The #1 Thing That Most Players Never Do (But Should)

"Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference."

- Darren Hardy

Today I want to give you a powerful habit that will give you a massive advantage over most other players.

But first, quick story...

Growing up, I read A TON of books.

As a kid, our local library did summer reading challenges where you won prizes and had your name entered into drawings for huge rewards depending on how many pages you read throughout the summer.

That was my Super Bowl.

I spent all summer reading as much as possible because I wanted those prizes.

I'm very grateful for that because I learned that I really enjoyed reading and it became a habit and something that came naturally to me.

But over the past few years, I definitely haven't been reading as much as I want to be.

As you probably know, the number of distractions out there is at an all-time high.

So it becomes very easy to NOT do the things that we know are beneficial for us in the long run.

Recently I heard a really crazy fact...

If you read just 10 pages of a book every day, you'll finish around 18+ books in a year.

That would put you in the top 10% of readers in America (mind you, almost 50% of Americans haven't read a single book in the past year...)

So by adopting this one small habit a day, the compound effect is huge and separates you from everyone else in a massive way.

So this is a habit that I've adopted recently.

Everyday I have to read at least 10 pages of a book.

10 pages is the minimum, but many days I find myself enjoying it and reading more than that.

Some days I don't feel like it, some days I do.

But that habit and the growth I'll see from it by the end of the year is more important than how I might feel on a random Tuesday in April.

So anyway, back to basketball...

I got a question from a player on my YouTube livestream and it basically said this:

"I love working on my game. I'm always at the gym working on my skills but when it comes to watching film, studying the game, and increasing my basketball IQ, I just don't have it in me to spend hours doing it each day, even though some people have called me lazy or not committed because of it. What do you think?"

This is an awesome question and it takes a lot of self awareness and humility to ask this.

My response to him was simple:

Most players are doing nothing. Or close to nothing.

Some have a 2-3 day stretch where they feel super motivated and spend hours studying the game and increasing their understanding...then they burn out and stop for months.

If you can commit to spending 10 minutes each day increasing your basketball IQ by studying a player you want to learn from, diving into learning about an action or concept, or watching back your own games...you'll be a completely new player after a while.

That's the compound effect- small inputs over and over again that lead to MASSIVE results...

As you probably know, I have a program called Basketball IQ Academy which is a program that helps players transform their in game results and confidence by teaching them the details of the game, decision making, and everything else that great players understand— but what a lot of players don’t realize is that it’s not something you need to spend hours on every day.

In fact, some of the players who get the best results from it?

They spend just 10 minutes a day on it.

That’s it.

10 minutes a day watching breakdowns…
10 minutes a day sharpening their decision-making…
10 minutes a day training their mind like elite players do.

Here's a quote from a college player who's used Basketball IQ Academy to continue to improve his game and dominate at his level:

"Because of Basketball IQ Academy, I'm playing more confidently and freely than ever before. Just 10 minutes a night changed how I approach the game. I'm grateful this program exists - it's helped me grow not just physically but mentally as well."

And over time, that small daily habit turns into something massive:

• You start seeing the floor differently.

• Scoring and creating for others become natural and easy for you.

• You stop second-guessing your decisions.

• You play with unshakeable confidence.

• You earn more playing time, more opportunities, and more success

• And you become the type of player coaches trust with the ball in their hands.

That’s the power of the 10-minute rule.
And it’s how smart players separate themselves — not with massive, unsustainable effort, but with consistency.

So just like I'm taking on the 10 pages a day challenge, I challenge you to commit to training your basketball IQ and increasing your understanding of the game for just 10 minutes per day.

YouTube is a great place to start.

But if you want a resource that breaks all of it down for you and makes it easy, Basketball IQ Academy is for you.

There's a quote that says:

"In order to get what you want, you have to deserve what you want."

And you become that player deserving of success when you commit to building the right habits.

Trust me, this is the biggest separator.

Talk soon,

- Ethan