Marcus groaned as he opened his eyes and saw the time on his phone. It was only 6:00 am on a Sunday morning. He could feel his body protesting at the idea of getting up so early on a weekend. But he knew that he had to get to training if he wanted to improve his game.
He slowly got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. His parents were already up, sitting at the kitchen table and reading the newspaper.
"Good morning, Marcus," his mom said, looking up from the paper. "up early again?"
"I'm going to the park to practice," Marcus said, trying to sound awake.
"Again? You were there all day yesterday," his dad said, shaking his head.
"I know, but I want to keep working on my skills," Marcus said, taking a seat at the table.
His parents exchanged a look, seeming to be unsure about his dedication to basketball. "Marcus, we support your love for basketball, but you need to make sure you're getting enough rest and not overdoing it," his mom said, gently.
"I know, Mom. I'll make sure to get enough sleep tonight," Marcus promised.
His dad nodded in agreement, adding, "Just make sure you don't neglect your school work. We know basketball is important, but education comes first."
"I won't, Dad. I'll make sure to keep up with my school work," Marcus said, finishing his cereal. School was going to be easy, he thought to himself. With his new knowledge and experience, he knew that he could ace every subject.
His parents seemed satisfied with his response, and they finished their breakfast in silence. Marcus quickly cleaned up his bowl and headed out the door, ready to get in some early morning practice. He was grateful for his parents' support, even if they sometimes questioned his dedication to the sport he loved.
"I will. I'll be back in time for lunch," Marcus said. With that, he grabbed his basketball and headed out the door.
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He made his way to the local park, where there was a basketball court. It was still early, and no one was there yet, so Marcus had the whole court to himself.
Marcus stood in front of the basketball court, deep in thought. He had all this knowledge of drills and training methods, but he was unsure of where to start. He knew that he could easily overwhelm himself if he tried to do too much at once.
He sighed and took a deep breath. "Keep it simple, Marcus," he told himself. "Just stick to the basics for now."
He started his warm-up routine, stretching his muscles and doing some dribbling drills, running up and down the court, dribbling the ball between his legs and behind his back. He felt the sweat starting to bead on his forehead, but he kept pushing himself, knowing that every extra minute of practice would make a difference. Then, he began working on his shooting. He took shot after shot, trying to perfect his form and accuracy, practicing his jump shots from different angles. He made mental notes of his form, his footwork, and the arc of the ball. He knew he had to be precise in his technique. After an hour of shooting, Marcus moved on to some ball handling drills. He weaved in and out of imaginary defenders, practicing his crossovers and behind-the-back moves. Marcus then moved on to defense, this time practicing his footwork and speed as he moved side to side, simulating guarding an opponent. He imagined himself playing against the best players in the league, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he defended the ball.
Marcus lost track of time as he trained. He was completely focused on his practice, and nothing else mattered. He was determined to become the best basketball player he could be, and that meant putting in the hard work and dedication.
Finally, he moved on to conditioning. He ran laps around the court, his heart racing as he pushed himself harder and harder. He knew that basketball was a game of endurance, and he needed to be in top physical shape if he wanted to succeed.
Eventually, his stomach started to rumble, reminding him that it was time for lunch.
As he finished his last lap, Marcus collapsed onto the court, breathing heavily. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath. Marcus was drenched in sweat and exhausted. But he felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing that he had put in the time and effort to improve his skills. He packed up his gear and headed back home, feeling proud of himself for taking his basketball training seriously.
As Marcus finished up his workout, he couldn't help but think about the upcoming basketball season. The coaches would hold multiple tryouts over the course of a week, and if you were good enough, they would say you made the team. The list of players who made the team would be posted on the bulletin board a few days after each tryout. He decided that he would go to school early tomorrow to check who made the team from the first tryouts.