The Art of Run and Gun: On and Off the court.

Run and Gun: A basketball offense that emphasize on 80% offense and 20% defense. The pace is increase to its maximum and is expected the player to shoot the ball within 7 seconds or less. Endless of fastbreak is used to break down the opponents stamina. Most famous used in basketball history is by Paul Westhead from the LMU and Mike d'Antoni in the Phoenix Suns.

I was a guy that loves to play in Run and Gun style basketball. It was my basketball philosophy: out run your opponents. I have a group of younger friends that play basketball with me; they are undersized but fast. So I came out with this plan to utilize their speed. I enjoyed the fast pace of the game. It's like an adrenaline rush whenever I get the ball. I go full speed down the court expecting my teammates to be running alongside with me. The motto is: We run together.

Off the court, my pace of life is fast, But I choose to slow it down. A few months after my major exam, I applied for scholarship. A few months later I was in college. And then I made friends. They left to Australia after a year, and I made new basketball teammates later. A few months later I was in Milwaukee. A year later I'm writing this post. It all happen in 3 years where my life changes a whole lot. Tons of things happened. Friends and relationship come and go. Mistakes were made and troubles were committed. But I slow them down. I delayed things that I could have done in one day for days. I felt that time will pass slower if I choose to move slowly.

Back to the court. The reason of playing fast pace basketball is that you will be able to beat people that are not used to it. By taking more shot attempts, you will make more shots. A high scoring games is expected. But if you don't have the feel of your right hand(or left hand) that day, you will simply just lose. It's like a gamble, where you put your game at stake by gambling  your luck. Luck is a beautiful thing when lady luck is with you. Yes, only when she is with you.

I never gamble my life. By saying that I don't want to, it is more of I don't dare to. I don't believe in luck. I'm afraid that I might fail. That is why I play by the rules. Preparing early. Do the right thing. Make decisions that favor yourself. Never a risk taker, I always plan my things. But sometimes, procrastinating results in making a one-option decision(its not even a decision). So I take the risk. But I got lucky 8/10 times. Still, I'm not a risk taker. That is why, in relationships, I don't quarrel. I will be the one that said sorry first to clear things out. I might be a boring person. But that's just me.

Dropping the ball on the court, you know winning doesn't come easily. You have to be patient. Years ago, my teammates and I planned a "Old Team VS New Team" match. Of course I was in the new team. I told my teammates to go all out running and gunning. We were losing until the 3rd quarter. At the beginning of the 4th, my plan worked out. The Old Team was out of breath catching up with our fastbreak. We won. Because we hustled 3 quarters believing that we will win.

I'm never a patient person, that is why I dislike fishing as my dad loves it. But for that one girl I chooses to wait. I felt that waiting is the only thing I can do for right now. I felt that things might work out if I don't push it. Maybe lady luck will be by my side this time. Things did turn out well a little. But this time is the 2/10 times, lady luck just left me alone like that. I thought caring for her through words is enough for her at the other side of the world. It is never enough. I thought by loving her naturally and pure is sincere enough for her at the other side of the world. It is never sincere or real. I thought seeing each other through the webcam is enough for her at the other side of the world. But another side of myself yells: Yo dawg, you are seeing her once a month but motherfuckers back there sees her everyday, you gon lose dawg, watcha' gon do? You 8000miles apart dawg! Two years might be short, but it's enough for you to lose someone you actually put your heart into. Two years might be long, but it's not enough for you to get over someone you love for 7 years.

I begin to mix it up a little. Run some fastbreaks in pick-ups and playing some spot-up 3 point shooter role. Things turn out quite well as I fit into some half court offense and I gained some respect from the people here. But I'm still happier on the break. When I run, I don't feel tired, I'm happy deep inside me as I run at full force; as fast as I could. I'm still a run and gun guy, but sometimes I have to change to fit myself into the system. Basketball is a team sport. That is why you follow the team's rule. One thing that will not change is: I'm gonna run all the breaks that I can get. Because I love basketball.

I begin to work in this semester. Trying to fasten my lifestyle a little bit so that I will not be packed up with unfinished work. But in certain days, I still want to lay around and let time passes. Changes are hard to adapt but I have to learn to adapt. This is a part of growing up. Life is never smooth. You enjoy the roughness, or you can cry about it. I don't like to be labeled as a cry baby.

Last Note:

Everything happens for a reason. It's a challenge from our Creator and we have to do our best to overcome it. Life might not be the same anymore when one of the pieces is missing, but you have to fill in the space yourself. My philosophy only applies to me. I don't force it on others. And that is why when two people with different definition of life comes together, it never work out. I knew it from the beginning. But I took the risk. I gambled my piece of soul. In the end, I lost. Losing is hard, but it makes you wanting to get up and fight again. Just because I don't believe in losing twice in a row.
It's like the Run'n'Gun, if you don't gamble, you will never know when is lady luck with you.