I sat on the couch this weekend brackets busted and demoralized watching every single NCAA tournament game that I could. The little guys were beating the big guys, players that no one has ever heard of were hitting big shot upon big shot, it was fantastic! Amidst all of this madness, it was a comment that one of the announcers calling one of the games said that struck me as profound. During the game (I think Murray State vs. Butler but I cannot be sure because I watched so many) I heard him exclaim, “This is a shoulders game!” as one of the guards drove to basket and finished over his much taller defender. Knowing exactly what he meant before he explained, I thought is was a great point for any young player who was watching to hear. My only concern, is that I am not sure if the young players that were watching would pick up on it or if they actually listen to the announcers at all. So, I thought it relevant for me to expand upon his exclamation.
The announcer explained that in their efforts to play offense or defense the player whose shoulders are the lowest will win the battle. In the case of the game, the player driving to the basket was able to get low enough to drive by his defender and make a great finish at the rim. Getting his shoulders lower than his defender’s shoulders made the offensive player quicker, stronger, more aggressive, and therefore more successful.
Nowadays, too many players get in the bad habit of standing tall while playing during the game. That being said, the player standing tall is already at a disadvantage because they cannot be as aggressive and therefore, as explosive or quick as a player whose shoulders are low. This not only makes that player less explosive or aggressive, but also make them less efficient. Standing tall forces them to have to drop down to get low and then come back up. This requires two body movements (dropping down and coming up) while a player who is already low will only have to come up on the finish or shot. If a basketball player maintains these three characteristics, aggressiveness, explosiveness, and efficiency during the course of play, they will make themselves a much better player.
Throughout all the turmoil that was the NCAA’s opening weekend, I was ecstatic to hear an announcer point how important it is for basketball players to stay low. Basketball is a game that is played from low to high; it is a “shoulders game,” and the player who wins that game will undoubtedly be the better basketball player.
