Dribble. Dribble. Pause. Bend. Extend. Release. Pause. Swish.

Many of you may have played basketball in grade school or high school, college or beyond.  Or, perhaps you are just a fan of the game. While there are some differences between the male and female game, the fifteen-foot distance that determines the free throw line is the same regardless of gender or age.  You might even say that in basketball, the free throw is the great equalizer.

Making a free throw is one of the easiest, yet hardest, shots in all of basketball.  There is no defense and the clock is stopped – free points for the taking. On the flip side, you are alone at the line and the pressure of making the shot rests solely on your shoulders (as well as your knees and wrist).

Most players are happy making 75% of their free throws, with top players making 85-90%.  However, Elena Delle Donne of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky has mastered the free throw.  In fact, her mastery is historic.  This season, Delle Donne is making an outstanding 95.7% of her free throws (198/207), which will be a WNBA record if she continues at this pace over the last couple games of the season.  Even more incredible, since high school, in 11 basketball seasons, Delle Donne has only missed a total of 83 free throws (880/963).  Check out the full details of her exploits at http://www.wnba.com/.

Compare these numbers to NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal.  During Shaq’s 19-year career, he missed a total of 5,317 free throws in 1,207 regular season games.  That averages to 4.4 misses per game.  Put another way, in almost every two games he played, Shaq missed almost as many free throws as Delle Donne has missed in an entire season.

Delle Donne’s dedication, determination and hard work have contributed to her amazing success at the free throw line point after point, game after game, year after year.  Since high school, Delle Donne has established a free throw routine, practiced her routine day after day and remained disciplined to being the best she could be on both good days and bad, particularly during those times when her bouts with Lyme disease flared up.

Dribble. Dribble. Pause. Bend. Extend. Release. Pause. Swish.

As demonstrated by Delle Donne, for women to be our own best, we must be dedicated, determined and disciplined.  First, we must clearly define our goals and dreams, and recognize and accept that there are few short-term rewards or quick gains.  We must be dedicated to our journey and acknowledge that success is the sum of many parts that will take time to come together.  Next, we must have a plan and a routine for achieving our goals and dreams.  We must be disciplined to get up each day, excited for the new challenges and prepared to carry out the work that lies ahead of us that will move us forward to achieving our goals and dreams.  Finally, we must remain determined, no matter how hard the path forward may be.   Let’s face it.  Life is tough and for women, balancing work, family and friends is simply not easy.  However, we cannot give up.  We have the power and the energy within ourselves to carry on, even during the most challenging of times.  If we are dedicated, determined and disciplined, we will achieve historic success.

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers

Dribble. Dribble. Pause. Bend. Extend. Release. Pause. Swish.