Our local youth basketball club holds a 10,000-shot program in the offseason. From April through August, players are challenged to make 10,000 gamelike shots and attend a handful of summer workouts. Those who are successful will be recognized at a high school basketball game and get their name on the wall in the gym.
It was the latter that enticed my 10-year-old to commit to this program. Having sat on the bleachers below the 10,000-shot club sign several times and seeing her friends’ names up there, she wanted her name there too.
I’ll admit, 10,000 shots seemed daunting, but as we broke down how many were needed each day, it could be achieved.
Getting to the first 1,000 shots was rather easy. We established a routine for types of shots to take, from free throws to layups to jump shots.
By 2,000 shots, there was noticeable improvement in the percentage of shots made, which helped speed up our shooting time each day.
At 5,000 shots, we hit a wall. While this is a great offseason program for basketball, it does occur during the season of other things she enjoys – soccer, softball, showing dairy cattle and good ol’ summer fun.
From what I can find, this idea of 10,000 shots stems from Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers (a fascinating read that I’d recommend). In the book, Gladwell suggests that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. Several people have tried to debunk his theory, but in watching this process unfold this summer, I believe there is more to it than simply mastering a skill. We are learning what it takes to achieve a big, lofty goal.
As mentioned, we started by identifying the smaller steps it would take to get there (shots per day), as well as coming up with a routine to make it easier.
My daughter was also quick to enlist help (i.e., me). Not only do I keep count, but I hold her accountable. I remind her when it’s time to work on it and encourage her to keep going or to take a break when needed.
When we hit that wall, we noticed we needed to get creative if we had any chance of reaching the goal. I’ll admit, “I’ll quit” has been muttered often. It seemed what motivated her at the beginning wasn’t enough to push through the hard parts. However, I knew that if I let her give up, every time she’d see that wall in the gym, all she’d know is that she quit.
So we changed up the routine. Some days we’d just do the easy shots to add numbers and build confidence. Other days, we’d spend more time on the harder ones. We looked up videos on YouTube to see if they had better tips for perfecting a free throw. Just that quick break and hearing someone else talk about basketball helped in the moment. When missing more than making, I stopped counting out loud.
As we hit 7,000 shots, the whole routine felt old. We started playing games to change things up, and that has helped keep her motivated, having fun and logging those shots.
The basis of the program and Gladwell’s theory is to be a better basketball player by improving how she shoots. Yet, as I watch her persevere in pursuit of a goal, I think that is what will make her a great player in anything she decides to do.
