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「籃球之神」Michael Jordan 曾經說過：「你可以每天練習8小時的投籃，但如果你的動作不對，那麼你只會變得非常擅長以錯誤的方式投籃。」

這句話殘酷卻真實。努力不是萬能的，它甚至可能成為陷阱。當你把時間和心力投入在錯誤的方式上，你練得越勤，就離真正的進步越遠。

在球場上，我們太常看到這樣的情況：有些球員每天自主加練，但比賽中依舊卡關；有些家長把「努力」當成萬靈丹，認為只要孩子肯花時間苦練，就一定能有結果。

問題是，努力如果沒有方向，往往只是消耗，而不是投資。這也是我最近和台灣 P.LEAGUE+（PLG）新科總冠軍桃園領航猿助理教練唐偉傑（AJ）對話時，感觸最深的一點。

從默默無聞到關鍵球員

領航猿最讓人津津樂道的，就是本土年輕球員的成長。

盧峻翔、白曜誠（小白）、李家慷這些名字，現在是球隊的主要戰力，但三年前，他們都不是焦點。

AJ 回憶起第一次與他們碰面的那個夏天：「那時候峻翔大家只覺得他是個砍分手，小白剛進來就被賦予組織任務，家慷甚至不在輪替名單裡。」

三年後的今天，他們已經成為球隊不可或缺的主要戰力，甚至在 PLG、東亞超級聯賽（EASL）和亞冠籃球聯賽（BCL）與亞洲頂尖球隊對戰時，敢於承擔責任。

這樣的蛻變，不是單靠「拼命練球」換來的，而是有系統的養成與規劃。

進步需要設計，而不是碰運氣

AJ 特別強調一點：領航猿的球員養成不是隨機的，而是設計出來的。

在每個賽季開始前，教練團都會幫球員設定短期和長期目標：這一季希望改善什麼，三年後要達到什麼高度。這些目標不是口號，而是與數據、影片緊密連結。

他舉例小白的三分球。球迷常批評他「被放投」，覺得沒什麼進步。但數據顯示，小白大學時期三分命中率不到兩成，進入職業後一步步提升，今年已經拉到 26%。不是爆發式的跳升，而是按部就班的累積。

這就是設計的力量：努力+ 檢視+ 修正 = 進步。

如果沒有這樣的過程，努力只會變成「重複錯誤的方式」。

信任是進步的加速器

除了規劃與數據，AJ 最看重的，是「信任」。

家慷就是例子。比完賽後，他常常第一時間打電話給 AJ：「教練，我今天哪個動作怪怪的？你覺得要怎麼修正？」

這種主動尋求回饋的態度，源於教練與球員之間的互信。當球員信任教練，他不會把建議當作「意見」，而是馬上化為行動。這就是進步的加速器。

很多時候，我們以為進步只靠技術與體能，但實際上，進步也需要關係的支撐。沒有信任，努力只是單打獨鬥；有了信任，努力才能事半功倍。

正面態度塑造系列賽的命運

AJ 還談到另一個關鍵：西班牙籍主教練卡總（Iurgi Caminos）的正面態度。

他回憶起上賽季 PLG 總冠軍系列賽一路打到搶七大戰。當球隊陷入低潮、比分落後時，通常本土教練習慣檢討問題。但卡總卻只會放大那「1% 的好」，提醒球員：「今天我們還是有做對的地方。」

這種正面心態，讓球員保持信心，把能量集中在「下一場怎麼打得更好」，而不是「上一場輸在哪裡」。

在系列賽這種高壓環境下，比拼的不只是戰術和體能，更是氣氛和心態。

馬來西亞的啟示

有趣的是，AJ 在 BCL 入選賽初次到馬來西亞比賽時，對我們的本土球員印象深刻。他特別提到金鹿的 77 號本土球員（王奕棟），雖然身材瘦小，但技術、比賽理解和出手慾望都超過預期。這打破了他對「馬來西亞籃球強度不高」的既有印象。

他也比較了不同國家的差異：

日本：完整的養成體系，明確規劃每個年齡階段該學什麼。
台灣：資源豐富，接受度高，但缺乏統一課綱，容易出現教練觀念衝突。

相比之下，馬來西亞仍正在發展中，但我們缺乏技術教練的角色與系統化設計。換句話說，我們還停留在「努力=進步」的階段，而別人已經在「設計 + 數據 + 文化」的框架下持續前進。

努力是燃料，設計才是導航

Michael Jordan 的那句名言，在這裡顯得特別貼切。

努力是必須的，但如果沒有設計、沒有信任、沒有正面環境，努力只會把錯誤放大。

進步從來不是偶然，而是被設計出來的必然。努力是燃料，但有系統的設計才是導航。

這一期的《喬遇師傅》，我和 AJ 教練聊了很多——從球員養成、數據分析、技術教練的未來，到馬來西亞籃球的可能性。

如果你想聽到更多細節，歡迎到我的 YouTube 頻道看完整訪談影片。

— Jordan

Why Hard Work Alone Won’t Make a Player Better

Michael Jordan once said: “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way.”

