Can You Learn Basketball in a Classroom?
Imagine two people who both want to be good at basketball, Chris and Jake:
- Chris signs up for “Introduction to Basketball Theory.” Over four years, he studies the physics of shooting, the history of the NBA, and the biomechanics of dribbling. He writes a 20-page paper on defensive footwork. He gets an A+ in his class “Basketball 401.” Jake reads all the books about it, but he never actually gets on the court.
- Jake skips the class. Instead, he plays pickup games at the park, joins a rec league, and practices free throws in his driveway every day. He learns by getting crossed up, missing shots, figuring things out, and improving. Jake plays hard for these years, and is in the gym working hard through mistakes.
At the end of four years, who do you think is the better basketball player?
The Truth About Learning
Sports make one thing clear: you don’t learn by sitting and studying—you learn by doing.
- You don’t become a great shooter by reading about arc angles—you shoot a thousand shots until it feels natural.
- You don’t develop court vision by watching film—you play against real defenders who test your instincts.
- You don’t learn resilience by memorizing motivational quotes—you lose games, get back up, and keep playing.
The Same is True for Learning Anything
This isn’t just about basketball. This is about everything—business, music, coding, entrepreneurship.
You can’t major in success—you have to practice success.
If you want to start a business, you won’t learn how from case studies alone. You learn by starting one—failing, adjusting, and figuring it out.
If you want to be great at something, don’t just study it—do it.
Now back to Jake and Chris—who’s making the varsity team?
