basic drills. The peak performance coach watched Kobe obsess over fundamentals, not flashy moves, as the foundation of his dominance.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. In our last plus one we chatted about the comparison game with Alan Stein. Remember, the odds of us losing that game are precisely 100%. So let's stop playing it. Heal those soul ulcers, yo. Today I want to chat about another great wisdom gem from Alan's great book, Raise youe Game. I mentioned that Alan is a peak performance coach. He's worked with some of the best basketball players in the world, including Kobe Bryant. Quick story. Nike flew Allen out to LA to work the first ever Kobe Bryant skills academy. At the time, Kobe was the best in the world. Allen asked Kobe if he could watch him work out. As Allen says that that's how it is in my business. Everyone can see the game, but to really learn the secrets, you have to watch the practice. It's the difference between buying Jay Z's album and sitting in the studio watching him write and record one. So Alan asked Kobe if he can watch his workout. Kobe says, sure, I'm going at 4. Allen says, but don't we have a camp session at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon? Kobe says, I know, I'm working out at 4am Alan goes, what now? Alan shows up at 4am and what did he see? Well, quote For 45 minutes I was shocked. For 45 minutes I watched the best player in the world do the most basic drills. I watched the best player on the planet do basic ball handling drills. I watched the best player on the planet do basic footwork. I watched the best player on the planet do basic offensive moves. And quote, Granted, he did everything with surgical precision and superhero intensity, but the stuff he was doing was so simple I couldn't believe it. End quote. Now, later in the day, he thanked Kobe and he didn't want to sound rude or condescending, but couldn't resist asking him, you're the best player in the world, why do such basic stuff? Kobe's response? Allen says, quote. He flashed that gleaming smile of his. Why do you think I'm the best player in the game? He asked. Because I never get bored with the basics. And that's today's plus one. How are your basics? Rock them today and see you in the gym at 4am tomorrow. I look forward to working on my fundies on one side of the court while you rock yours on the other. High fives and let's do this.
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