The Body gets BEAT UP over the long season.

I try to do my part by researching and finding out what’s best for my health and performance journey.

Some thoughts below on that as I reflect on the games against Red Star and Partizan…

Looking Back🏀

This week was a great week for our team.

We got some very important victories that we needed, starting actually against Panathinaikos!

Me personally, I felt like I got back to focusing on my systems and improving daily, no matter what happens in the games. Again, it’s about focusing on the tasks and not the results. The results come from the right preparation.

As the season progresses, it’s normal that you’ll find things that are hurting in your body and need more attention.

It’s not IF it’s going to happen. It’s WHEN it’s going to happen.

This week my foot started to bother me, and I had to find some new exercises to feel comfortable when experiencing pain or discomfort in those areas.

You play a long season, and you have to understand that your body is your moneymaker.

You may have access to experts or the team’s physios and doctors, but no one is going to care for your body like you do.

For example, last year when I had plantar fasciitis, I took it upon myself to figure out what exercises and treatments I needed to do to get back to being 100% healthy.

Over the course of your career, you develop resources for every injury possible: from ankle sprains to plantar fasciitis, to all types of things.

On top of the physical, one thing you may not think about during recovery is your emotions.

As soon as you start experiencing pain, especially when it’s something you’ve battled with before, your emotions take you back to that negative headspace you were in. I would say the number one skill as a professional (athlete or otherwise) is being able to manage your emotions.

If you can do that, you will progress very, very far in life. Now, that brings me to what I’ve been reading this week.

This week I’ve been reading the Four Agreements. This is a book on mental strength and having a better life. The Four Agreements are:

1. Impeccable words

2. Don’t assume anything

3. Don’t take anything personally,

4. Do your best.

Let’s use this as an example for both of my games this week in our league. Starting with the Red Star game, I played really well, allowing me to feel very good about myself.

Now it’s great to speak highly and think positively, but you also have to understand that there’s still work to be done.

Sometimes you can fall into a trap of assurance that we’re doing enough just because we’ve had one good game. For me, when I’ve had a good game, it’s even hard for me to sleep because I’m so excited about how I played.

I do the same thing: I scroll on social media and look for things to reassure me that I am as good as I think I am. All the posts, all the videos of people posting about me, boost my head.

Or on the opposite side, the part of the game I felt like I didn’t play as well, so I could start to talk to myself and say negative things.

“Oh, I’m not that good”, or “oh, am I really able to play at this level?”

This was my challenge from Partisan. Not getting into my own head. I felt like I could’ve played better. But going on social media and reading news or highlights or comments that confirm this negative bias of “oh is he really that good?” is not going to help me.

I was very intentional about what words I was using to describe my feelings and emotions that had happened in the game. Because again, remember how we talk to ourselves is how we actually think about ourselves, which actually comes to life, so the dream that we are thinking of in our head becomes our reality.

I was able to listen to my emotions and understand them without needing assurance from social media or eating bad stuff to make me feel better.

You have to understand that your mind is a garden, and the words you speak are like seeds that you plant in your garden. You have to be very mindful of what seeds you’re planting in your garden (you’ll see this metaphor used in the book above a lot).

YouTube Journey▶

This week on the vlog, we go back to another double week: LDLC Asvel + Bayern Munich. This vlog I talk a lot about grief and loss, as I was dealing with the personal loss of someone extremely close to me, my grandma.

Check it out here and let me know what you think about the video content we’re putting out!

Q&A ❓

Sebastian said on YouTube…

Ok less of a question this week, but I wanted to say THANK YOU to Sebastian and the whole Playbook Community who are here and supporting. It really means a ton to get feedback and support from you all.

I hope that I can shine a light on all aspects of the game: mental, emotional, physical. We are all human, we’re all dealing with human problems and I want to share my journey in the hopes it inspires and helps at least 1 other hooper out there.

🚨Want to see your question answered above? Reply to the newsletter or reach out to me on social. I will group all the questions together and be answering them on the newsletter and vlog in the coming weeks. Cheers!🚨

Moment of Reflection 🙏

Christmas is coming up, and our little Bryant family is very excited about that.

Over the years, the holiday has changed for me. Especially after having kids.

As a kid Christmas used to mean presents, no school, maybe some snow (growing up in Georgia), but now it means time with family, great food, and giving.

As I grow older, I realize that material things aren’t what bring you happiness; it is the experiences and the relationships you have with people that bring you happiness.

If you have time, there is a great documentary on Netflix called “Buy Now”, and it talks about how as a society, we are always buying more stuff when we don’t need it, and this is something that I’m trying to be conscious of when wanting something.

Thank you for grabbing your Playbook 🙏

I hope you like the new version of Playbook. If you have comments or questions or suggestions, PLEASE respond to the newsletter about anything. I want to hear from you and I promise, I read every response. My goal is to continue making a great Playbook and building a great community where we all get better together. And you’re a part of that journey!

Let’s Build Confidence + Consistency™ , on and off the court!

Elijah