What Kawhi Leonard can teach us about slowing down to speed up

Conventional wisdom has always said that achieving more means pushing harder. It’s not true. Why? Because that’s not how brains work. 

I’d like to challenge you to think differently about performance and health by embracing what seems like a counter-intuitive notion: slow down to speed up. Being deliberate about how you live and work can enable you to be more effective and efficient.

By leveraging the science of brain waves, you can match your physiological, mental and emotional state to the task at hand. When that happens, you can reach your potential and exceed expectations – as an individual and a team.

To illustrate what I mean, let’s go back to April 18, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

It’s game seven of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the eventual world champion Toronto Raptors.

With 4.2 seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 90, the Raptors inbound the ball to their superstar, Kawhi Leonard. He dribbles along the three-point arc to the baseline, leaps into the air, and launches a shot over the outstretched arm of seven-foot centre Joel Embiid. The ball arcs through the air, lands with four of the more dramatic bounces in sport history, and goes in. Raptors win.

For any basketball fan – and most Canadians – the shot was an instant lifelong memory.

The images of that shot are a picture of peak performance. But they are also something more, not because of what happened in the moment, but because of what led up to it.

More is not better

I am a sports scientist and physiologist who has worked with over 200 Olympic athletes in my career. No matter what anyone tells you, the prevailing mindset has always been to train athletes as hard as possible. Yes, recovery and regeneration are respected and practiced. But the spectre of “more equals more” is ever present. And this mindset is fueled by stories of the relentless work ethic that set legendary athletes like Kobe Bryant apart. (He was renowned for spending hours in a gym working on the fundamentals.)

Want to be the best? You better put in the time. That was the message. Factors like money, prestige, and a culture of grind among athletes promoted the belief that to excel you have to push harder than everyone else.

But that thinking is changing. We are learning that too much training can hinder performance far beyond burnout and injury. It can cause a loss of motivation, fatigue, and reductions in power, strength and energy.

That’s exactly what happened with Leonard in his final season with the San Antonio Spurs, an NBA organization that had a reputation for excellence prior to the Leonard situation.

Leonard has tendinopathy in his right quadricep, a chronic condition related to the breakdown of collagen in a tendon. While in San Antonio, he faced relentless pressure from his teammates, the medical staff and the front office to get into games. But the more he played, the worse his condition became.

Eventually, Leonard decided to trust his own knowledge of his body. He withdrew from the team and didn’t play in the 2018 playoffs, which led to a toxic relationship between the Spurs and their superstar.

Seeing what was happening in San Antonio, the Toronto Raptors’ highly-regarded President, Masai Ujiri, orchestrated a trade for Leonard that sent Toronto fan favourite DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio.

As soon as the trade was official, Ujiri called Alex McKechnie, the team’s sports scientist, and said, “You just became the most important person in our organization." Why? McKechnie was tasked with rehabilitating Leonard and helping him return to superstar status so he could help the Raptors win an NBA championship.

In that moment, the legend of Load Management began.

Despite constant criticism and questions from fans and basketball experts alike, Leonard’s workload was carefully managed and regularly limited. He never played in back-to-back games. The team managed his minutes throughout the regular season. Leonard often sat on the sidelines in street clothes watching his teammates play.

Until the playoffs arrived and he was all in. Leonard played full minutes every game, despite a noticeable limp. And he led the Raptors all the way to the title.

If there had been no Load Management, there would never have been The Shot.

Rethinking the importance of rest and recovery

The Raptors and Leonard changed the way that athletes – and anyone interested in performance – think about the value of rest and recovery. 

But they also did something more. They reminded us all to be deliberate and intentional no matter what messages we are getting from outside sources. To focus on what matters and ignore what doesn’t. And to recognize that peak performance is only possible if we take care of ourselves.

I want you to be able to take that shot. I want you to achieve your version of peak performance and optimal health. And that begins with embracing the concept of slowing down to speed up.

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Want to learn more?

Check out my new book Rest Refocus Recharge! In the book I cover simple and innovative ways to fight fatigue, feel stronger and live better.

In a 24/7 world, it can be a real challenge to get proper rest and give your mind and body the opportunity to fully recharge. In my new book, I outline how small changes in the way you rest, refocus and recharge can help you improve your mental health, prevent illness and deliver optimal results. In high-performance athletic circles, “deliberate recovery” practices are the secret weapon of the very best. But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from these strategies. Rest Refocus Recharge offers simple and practical techniques that you can easily incorporate into your existing routine, including:

Rest and sleep

Relax and create

Reflect and learn

Recharge and focus

Regenerate and perform

Let me know what you think about this article and the new book in the comments section below!