What to look for when you watch your own film
Hey hoopers, Quote of the day: "The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle." - Richard Marcinko Quick question: Do you watch your own game film? Most players don't. And the ones who do usually just watch their highlights, the good plays, the shots they made, the ankles they broke. But that's not how you get better. Here's what to watch for instead: Your positioning without the ball. Where are you when your teammate has the ball? Are you spacing the floor? Are you cutting at the right time? Are you crashing the boards? Most mistakes happen when you don't have the ball, not when you do. Your defensive footwork. Are you in a stance? Are you sliding or reaching? Are you getting around off the dribble because you're standing too tall or because you're lunging? Film shows you the truth, and most players are getting cooked because their feet are lazy. Your decision-making under pressure. When the defense collapses, are you forcing shots or finding the open man? When you're getting trapped, are you picking up your dribble too early? Film will show you the moments where you're making the wrong read, and once you see it, you can fix it. Turnovers. Every turnover has a reason. Bad pass? Telegraphed it. Lost the ball? Handle wasn't tight enough. Offensive foul? Drove out of control. Watch every turnover and figure out why it happened, then work on that specific thing in practice. Your energy level. Can you see yourself getting tired? Are you jogging back on defense? Are you standing around on offense? Coaches notice effort on film, and if you're taking plays off, you're not getting minutes. Here's the truth: Film doesn't lie. You can think you played well, but the tape will show you exactly what happened. And the players who watch film and actually learn from it are the ones who make the biggest jumps. So this week, pull up your last game. Watch it once without any emotion, just take notes. Then go fix the 2-3 things that show up the most. If you want help breaking down your film and figuring out what to focus on, upgrade to phase 2 below👇