OUR MISSION

WE BELIEVE A STORY CAN ONLY BE TOLD IF THE USER EXPERIENCE ALLOWS IT TO BE HEARD

We believe it is necessary to read and deeply understand the statement. A superficial reading would lead to an immediate answer to the question: 'Is theory or practice better'? We believe it is better to be - and with this, from the Soul, we share a thought of ours. We do not perceive a conflict between the words 'theory' and 'practice'; instead, we replace them with intuition and thought. Often during training sessions, we search for questions, we seek answers from the Athletes, we try to make training a 'study room', convinced that the concept of training today, in our little town, is nothing more than a repeated application of things invented by others - but certainly not your own. [Dear Athlete] we believe that promoting thought, even if theoretical, helps develop your own knowledge, which you will then turn into your own practice. In doing so, you move from managing someone else's ideas to constructing your own being, your own future - shedding that hidden sense of not being truly present within yourself. There is nothing more practical than learning to think, to think freely. And when we do theory in that so-called 'study room', we are anticipating a future process - we are anticipating what will happen to us, or might happen. Whereas when we practice, we mechanically repeat solutions already prepared by others, just like in an assembly line. Basketball, to us, is art - art understood as the realm of beauty, of imagination, of creativity, and of the Soul. There are those who love shouting, conflict, imposition. We love silence. We seek a moment to listen to ourselves - because we are not robots, we are not automatons. We are something profoundly different … we are.

YOU WILL NEVER BECOME A CHAMPION

Becoming a Champion is not an event - it’s a process. We do not impose our knowledge or our perspective. We listen, and we seek collaborative cultures. What we try to do is find something that makes sense - on the court, and for the Athlete. Every team at a high level has its own ‘cultural’ values, and these differ from one team to another. We have ours. Our core values, which we believe are essential to being a Champion, to becoming a Champion. We are committed to fostering strong, healthy relationships with our Athletes, where respect and integrity are forged, creating greater intimacy between coach and player - recognizing that we are a team, and that both the team and the coach can learn from each other. [see link 'locker room'] The magic of becoming stronger by being softer. The positive effects of a culture rooted in unity and cohesion: Respect, trust, compassion, faith, and integrity. We teach our Athletes to develop the skills and qualities that shape a Champion: self-esteem, courage, resilience, determination, perseverance, grit, self-awareness, integrity, the ability to take risks, and the ability to learn from failure. We place great emphasis on self-awareness, tactical positioning, and strategic advantage - meaning that athletes win through inner growth and self-improvement, giving them a universal competitive edge. Those who have read our book 'Life, Sport, and its Stercus', on pages 24 and 25, know we speak of the ‘circle’ - because in our culture, everything begins with the circle. And those who’ve breathed that space understand how much presence the circle - usually the center circle - holds in our conversations and exercises. We are not shouters, nor enforcers - so we are never at the center of the circle. We are part of the circle. This is the starting point of our culture. The circle represents continuity - it has no interruptions. The circle represents unity, family - indeed, a functional family. The circle reminds us of home, and it stands for sharing. The circle is, symbolically, ‘empty’ - and that very emptiness speaks of its ability to be open to everything: to new Athletes, new techniques, discussions, opinions ... It is receptive to stimulation. It is receptive to learning. If we were to enter our World in the English language, the circle symbolizes the letter ‘O’. It stands for Oneness - shared values, unity. In a word: culture. Our culture.

SUCCESS IS 99% FAILURE

In the East, there is a beautiful expression: 'The target hit by the Archer is nothing more than the result of a hundred misses'. Mistakes are not punished - they are accepted. Otherwise, they would turn into fear, and fear weakens us - mentally and physically. We prefer to follow the philosophy of 'don’t be afraid to make mistakes'. For us, taking a player off the court becomes necessary only when the Athlete doesn’t know what is happening - when they need clarity, awareness, reflection … trust. Focusing on game results, emphasizing them - we believe - is a sign of fear. After all, results are not fully within our control. We prefer to focus on what we can control: our culture, the small things… the belief in ourselves. That is the one thing that can never be defeated.
Only then will you be a Champion. The Game must be written in your mind. It must be created in your mind. We believe the essential qualities of a Coach lie in their ability to project their Passion for the Game - rooted deep in their Soul - into their Players. The way they relate, the way they speak, the ability to stay calm under pressure - these are the necessary traits. When the stakes are high, Athletes get nervous, and they need a point of reference - a bench that radiates trust, inspiration, and motivation. Above all, a Coach must be able to tune in to each individual Athlete, because every player can be motivated in a different way. A Coach doesn’t just have a team - they have individual players. We firmly believe that Trust is something that can be shaped—that it can be built through Competence.

ANATMAN - 'THAT WHICH IS NOT SOUL'

We read the word Anatman and grasp its meaning: 'My children are mine. My wealth is mine'. Such thoughts cause a fool to become anxious. Indeed, there is no self one can truly call 'mine' - so how can children and wealth be called mine? Then, we pause for a moment to reflect on its implication in Sport. We teach how to connect spirituality with Sport - trying to define what must be discarded and what must be added to mental, emotional, and spiritual skills as an Athlete. In short, how spirituality interacts with Sport and with Life. We do not speak of the existence or non-existence of the self. We do not seek to oppose questions desperately searching for answers, nor do we wish to construct a denial of the self - thus rejecting competitiveness - or affirm its existence - thus building a personality ready for today’s real world, one dominated by rivalry, by the pursuit of victory, by the need to prove oneself … a world ruled by rankings and hierarchies. What we wish to teach is that the human mind creates multiple senses of self - the 'creation of me' and the 'creation of I' - and we explain and explore the difference between these during our training. Ordinary is pointless. There is no reason to be ordinary in this life, and from the very beginning, we never have been. We admire those who look beyond boundaries -  and imagine new possibilities.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Where creativity lives: Thinking right is a skill. Like any other skill "thinking right" can be learned. We created a much more aspirational and inspirational story to tell, not just showing Players how basketball "works" but how creativity happens and how BTA can help unlock potential. Well, you know, all we have is this moment, certain things only happen once.

THE VALUES THAT GUIDE US

There are values that have been imprinted in our DNA for more than 40 years, values that have marked our success and evolution. Values are what makes us who we are. Although there are many principles and values that we believe in, these are the top five that influence how we live our lives and the decisions that we make. These are our moral compass that guiding us everyday.

• Kaizen: Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that means to continuously improve for the better. We came across this philosophy by accident and it aligned perfectly with what we already believed in. The key to this principle is to always strive to be better no matter how big or small the steps that we take. Always learning, growing, and improving ourself in any way we can. The idea of moving forward is always at the back of our mind.
• Gaman: Gaman is a Japanese philosophy that means to endure or tolerate any adversity that comes into your life. Be strong-willed and stay focused on what you're trying to accomplish. Life can be very difficult at times but this value keeps us centered knowing that the pain and hardships are just temporary and will soon pass. It is the ability to resist submission that goes against your own principles and persist until the goal is completed.
• Integrity: Integrity is keeping your character true to your own beliefs, moral values, or principles. We developed our own code of conduct over time through our experience with our environment. It is a big part of our identity.
• Self-Reliance: One of the most important things that  we have learned in life was that the only thing we have control over is ourselves. Having the ability to find our own way and rely on our own ability to get things done is very empowering.
• Empathy: Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another. This value takes continuous practice, experience, and education to enhance but cannot be mastered. Our perception will always be one-sided so in order to solve real "problems", we also need to consider other people's perspectives.