Putting $ in the Bank

Friday Fuel - July 11

🏅 Why The Basics Are the Difference

Whether it’s Kobe Bryant’s footwork, Lionel Messi’s dribbling finesse, or Kane Williamson’s technical batting, mastery of fundamentals is the cornerstone of elite performance. Elite performers don’t get bored with the basics—they build greatness from them.

It’s easy to get caught chasing what’s flashy.
The highlight reel. The trick play. The fancy move.

Social Media is full of them.
But the greatest athletes in the world?
They obsess over the fundamentals.

This week on The Game Changer, we’re talking about what really separates the elite — a relentless commitment to mastering the basics.

💬 A Favourite Quote

This is indeed one of my favourites as it highlights the fact that it is not enough to perform skills correctly a few times—professional-level execution requires repetition until mistakes become virtually impossible. This quality of training under pressure dictates performance reliability and is often the difference between the good and the great.

It’s not that the greats are training is some secret, its that the secret sauce lies in their ability to absolutely master the basics.

🌟 What The Legends Show Us

Lionel Messi is famous for his relentless work on close control, dribbling mechanics and pinpoint finishing.

When performance coach Alan Stein Jr. had the chance to watch Kobe Bryant train, he expected something extraordinary.
Instead, Kobe spent the entire session on the most basic drills — jab steps, footwork, ball-handling.

When Alan asked why, Kobe’s response was simple:

Watch him talk about it here:

It’s not about doing what’s new. It’s about doing what works — with intensity, consistency, and purpose.

Same goes for Stephen Curry, who starts every single training session with stationary ball-handling and form shooting just a few feet from the hoop.
Before he launches threes, he earns them — by mastering the basics first. Alan Stein noticed this when Curry was just a teenager and didn’t even stand out on the court! However Stein knew he would be great due to the way he turned up early for every training and was so focused on mastering skills…when others were chatting and playing with their laces. He talks about it here:

👨‍👧‍👦 Coaching from Home: Kane Williamson’s Dad Made the Difference

Kane Williamson became one of cricket’s most technically consistent batsmen because of daily foundational coaching at home. His father Brett even ruined his shoulder throwing his son the ball so many times.

Even when he dominated early teens, Kane’s dad emphasized character and fundamentals over runs scored… and look where he is now.

🏊 Michael Phelps: A Swimming Legend Built on Fundamentals

Michael Phelps, swimming’s most decorated Olympian, was obsessive about refining movement fundamentals—hand entry, body line, stroke rhythm. He explained: “If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.” 

He wasn’t talking about any special drills or coaching techniques; he was talking about being willing to focus on the small fundamentals again and again, something that most people aren’t willing to do.

💵 Try This Analogy

Think of it like putting $$ in the bank - if every repetition is another $ in the bank we can ask our Youth Athletes how rich they are this week. It’s a simple analogy that youth can easily understand and enjoy. We can also give them targets to hit across a week/month/year.

Simply help them set a Yearly target and break it down into daily commitments - then track it visually. Or you can just yell…

⛰️ How Does One Know if They are Doing Enough?

What a lot of people don’t understand is to what extent and how these greats train the basics. Alan Stein, who has worked with and trained some of the worlds greatest athletes, uses a 3 point system, with some important detail for each, to explain what to do to raise one’s game to the level required.

1. Work hard - this means working to a place of discomfort in your training. This discomfort can be physical, emotional or mental discomfort…if can be fun but it must be HARD.

2. Work Smart - this means being incredibly curious about what the fundamentals are that you need for your sport and then identifying the most efficient way to train them - skills, technique, physical attributes, mental, nutritional, and sleep components. Then plan, reflect and adjust - leave nothing to chance.

3. Be Consistent - while every day would seem like the ideal, it is not realistic and recovery is important too. Consistency is the key though. Phelps talks about this being the superpower of top athletes - doing it when you don’t feel like it, and that is a gauge that you ARE being consistent. No one feels like training all of the time, its pushing through and completing it when you don’t want to but you know you should that leads to greatness.

📋 The Building Blocks of Mastery - How Parents can Help

🎯 Weekly Challenge

Pick one fundamental skill/technique in your child’s sport—shooting mechanics, running technique, dribbling, passing, footwork… something they specifically need to work on.

Then: Do 50 focused reps every day with same level of attention for a week.

Finally: Track it - Record them on your phone on Day 1 and then repeat on Day 7 - show them difference in the skill that they have created by putting $50 in the bank each day.

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📚️ A Great Read

Alan Stein Jr. has worked with youth athletes who have become some of the worlds greatest, as well as those already operating in the elite space. He knows firsthand what it takes to achieve in this space, speaks often to how these athletes focused on mastering the basics, and has put it all into this fantastic book Raise Your Game.

🛡️ WINTER WARRIOR - FUELING CONSISTENCY

Athletes don’t have time for sick days, and if we want to be consistent trainers and performers we need to fuel up like winter warriors! Your immune system is like your team’s defence — it needs the right support to stay strong through cold, wet training sessions and busy schedules. These are your keys to staying strong:

1. Eat the Rainbow 🌈 

   Fruits + veggies = vitamins + antioxidants = strong defense system.

2. Get your Protein Power 💪 

   Your immune cells need amino acids! Don’t skimp on eggs, dairy, legumes, chicken or fish.

3. Zinc & C! 🍊🥜 

   Vitamin C (kiwifruit, capsicum) + Zinc (nuts, seeds, wholegrains) are your immunity MVPs.

4. Warm Fluids = Win

   Soups, broths, herbal teas – hydration + warmth + nutrients = triple threat!

5. Probiotic Power 🦠 

   Support your gut = support your immune system. Add yoghurt, kefir, or sauerkraut.

6. Don’t Forget Sleep & Stress 💤😌

   No food can outdo poor sleep or chronic stress. Fuel your recovery like you fuel training.

🧠 Before You Go...

We’ve been working hard on testing bottles and blenders and are getting closer to being able to bring these to market - we have a portable stainless steel blender for on-the-go fueling, and a sideline storage bottle for in the moment energy + hydration for the athletes. And for the parents and coaches we have developed a portable charged coffee cup that keeps your coffee at your favourite temperature for as long as you want while you stand on a freezing sideline or beaver away at work. No more lukewarm flat whites!

Check out these pics:

Ben + Billinda
The Game Changer Team

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