Movement, Movement, and More Movement

2026/7/19 GMT-4

Hello, I’m Stickman Charles.

Previously, we talked a lot about ideas and ways of thinking. Today, I want to talk about something different.

I want to share my journey with sports.

Basketball has always been my favorite sport. I think I joined a basketball training program in Nanjing when I was in second grade. I don’t even remember why I chose basketball instead of another sport.

At the beginning, my skills were very rough. I could barely control the ball, let alone be considered good. During scrimmages, I was usually a bench player. Many times, I couldn’t even score a single point. Even though I trained hard, it still felt like I could never beat those players who had practiced for years.

Once during training, I met another kid who was also wearing the number 11 jersey. When he saw me, he said, “We only need one number 11 here.”

Looking back, it may sound like a small thing. But for a second grader, it felt like endless disappointment.

I asked my dad, “Dad, can we stop learning basketball? I always lose to the other side.”

My dad didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked me:

“Do you think you have improved physically? Do you think your skills have gotten better?”

I thought about it for a while. The answer seemed obvious.

At the beginning, I couldn’t even properly hold onto the ball. Gradually, I became able to make a few shots. After thinking carefully, I decided to keep going.

The next year, when I was in third grade, my skills improved significantly. My dribbling and shooting were far better than the year before. I became much more confident.

Seeing my rapid improvement, my coach invited me to join an official league organized by their program.

When I arrived, I realized that I barely knew my teammates. Meanwhile, the opposing players had strong chemistry and played together smoothly.

When I defended one of their players, he could often pass the ball once and immediately escape my defense. Whenever I saw the ball go to another player, I instinctively chased after it, only to leave my original defender open.

After a few plays, our team was eliminated.

There was no dramatic comeback. No unexpected reversal.

We were simply out after one round.

I sat on the side of the court, facing away from the game, wiping away my tears.

At that moment, I didn’t understand why we lost. I had given everything I had, yet we still couldn’t win.

The coach wanted to comfort me, but I couldn’t let it go.

“It’s not fair. They clearly already knew each other.”

My teammates complained on the bench too:

“Exactly. We were already good enough.”

Another year passed.

I invited a few friends to train together, thinking that maybe we could build better chemistry if we knew each other.

After more than half a year of practice, everyone’s skills improved significantly. Around that time, another scrimmage opportunity came up. The four of us immediately formed a team.

We thought we could easily dominate.

But unexpectedly, our first game was a complete mess.

It was even more chaotic than when we had played with strangers.

Everyone wanted to attack by themselves. There was no leader, no structure, and no coordination. It was common to see one person drive into the basket and get surrounded by three defenders.

Sitting on the bench, one of my friends became so frustrated that he threw his drink onto the ground. Everyone was holding back their anger.

I stared at the court and remembered the smooth teamwork of the opponents from that previous league.

Then, something clicked.

I said:

“We still have one more chance. Losing doesn’t matter. But I don’t want us to be defeated like this, and I know you don’t either.

I’ll organize the offense and create opportunities.
hmq, you focus on rebounding.
tyy, you focus on shooting.
dhy, you handle screens and creating space.”

After everyone had their roles, we regained our confidence.

In the next game, we played with real teamwork and won 4–1.

We were incredibly excited. One of us even took off his jersey and shouted in celebration.

Looking back now, I think this is probably why I love basketball.

It has never only taught me how to dribble, shoot, or score.

It has taught me persistence, cooperation, and how a group of people can truly become a team.

I believe it will continue teaching me more in the future.

Keep thinking, and take care.

— Stickman Charles

2026/7/19 GMT-4 你好，我是Stickman Charles.

之前我们一直在聊一些思考层面的知识，今天我们聊点不一样的。

我想跟大家谈谈我的运动史。

篮球一直是我最喜欢的运动，我大概是在小学二年级报名了一个在南京的篮球培训班。我甚至都忘了自己当时为什么选择了篮球，而不是什么别的运动。

一开始，我的水平其实很粗糙，球都运不好，谈不上多厉害。分组打比赛的时候，也只能当板凳球员。很多时候甚至一分都拿不到。即使很努力的训练，似乎也还是打不过那些训练了很久的球员。有一次在训练的时候，我遇到了一个同样穿着11号球衣的小朋友，他看到我之后，说：“我们这里只需要一个11号。”现在听起来没什么，但是对于二年级的我，心里面只有无尽的失落。

我当时问爸爸："爸爸，我们能不学篮球了吗？我总是打不过对面。" 我爸爸没有直接回答我，而是问道：“那你觉得自己有没有锻炼身体，水平有没有提高呢？”

我思索了一下，答案似乎是肯定的。我从一开始连球都拿不到，渐渐的也开始可以投几个球了。最后思索再三，决定还是继续坚持。

第二年，也就是我三年级的时候。我的水平有了明显的进步，无论是运球还是投篮，水平比去年不知道高到哪里去了，自信的不得了。教练看我进步挺快，就邀请我去参加他们组织的正式联赛。我到了地方之后发现自己跟队友根本不熟。对面的几个球员配合紧密。我在防守面前这名球员的时候，他经常把球一传，就能摆脱防守。我一看到球传到别人手里，就想着去追，结果把自己的防守人漏掉了。几轮下来，我们队伍就被淘汰了——没有什么跌宕起伏的反转，一轮就被淘汰了。

我坐在场边，背对着场地，自己抹着眼泪。我当时不明白自己为什么会输。明明自己已经竭尽了全力，却还是没赢下比赛。教练想过来安慰我，但我始终释怀不了。“根本就不公平，他们一看就是认识的。”队友们也在场边抱怨：“就是啊，我们已经足够好了。”

又过了一年，我邀请了几个朋友一块来学，想着朋友之间配合能不能默契点。练了大半年后，大家的水平都有了明显提升。恰好快就遇到了一场分组打比赛的机会，我和另外三个朋友立刻就抱团组成了一支队伍。本来以为可以轻松碾压，没想到第一场比赛混乱的不得了，甚至比以前跟陌生人组队的时候更乱。每个人都想自己进攻。群龙无首，配合混乱。经常出现一个人投篮的时候，被三个人包夹。

在板凳席上，我一个朋友气的把饮料砸在地上，大家心里都憋着一股气。我盯着球场，又想起了之前联赛里对手流畅的配合。似乎灵光乍现。

我提议道：“我们还有一次机会，输了无所谓，就这样被打倒了，我不甘心，你们也不会甘心。我负责组织进攻，给你们传球。hmq负责抢板，tyy负责投射，dhy负责打挡拆。” 分配完各自的任务后，大家似乎又有了信心，在接下来的一场比赛里，我们打出了流畅的配合，以 4:1 赢下了比赛。

我们激动的不得了，有个人甚至还把球衣脱了怒吼。

现在想想，这可能就是我热爱篮球的原因。

它教会我的，从来不只是运球、投篮和得分，而是坚持、合作，以及如何让一群人真正成为一个团队。

我相信，未来它还会教会我更多。

保持思考，保重。