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THE ART OF LEARNING TO PLAY BASKETBALL-THE BRANDON ADAMS WAY
By Dynamic Sports Management, Inc. Staff and ICC Staff

Giving 100% to any activity is the goal of any educator in any subject matter whether you are an athlete or soon to be scholar. Mastery encompasses what Brandon Adams envisioned for his company, Dynamic Sports Management (DSM), Inc.

Brandon Adams started playing basketball on competitive teams when he was in 8th grade. When he was younger, he was taller than everyone else and was constantly asked if he was a basketball player, which created in him, an animosity toward the sport. Then he learned that he could go to college for free on a basketball scholarship and that was motivating enough for him. His mother was always supportive taking him to all the practices and nurturing him after disappointing games. While Brandon knew he had the ability to be a professional basketball player, he was negatively affected by the lack of support from mentors and was also very motivated by his natural desire to be a businessman.

Both of these factors provided Brandon with the motivation to create a personal training program that has revolutionized the methods of teaching basketball. This training as well as many other programs and activities are offered through Brandon's company, Dynamic Sports Management, Inc. (DSM).

At DSM, an athlete of any age or skill level (elementary to professional) is trained in a one-on-one environment through a prescriptive developmental technology known as the Principle Oriented System of Training (P.O.S.T.). This technology allows a player to grow at their own pace in an environment that is challenging, nurturing and supportive to the individual's needs. The P.O.S.T. technology encompasses over 150 skills that are layered as building blocks to master physical movement, intellectual understanding, and styles of emotion.

Additionally, DSM offers mini clinics, tournaments, and the opportunity to join one of the Dynamic Sports University Leagues.

Mr. Brandon Adams (BA), Founder, President and CEO of Dynamic Sports Management (DSM), Inc. was on hand to give International Connections Consulting's (ICC) staff an up-close look at his company and its philosophy.

BA: "The purpose of my program became academics, athletics, and attitude - congruently nurturing the Mind - intellectually, Body - physically and Soul - spiritually/emotionally. All of those paradigms exist with fundamental principals. Everyone has distinctions of leadership, such as love versus fear. People tend to fear what they do not know or understand I began using those types of concepts with our athletes to help them work through their own barriers as to why they do or don't take risks. We realize that in an academic, athletic, and attitude environment, you have to have a balance. This translates to intellectually, physically and emotionally and then mind, body and soul. With respect to basketball, it is the same thing on an intellectual and emotional level. This allows the athlete to better articulate what they are going through. For example, "I got an F on my test today. That is really what is bothering me and what I am focused on. My Mom is going to really be upset with me."

I try to build really strong relationships with the athletes, so that the relationship becomes the reason why we are there and the vehicle that we are using is basketball. Indirectly, as a result, their participation in basketball becomes the method of improving our relationship because the athlete wants to please their mentor, friend and teacher. I have found that that has been stronger than anything else."

ICC: "It is great hearing about the trainer-student relationship. Can we also hear a little more about your teaching philosophy?"

BA: "We come to have a perspective together and a place of growth. That is the intellectual/emotional side. The physical side goes a little deeper into what we are actually teaching. That is where I became a technician and really begin to look at some of the most successful basketball players in the world. Who are they? How do they think?

Physically, I can jump just as high as the shortest NBA player, run just as fast as the slowest NBA player, and am as strong as the weakest NBA player. So the only difference between me and any other player was the quality of my thinking and my body's ability to adapt successfully to this critical thinking. My ability to focus on any task, to draw on intellectual resources (What does the coach and my team want from me? What has my past experience taught me?) and then be able to make split-second successful decisions like a trained martial artist.

In addition, I took a look at other businesses/vehicles where people were successful. What were their habits? What were the things that really moved them?

Those elements became the physical aspects of the basketball side. I realized that there was a system already in place. I needed to come up with or develop a system of movements, just like teaching the piano where you train the student to play scales before they can really be good. Creating these building blocks of physical movement skills will give students the proper theory and foundation to be able to do something great with basketball.

Before I founded DSM, I used to teach math and college calculus. I came up with this system of doing 4th grade math multipication tables with 9s and 12s. Once the student understands the system, they will never get it wrong. And this system style becomes a building block for them to go on to the next level.

The whole academic curriculum is set up along those lines. Basketball is set up in the same way. Once I understood that there were four fundamental roots, I started building on them. For example, people who were uncoordinated initially would leave coordinated. Similar to someone practicing playing the piano, your left and right hand would be operating independently of each other eventually. This allowed me to be able to separate the players thought patterns. Subsequently, the foot works well with the hands and the hands would work well with the core and the core then works well with the shoulders. This becomes the interdependent relationship that gives total freedom to any player.

Any player can look like anybody. I can drill students like a martial artist trains in the dojo or any simulation. Now, all of a sudden this person is competitive. If you can't get past those fundamental roots, then you will never make it to competitive levels. There may be barriers, but my teaching and instruction will discover them over time. If the student is unable to do their own self discovery, then they will not grow or progress as fast. My modus operandi became enabling people to break through those risk factors. Most people don't want to take risk. For example, while playing golf recently, I was tired of being corrected from my golf instructor. I told him to allow me to hit the ball again and see if there was any improvement. I got lucky and hit the ball some distance, which silenced my trainers thoughts that I did not understand his lessons.

