If you lived in one of the cricketing nations, it is very likely that you follow a bit of cricket. Some of us may still play, some may have played and some may only watch. Lately, with IPL making the shorter version of the game very popular, more people have an exposure and are forced to listen to the commentary. Many a times, we spend listening to a lot of commentary and discussions, between senior players, legends of the game.
I do not know why people watch cricket or any sport for that matter, but I watch because I have always enjoyed playing sports, cricket being one of them and the next best thing to playing is watching.
Through my playing times till now, I have learnt a lot of from sports. Sports reflects life situations in some way. Sports may be far less complicated than life, but still there are many situations in sports that we can draw important lessons from.
One of the often repeated statements I hear while listening to the commentary is about ‘getting the basics right’.
I often used to wonder, what this really meant. I asked around and this is what I got. Let us say you are a batman, then the basics include but not limited to:
- Gripping the bat
- Taking guard before facing a bowler from a particular end
- Back-lift of the bat
- Downswing of the bat
- Follow through with the swing
- Head position
- Foot movement and placement to the pitch of the ball
- Shifting your weight and balance
Serious development of a good batsmen start with this and some more basics. These are foundations for good batsmanship and lack of one of these aspects can result in a weakness in technique, which could be exploited by good bowlers.
So, in many ways, basics of anything is the foundation to building great things. Without a strong foundation, the structure can collapse anytime.
In life, there are many aspects to be addressed, to make it enjoyable and fulfilling. For example, good health is an important aspect. Good health requires basics like, disciplined lifestyle, whose constituents are typically wholesome and appropriate food, along with regular exercise.
- Early to work : Not just to work, early start for the day gives you a lot of advantages, a head start in everything you do in the day. The early hours are quieter in terms of ambience and also in our mind. Helps clear thinking and planning for the day and helps getting important things out of the day before our social interactions distract us. And then we hear about bio-rhythms and how highly creative people work late into nights, all by themselves and create world-beating stuff. Agree, such things. However, most of our career is not designed for such lone hand approach.
- Being mindful : Focus on what’s in front of you – be present where you are. With advent of technology, popularity of eSocializing, it is becoming more and more difficult to get some alone time, thinking time. We are bombarded with all kinds of information/data and we develop a compulsive appetite to consume and suffer lack of mental peace. It grows slowly like any addiction and before we know it results in paralysis of the mind.
- Committing time to learn regularly.
- Reflection – periodic.
What are some basics that you have found to be useful?
