Off Season Rest & Development

Working in the NBA

For those of you working in basketball, the off season is for two things: rest and development.

One of the biggest mistakes people working in basketball can make is making it a year-round thing.  Sure, it’s trendy to talk about never taking a day off and being married to the grind but eventually burnout will catch up to you.  I would say it takes more discipline to take a break than to keep going.     

The two things you should be focused on are resting and developing.

Development

Just as NBA players aren’t playing competitive basketball every day through the off season, you don’t need to be grinding through your job every day of the off season.  Take time to learn new skills that will enhance your job profile for the next year. 

After the Mavs beat LeBron’s Miami Heat in the Finals, did he decide to get better by playing competitive basketball everyday?  Or by taking time away and focusing on developing a post-game and other facets that would have been considered weaknesses? 

Similarly, what skills can you add to what you already do that will make you better in the coming season. 

Rest

One of the hardest things to do when working in competitive basketball is to take a break. 

Expectations throughout the season are to be available 24/7… and oftentimes, even if the work slows during the summer months, the expectations do not.  You’re still next to your phone.  You’re still always available.  And this is one of the worst things you can do for the longevity of your health and career.    

Everyone needs a break, physically and mentally. 

It’s hard to tell someone you work for that you are not going to be available (or that you are actually taking the vacation time the organization has allotted for you) but not only is it important to do that, it will make you better for the coming season.  Giving yourself a refresh and a restart to each season will give you more juice for the coming season. 

1 – Leave Town

Specifically, I’d say 99% of you need to leave town.  As we all know, if you’re in town, you’re going to get called upon.  Someone is going to need help at the gym.  Even if you’re technically off, if you’re in town, you’re on.

2 – Turn Off Your Phone

Do your best to turn off your phone.  I know this is incredibly hard for a lot of reasons but it will help your mind reset and get you out of harmful and negative patterns.

3 – Find Healthy Patterns

A reset allows us to see different ways of doing things.  When you are in the day-to-day grind of the season, it’s hard to see any other way.  When you take a break, you can start to see things differently.  When you come back for the next season, are there hours you can turn off your phone (even if it’s 1-5am)?  Is there a time each week you can get away from the gym into a non-basketball space?

One of the hardest things you’ll ever do in basketball is to rest and reset.  But coming back to Training Camp each year on fumes and running on empty is no way to flourish during a season.   Find the ways and things that bring you life and energy and dive into them during the off season.