The words sting because they’re true. Effort isn’t everything. In fact, it can be a trap. If you pour energy into the wrong method, the harder you train, the further you drift from real progress.

We’ve all seen it: players who grind for hours but stay stuck in place; parents who believe effort alone is the magic key, convinced that if their kids just train harder, results will come.

But effort without direction isn’t investment. It’s waste.

That’s why my recent conversation with Tang Wei-Jie (AJ), assistant coach of the P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) Champion Taoyuan Pilots, stood out. His stories made one thing clear: hard work is never enough on its own.

From Overlooked Rookies to Core Players

One of the Pilots’ most compelling storylines is the rise of their local talent.

Lu Chun-Hsiang (盧峻翔), Pai Yao-Cheng (白曜誠), and Li Chia-Kang (李家慷) are now fan favorites. But three years ago, they were barely on the radar.

AJ remembers that first summer vividly:“Chun-Hsiang was seen as just a scorer. Hsiao Pai was struggling to organize the offense. Chia-Kang wasn’t even in the rotation—sometimes not on the training roster at all.”

Three years later, all three are mainstays in a championship squad. They’ve stepped onto the biggest stages — P.LEAGUE+, the East Asia Super League, and the Basketball Champions League — and carried real responsibility.

That leap wasn’t luck. It wasn’t just “work harder.” It was the product of designed growth, constant review, and trust in the process.

Progress Requires Design, Not Chance

The Pilots’ philosophy is simple but powerful: improvement must be engineered.

Before each season, the staff sets specific short- and long-term goals for every player. What needs sharpening this year? Where should they be in three? And those goals aren’t just words — they’re backed by data and film.

Take Hsiao Pai’s three-point shooting. Fans often criticized him for being “left open,” assuming he wasn’t improving. The numbers show otherwise:

In college, his percentage sat in the low teens.
As a pro, he chipped away season by season.
This past year, he raised it to 26%.

Not spectacular, but steady. Progress you can measure.

That’s design in action: effort + measurement + correction = growth.

Without it, hard work just multiplies mistakes.

Trust: The Accelerator of Growth

Design sets the course. Trust provides the speed.

Li Chia-Kang shows why. After games, he often calls AJ immediately: “Coach, what did you see from me today? Which moves felt off? What should I adjust?”

That’s more than diligence. It’s trust. When a player believes in his coach, feedback isn’t just advice — it becomes action. He doesn’t waste time resisting. He adapts. He improves.

Growth in basketball isn’t only technical or physical. It’s relational. Without trust, effort is lonely struggle. With trust, effort compounds.

Attitude Shapes a Series

AJ also pointed to something less tangible but just as critical: head coach Iurgi Caminos’ relentless positivity.

He recalled last season’s Finals, which stretched to Game 7. After crushing losses, where many coaches would hammer mistakes, Caminos highlighted the smallest sliver of success.

“We still did 1% well today. Here’s what it was.”

It may sound naïve, but in the heat of a playoff series, that mindset preserved confidence. Instead of spiraling into self-doubt, players locked onto what they could build on for the next game.

In those moments, the Pilots weren’t just competing physically. They were winning the mental game of survival.

Lessons for Malaysia

When the Pilots traveled to Kuala Lumpur for the BCL Asia-East qualifiers, AJ’s assumptions about Malaysia shifted.

For years, he thought Malaysian basketball lacked intensity. But facing the NS Matrix Deers, he was struck by the skill, aggression, and game sense of even their bench players.

One stood out: number 77, Heng Yee Tong. Slender, seemingly undersized, but fearless. He played with sharp instincts and even buried a key three-pointer. AJ admitted: “Players in Taiwan could learn from that kind of drive.”

His reflections revealed a bigger picture:

Japan runs on long-term player development plans, teaching specific skills at every stage.
Taiwan has resources and foreign coaches but lacks a unified pathway, leading to clashing philosophies.
Malaysia is still emerging, but raw talent flashes through — the problem is structural, not motivational.

We’re still running on “hard work.” Others are running on “design + data + culture.”

Effort Is Fuel. Design Is the Navigation.

Michael Jordan’s warning rings louder than ever: if your technique is wrong, effort only makes you better at being wrong.

Effort is essential. But effort alone doesn’t guarantee improvement. It needs design (systems and data), trust (relationships), and culture (attitudes that sustain belief).

Progress isn’t an accident. It’s built.

Hard work is the fuel. Design is the navigation.

In this episode of One on One with Jordan, Coach AJ and I dug deeper into these themes: the rise of the Pilots’ local stars, how data shapes training, the evolving role of skill coaches, the grind of film study, and what Malaysia can learn moving forward.

Watch the full conversation on my YouTube channel.