In the end, I apologized to him because I was unaware of how I had completed that task with those results. I realized that I didn't have enough repetition or self discovery time to know how I had accomplished the hit. Repetition breeds success. You have to have enough self discovery time to come to those "Ah-ha moments." That is where basketball and academic instruction come into play. My desire is that the student will understand the theory behind your accomplishments. For example, if you understand why 2+2=4, then that will lead you to understand that 4 + 2 = 6.

That's the theory that I teach. It is even used by NBA players. They draw from their historical success experiences. Another comparison is related to chess. A pattern is established that can be studied and adjusted according to the player's subconscious mind. We deal with that based on the fact that all habits are formed by the subconscious mind. This level of thinking will eventually lead to independent actions. Then we operate on auto pilot. The quality of this style of thinking is what I work toward."

ICC: "Wow, that is such a great analogy. A whole new way of thinking about the sport of basketball."

BA: "Furthermore, if I can program your subconscious routines to recognize things and make the right decisions, then people will recognize their behavior patterns by comparing the player to other professional styles (Jordan/Kobe/etc.) whoever it might be. Others will be excited about their level of playing and desire them to be on their teams. Or they would like to come back and watch them play because of their performance.

The definition I use of a fan is someone who enjoys the work that the player is exhibiting on a particular task. The spectator could admire it for a few reasons. One, they would like to emulate the player's skills. Two, they realize that their own experience with the sport could be enhanced by dedicating more time to the sport. Finally, some people are just drawn to the sport itself and are in a dreamland.

It all boils down to your skills and talents. I believe that I was not as skillful as I was talented as a basketball player. Had I invested more time skillfully, I could have gone further in collegiate basketball. I could have played overseas. If I had put the right programming into my subconscious in order to recognize certain things on the court, I would be able to address any situation with confidence and aggression, which is the essence of the sport. I didn't have that. I am more skillful than talented at the piano. I don't have an ear for music. I am able to function skillfully within this arena based on theories and notes. My current level of golfing is as a beginner. However, eventually with time, it will be determined whether my skill level is only from training or also due to my talent.

This is the model that we would like for basketball players who may not be 6'5 at age 13, but 4'11. They can build off of the theory of the game versus their athletic ability due to a physical advantage. That is my job in basketball and that is the reason that DSM is committed to our programming sequence. I need a player to recognize this and build a relationship with me. From that relationship, we use the vehicle of basketball to express our concerns for each other.

Someone said "Character is who we are when no one is looking." With DSM's methods, self discovery naturally occurs with committed students. As the student's training evolves, they create good subconscious habits on the court as well as in the rest of their lives. Good character is a natural end result. Building a relationship with the parents is just as important. They learn to count on me, which is a reputation that I take pride in maintaining. It takes a village to raise a child and I enjoy doing my small part. The parents can be assured that I am interested in the overall development of their child. Add to that the disciplines that we instill on the court, whether male or female, the student will take these disciplines of that vehicle called basketball and apply it to any area of their lives.

Nourishing areas of life other than basketball is very important to me, as well as for my students. Proper training can help maintain a balance in the student's life preventing an obsession with basketball. DSM's goal isn't just about basketball, but offering a vehicle of discipline that creates harmony of the mind, body and soul, thus preventing neglect in other areas of life.

If a student shows neglect for academics, it is important to foster that area for them. If they show an extreme on their emotional side, then DSM can gear the training on developing an avenue to use that energy in the proper way on the court. Additionally, it is vital to offer the proper physical training with a focus on preventing injury. I have suffered a knee injury that affects my game. I tend to play basketball attempting to keep other players from my knee. With DSM's one-on-one training, these types of practices and habits on the court are easy to enhance and strengthen.

As you can see, DSM is not about the ego and the money. We are about personal development where basketball is the vehicle. That's why we are one of the most in-demand basketball training programs in the country."

ICC: "What are some of your goals for the future?"

BA: "My goal is to revolutionize the way that basketball is taught. I am in the process of working on a video that will communicate this teaching style. There are other products on the market; however, I feel that their approach could be better and more encompassing.

My private training program in Bethesda, Maryland, USA was sold out for three years in a row. Players from age 4 to 24, on every level are building the right fundamentals and programming due to their relationship with Dynamic Sports Management.

In addition to offering private training, I will continue to develop clinics and camps that strengthen a player's individual and team skills. As with the one-on-one training, these clinics do and will focus on intellectual and physical dimensions.

Currently, we have one clinic that takes place on Saturday mornings. In the future, I would like to have one on Saturday and one on Sunday afternoon. Each clinic would be in 3 hour segments. I have a lot of focused ideas on what the clinics would cover to meet the needs of families from across the spectrum. The prices could range from $15 to $30 per session (1 hour or 1 hour 1/2) and include 35 to 50 students per segment.

Additionally, I have a nonprofit organization called Dynamic Sports Foundation which is being further developed to offer other avenues of support to the mission of Dynamic Sports Management, Inc. We are also open to partnering with other non-profits to reach our goals."

Dynamic Sports Management, Inc. is the perfect solution for those who want the best for themselves and their children in terms of overall quality training that includes the intellectual, mental and physical elements of learning to play basketball.

For more information or to enroll in one of their programs, please visit DSM's web site http://www.dsmshock.com.

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