My son’s recreational basketball league was short on coaches this year, so I volunteered to lead a team. I broke out my high tops for practice and the soles literally fell off. Dry rot happens when you store sneakers that are more than 12 years old in the garage. I still felt like I could play, even though I hadn’t actually done so in over a decade. Fortunately, I can confirm that I can indeed beat 5th grade boys. But I have no doubt they will outplay me in the next year or two!
I ordered some new shoes (these ankles need all the support they can get nowadays) and, admittedly, Googled some drills. Just seeing the drill names brought back so many memories in the gym, and I quickly recalled their designs.
Basketball was my favorite sport growing up. Before I ever played on an organized team, I spent hours shooting in our driveway. I would shoot until it was dark, flip on the spotlights, and then keep shooting until my dad arrived home. He would park his truck out of the way and shoot with me without even taking off his boots. Those are some of my best childhood memories.
While I learned offense on my home court, I learned defense in the cow pasture —unbeknownst to me at the time. Working cows teaches the fundamental skills of basketball in such an intuitive, dare I now say obvious, way. Here are the basics of both:
- One of the first things you learn is to keep your hands up and out wide. You must block as much open space as you can so the cow (or player with the ball) does not have much room to get through.
- In order to move quickly while still taking up as much space as possible, you must shuffle laterally. The only way to shuffle quickly is to sink your hips down low and bend your knees. Indeed, this is the defensive position in basketball. Move quickly to cut off the cow (or basketball player).
- To turn or cut off a cow (or opposing player), one must always consider their angles. You move to where they are going, not to where they currently are. You may be a step behind, but taking the right angle will allow you to gain ground to maintain control.
- It takes a team. If you’re trying to sort a springer from the dry cows in the middle of an open field, it is impossible to do it alone. You must trust your team to help you, and in basketball that is no different. You may get frustrated with your brother (or teammate), but you will work through it and deepen the bond in the long term.
While I may not be holding my team’s basketball practices in the cow pasture, I am so grateful that taught me my defensive skills. I personally will always put my money on the defense — especially when it is made of farm kids!
The author grew up on a Florida dairy farm, obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Florida and has spent her career in dairy processing. She now serves as business development manager for North America with Bunge. Erin and her husband live in St. Louis, Mo., with their three children. Her personal mantra is “Be Bold.”
