This is the most powerful recovery tool

Hey guys,

I’ve been thinking a lot about this recovery tool and I want to share it with you.

It's something we do every single night, but probably not well enough. It’s not a hyperbaric chamber or red light. 

It’s sleep.

I see a lot of athletes spend hours in the gym perfecting their vertical or a skillset, but then stay up late doom scrolling. And if you're not maximizing your sleep, all that other recovery work is useless. Your body can't repair itself and your entire game slows down (I’ve felt it before, trust me the slow-mo feeling is real).

So today, I'm going to share exactly how I approach sleep as a pro. I’ll walk you through the mindset shifts that have helped me recover faster and share actionable strategies that you can start using tonight. 

Let's dive in.

MINDSET
Sleep = Recharge

I want to help you lock in this mindset before diving into the tactics.
 
When you train or play hard, you body break down (easy, we know this).

And when you hit deep sleep, your body kicks into “recharge mode”. The problem is without the right sleep, you end up in a vicious cycle of getting more and more tired. And at the pro level, you can’t risk running on an empty energy tank.

If you want to dive straight into the science, here’s a study on sleep + recovery for athletes.

Here are 2 sleep tactics that have helped me own my sleep while playing at a competitive level: 

SKILL
SLEEP TACTIC #1: leave your phone outside your room

I'm going to be honest with you, my sleep hygiene was trash for years.

I'd come home after a game or practice, exhausted and ready to crash. But then I'd think, "This is my time to relax. Let me scroll. Let me check in on family. Let me watch that show everyone's talking about."

Next thing I know, it's midnight and I'm still staring at a screen.

But then I started leaving my phone outside my bedroom and I was finally able to hit that deep sleep faster. Personally I’m always shooting for 4+ hours of deep, restorative sleep.

If you want to watch a movie or review highlights, do it long before you get in bed. These things aren’t bad, there’s just a time and place for them. 

SKILL
SLEEP TACTIC #2: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day

Your body is made for consistency.

It runs on it’s own sleep “clock”. So when you go to bed at 11 PM one night, 2 AM the next, and 9 PM the day after that, you're messing with that rhythm. Your body doesn't know when to shut down or when to wake up. You end up feeling groggy even when you technically got "enough" sleep. And at the pro level, “enough” won’t cut it when you’re going up against insanely competitive teams and players.

So pick a bedtime and a wake-up time, and stick to it.

And I know it's hard!

Especially when you want to sleep in after a tough game or stay up late when you finally have free time. But guys, consistency is the key. Your body will start to naturally wind down at the right time, and you'll wake up feeling more refreshed so you can show up on the court and for your family.

Quick Recap

1. No phone in the bedroom
2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time

This type of discipline is what separates the winners and losers. It’s crazy simple, but I see so many athletes forget the basics.

So here's my challenge to you this week:

Pick one sleep habit from this newsletter and implement it tonight. Leave your phone outside your room or go to bed at the same time. 

Just pick one. Do it for a week. Then let me know how you feel.

Sleep isn't “sexy” like compression therapy or a hyperbaric chamber. But it’s been the recovery foundation for my basketball career and I’m not planning on stopping!

I dropped a YouTube video on this same topic if you want to dive in more. Check it out here: