You’ve probably heard the saying "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take". Another way of saying this is if you want to score or have success in anything, you have to take a shot. Nobody can score from the sidelines or sitting on the bench.

You have to be in the game. You have to get the ball in your hands and you have to take the shot. Of course taking a shot does not guarantee a score. There is an element of risk involved. Your chances of making the shot are directly related to your abilities or level of skill, which is largely dependent on your level of preparedness. With no practice, you could miss 100% of the shots you take.

Before you Take the Shot!

You don’t want to take the shot for the first time in a game or at a time when it’s going to cost you. You want to practice that shot over and over again when missing doesn’t cost you anything but time and effort. When practicing the shot, you start to learn important information about your ability to make the shot, such as:

1. Your range or the distance away from the basket or goal from which you can make the shot

2. The best place on the field or goal for you to take the shot

3. The best conditions or situation to take the shot

Eventually you will learn, when, where and how to take the shot and the probability of making it. If you are able to make the shot in practice 7 out of 10 times, chances are you will have confidence with taking that shot in the game.

Get to the Point!

The point of this message is for you to not lose sight of the fact that although it is important to take action and make an effort when pursuing any goal, preparation is of the utmost importance. Furthermore, the sooner you begin preparing the more practice time you are able to get in before it’s time to step into the limelight and take the shot and the less time you spend practicing and missing critical and costly shots in the actual game. In fact, your chances of getting passed the ball and being in a position to take the shot is unlikely unless you have practiced and proven yourself worthy.

In summary, you should keep dreaming and visualizing being in a position and place to take that critical game winning shot while you practice hard and prepare. It is preparation that will most likely get you in the game to be in a position to take the shot become with preparation come opportunity.